This Is How You Do It

[DaisyMaeDuke]

"I think she could," began Luke with a reflective twinkle in his eye. "I think she just wanted attention....ya know how girls can be..."

[BoJamesDuke]

"Sure do...mind you weren't so bad teaching her to swing really...I spent so much time with you, it was nice to see another, better lookin face on occasion..."

He replied with a small chuckle.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

"Oh haha...you're such a funny guy...you remember when I taught her? You and me was takin' turns swinging down, and Auntie was busy, so Daisy came out to see us... must not have been too long after she came t' the farm..."

****flashback****

"Look out below!" shouted eight-year-old Luke as he took hold of the rope, Tarzan-style, and swung off of the loft, loving the feeling of the air against his face.

[BoJamesDuke]

Little 4-year-old Bo giggled as he watched Luke do it, clapping his hands joyfully.

.

"Me go! Me go!" He shrieked, his blonde curls bouncing as he bounced excitedly.

Now when he said 'Me go' it wasn't as much as me have a go as it was you help me have a go. He'd had it explained to him that he couldn't swing on his own yet countless times, so instead, Luke would pick him up and Bo would cling to Luke tightly while they swang.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke swung down, landing on his feet beside Bo. "Alright, get on up there," he invited following Bo up the loft ladder. "Come here," he said holding out his arms for Bo to climb into, knowing full well he would never have to ask twice. Bo never needed an invitation to give hugs.

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo grinned widly and hurried over to him, near jumping up at Luke to get into his arms. His aunt had deeply instilled in him already how much he could help someone by giving them a hug...it was something the little 4 year old took very seriously. Besides that, he also liked getting hugs in return so it was something he readily gave, more when he wanted one than when the other person did.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke couldn't help smiling as Bo pounced into his arms, his soft, unruly golden curls bobbing as he did. Luke hugged the little boy tight as he stood. "You hang on tight now Bo...I don't wanna lose ya," said Luke grabbing the rope and situating himself so that Bo was snugly secure in his arms. "You ready?"

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo clung to Luke as Luke moved around like a baby monkey clinging to its mom. He trusted Luke unconditionally and would usually do near anything the older boy told him to.

Grinning he nodded enthusiastically as Luke asked if he was ready, bouncing a little in excitement as he waited for Luke to make the jump that would send them sailing through the air together.

"Yeah yeah yeah! Go go go!"

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke went. Taking tight hold of the rope in his hands his feet hanging on too, he jumped from the loft swinging back and forth like a pendelum across the barn floor. "Yah-hoo!"

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo yelled happily with him as they swung through the air, the wind whipping through his blonde curls as he kept a white knuckled grip on his older cousin. He laughed happily and would have clapped with glee if he wasn't holding on so tight. As much as he was looking forward to the day he would be big enough to do this himself, a large part of the little 4 year old wanted for Luke to do this with him always.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

When at last the swinging motion slowed enough to jump off, Luke didn't. Instead he climbed down, hand over hand, with little Bo still clinging to him. It wasn't that he couldn't jump off with Bo. He was sure that he could. It was more the fact that there was a greater chance that something could happen, and while Luke was a risk-taker when it came to himself, he was more careful about his cousins...especially Bo.

[BoJamesDuke]

When they finally reached the ground, Bo slid down his older cousin, jumping with gless as his feet hit the floor, laughing and clapping happily.

"Again! Again!" he shrieked, his blonde curls bobbing up and down as he bounced.

(CUE BL Davenport)

[B.L. Davenport]

Daisy had wandered out to the barn to watch the boys while Auntie was busy doing something else. She had watched Bo climb into Luke's arms and then as Luke had swung them both on the rope, smiling just a little it looked like fun.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke slid off the rope too, spotting Daisy standing quietly near the doors watching them. Hushing Bo, he smiled at her and said, "Hey, Daisy...you wanna have a go?"

Despite the close brotherly love that Luke had for Bo, he felt a special kinship with Daisy. The loss of her folks was still new to her and though she seemed to jump back with the happy spirit that characterized her, Luke knew that she was still trying to adjust with all the changes; he knew because only two years ago he himself had been going through the same thing. This commonality made Luke instinctively try to make her feel at ease, and the inward vow of protection he had taken over Bo, now included Daisy as well.

(cue BL)

[B.L. Davenport]

Daisy's face lit up with glee when Luke asked her if she wanted a turn. Nodding enthusiastically "Yes, I can hang on to the rope by myself though, but will you go with me?" She was a little hesitant about going on her own but knew Luke would take care of her just as he had Bo and she really wanted to try this.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke smiled a dimpled grin to her. "Sure thing...come on...Bo you stay put..." With that he led the way up the ladder.

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo toddled over to a hay bale and pulled himself onto it, settling down to watch Daisy and Luke have a turn on the rope. Swinging his little legs a bit, he felt a little disappointed that he was being left out but he wouldn't say anything. He knew the importance of sharing and taking turns...it was just hard when someone wanted to share his time with Luke.

[B.L. Davenport]

She followed Luke up the ladder to where the rope hung in the loft. Stepping over to it she took a tight hold on it, waiting for Luke. When Luke's arm was securely around her holding onto the rope she pushed off with her feet swinging out and over Bo with a delighted giggle calling "hey Bo" she would have waved to the youngest cousin had she and Luke not been swinging out on the rope.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke held on to the rope and his cousin tightly, just etting the wind blow through his dark curls, swinging back and forth across the barn.

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo grinned as he watched them both, gripping his toes gently as he wriggled them in his shoes. However, like most 4 year olds he soon lost interest and found a new interest in one of the chickens that made its way across the barn floor, picking at grains of feed. Clapping his hands, he slid off the hay bale and followed it.

[B.L. Davenport]

After their feet were back on the solid floor of the loft Daisy let go of the rope and stepped back grinning she tossed one of her pigtails off her face. "Thanks Luke that was fun!"

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke nodded. "Thought you'd like it... Bo you want to have another..." Frowning he looked around. "Where'd Bo go?"

He wasn't overly worried but at the same time there was too much trouble a four-year-old boy could find on the farm if unsupervised. "Bo?"

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo meanwhile was off happily following the chicken on its trail across the farmyard. He'd always been interested in the strange birds, liking the way they scattered as he ran through their little group. However sometimes he just liked to watch them and giggle at how they ate their food off the ground and how they waddled around.

[B.L. Davenport]

Daisy looked around too for the youngest Duke shaking her head "dunno he was here a minute ago." Cupping her hands around her mouth she called "Bo!"

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo however didn't hear, way too absorbed in the more interesting task of following the chicken all the way to the tree in the yard....where instead he then became fascinated with the little ants making their way up the tree.