This Is How You Do It

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke quickly climbed up to the loft to make sure Bo hadn't gone up there on his own. Satisfied that he had not, he hurried back down and ran out the double doors yelling, "Bo!"

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo giggled as he put his finger on the bark of the tree, watching with glee as one of the little ants crawled onto his finger and started to march solidly along his finger.

[B.L. Davenport]

Daisy followed Luke out of the barn looking around the yard, seeing Bo at the tree absorbed in something or other and not paying them any attention she pointed "there he is".

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke let out a sigh of relief, before hurrying over to his wayward cousin. "Hey! Didn't I tell ya t' stay put?!" he demanded, sounding very much like a small adult than the eight-year-old boy he was.

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo looked up with a grin on his face as Luke spoke to him, not really hearing what his older cousin was saying. He held up his little finger with the ant on it.

"Lookit! Lil' bug! It's liddle like me!"

He shrieked happily, his eyes going a little cross eyed as he watched the ant start to make his way up his arm.

"Tickles..."

[B.L. Davenport]

Daisy had joined the boys at the tree to see what was fascinating Bo so much. Unlike other little girls she didn't shriek and run when she saw it was an ant instead she leaned closer to get a better look at the little bug crawling on Bo's finger.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

"Yeah...I see...now put the ant down...he wants t' go home an' eat...just like we gotta do...it must be 'most lunch time," observed Luke looking towards the house.

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo nodded a little, putting his other finger by the ant and watching as it crawled onto it before moving it back to the tree with its family. Dusting himself off, he stood up with a grin.

"Can you swing by yerself Daisy? You's bigger dan me so you could swing by yerself!"

[B.L. Davenport]

"Yeah I can swing by myself but I was a little afraid so Luke swung with me, Next time I won't be afraid to go by myself." She grinned following her two cousins to the house.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke held his hand out to Daisy and, in big-brother fashion, hugged Bo's shouders as they walked inside.

"Lunch ready yet Auntie?" he asked dimpling up at her.

[BoJamesDuke]

"Almost, why dont you three go get yerself washed up?" Lavinia said with a smile to them, just putting the last few bits on the sandwiches.

"Auntie! I founded a liddle ant, I founded lots of liddle ants and one cwaled up my arm and it tickled and it was liddle but Wuke made me put it back."

[B.L. Davenport]

Daisy went to the bathroom and washed her face and hands then returned to the kitchen sitting down at the table ready to eat. She looked at the sandwiches and then their aunt "lunch looks good auntie."

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Lavinia smiled patting the little girl on the head gently, as she set three glasses of lemonade invitingly on the table.

Luke, meanwhile, had gone to the bathroom with Bo, turning on the water to a comfortable temperature and helping the four-year-old onto his stool. "Make sure ya use soap," cautioned Luke squeezing some into his cousin's hands as well as his own. "You know how funny girls can be bout stuff like that..."

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo walked with Luke as he led him to the bethroom, still chattering on about his ant...what he'd call it, how long it would live, what he would feed it. He didn't care no one was listening, he was quite happy just chattering about it to himself, not stopping until they reached the bathroom and he had to stop to concentrate to get up on the stool.

Watching as Luke squeezed the soap into his hands, he giggled and rubbed his hands together....creating a bubbly lather...before clapping his hands together gleefully and making them fly all about the bathroom and into Luke's hair.

"Wheee!!"

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke shook his head at his cousin. "Thanks a heap," he said as he finished washing his own hands, soon holding a towel out to Bo. "Gimme yer hands Bo-Bo."

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo looked up at him, giggling before shaking his head and slapping his hand gently on Luke's face, creating a child sized, bubbly hand print on his face....which in turn prompted a fit of childish giggles from the little boy.

[B.L. Davenport]

Daisy cocked her head listening to Bo's giggles coming from the bathroom and wondered how her cousins was making washing their hands sound so fun.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

"Why you little..." began Luke, grabbing hold of Bo and tickling him, holding him tightly so he couldn't get away.

Lavinia laughed shaking her head at Daisy's inquiring look. "Boys will be boys Daisy-girl...sooner you make up yer mind t' that the better. Why don't you eat...sounds like those twoo might be a while," she added with a chuckle.

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo shrieked with childish laughter, wriggling in Luke's arms hard before resorting to putting more bubbly hand prints all over Luke. In his hair, on his face, on his clothes...anywhere he could slap his little hands he did.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

***end flashback***

"Course ya didn't stop," reflected Luke. "Ya never did do what I wanted you to do, when I wanted ya t' do it."

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo chuckled, shaking his head.

"Now that ain't entirly true...I listened and did what you said when it really really mattered..." he countered back with fondness. He would always listen to Luke when there was something important on the line they needed to do. He trusted Luke to lead him to do the right thing although now he was starting to be able to do it himself.

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke smiled. "Yeah I guess ya do at that. Auntie woulda been real proud of the way you turned out," he added, unable to help but think about his aunt with al the reminiscing going on.

[BoJamesDuke]

Bo smiled a little at that, more than anything he had always wanted to make his Uncle and his Aunt proud of him. Through his life they were the only parents he had ever known and to him there was no one else better suited to raise him. As long as they were proud of him, as long as he did right by them then that was all he was worried about.

"She'd be proud of you too Luke....and Daisy."

[DaisyMaeDuke]

Luke nodded a little knowing that was true. In truth, she would always br proud of them, even if there was nothing to be proud of, their aunt would find something. It was the way she was.

[B.L. Davenport]

Daisy at some point had left the kitchen and was leaning against the door frame listening to the boys reminisce with a fond smile on her face. Their Aunt and Uncle were two very special people they had taken in all three kids when they didn't have parents anymore even though they didn't have to.