“Really?” Brooke’s voiced cracked like that of a teenager starting puberty. She looked down to her hands, then turned and smiled naughtily.

“Doggie…Sam look at Mawio.”

There, slowly moving across the floor as he ate his way one Cheerio at a time, was the husky, lapping up the cereal and barking his ‘thank you.’

“Yes Julie, the doggie will eat your ohs that fell.” Sam turned toward the animal and praised him. “Good doggie.”

The closer the animal came to Julie, the more her giggles mounted into full out laughter.

“Julie, eat some more ohs and then you can play with the doggie,” Brooke promptly told her niece.

Sam turned to her lover with a smile of approval. “Coffee, Brooke?”

“Please, Darlin’, thank you.”

Sam turned to the counter. “Hey, Brooke, I can’t reach where you put the new can of coffee. Could you get it down for me? We’re almost out.”

Brooke stood up, walking over to the cabinet. She reached up, pulled down the new can and handed it to Sam. “Sorry, I’ll leave it on the counter next time.”

“You’d better or I won’t be able to surprise you with it in the morning.”

“Mmm…I love surprises.” Brooke grinned and wiggled her eyebrows.

“Doesn’t coffee go with dessert?” Sam teased, smiling at Brooke’s antics.

“I do believe it does.” The tall woman grinned and leaned in for a kiss. The sound of a dulled thud caught her attention. She turned to see the bowl rocking on the floor, milk and ohs spattering across the kitchen as Julie and Mario took off running through the house. The sound of a dog howling and a screeching baby chasing merrily after him resounded in her ears.

“Oh, shit…” Brooke saw the raised eyebrow that Sam was showing her and quickly changed her verbiage. “…er…shoot.” The tall woman buckled under the glaring eye of the blonde and cringed, “Sorry.”

Long legs and arms just didn’t seem to be enough to curtail the wild ramblings of the four-footed animal or the erratic maneuverings of a three year old. Even the addition of Sam’s mind and body didn’t seem to be enough until they pitted their wits together, trapping Julie and Mario in the living room. Now, all they had to do was wait for them to make a rush on one of the blocked doorways. Allowing the husky the good graces to flee the arm waving, screeching, laughter emitting child, Brooke guarded her doorway with her feet spread wide apart.

Seeing an opening for escape, Mario charged, jumping up and over the couch, and then scurrying towards the doorway. Four paws dug into the deep pile carpet as the dog pushed off quickly, running through his mistress’ legs, heading for the hallway and endless places to hide if given the chance.

Brooke watched as Julie tried to follow the dog’s path while cushions flew off the couch and throw pillows landed in places that they were never meant to be. Undaunted by the large obstacle, the child quickly spun around and jumped from the arm of the couch, hitting the carpet with feet that never stopped. Her momentum carried her in the direction of the doorway and toward her aunt before she could change her path. Within seconds, she was just in front of the tall woman, whose legs closed, gently trapping Julie in between them. Brooke then leaned over to pick up her niece.

“Gottcha.” Brooke hoisted her niece up into the air. “Where are you going?”

“Doggie…play.” Small hands were still clutching for a chance to latch onto the dog as the laughter continued.

“That’s why he’s running,” Brooke chuckled. “Julie, we can play with the doggie later.”

The child squinted and puffed up her cheeks, letting her mouth open and close like a fish.

“Oh, come on, Angel. Don’t make faces at your aunt.” Brooke watched as the tot took in a deep breath and the face seemed to grow more strained looking. “Hey Julie, how about we see what toys Mommy packed for you? How’s that?”

“No.” She shook her head and gritted her teeth as all of Julie’s muscles tightened.

“Do you want to play on the swing?” Brooke asked, wondering what the child wanted to do next as she pulled the child in against her body.

“Ah…Brooke.” Sam attempted to get the older woman’s attention. “I think that’s not the problem.” She looked at the raised eyebrow on the woman and knew that her mind was not on the obvious. “I…I think she has to go potty, Brooke.”

“Do you have to go potty, Julie?” Brooke looked down at the child in her arms.

“No…’cause I already did.” Big brown eyes looked up at Brooke. “Sorry, Aunt Brooke. I member next time.”

The tall woman sniffed once and then made a face, feeling the wetness slowly oozing down her shirt. She lowered her eyes as she pulled the baby from her body, holding her out at almost arms length. Brooke rolled her eyes when the sight of her soiled white shirt came into view.

“I wuv you.”

“I love you too, Julie.” Brooke assured the tot. “Come on, it’s okay. We’ll get you all cleaned up.” She caught the sight of Sam coming over to her as she turned around in the room with the child held out like some toxic waste contamination.

“You say it, you get it,” Sam whispered as she caught up to Brooke tugging at the soiled shirt. “Did you ever consider brown to be your color?” She moved back when the woman turned to offer the child to her. “Oh shi…ah…ah…” Sam laughed, shaking a finger at Brooke. “You thought I’d say it. Nope. No way, it’s all yours.”

The dark-haired woman shot a smile back at Sam, “Oh yeah? Well, I hope when you have a child she acts just like you.”

Sam stopped short and put her hands on her hips. “And why would you say that?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged, “aren’t parents supposed to say that kind of stuff to their kids? I was just practicing.”

“Okay…practice all you want, but I’m still not changing that diaper…” Sam looked her lover over, then commented, “…or your shirt.”

“Okay, I’ll do it.” Brooke turned and headed toward the stairs only to hear the words come tumbling out of the blonde’s mouth before she could stop them.

“Damn right.” Green eyes grew wide as she quickly realized what she’d said. Biting back on her lip, she responded with a soft sounding, “Oops.”

After a quick clean up and diaper change, Brooke cautioned her niece. “Okay, now remember to tell Aunt Brooke or Sam when you have to go potty.”

The small innocent voice answered back as Julie lay there on the carpeted floor, looking up at her aunt. “Otay.”

“You’re still my lil’ JuJubee, aren’t you?” Brooke leaned over the child and lightly tickled her stomach.

“You make me laf,” Julie giggled out as she nodded her head to her pet name.

“Make you laugh, huh?” Blue eyes glistened at the challenge and soon the child’s stomach was the site of Brooke’s next attack as she blew noisy, wet raspberries on Julie’s skin. “Thherhhht,” then did it again and again.

“You…” Julie pointed her finger to Brooke as the woman’s head rose off of Julie’s belly. “You make me laf. Me dirsty.”

“You’re thirsty, huh JuJubee?” Brooke winked, then called out over her shoulder to Sam in the kitchen. “Hey, Sam.” She plopped another raspberry down on the child’s stomach and smiled. “What do we have for a thirsty lil’ JuJubee?” Brooke waited for a reply as she turned her attentions back to Julie. “I make you laugh, don’t I?”

The tot nodded. “You tickle…” Julie screeched out another round of laughter as her Aunt Brooke blew against the little belly once more, “…You tickle my belly. You make me happy.”

Brooke nuzzled into the child’s little neck, “Well, you make me happy, little bit…” she rocked back onto her haunches, “…you and Sam.”

“And you make me happy, both of you.” Sam walked into the living room and held out the juice box, offering it to the child, “Here you go, Sweetie. Now, drink up like a big girl.”

“Dank you, Sam.” Julie sat up grabbing for the box.

“Can you watch her long enough for me to change my shirt?” Brooke held out the soiled garment from her body as she looked up into comforting green eyes.

“Sure,” Sam nodded, then held out her hand for Julie to take. “Come on, Julie, we’ll go color while your aunt gets herself cleaned up now.” The blonde watched as Brooke headed for the stairs.

“Can I color you?” Julie rose to her feet and started walking toward the dining room with her hand in Sam’s.

The blonde chuckled at the question, “I don’t color too well but the white paper will.”

Undaunted, the baby just kept talking. “I’m gonna color da baby.”

“No…no coloring the baby.” Sam unconsciously put her hand over her stomach and rubbed it soothingly, “Let’s draw your mommy instead.” Sam reached down and boosted Julie into the chair where she had already placed the crayons and paper at the table.

“Otay,” the tot looked up at her with one squinted eye and nodded.

Sam pulled out a chair and watched the young artist at work. The intense look on Julie’s face relayed the thoughtfulness of her artwork as she moved from one color of crayon to the next. Her scribbling seemed to be methodically balanced between fast round circles and slow, deliberate straight lines as she moved over the sheets of white paper. The blonde sat back in her chair, amused by the whole scene as she was occasionally enlisted to choose a color or two for the budding artist to use. There was definitely a cockeyed approach to the world as seen through a child’s eye.

“You’re very talented Julie, just like your Aunt Brooke,” she complimented the young artist.

“Wook Sam, dis picsures for you.” The child held it up proudly.

“Hmm…” Sam studied it for a few seconds, “That’s nice. Is that you, there?” The adult pointed to the small squiggle and line on the side of the much larger one.