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It was a nice night, weather perfect for a backyard bbq, which was why everyone was gathered at the Grant-Nash home enjoying each other's company. Bobby was manning the grill wearing the apron that Buck had gotten him as a joke. Buck was with Christopher looking at something in a bush that had both of their attention judging by the excited whispers. Maddie watched them with a smile fondly remembering how Buck always spent his afternoons growing up in the backyard bringing her all the bugs and occasional animal he could find and making her tell him facts about what he had found, or telling her facts instead.
~A long long time ago, in a place a few states away~
Maddie was sitting on the patio with her math book in front of her open to the pages assigned, and her notebook half filled with equations on the table. She looked up to see just what her brother was up to. The young boy was on his hands and knees by a bush looking intently at something that had his complete attention. “Evan! Be careful of the thorns!” she called out. Buck nodded to indicate that he heard her but continued to stare into the bush. Maddie rolled her eyes and muttered that brothers were weird before going back to her homework.
“Maddie! Maddie!” Maddie looked up a few minutes later to see Evan running up to her with something in his cupped hands. The boy had dirt smudged on his face and a random leaf stuck in his curly hair. She put the pencil down, welcoming the break to see just what her little brother found.
Evan was grinning at her with his gap toothed smile, having lost the last of his baby teeth recently. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Maddie! I found a huge bug!” he exclaimed. Maddie smiled and waited for him to show her. Evan opened his hands and squeaked and fell backwards as the large grasshopper that he found suddenly jumped out of his hand and onto the table making Maddie shriek as jumped again and landed in her hair.
“Evan!” Maddie shook out her hair to make sure there was nothing there.
“I’m Sorry Maddie!” He apologized before snickering. “You screamed so loud.” Maddie gave him a look that warned him that he better start running. The boy scrambled backwards and to his feet before turning and running away as Maddie chased him. She quickly caught up to him and she pinned him down and tickled him until he cried out for mercy.
Maddie grinned and ruffled her brothers hair. “Alright. We should probably clean up. Aunt Robin probably almost has dinner ready.”
~we come back to a familiar time and place~
Maddie watched as Buck helped keep Christopher’s hands cupped as he knelt next to the boy, no doubt in factiod mode. She couldn’t help but smile at the delighted laugh from both as a butterfly lazily flew out of their hands. Buck looked at her and grinned.
“Did you see that Mads?” He asked as Christopher went off to tell his dad about the butterfly they found and how they were called buckeyes (like his Buck).
“Oh course I did.” She replied as he sat down next to her. “At least it wasn’t a grasshopper.”
“One time Maddie!”