“Daddy? Can we goes for a bike ride?” Ellie asked, as she latched herself onto Kevin’s one leg sweetly.  “Please?”

Kevin glanced down at his little girl, smiling when he saw her bat her eyes at him innocently. “Sure Princess, go get your shoes.”

“Yay!” Ellie cheered, as she ran off into the front hall to put her sneakers on.

“Where’re you guys going Kev?” Jerald asked as he entered the kitchen where his youngest brother currently was at.  

“Ellie wants to go for a bike ride,” Kevin replied. “Would you like to come with us?”

“We walking, or are we going to ride our bikes too?” Jerald wanted to know as he downed a bottle of water he’d retrieved from the fridge.

“I was going to walk, because otherwise Ellie won’t be able to keep up,” Kevin answered. “Besides, I don’t feel like digging my bike out of the shed.”

“Me neither,” Jerald laughed. “It takes too much time and effort.”

“Exactly,” Kevin agreed.

“Uncle Jerry!” Ellie squealed as she came running back into the kitchen, her sneakers now upon her feet. “Are you gonna come with us?”

“I sure am, Kiddo,” Jerald smiled, catching her and lifting her up into his arms. He kissed her nose, and hugged her close. “Someone sure seems pretty excited to go.”

“Can we go to Brian’s, Daddy?” Ellie queried, turning to look at her father. “Please? I miss my Joshy.”

“Yes, we can go,” Kevin nodded. “We’re supposed to head over there soon for the barbecue anyway.”

“Yay! Let’s rock ‘n’ roll dudes!” Ellie exclaimed, squirming down from her Uncle’s arms. “C’mon Daddy! C’mon Uncle Jerry! Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”

Both men laughed, as they followed her out to the front yard after putting their shoes on.

“Ellie, come back here please,” Kevin spoke, as he held something up in his hand. “You forgot something.”

Ellie groaned. “But Daddy! I don’ts wanna wear my helmet!”

“You promised you’d wear it at all times when riding your bike if I got you a Ninja Turtles one and I did,” Kevin stated firmly. “So you need to keep your half of the deal too.”

“No, I don’t want to,” Ellie stated, crossing her arms over her chest in protest, as she still sat upon her blue and green bike with training wheels.

“You can either put the helmet on, or we can stay home and not go to the barbecue at all,” Kevin told her. “Now, take your pick. Wear the helmet and see Josh, or don’t wear the helmet and be stuck at home all evening.”

Ellie grumbled some, as she climbed off her bike and headed on over to him. Soon as he’d finished buckling the helmet on her head, she turned and darted off back to her bike. Upon reaching it, she climbed back on once more and pedaled like crazy towards the front gate.

“Why do I get the feeling today is going to be one of her ornery days?” Kevin groaned, as he watched his little girl stop at the gate.

“Maybe because it’s been touch and go all day,” Jerald commented, raising his one eyebrow slightly. “I don’t think she’s quite made up her mind yet just how ornery she’s going to be.”

“Oh, joy,” Kevin remarked dryly, as they reached the front gate and he unlocked it for them.

Soon as the gate was opened, Ellie darted off once more, pedaling like mad down the sidewalk. “Cowabunga dudes!”

“Don’t you dare cross the street without us, little Raphael!” Jerald called out after her.

“I won’ts Master Splinter!” Ellie called back, as she squealed her tires to a stop at the curb.

“Thank God Raphael respects Master Splinter enough to listen,” Kevin sighed in relief.

“For now he does,” Jerald commented. “But how long that lasts, not even the wise old rat knows.”

Kevin chuckled. “If only I’d known just how many ninja turtle analogies I’d be making years after playing Leonardo at Disney World.”

Jerald chuckled as well. “You know you’re amused by it, bro. And it makes the sweet, yet ornery little girl we both love happy.”

“Yeah, that it does,” Kevin nodded in agreement. “And as we both know, I’d do just about anything to keep her happy.”

“What’re you talking about back there?” Ellie asked curiously, as she turned around on her bike seat to look at them. “You sure are taking forever to catch up.”

“Nothing you need to worry about, Kiddo,” Jerald assured, as he knocked on her helmet playfully.

Ellie giggled, as they all three crossed the street together. “You made my helmet echo Uncle Jerry.”

“Ah, echoes are pretty funny, aren’t they?” Jerald replied, smiling at his favourite little girl.

“Uh-huh, they sure are,” Ellie agreed. “I likes ‘em lots.”

“Watch where you’re going,” Kevin told her, as she almost drove her bike off the sidewalk and into a bush. “You don’t want to crash now, do you?”

“Raphael ain’ts never crashed anything, Daddy,” Ellie answered smartly.

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Jerald piped up. “I seem to remember Raphael dropping his motorbike to the ground in that episode we watched the other day.”

“Only ‘cause them evil Purple Dragons were shooting ats my turtle,” Ellie said, pointing her nose into the air snobbishly. “They ain’ts gots no rights to be doin’ that.”

“Even so, please be careful,” Kevin pleaded.

“Quits your worrying,” Ellie waved him off, as she continued biking. She pedaled even faster upon spotting her cousins both out in Brian’s front yard with Dakota and Sarah. “Joshy! Chris!”

Both Littrell boys waved at her, just as excited to see her – Josh much more so than Chris. “Hi Ellie!”

“Ellie!” Dakota squealed happily, thrilled to see her best friend. Nick had dropped her and Sarah off earlier, and would be returning with Ashley and Bella in a little while.

Ellie reached the driveway across from Brian’s and quickly glanced both ways before pedaling herself across the street without her father or Uncle.

“Elenore Richardson!” Kevin exclaimed. “You get your little butt back here right now, Young Lady!”

“I don’ts wanna gets my little butt backs there,” Ellie replied, stopping in the middle of the road and looking back at him. Kevin and Jerald were still a few houses down... 

“Elenore, don’t make me have to come and get you,” Jerald warned warily. “We both know you won’t like it if I have to do so.”

“Oh, goes sucks a lemon Uncle Jerry,” Elenore stated calmly. “I looked for cars an’ there’s none.”

Kevin narrowed his eyes at her. “You know you’re not to cross without an adult, whether you’ve looked  for cars or not.”

“Whatever,” Ellie said, waving them off, as she turned back around and continued on across the street to Brian’s front gate. All the Boys had security fences surrounding their yards.

“Elenore Edna Reena Irene Elaina Richardson!” Kevin shouted, as him and his brother reached the house right across the street from their cousin’s.

Elenore turned back around on her bike and gave him her best sweet, innocent smile.

Jerald crossed the road quickly, Kevin at his side, and swiftly lifted the little girl off her bike and planted two very firm smacks to her backside. “You’re in big trouble, Little Miss.”

Ellie immediately started to cry, as her hands flew back to try and protect her already spanked bottom. She buried her face into her Uncle’s shoulder once he’d scooped her up completely.

Kevin grabbed her bike, and let them into Brian’s yard, trying to ignore the shocked looks on her friends’ faces. “You’re getting a time-out Elenore.”

“Noooo!” Ellie wailed, still crying over her spanking.

“Would you rather go home and be grounded to your room for a week?” Kevin countered.

“Nooo!” Ellie cried, burying her face into Jerald’s shoulder even more than before.

Jerald set her down upon the stairs once they’d entered Brian’s house. “You’re to sit here for five minutes, Elenore. We’ll come get you when it’s over, and we’ll talk then.”

Him and Kevin then headed on into the kitchen, where Brian and Riley were currently at, trying to get everything ready for their barbecue. Five minutes later, Kevin went on back out into the hall to relieve Ellie of her time-out. He was surprised to find Josh standing there in front of his cousin, lecturing her.

“I’m sorry Joshy!” Ellie sobbed. “I won’ts do its again! I promise!”

“Good!” Josh stated. “’Cause I don’t wanna see you get spanked again. And I’ll beat you up if you do.”

“Buts cousin Brian would be mad ats you then,” Ellie pointed out.

“I’d rather him mad at me and you safe, Ellie!” Josh exclaimed. “You’re my little cousin! It’s my job as Leonardo to protect you, remember?”

Ellie just cried, as Josh sighed heavily and sat next to her, wrapping his arms about her. “I love you Ellie. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

“I know,” Ellie whimpered. “I loves you too Joshy.”

Kevin waited a moment for Ellie to compose herself a bit before speaking. “Ellie.”

Both children looked up at him in surprise.

“You may go play,” Kevin informed her.

“I thoughts we were gonna haves a talk?” Ellie said, looking and sounding confused.

“I think Josh covered that for me,” Kevin stated, stifling the chuckle that wanted to escape. “But if you do it again, you will be grounded to your room for a week, capeesh?”

“Capeesh,” Ellie replied, as she stood and went over to give him a hug.

Kevin returned her hug, kissing her head softly. “Now, go play and for the love of all things cute and cuddly, behave.”

“Kay,” Ellie nodded, as Josh took hold of her hand and led her back out front to join their friends.

“Kids,” Kevin laughed, shaking his head as he turned to re-enter the kitchen and tell everyone in there about what he’d stumbled upon.