At the sound of O'Brien's voice, Luke jumped; he glanced from his aunt to the man in the doorway and back again, drawing a nervous hand over his lips, and then found himself grinning. It lacked the usual sharpness. It may even have been a little shy, not that he'd let anyone see; instead he stood, taking a step forward.
It definitely was Uncle B. No question about that.
Thank God, Lucas thought -- though it would have been absurd, maybe, to expect anything different.
The man looked older now. His eyes were still just like Grandpa O'Brien's. It made Luke happy, and it made Luke sad -- and it definitely made him suddenly feel like a child again too. How old had he been, the last time they'd been together? He seemed to remember looking at his Uncle from a very different angle before. I'm not a kid anymore, though.
Then he was thinking of Alana again. His eyes settled on her, though he still mumbled a casual "Hey," in O'Briens direction. His hand lifted in greeting, smile still soft and a little wary.