If Lockwood & Co Babysat

LUCY POV
I woke, that morning, in high spirits. Today, my favourite sister Mary was coming to visit London, and was bringing her daughter Daisy. I dressed in my usual agent gear and pattered down the stairs for breakfast. George and Lockwood were already awake, so I greeted them with a smile.
"morning!" I chirped as I entered the kitchen, snatching a piece of toast from Lockwood's hand as I passed.
"You're happy this morning, Luce," replied George, "suspiciously happy, even."
"Mary's coming today, of course I'm happy!" I retorted, then; "you did remember, didn't you?"
The boys had frozen, and now exchanged anxious glances. As always, Lockwood was the first to react. "of course we remembered!"
It was an obvious lie, so I used it to my advantage. "So, you remembered that you're looking after Daisy, my one-year old niece, all day, without any help?" I smirked.
That got them-Lockwood's jaw dropped and George made a sort of squeaky-gasp noise. Then the doorbell rang.

GEORGE POV
Luce and her sister Mary had just departed to go sightseeing, leaving Lockwood and I with the baby.
When I say 'Lockwood and I' I mean just me. No sooner than Lucy's cab left, Lockwood had announced he was going out, leaving me in charge of the baby.
Just step back and take it all in: me in my baggy jogging bottoms and stained t-shirt, holding (at arm's length) a small, wriggling pink thing with blond hair and blue eyes called a 'baby'. Now zoom back in and realise that I have no idea what to do with a baby. No clue, whatsoever! Gingerly, I put down the baby on an armchair, and look at it, trying to remember what I've read in various books, and seen on the rare occasions I watch tv. Only one thing comes to mind- 'where's the baby?'  This is stupid, I think, as I kneel in front of the little girl and place my hands over my eyes. "Where's the baby?" I coo. I uncover my face "There she is!" the baby's laugh is like a little bell ringing, small, delicate and beautiful. Now slightly smiling myself, I recover my face "where's the baby?" the process goes on and on and on and on until I uncover my eyes and the baby's gone. I continue smiling and recover my eyes, then the realisation hits me like a bullet. "OH MY GOD!" I shout, leaping up, "I LOST THE BABY!" I wrench the cushions aside shouting as I do so; "DAISY! DAISY? COME ON, DAISY, WHERE ARE YOU?" I rush round the sitting rom in a blind panic, barely noticing holly at the door.
"George...?"
"Can't talk! Lost baby!" I gasp, still searching like a maniac.
"This baby?" she asks, in the sweet, simpering tone Lucy used to hate so much, "She was just outside the door"
I whirl round and let out a gasp of relief, because tucked safely in Holly's arms is daisy.
Just then, Lockwood came home, and with him cam the stench of rotting driftwood that announced the arrival of Flo bones. He walked in and scooped daisy out of Holly's arms.
"Ah! I see you've met Daisy, then" he said to holly, "she's Lucy's little niece were lo- "
Just then, daisy had gazed up into Lockwood's face and screeched. He gave a start and looked down at the thrashing, squealing child, and gave her a 100-megawatt smile. This only made her scream louder, probably thinking it was some sort of monster with big teeth.
Sighing, I approached the child and held my arms out to take her from Lockwood (who was looking unusually freaked out) only to hastily back of when she gave fresh wails of fear, sadness, hunger, or whatever she was crying about. "its okay," soothed Holly, easing the baby from Lockwood's grasp, "I have younger siblings, I think I can calm her." And she tried to, walking back and forth, bouncing the baby, swinging the baby, stroking the baby's head, but all this had accomplished was that Daisy's wails was now one long roar of discomfort. "give 'er 'ere" muttered Flo, finally taking her grubby fingers out of her grubby ears, rummaging around in her hessian bag, and holding out her arms for the baby. Holly passed the baby over and Flo dangled something rattle-y before Daisy, who immediately stopped crying, staring up at Flo with big, blue, fascinated eyes. "this 'ere," crooned Flo, as we gaped at her, "is a baby's rattle, tha' I gone an' dredged up from the river muck. You can't 'ave it, I'm afraid, 'cos its an active source, bu' you can look at it all you wan'a, alright?"
Daisy gurgled happily in response, and was gently passed back to holly. "bes' not giv' her to Locky again" she smiled, "'cos I'm off back now, so I can't do tha' again."
And with that, she left, leaving only her stench to remember her by.
"Okay," said Lockwood, "I think we should go to the park"

*~*time skip to the park*~*

When we got to the toddler playground, Holly placed Daisy in the sandpit and walked back to me. she lent next to me on the fence, calmly watching Daisy toddle around babbling to herself. "where's Lockwood?" she asked. I raised an eyebrow and pointed at him whizzing down the slide, before bounding over to a free swing. Holly and I started laughing at our boss's childishness. When we finally composed ourselves, we looked up and couldn't see Daisy. At once, we scurried round the playpark looking for her, lifting up toddlers and crawling through plastic tunnels in search of the escapology artist.
"Hey! Is this anyone's kid?" came a familiar voice from just inside the gates. Wriggling my way out of a plastic tube, I saw Quill Kipps holding up Daisy.
"Mine!" I shouted and Quill smirked at me and passed daisy to Holly, who had magically appeared at his side.
"Really, Cubbins? I thought you were better than that." he mused as he meandered towards me. He opened his mouth to torment me some more, when Lockwood yelled "HEADS UP!" and swung straight into an unsuspecting Kipps, highly polished shoes smashing into his face. These same shoes swung back down and skidded the swing to a halt. "Sorry!" cried Lockwood, rushing to help Kipps up again, "at least it was you and not one of the kids, though!"
The look Kipps have him told us it was time to go home.

*~*time skip to home*~*

(for the record, everyone can see and hear Skully, and his ectoplasm has no effect on people (so no ghost touch!))

QUILL POV
The five of us trooped through the door, only to see the ghost of the skull in the hallway. "phwar! What on earth is that smell It smells like- "
"no swearing if you please, Skully, there is a child present" interrupted Holly curtly, "and for the record," she continued, scrunching her nose, "I think its daisy, and since you smelled it first, you can change her!" she shoved daisy into the ghost arms and ran into the kitchen, closely followed by Cubbins.
Grimacing, the skull took the changing bag Mary had left and backed into the library.
Tony smiled at me, I glared at him, and we stayed like this till the skull burst from the room a few moments later, gasping and retching. Once he was composed, he looked at us and cried; "I can't do it! I've seen some disgusting things in my time, but that- "he retched again, "that is DISGUSTING!" and with that, he departed to the other side.
I looked at Tony, only to see him edging towards the stairs.
"oh no you don't!" I cried, "you kicked me in the face, you're changing the baby!" with grim determination, he nodded, and turned to a hidden cubby behind his head, and took from it, a pair of thick gloves, and a snorkel. He marched towards the door and entered. I would like to say that he was never seen again, but no. About five minutes later, he emerged holding the girl and a bulging, stinking bag. He passed me the kid and went outside to get rid of the nappy. Holly passes me and goes home, and Lockwood comes back in and takes the girl from my arms.
And all hell breaks loose.
She screams so loudly, and so suddenly, tony almost drops her. Whooping like a howler monkey she thrashes in his arms, nocking gourds off the walls and making him panic. George rushes in and jams a doughnut in her mouth, making her shut up. Between the three of us, we eventually manage to get her to sleep in a pile of blankets in an armchair, and flop down in various states of exhaustion.
We hear the front door open and close, bringing with it, the exited talking of Mary and Lucy.
Mary looks almost exactly like Lucy, except she is slightly taller, and her eyes are blue.
"Was she any trouble?" she asks, scooping the infant into her arms.
"no, no trouble at all." Tony replies, wearily grinning.

Fin