Babe Magnet

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize, anything you don't is mine.

Summary: Louie needs help once again… but this time it's Lucy he needs?

He paced the hallway outside his brother and sister-in-laws apartment, murmuring unintelligent, unfinished sentences.

"He'll never let… but Linds… nah" his pacing paused as another thought popped into his head. His pacing resumed however when it seemed unlikely to work.

"Louie?" Lindsay asked as she broke into his thoughts, whilst she struggled with a hyper Lucy and an arm full of groceries "you OK?" she asked, before deciding to let Lucy run towards her uncle.

Louie nodded. "Oh yeah, just peachy" he grinned.

"Peachy?" Lindsay laughed, as she held the door open with her foot and nodded her head, a silent gesture for them to enter.

"Uh huh, just peachy"

Lindsay nodded with a grin, before heading to the kitchen to put away the few groceries she'd purchased.

"So who is she?" Lindsay asked while Lucy bounced on Louie's knees.

"Wha… how?" Lindsay's response was to raise her eyebrows knowingly.

Louie shook his head "her name's Claire, she has a regular delivery, three bags of compost a week" he said, referring to the gardening company he now worked for.

Lindsay hid a snicker with a well timed cough "she doesn't say much though" he sighed. Lindsay waited for a few moments, knowing that the real reason he'd showed up at their apartment would be revealed shortly. "So… IwasthinkingIcouldborrowLucy" he mumbled quickly.

"What now?"

"You know to break the ice; she's always talking to kids on the street"

Lindsay laughed, it was hard not too. "So you want to borrow my daughter to help you get a girl?"

Louie nodded. "This afternoon?" he almost pleaded.

Looking at the mess in the apartment, she weighed up the pro's and con's, if Lucy was with her uncle for an hour, she could clean up and get dinner started, whereas Lucy would want to play and make the mess reappear just as quick as she tidied it away.

"If you're not back by three, I'll castrate you" she warned.

"Two-fifty-five" he promised as he jumped off the sofa, grabbed Lucy's jacket and practically high-tailed it from the apartment, stopping only to allow Lucy to say goodbye to her mom.

"I had no idea you liked kids" Claire smiled as she spied Lucy sitting on top of the compost sacks in the back of the delivery truck while Louie unloaded the three bags for the young florist.

"Oh yeah" he grinned "love them, Lucy here is my favorite niece"

Lucy snickered "I'm your only niece"

"Which makes you my favorite" he pulled the little girl forward and lifted her up into his arms "remember what we said?" Louie whispered.

Lucy nodded "Uncle Louie likes you" her head dropped to his shoulder "do you like him?" the five year old blinked dramatically with a sweet smile. Louie grinned, they'd rehearsed all the way to the floral shop, and of course the promise of a milkshake had helped things along. "He a 'mantic" Lucy promised.

"Well then, I might let him take me to dinner" Claire offered.

Lucy screeched and clapped her hands "Uncle Louie it worked" Claire and Louie laughed.

"Kids" Louie offered "I'll pick you up at seven, here, tomorrow?" he handed a card over with his number on "I should get this little one back home"

"You promised me a milkshake" Lucy laughed.

"Uncle Louie got a date" Lucy sing-songed as they entered the apartment a little after two.

"And someone's had sugar" Lindsay sing-songed back as Lucy danced around the coffee table "Congratulations, now what did you give her?"

"A milkshake" Louie shrugged, Lindsay's glare continued "and a cookie, just stop with the eyes" he smirked "she did so good"

"As long as you don't have her chaperoning your dates" Lindsay warned teasingly.

Louie shook his head, "nah, I got it from here"

So what do you think?