Disclamer: I do not own anything but Lulu herself. Milo Murphy's Law and all it's locations and characters belong to Dan, Swampy, and Disney.

LLB

Balthazar looked up from his book at the knock on the door.

"Can you get that, Bal? I'm on the can."

He rolled his eyes and crossed their small, studio apartment. He opened the door to find...nothing. Then, he looked down.

A tiny girl stood on their doorstep. Her red curls stood out against her olive skin and blue dress. A royal blue backpack was slung over her shoulders. A letter was clasped tightly in her tiny hands. She looked up at him with big brown eyes.

"Can I help you?"

The girl held up the envelop for him to read.

"Dakota!"

"Uh oh, last name. I'm in trouble. Lulu?!"

The girl bolted past Balthazar and latched onto Vinnie with a cry.

"Shshshsh. It's ok, Star angel. It's OK."

"Vincent, who is this girl?"

"Just let me get her calmed down and I promise I'll explain everything, Balths. Promise."

Balthazar leaned against the bookshelf and watched as his husband soothed the sobbing child. It didn't take long for 'Lulu' to cry herself into an exhausted sleep. Vinnie lay her out on the futon, slipped off her little white sandals and her backpack, and tucked her in. Then, he sat at the desk and read the letter. His eyes went wide and lost what was left of their usual, playful spark.

"Vincent?" Balthazar put a hand on his shoulder, "What's wrong?"

Vinnie took a deep breath and cleared his throat, "M-My cousin Irving and his wife are dead."

Balthazar sat heavily on the edge of the futon, looking to make sure he hadn't woken the sleeping child. Vinnie sat the letter down and rubbed his eyes.

"Lulu's their daughter. She usually lived with Irving's brother, Theo, and his wife, Sarah. Kid practically grew up in a time vehicle. And that's where she was when...when the school Irving and Romana work at blew up."(1)

"Blew up?!"

Vinnie nodded, not meeting his eyes, "An accident in the chem lab. Theo...he can't take care of her right now so...he's asking me to do it until he can be sure he can do it again."

Balthazar nodded slowly and looked down at the sleeping girl.

"I know you're not a huge fan of kids, Balthy, and we never really talked about it. But she doesn't have anywhere else to go. Sarah's in the hospital and I'm her only other living relative."

"I know, Vinnie. It's just a lot to take in. For one thing, we'll have to move."

Vinnie nodded, looking down at Lulu, "Yeah. This place is kinda small."

"I meant because our landlord doesn't allow children."

"Oh, Yeah..."

Balthazar rolled his eyes, "Why don't we just go to bed for now and we'll call Mr. Block in the morning."

Vinnie nodded and rubbed eyes again. Balthazar pulled spare blankets and pillows out of the wardrobe in the corner and Vinnie changed Lulu into a nightdress from her backpack. Then, holding the toddler against one shoulder, he opened the futon.

"Just lay the blankets on the floor next to my side of the bed."

Balthazar hesitated, "Is it alright to make a child sleep on the floor?"

Vinnie chuckled dryly, "Yeah. It's only for a few nights. Besides, I've seen this kid sleep upside down in the jump seat of a moving time vehicle. She can sleep anywhere."

LLB

The next morning, Balthasar was astonished when Vinnie didn't fight him about getting out of bed. He just rolled over and gently shook Lulu awake.

"Hey, kiddo. Time to get up."

Lulu moaned and rolled over.

"I know. But we have to. We got a lot to do today."

The three-year-old sat up and lifted her arms. Vinnie smiled and scooped her up.

"Come on. Let's get dressed and have some breakfast. We don't want to keep Zio Balths waiting."

Before long, Lulu was dressed in a clean blue dress and Vinnie was dressed in his usual orange track suit. He sat her on the desk and handed her a bowl of dry cheerios.

"No milk?" Balthazar asked from where he was eating a microwave omlet.

"Nope. Lulu won't eat it if it gets soggy," Vinnie put a glass of apple juice on the desk.

"Perhaps we shouldn't encourage her to be a picky eater..."

"She's not picky. She's just...got a bit of sensitivity... She also doesn't like ice cream."

"I'm sorry? Someone related to you doesn't like ice cream?"

Vinnie chuckled and ate his cereal.

"Zio Vinnie?"

He grinned and turned, "There's your voice, Lulu. I was beginning to think you'd lost it."

She smiled and shook her head.

"Are you done eating?"

She nodded.

"Okie Dokie," He set her back on the floor, "You play while Zio Balths and I call our boss. Then we'll go outside for a bit."

Lulu nodded again and pulled a clicking ball out out of her bag. Vinnie and Balthazar washed their dishes and turned on their communicator.

Their boss popped into view, "Good morning, boys. To what do I owe this pleasure? Did you get your address for today?"

"Actually, Mr. Block," Vinnie rubbed the back of his neck, "I was hoping we could get today off. I got custody of my niece last night and we need a little time to get everything worked out."

"Well! Why didn't you say something!" The 'past' Mr. Block looked much happier than his greats-grandson would have been, "Are you aware we have payed parental leave?"

"We do?"

"Of course! How old is she, Dakota?"

"She's three, Sir. A day or two is really all I'd need to get her settled."

"Take a week. You two, Cavendish. Somebody else can pick up after the aliens for a few days."

"Th-Thank you, Sir," Balthazar was astonished that he was being included.

"Of course. I hope to meet your niece soon, Dakota."

"Yes, Sir!"

The screen went black.

"That went better than I expected," Vinnie turned and picked up Lulu's sandals, "Who knew we'd get PTO. We should really look into our benefits."

"Yes..."

"Well, Lulu. I guess you get to have Zio Vinnie and Zio Balths all to yourself for a few days."

Lulu squealed and clapped her hands.

"Vinnie, if you don't mind me asking, what is Lulu short for."

Vinnie wrinkled his nose, "Luvinadralundar. Comes from Romana's family."

Lulu looked up at the sound of her given name.

"You're not in trouble, Star Angel. Unless you don't put on your shoes!"

Lulu giggled and snatched them out of his hand. Then, she put on her backpack and pranced around in front of Vinnie.

"Ready?"

"Yeah!"

"Are you ready, Balths?"

Balthazar shook himself, "Right. Yes. Right behind you."

Vinnie grinned and hoisted Lulu onto his shoulders. He reached back to take Balthazar's hand and walked out the door. Balthazar quickened his pace until he was walking beside his husband. Lulu lay her chin on Vinnie's head.

"She doesn't say much, does she?"

"Oh, she will. You just have to wait until she knows you better. Then she'll never shut up."

Lulu blew a raspberry.

"Yeah, I'm talkin' about you!" Vinnie teased, "Anyway, where should we start today."

Balthazar squeezed his hand, "Lulu needs more clothes since this is already her last outfit. But, we also need to move out as soon as possible..."

"And we need groceries." Vinnie pointed out.

Balthazar rolled his eyes. For a moment he focused on Vinnie's hand in his and making sure Lulu didn't fall.

"Hey, guys!" Milo scampered across the street, "Who's this?"

"Hey, Milo!" Vinnie let go of his husband's hand and lowered his niece to the ground, "This is my niece, Lulu. Lulu, this is our friend, Milo."

Milo smiled and waved, "Hi, Lulu. Nice to meet you."

Lulu whimpered and hid behind Vinnie's leg.

"She's still a bit shy right now."

"That's OK. I get like that sometimes, too," Milo nodded. "So, what are you guys up to?"

"Looking for a new apartment and doing some shopping for Lulu," Balthazar said.

"You're moving!" Milo gasped, a light post fell over behind him.

"Our current apartments don't allow children."

"We won't move far," Vinnie insisted, "We'll let you know what our new address is as soon as we know."

Milo shook his head and smiled once more, "Right. Hey! Dr. D has some papers for places he's been looking at. Would you like to take a look at those?"

Vinnie and Balthazar exchanged a look and shrugged.

"Sure," Vinnie put Lulu back on his shoulders and grabbed Balthazar's hand once more, "We go do the shopping later. Thanks, Milo."

"Don't mention it!"

They followed the jovial boy to his house and into the backyard. Diogee bound up to his owner.

"K-9!" Lulu shreaked and wiggled out of Vinnie's arms.

She scurried over and hugged the dog tightly around the neck, burrying her face in his fur.

"K-9?" Heinz stepped out of the shed, "Oh! Well who's this little girl?"

"My niece, Lulu."

"Why'd she call Diogee 'K-9'?" Milo knelt down and pet his dog.

"It's the name of her Uncle's and mother's dogs," Vinnie told them, "Lulu loves animals. But she's probably misses K-9, too."

Diogee barked and licked Lulu's face. She squealed and and giggled.

"Dr. D, would it be alright if Dakota and Cavendish looked at some of those apartment papers you printed out?"

"Oh! Sure! Perry the Platypus and Cavenpuss will be around in a little bit to help me pack up."

"We won't be long," Balthazar insisted.

"Yeah, I don't know if Lulu's ready to meet to many people right now," Vinnie looked down at the little girl in question, "Hey, Milo? Is it alright if Lulu just plays with Diogee while we do this?"

"Sure thing! I can keep an eye on them for a little bit. I'll just bring out some of his toys."

"Grazie!"

"Welcome!"

They were able to look over the apartment adds for a while without interruption. They managed to find three that were in their budget and would be big enough for the three of them. They could hear Lulu, Milo, and Diogee playing . A little Murphy's Law didn't seam to faze the little girl at all. If only it could have lasted a little longer.

All it took was one scream from Lulu for Vinnie to bolt from the shed. Milo's friends had arrived.

"Zio Vinnie!" Lulu latched onto his leg.

"I'm sorry," Milo bit his lip, "I got so caught up in playing with Lulu I forgot everyone was coming over."

"You have a kid, Dakota?" Malissa smirked and crossed her arms.

"She's his niece," Zack shrugged, "How long has she been staying with you guys?"

"She arrived last night," Vinnie stroked Lulu's hair and turned her to face the teens, "Lulu, these are Milo's friends, Malissa, Zack, and Amanda. They're nice, too. Kids, this is my niece."

Zack smiled and knelt in front of the little girl, "Ciao, Lulu. Il mio noma e Zack."(2)

Lulu waved shyly, "Ciao."

"Since when do you know Italian, Zack?" Milo asked.

"Um...Always, I guess? Mom and Dad moved to Italy for work before I was born and we lived there until I was eight. I grew up speaking both languages."

"How are we only just now learning this?" Malissa teased.

"So, did you guys pick a new apartment?"

"There are three we'll be looking at," Balthazar put a hand on Vinnie's shoulder.

Vinnie smiled up at him and scooped Lulu into his arms," We'll see you all later and text you the new address after we decide."

"Alright!" The four young teens waved them off before Milo, Malissa, and Amanda turned to pester Zack about his newly reveled backstory.

"So. Which one are we lookin' at first?" Vinnie turned.

"Let's start with the two bedroom on the edge of town. It's a little farther away but a two bedroom is probably a better idea with Lulu around. "

"Wasn't that the most expensive one? And the farthest out there?"

"It is. But, if it's in a good neighborhood and the building is good, it'll be worth it. Right?"

Vinnie smiled sympathetically up at him, "Yeah. We do have to think about neighbors, too."

"Hence the 'good neighborhood' part."

"There's a little more to it then that. It could be a good neighborhood and still not work for us. With our jobs with P.I.G. and all that. Don't forget to take Murphy's Law into account, and Lulu's not exactly quite once she's comfortable someplace. And we will need to be able to buy food, ya know."

Balthazar rolled his eyes, "I just want to make sure it's safe for her."

Vinnie sighed and shook his head. Lulu mimicked him.

"Well, that was uncalled for."

Vinnie grinned impishly and kissed his cheek. Lulu squealed and clapped her hands.

When they reached the apartment complex, it looked promising. It was brightly lit, and across the street from a playground. Apon seeing the apartment itself, they quickly realized it wouldn't work.

They would have to buy new appliances for the kitchen, which they couldn't afford right now. The walls were thin, the bathroom only had a small shower, there was nowhere they could put their work supplies that wouldn't look suspicious. And, it was on the top floor. Practically asking for Murphy's Law to attack them. And, the second they turned their backs on her, Lulu nearly went tumbling over the railing of the balcony.

They opted to look at the next apartment. It only had one bedroom but there was another room advertised as a 'bonus room' that would work well as a room for Lulu.(3) It didn't look quite as friendly but that certainly didn't mean it was bad. The appliances were a little dated and the bathroom a little dingy but that had never stopped them before. It was also on the ground floor which would be safer for Milo and Lulu. The building, as it turned out, was open to children and pets, meaning Perry and Diogee would be able to visit as well.

"Do we even need to look at the third place?" Balthazar asked, "I know this one is a little farther from food than you would prefer, Vinnie, but all the usual places still deliver here. And a saw a café around the corner on our way here."

"Works for me, Balthy. And I heard that the lady down the hall has a kid Lulu's age so maybe she'll be able to find some friends her age!"

They talked to the landlord, filled out the paperwork, and made arrangements to move in the following Friday.

"Alright! Now, let's get some lunch before we finish shopping," Vinnie declared.

"For once we are in agreement," Balthazar nodded, "For some reason breakfast feels like forever ago."

"You now know how I feel every day."

Lulu popped a silicon charm from around her neck into her mouth.

"Should she really be putting that in her mouth?" Balthazar lifted an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah. That's what it's made for. Keeps her from chewing on other things like her fingers, clothes, and toys. Like my mushroom when we do our paperwork."

They settled at a small table. Vinnie sat Lulu in a booster seat and gave her a quiet toy from her backpack. Then he poured over the menu.

"I think that's the most I've ever seen you think about what to order," Balthazar teased, resting his chin in the palm of one hand.

"I gotta see if there is anything that won't mess with Lulu's mouth," Vinnie leaned back, "We already established that she has oral sensitivity."

What about the french fries and mini corndogs? We could probably ask to make sure everything crispy."

Vinnie bobbed his head back and forth, "Alright. That works."

He then turned the page and scanned the menu. Balthazar rolled his eyes good-naturedly and turned back to his menu. Lulu whimpered and wiggled in her seat. She tugged on Vinnie's sleeve.

"What is it, Star Angel?"

She wiggled and pointed. Vinnie turned.

"You need the toilet?"

Lulu nodded.

"Alright," He picked her up, "If we're not back before the waitress, I'll have the Ruben and you know what Lulu's getting."

Balthazar looked up, "Are you taking her into the men's room?"

"Yeah. Why not?"

Vinnie headed off. Balthazar tapped the menu and licked his lips. He turned to look at the bathroom door.

"Are you ready to order, Sir?" The waitress had returned.

"Oh! Yes," Balthazar whipped around, "I'll have the grilled cheese. Run it threw the garden. She'll have the mini corndogs and he'll have a Ruben. Could you make sure the kid's meal is well done."

"Sure thing!" The young woman grinned and bounced off.

"We're back!" Vinnie se t Lulu back in her seat, "Did we miss anything?"

"Just the waitress."

"Sorry, Balth," Vinnie winced.

"It's alright. It's not like our orders were difficult. Did you run into any...complications?"

"Nope. Restroom was empty and Lulu's pretty well potty trained."

They were silent for a moment before Vinnie grabbed Lulu's back and began looking threw it.

"Aw shoot! Good going, Theo."

"What?"

"He didn't pack her leash."

"Leash? For a child?"

"Yeah. She's a runner. Theo and Sarah had a blue leash so she could only run so far. We'll have to pick one up."

"Who uses a leash on a child?"

"People who have toddlers that like to run. It's fine! They even make one's that look like backpacks. And animals!

"Animali?" Lulu looked up from her toy.

"Si, Lulu. Animali."

Lulu squealed and clapped her hands.

"So that runs in the family?" Balthazar smiling a small smile.

"Yeah. Guess you could say that, "Vinnie smiled back.

Their food came after that and they were quickly distracted by eating. Lulu practically inhaled her corndogs but proved to be more finicky with her potatoes. If they were to soft, she would spit them out. Balthazar was horrified. Vinnie scolded her quietly. They payed the bill and the three set off once more. It's didn't take long for Vinnie to notice his husband lagging behind.

"Balth? You alright?"

"I'm fine, Vincent. Just a little...Queezy..."

Vinnie nodded sympathetically, "Yeah, sorry about that. I forgot that she does that. It shouldn't happen again. Will it, Lulu?"

The toddler shook her head and flapped her hands. While it didn't do anything to settle his stomach, it did bring a small smile to his lips. Vinnie smiled softly up at him. Balthazar reached over and laced their fingers together. They made their way down the road to the resale shop.

"Alright, Lulu," Vinnie set her on the ground and knelt in front of her, "We're going to get you some new clothes and stuff to decorate your new room. Then, we'll do something fun. OK?"

Lulu nodded seriously and took her uncles hand. Vinnie grinned and they entered the store. It took them a moment to find the children's section. Lulu clung closer to Vinnie for a moment.

"Hm...pant's and dresses...shirts..."

"Socks?"

"Nope. Lulu doesn't like having anything on her feet. Getting her to wear the sandals was hard enough."

Lulu tossed a shirt and tossed it into the cart. Balthazar held it up and showed it to Vinnie. It showed a dog and cat sprawled over a piano and said 'Why Should I Worry?'.

"Sure. She loves that movie. Oh! How about Time Ape?"

Lulu tilted her head and nodded slowly. Vinnie tossed it into the cart. After they gathered six new outfits for Lulu they went over to look at bedspreads.

"Hey, could you hold her for a second? I need two hands to look at this."

"S-Sure," Balthazar looked down at the toddler.

She turned and held onto the cart before blinking up at him. Balthazar nodded and returned to browsing the blankets.

"Cav? " His husband sounded more than displeased, "Where's Lulu?"

"She's holding onto the-" The toddler was gone, "She was right here!"

"I told you to hold her! I told you that she runs!" Vinnie ran his fingers threw his hair and turned, "Lulu? Where'd you go? Lulu? Luvinadralundar!? Get back here!"

The tiny readhead scampered out from within one of the racks. She giggled and bolted past them. Vinnie turned on his heel and hooked one arm around her waist. Lulu screaked and laughed.

"No, Lulu," Vinnie was more serious than Balthazar had heard in a long time, "You know that you're not supposed to run like that. Do you want me to have to do what Mama did? Put you in the seat?"

"No," Lulu pout and hung her head.

"Than stay right here with me and Zio Balths."

Lulu nodded slowly as he set her back down. She latched back onto his pant leg. Balthazar licked his lips and watched her. She turned and began to wander off. Vinnie didn't even look before taking her hand and pulling her back. She grabbed his pant leg and popped her chew crystal back in her mouth.

"I think I'm going to see if they have a bed that will fit in her room."

"Alright," Vinnie turned, "If you'll hold Lulu, I'll push the cart."

Lulu looked up at him and held up her arms. Balthazar stared at the little girl. He hesitated a moment longer before picking her up and holding her at arms length. She wiggled and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his neck. He stiffened. Vinnie chuckled and grabbed his elbow, dragging him on.

They found a bed frame for each of their bedrooms and a dresser for Lulu's room. They took a moment to order mattresses from the internet before looking at the kitchen decorations.

"How much do we have left before we have to sacrifice our actual savings?" Vinnie asked.

"We're actually doing pretty well. If we're careful with the kitchen decorations we may even have some left over."

"Nice."

Lulu yawned and lay her head on Balthazar's shoulder. He stopped dead in his tracks.

Vinnie chuckled and looked at his watch, "It's well past her nap time. I'll go and see if they have a leash for her and we can go home. We can just get the kitchen stuff another day."

Balthazar didn't dare to move, almost to scared of waking Lulu. Vinnie got back, they went threw the check out, and they started the walk home to get the van. They still had to pick up everything for the new apartment. Lulu slept the whole way.

"Is there any chance we could just leave her sleeping?" Balthazar whispered as he lay the sleeping child on the closed futon.

"No."

He groaned and grabbed a box from the van so they could fit everything else in it. Vinnie set in Lulu's booster seat and buckled her in. They were silent as they made their way back across town.

"This has been a good day," Vinnie whispered.

"You really think so?"

"Yeah. We got a new apartment, bought stuff for it, and had lunch. I think Lulu enjoyed herself, too...She likes you."

"Who? Lulu?"

"Yeah. She wouldn't have let you pick her up if she didn't at least trust you. And she wouldn't have asked you to pick her up if she didn't like you."

LLB

1) Can anyone guess who the rest of Lulu's family is? It's a mild cross over with another time traveling series.

2) I am still learning Italian so if my grammar is bad, I apologies.

3) A bonus room is a room that doesn't have a closet. Usually used as an office or storage but sometimes as a small bedroom.