A/N: This takes place when Terra is still a wee tiny baby and is all over the place POV-wise.
"Lucy Susann Riggins, get down from there before you fall off!"
At the sound of her full name, Lucy hopped down off the ferry railing and went back to sit next to her mum. She slumped in her seat, letting her legs dangle, kicking the air grumpily. Ever since Mummy and Daddy said she was going to get a baby brother, Lucy noticed that there was a lot less fun going on and she was the one who was suffering the most. It was Chris's room that was getting redecorated, it was Chris who was going to need all the things they were bringing home, and it was Chris who was getting all her old toys and blankets and stuff that she still wanted, darn it! He was even about a month away yet and he was still making it so that he was the center of attention, with Mummy always fussing over her large tummy. Lucy pouted the entire rest of the trip across the choppy sounds and firths before Daddy picked her up and placed her back in the car.
This was going to be an important holiday, Mummy and Daddy had said when they packed up the car and started the long drive north to Auntie Clara and Uncle Ian's. While Lucy didn't really believe Mummy, she did believe Daddy. She was going to meet her cousin Terra in-person for the first time, not just over Skype, and that did seem pretty neat. Mummy said that playing with Terra would get her ready for when Chris was born, and that seemed considerably less neat, plus it did not make sense. A cousin was different than a brother, and Auntie Clara and Uncle Ian's was different from home, or Gran's, or anywhere else they normally went. She watched the scenery go by as they drove through Hollandstoun and along the barely-worn path that went over towards their destination. The car was barely in park when Lucy jettisoned herself from the vehicle and ran into the arms of the tall man coming out of the house.
"Uncle Ian!" she squealed in delight. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and held her up high above his head, spinning her around. "I misseded you, Uncle Ian!"
"Pup, you're getting so big," he marveled, bringing her back down to rest against his hip. Ian then approached the car to greet the adults in the party, giving them understanding looks. "How was the ride? The newest one didn't make you stop too often, did he?"
"Thankfully not, but I think the loo would be a safe thing about now," Jen said. She went inside, leaving her husband and their host to take care of the luggage.
"She is brutal this time around," Rigsy said quietly while unloading the boot. "Lucy was a joy, but Chris…"
"At least you know it's not really her, and that it's all worth it," Ian said. He allowed Lucy to wriggle free so she could climb into the back seat and gather her things. Taking a bag from Rigsy, he led him into the house and up the stairs, to the guest bedroom they had stayed in before. "You and Jen can sleep here."
"What about me, Uncle Ian?" Lucy asked. The two men turned around to see her standing with her Backpack of Very Important Things and a wide-eyed expression.
"You get to stay in the nursery with Terra," Ian explained. "She's napping now and isn't very fun, but would you like to see her?"
Lucy's eyes nearly sparkled with anticipation. Her honorary uncle dutifully took her hand and led her towards one of the rooms she wasn't allowed in last time. He slowly opened the door and they crept in, careful not to make much noise.
As the three-year-old crept towards the cot, she studied the baby laying in it carefully. Terra looked a lot like the little brothers and sisters that kids had at daycare, but there was something about her, something she couldn't say, that made her different. It was sort of like the same thing that made Uncle Ian different, and she guessed that made sense, since Terra was Uncle Ian's daughter. She knew that Terra was six months old—Mummy and Daddy had told her on the drive up—but she still looked so tiny.
"Your peedie wee cousin, just as promised," Ian said. Lucy watched him as he fawned over the baby, seeing that there was a look in his eyes that she didn't understand. He rubbed her tummy in order to wake her up, with Terra fussing as she realized she was no longer asleep. Uncle Ian picked the baby up and bounced her in his arms, calming her almost instantly. "Would you like to hold her?"
"Yes, please," Lucy replied. She put her backpack down and sat in the rocking chair, being very careful as she was passed her cousin. Terra looked up at her in wonder, not entirely certain what was going on. "Wow, she's heavy… and bigger than she looks sleeping."
"I think she's a good baby to practice with for when your brother comes, hmm?"
"No," she muttered. "Terra's funner than Chris will be. A sister would be funner than a brother for me, right?"
"I never had brothers or sisters, but I can tell you that it shouldn't matter if Chris is a brother or a sister. I think you two will have fun, just like you and Terra will have fun." He grabbed a stuffed sheep from a pile of toys and handed it to Lucy. "Here, this is her favorite."
"Oh, okay," Lucy agreed. She began bouncing the sheep up and down, humming a tune as Uncle Ian turned his attention to Daddy.
"Clara still at work?" Rigsy asked.
"She'll be back for lunch; but in the meantime, we've got the little ones to watch over," Ian said. The men watched their daughters silently, glad there was no fussing and no pouting for the first time that day.
"Look at that—Lucy's a natural," her father chuckled.
"Wouldn't be if my Terra wasn't such a good-natured one."
"You kidding? It's Lucy's sister skills budding early."
"…because Terra isn't a screaming terror…"
While Uncle Ian and Daddy bickered, just like they did all the time, Lucy watched as Terra began to yawn and go to sleep again, not having fully finished her naptime. She caught sight of the play cot on the other side of the room and carried Terra over. She crawled in herself, trying her best to not wake the baby in her arms, and was able to get them both in. Lucy laid down next to her cousin and decided to take a nap as well. Yeah, babies weren't all bad, she guessed.