Chapter Text
From the moment the sun peeks through the curtains, the Prentiss home springs to life. The symphony of footsteps, clinking cereal bowls, and hurried voices is as familiar as the beat of a favorite song. Calendars are marked with color-coded reminders: insulin checks, soccer, cheer, dance and tumbling practice, doctors’ appointments, and birthday parties. Amidst the fray, Emily and JJ orchestrate the flow with a blend of military precision and improvisational brilliance.
Nine personalities mean nine sets of interests, quirks, and dreams. Some crave the spotlight, others prefer the quiet corner. Coordinating this kaleidoscope of passions requires flexibility, quick thinking, and a willingness to embrace the unexpected. Yet, even in the whirlwind, there is a constant undercurrent of connection—siblings helping siblings, hands reaching out in comfort or celebration, laughter echoing down the hallway.
For three of the Prentiss children, type one diabetes is a fact of life—a challenge woven seamlessly into the family’s fabric. Glucose meters, sensors and insulin pumps share counter space with lunchboxes and science projects. Every meal, every outing, every moment is approached with a mix of vigilance and hope.
But what could be a source of anxiety transforms in the Prentiss home into lessons in courage and community. Siblings learn to spot the signs of low blood sugar, friends become allies, and no achievement is too small to celebrate. Family meetings double as opportunities to share stories, troubleshooting, and reminding each other that no one faces the journey alone.
Amid the cacophony, there are moments so bright they light up even the hardest days: a spontaneous group hug in the kitchen, a whispered “I love you” over a pile of homework, a collective cheer for a sibling’s achievement. The Prentiss family doesn’t shy away from tears or frustration; instead, they let love fill up the cracks left by exhaustion and worry.
Sometimes, it’s in the smallest gestures—a hastily drawn picture, a comforting hand on a shoulder, a joke that sends everyone dissolving into giggles—the family’s bond is most evident. These glimmers of grace are the true treasures in the midst of beautiful mayhem.
Of course, not every day is smooth. But the Prentiss family’s philosophy is one of perseverance and perspective: every challenge is a lesson, every setback a chance to grow closer. Through it all, resilience is their compass. Mistakes are met with forgiveness, victories with gratitude, and setbacks with determination. In a home where commotion is constant, it’s these values that keep the family not just afloat but thriving.
The Prentiss family story is a celebration of life’s unpredictable rhythms. In their world, commotion isn’t chaos run amok—it’s the music of a life lived fully, fiercely, and with open hearts. As they continue to navigate the ups and downs together, their journey offers a reminder that within the greatest noise can be found the deepest harmony, and that love—no matter how messy—always finds a way to shine through.
“Hello everyone, I’ve arrived!” Maggie announced when she walked into the Prentiss home around 7:30am on a random Tuesday morning.
“Maggie, I swear you spend more time here than you do anywhere else honey,” JJ commented with a laugh. The mothers absolutely loved how comfortable Maggie was in their home; she fit right into the chaotic craziness they called life, and they enjoyed the fact Maggie treated the littles like her own siblings.
“What can I say, you’re my second family,” Maggie smiled, accepting the glass of orange juice Emily was holding out to her.
“But do you even go to big school too?” Lily asked with a small giggle as she took another bite of her breakfast.
“Yes munchkin, I still go to big school. My classes don’t start until 11am though,” Maggie explained.
“My skwool start at umm, I forgetted. What time does my skwool start, mommy?” Brynley asked.
“8:15am scoot,” Emily answered, twisting the final elastic around Emerson’s second French braid.
“Yeah. That meaned I goed to skwool be’foor you,” Brynley continued.
“You’re so smart,” Maggie smiled, then stole a piece of strawberry off Brynley’s plate.
“Mhm, be’tause umm, no mommy! I wanna haf the same one like Emmie!” Brynley whined, interrupting her train of thought when Emily moved over to her next with the hair supplies in hand.
“You’re going to have French braids too, baby. Don’t you worry,” Emily assured.
While the chaos continued, Maggie ran downstairs to go see Clarke because that’s why she was truly here in the first place. Maggie loved visiting her friends’ siblings, but she had something very important to talk about with Clarke. At least, she believed it to be very important.
When Maggie knocked on Clarke’s door, the girl called out, “I told you it’s fine. Come take the shirt, I’m in the middle of doing my hair.”
Maggie then walked in and said, “I’m assuming that was meant for Amelia, not me.”
“Oh hey, Mags. What’s going on?” Clarke said, making eye contact with her friend through the mirror.
“I have my first date with Bryan later today. Can I borrow something to wear, none of my clothes have that wow factor?” Maggie asked.
“Of course. Pick anything you want,” Clarke said, continuing to curl her hair because she had a much earlier class than Maggie did which meant she needed to finish getting ready for the day.
“What about this?” Maggie asked about five minutes later, emerging from Clarke’s closet holding up an orange bronze, white, and grey plaid skirt paired with a tan off the shoulder long sleeved sweater.
“Oo, that’s super cute!” Amelia commented as she walked into her sister’s room just in time to see the first outfit choice. “Where are you going?”
“Someone has their first date with Bryan later today,” Clarke teased.
“I really love this dress too,” Maggie said, pulling out an adorable fall dress from Clarke’s closet as well.
“What shoes would you wear?” Clarke asked.
“Umm, probably some ankle boots. Tan with the skirt, white with the dress,” Maggie shrugged.
“I vote for the skirt,” Amelia spoke up. She then took off her tank top and put on the tan crewneck sweater of Clarke’s that she was borrowing seeing as she too needed to finish getting ready for school.
“Yeah, I agree. Where is he taking you?” Clarke questioned.
“Café Milano after our government and law class,” Maggie answered.
“You need to fix your hair after you get dressed, it’s a mess,” Clarke said, passing the curling wand to her friend because Maggie’s hair was a complete wreck. “I’d stay and help you, but Cohen and I have an early class today.”
“It’s not a problem. You’ve already done enough by letting me wear your clothes, I literally had nothing to wear. Do you mind if I stay and get ready here?” Maggie asked.
“Not at all. Stay as long as you want, and text me your final look!” Clarke said, then she followed her sister up the stairs so they could go eat breakfast.
“Will do!” Maggie called back.
“Uncle Spence!” Hudson squealed when he saw the man walk through the slider door with River right behind him.
After returning from Hawaii, multiple changes happened in the Prentiss home. Spencer moved into the guest house with River, Oliver moved downstairs into River’s room, Oakley got a big girl room makeover, and Clarke’s car found a new home in the garage because the future Reid’s had their own garage now.
Clarke honestly didn’t mind parking in the driveway because Cohen had driven them to college in his truck for the past two months however, now that the temperature was dropping, it would be nice for her to have a spot inside. Clarke offered to drive multiple times but so far, Cohen was absolutely fine with driving, so she let it be.
“Hey Hudson, what’s for breakfast today?” Reid asked.
“Banana cream pancakes and a eggy quesa’diller!” Hudson answered with a huge smile.
“I have a plate for you right here,” Emily said, pulling two plates out of the oven for River and Spencer.
“Mmm, I can’t wait to dig in,” Spencer said.
Since moving in, the couple had enjoyed Emily’s cooking most mornings and dinners at least three times a week, which was great for Spencer because he was a twig and could use some yummy food. River enjoyed keeping her schedule somewhat the same but she was also trying to have Hudson and Emerson get used to the fact she wouldn’t always be there anymore.
Of course if they needed her, she’d drop everything but enjoying a meal with her fiancé was an important next step for her and so far, the twins have been doing incredibly well. It did help that River was so close still, all they had to do was run across the yard and there she was—but honestly, the twins didn’t really notice because River had gone out to dinner with Spencer a million times in the past three years and even stayed the night at his place often.
Hudson and Emerson were completely settled in their life with two mommies and seven siblings, they felt safe, loved, and secure in their forever home—it was everything River had ever hoped for and more than that, she also had someone who loved every part of her as well. That being said, Emily’s cooking was the best and they enjoyed having breakfast and dinners there often for more than the amazing company.
“Mommy makes the bestest food!” Lily announced with a small whip cream mustache from the pancakes she was devouring.
“She really does,” River agreed, wiping her cute face with a napkin. River couldn’t help herself, she took care of littles all day and even though she wasn’t the Prentiss’ nanny anymore, that didn’t mean she stopped looking after them—they were her forever family.
“What time are you going to be home today, bean?” Emily asked while the kids continued talking with River and Reid about their Halloween costumes.
It was October 28th and that meant dressing up was right around the corner, something they looked forward to every year. The children still preferred costumes to candy, the school parade and the Prentiss Halloween party most though, which was very on brand for them.
The act of trick-or-treating was fun nonetheless because the littles got to spend time with the big kids and Hudson was able to chat with the neighbors as he still enjoyed telling them his life story. Each year, Hudson would tell whoever answered the door his current age, his favorite class, introduce the neighbors to his friends, then let them know he’d see them again next year. Gosh he was cute.
“Umm, we have a 9:30am class then another at 11:45am and one at 2:15pm so probably 4-4:30pm,” Clarke replied, reinterring her schedule to Emily. The mother knew Clarke’s schedule for the most part, but sometimes she mixed things up because with nine children her mind was jam packed.
“I forgot today is your long day,” Emily said, twirling her finger through Clarke’s curls to help redefine it a bit.
“Yeah. But it’s okay because we only have two classes for the rest of the week. We have a much better schedule than a lot of our other friends,” Clarke said.
Hannah, Claire and their long-distance boyfriends had some morning classes and some afternoon classes with hug gaps in between which wasn’t something Clarke and Cohen wanted. It did make facetiming with them easier though because Clarke could hold the phone while Cohen was driving and they could talk to their friends together.
Clarke really missed her best friends a lot, she was still having a little trouble adjusting to the fact they were states away instead of 15 minutes down the road. Maggie and Aria constantly came over because they were attending colleges close by, but it wasn’t the same because Hannah and Claire had been with Clarke through everything.
Clarke also felt a bit unsure about making new friends at Johns Hopkins because she almost felt like she was cheating on her besties. Emily had spoken with her daughter about this many times in the past few months—it was completely normal to make new friends in college, but that didn’t mean her grade school friends were any less important. If anything, they were more important because Clarke could always turn to them and they could always turn to Clarke.
That resonated with Clarke. And with Cohen, the duo had made some new friends at college together just like Hannah and Claire did as well. Clarke honestly loved having Cohen with her and was incredibly happy he chose Johns Hopkins too because it meant always keeping a bit of home with her.
“Yes you do, babe. How are you on insulin and supplies?” Emily asked.
“I haven’t checked yet. I think I’m okay though, I didn’t use anything yesterday,” Clarke responded.
Clarke was doing incredibly well for the most part managing her T1D, but it didn’t stop Emily and JJ from worrying about their daughter being an hour away from them if something were to happen. It was different with Oakley and Amelia because Brookwood wasn’t even 10 minutes away, but Clarke had Cohen which made the mothers feel better. He knew the signs of a low or high, and even understood how to count carbs.
Emily still packed a lunch for Clarke most days, and that included making an extra for Cohen as well because she always made way too much food. On occasion, Clarke and Cohen went out for lunch near/or on campus but most days they enjoyed the lunch Emily pre-made for them both.
“You have plenty, bean,” Emily verified after checking Clarke’s cross-bag along with her other two warriors.
It was important to teach their T1D warriors to check their own bags, but Emily did like to verify that they had everything they needed just in case. One day, Emily would have complete confidence that her girls could keep their cross-bags stocked by themselves, but Oakley was still a little one and learning about her autoimmune disease. And Emily being Emily, that meant she also checked Amelia and Clarke’s too.
“Alright you crazy monkeys, are you ready for school?” JJ asked, downing her last sip of coffee and accepting the travel mug Emily had filled up for her.
Life in a house with nine children and two loving mothers is a beautiful paradox—like a hurricane that knows its own boundaries. There’s constant motion: footsteps thundering up and down the hall, voices overlapping in a dozen simultaneous conversations, and a kitchen that never quite gets a moment’s rest. Laundry is a never-ending mountain, schedules are a delicate tetris game, and someone always seems to be looking for a missing shoe five minutes before you need to leave.
But under all that movement and noise is an unshakeable foundation. Emily and JJ, steady as twin anchors, hold the whole ship together with patience, humor, and a fierce love that never wavers.
Each child knows, no matter how wild the day gets, there’s a safe lap to climb into, a hand to hold, and someone who will listen—really listen—to whatever’s on their mind. Meals may be loud, bedtimes may stretch into late-night storytelling marathons, and plans may occasionally dissolve into happy chaos, but the love in the home is constant, unbreakable, and felt in every corner.
It's a life where stability doesn’t mean stillness—it means that no matter the whirlwind, everyone knows exactly where home is.