This story takes place in an alternate universe where our main cast is human, the Dawson family, living at 101 Dalmatian Street. The family is also pared down from 101 members to Doug and Delilah and their fifteen kids: Dylan (age 16), Dolly (15), Dawkins and Dante (14, twins), David (Da Vinci is renamed David, 13), D. J. (12), Delgado (10), Dana and Dee Dee (Dizzy is renamed Dana, 8), Derek (Diesel is renamed Derek, 7), Deepak (6), Destiny, Dallas, and Debby (Déjà vu is renamed Debby, 5), and Dorothy (2). Their personality traits remain consistent with their characterization on the show, but may be slightly adjusted for their ages listed above.

Responsibility

Here we go again. Dylan reached over to silence the alarm on his phone. It was 6:15. He had exactly ten minutes to get a shower, put on deodorant, brush his teeth, and get dressed. Then he had to wake up the rest of the boys. Dolly was already up downstairs, it took her longer to get ready so she had to get up before him to be on time to wake up the girls.

Dylan clambered down from the top bunk. Everyone else was still fast asleep. Dante was wrapped up in his blankets in the bottom bunk, Dawkins had crashed at his computer-apparently after winning another all-night Hearthstone tournament with the other kids in his class, David was covered with bits of charcoal dust-he usually got his inspiration in the early morning and knocked out a sketch or two before getting back to bed, D.J. was wearing his headphones-some playlist still going as he slept through another trap cover, Delgado and Derek were sharing a bed-not surprising considering how close they were-with Derek dug deep into the comforter, and Deepak was in sleep as he was awake-somehow inexplicably stressed and calm at the same time-half on the mattress half on the floor. Dylan stretched as he walked to the upstairs bathroom. He had eight minutes now before the chaos began.

After a quick shower (cold water because Dolly had used up all the hot water earlier) Dylan grabbed the nearest toothbrush (because no one bothered to keep track who used which at this point, Dylan had tried a labeling system but everyone else ignored it) and scrubbed as he applied deodorant. He spat in the sink, dried his shaggy mess of brown hair, then got dressed. He slipped into his white and red rugby shirt, a pair of khakis, and some blue trainers. He checked his watch: two minutes left. Better check to make sure Dolly was on-it, sometimes she got distracted watching some pro skater on YouTube and forgot to get up the girls.

He quickly descended the front stairs and knocked on the bottom floor bathroom. Dolly opened the door, fully dressed, with her hair half-straightened.

"Just wanted to give you a heads-up, it's one minute til morning wakeup."

"I can read a clock, Dylan." She snarked, "But thanks, I'll get the girls up."

He smiled and walked back up the stairs. He didn't envy Dolly, having to wake up Triple-D (the pet name for their triplet little sisters) was always a pain. One, if not all of them, usually refused to get up on the grounds of 'beauty rest', and Dolly usually had to drag them to the hall to get ready.

"Alright, everyone up! Time to get ready for school. We have one hour until I leave with the car and you have to catch the bus to school, Dante." Dylan had waited last week for Dante to print out some assignment for his Honors Literature course and ended up getting them all to school late. Mum wasn't happy about having to sign fourteen tardy slips.

"I get it, gees. It's not the end of the world to get to school late…"

"Coming from you, that's surprising." Dawkins retorted, rolling out of bed to start rummaging through their dresser.

"Okay, morning shower people you know what to do. Everyone else get dressed and brush your teeth, that includes you Derek-Dad doesn't want another cavity this dentist trip-I'm going to start breakfast."

"What's for breakfast?" Delgado asked, grabbing his track uniform out of the wardrobe against the back wall.

"Pancakes and sausage, and veggie sausage." Dylan smiled at Deepak, who had sworn off meat when he realized it meant killing animals.

As Dylan walked downstairs he heard Dolly angrily groan as she pulled Destiny from her bed, she was holding onto the comforter as Dolly dragged her to the bathroom where the other girls were already preparing.

"You need any help there?" Dylan gestured to Dolly's load, who pouted and huffed as she finally relinquished and stood up.

Dolly sighed and pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes, "One of these days I'm going to bring a bucket of water in and soak them…"

"But then you'd have to run their sheets in the dryer." Dylan reminded Dolly of their family's industrial washer and dryer in the basement. The dryer was an absolute nightmare to use and had to be constantly reset to work correctly, but it was the only one large enough to handle the demands of a family of seventeen.

"Good point. You have breakfast today or do I?"

"My turn, which means you're on lunch and backpack duty."

"Great…" Dolly rolled her eyes, Dylan smirked. He knew Dolly didn't really mind all that much, just like he didn't mind making breakfast, but it was her way to add a touch of sarcasm to their routine to try to bring levity to the stress of raising thirteen siblings with little parental assistance.

Dylan picked Dorothy out of her crib and got her dressed and changed, then set her in a playpen while he started breakfast. Pancakes were easy and everyone liked them, so long as he prepared them correctly. He liked bananas, Dolly liked chocolate chips, Dante liked his burnt to a crisp with extra butter, Dawkins liked applesauce in his, David wasn't fussy (about this one thing in his life) but preferred his as silver dollar cakes, D. J. liked strawberries (but would have to settle for blueberries today because Dolly hadn't gotten them at the shop yesterday), Delgado liked his with cinnamon, Dana and Dee Dee were the same-sprinkles, Derek ate anything-so Dylan usually just gave him anything someone else rejected, Deepak liked his with oatmeal and wheat germ (seriously, what kind of kid likes that? It amazed Dylan how mature he was for six), Destiny liked hearts, Dallas liked diamonds, and Debby was fine with plain circles (thank God a normal request), and Dorothy wasn't old enough to eat on her own so he or Dolly had to cut up the pancake and feed her.

While Dylan worked on getting a small diner's worth of breakfast prepared Dolly had started backpack checks. Every morning she or Dylan checked to make sure everyone had all their books and homework in their backpacks. She also had to prepare Dorothy's day bag for the nursery school, which usually didn't take too long. Everyone's bag appeared fine, aside from Derek who had somehow filled his with potting soil in addition to his school books (boy I'm glad this stuff scrubs out), and once she remedied that it was time to get lunches ready.

Dolly wasn't as accommodating as Dylan when it came to preparing lunches, because honestly, it would take her even longer than Dylan making breakfast to do so. Every lunch bag got the same contents: a sandwich (the one thing she did vary-only because otherwise everyone would complain), apple, granola bar, pudding cup (ugh… why did Dylan insist on butterscotch this week), baby carrots, and a yogurt. She then filled the thermoses, giving the younger kids hot chocolate (it won't kill them to have a little extra sugar, plus its November in London, it's too cold to not drink some) and herself and the older ones coffee or tea (as Dylan absolutely refused to touch coffee after one particularly bad visit to a Starbucks last year).

The rest of the family started filing into the dining room, sitting around the table at the spots where Dylan had left their preferred pancakes. Dolly and Dylan both glanced at the wall clock as they sat down to eat. There was twenty minutes left until they had to leave, which should be plenty of time if nothing catastrophic happened.

After the meal Dylan went outside to start the car-or rather the van. The ancient VW Bus was the only vehicle big enough to fit the entire family-or at least all the kids, it only held sixteen. Dolly worked to finish up getting everyone ready, including helping some of the younger ones with jackets. Dawkins was on dish duty (it was Tuesday), and quickly rinsed off the plates and stuck them in the dishwasher. Dante and David did a final headcount as everyone left the house, then Dolly locked up and joined the rest in the passenger seat of the van.

Traffic was terrible-as usual for London-but they managed to drop off Dorothy and make it to the school parking lot with ten minutes to the bell. After everyone else unloaded Dylan helped Delgado get his arm crutches from the trunk (even with them he was still one of the best sprinters on the school track team). He then locked up and met Dolly by the door. They were in the same grade, and because the school sorted students alphabetically for homeroom they both had the same teacher, Mr. Farrant.

Mr. Farrant was also the upper school's history teacher and was clearly passionate about it. Dylan and Dolly had his class together in the afternoon in addition to being in his homeroom and it was almost too much to handle. He was clearly a nice guy though, and did run the school's videogame club along with Ms. Douglas, the physics teacher. After taking attendance and going over a few announcements the class ended and Dylan and Dolly briefly separated as they attended their morning classes.

Dylan had placed into mostly honors courses, with one notable exception-history. He loved dinosaurs and ancient creatures, but given that was pre-history it didn't help him at all with having to learn the causes of the War of the Roses. Dolly was also in a few honors courses-English Literature and French-but took more artistic courses than the electives Dylan had chosen for his morning classes (she still didn't understand how he, or anyone for that matter, could choose to use an elective period for a second science course or performance band). Dawkins, Dante, and David were also in the upper school (David having advanced a grade early on because he was 'gifted'), but given the age difference mostly had different classes (although Dawkins was in Dylan's physics course and David had art with Dolly).

At lunch Dylan and Dolly usually sat together, as their friend groups had merged long ago to the point where trying to sit apart was futile. Lunch was always an interesting affair, as there were always six conversations going on at once, as well as at least one game of Magic the Gathering (courtesy of Dylan and Fergus, who was secretly a GIANT NERD-shut up Dolly-under his tough guy image).

After lunch Dolly and Dylan had most of their classes in common, sitting through French, English Literature, and History together before splitting up for science at the end of the day. At the last bell they met up by their lockers (something the school had just recently added) and then walked to the front entrance of the school for the rest of their siblings to congregate.

After another dreadful drive through traffic (I swear Dolly if there weren't children present I would do something obscene to the driver of that Lorry!) and picking up Dorothy (I have no idea where she learned that word-Dylan remind me to have a word with Dana and Dee Dee later) Dylan finally pulls the car into the spot in front of the house. Everyone rushes out, up the front steps, and into the house.

Evening is much calmer than morning, there isn't a time crunch. Dylan gets everyone corralled to do homework (I don't care if it isn't due until the end of the week, it's a four page report, you need to start working on it now) while Dolly keeps them from running off (D.J. get back here, I know you still have more to do, I checked your planner). Usually Mum and Dad get back around the time homework is done, and after a brief dog pile on Dad dinner is served.

Everyone has their own evening ritual, with some watching television, other reading, some writing, drawing, and even digging in the backyard sandbox (put a coat on, you'll catch your death in this weather!). Life may be a bit challenging when you have a big family, but for the Dawsons at 101 Dalmatian Street they wouldn't change it for the world.