The Ultimate Showdown
Chapter 1: Prologue
Disclaimer: I do not own Cheaper by the Dozen or its characters. It's too good an idea for me to have possibly made up.
Summary: What happens when the Murtaugh's move in next door to the Bakers? Will more hell break loose, or will they decide to keep it cool this time. Jimmy believes he has it all. Tom is ready to prove him wrong for real this time. Jimmy is ready to prove to Tom that just because he had it all as a kid doesn't mean he has it all as an adult. The two families agree to another friendly competition, focused on sports. Five different games will be played. The one who wins three out of five is the winner. Or is he? Since the Murtaugh's are living near the Bakers now, how does Elliot feel about Jake and his circle of friends? What happened with Sarah and Elliot? What made a problem between them? Can their relationship survive it? What's going on between Mike and Ken? Don't they have 'absolutely nothing' to do with each other? Doesn't Ken prefer to hang out with Mark? But Ken does hang with Mark, and something is going on between them that will make Mike more than a little uneasy. What is it, and how will this affect the new tense rivalry between Mike and Ken that shakes both families? Will the two put differences aside and become friends, or will they keep their differences in view, and end up in a fight?
After the Labor Day weekend, the Bakers returned to their Chicago home. There, they finished the academic school year. Meanwhile, many members within the Baker and Murtaugh families kept in touch by email and letter.
At the beginning of the summer, the Murtaugh's arranged with the Bakers for them to come up to Chicago and visit them. They had loads of fun. Elliot and Sarah started dating again. Mark and Ken got into a little more trouble, and Tom and Jimmy continued their heated debates.
Tom and Jimmy scared Serina and Kate again at frequent debates at whose family was better, as if the issue was never really resolved. Tom insisted his family would've won if his daughter hadn't gone into labor. Jimmy was saying it was a natural cause, and that his team should've won.
Ken and Mark's trouble involved dinner plates being broken. Of course, that was by accident and even Ken didn't mean for that to happen. What they meant for was to set off fireworks as a celebration for the summer holidays. What was more, Ken refused to divulge where he got the fireworks from.
While Sarah and Elliot dated, Elliot managed to also hang out with Jake and Mike. Jake and Mike had even had boarding fun with Elliot and Sarah. They played a mini tournament where Jake and Mike raced, Elliot and Sarah raced, and then the winners, Jake and Elliot, raced. At the end, Jake had won Elliot over. That was about the only competition going on.
With Kim and Jessica it was a different story. Lisa and Robin proved to be just as smart. The two entered into a summer Spelling B, and they almost tied. Lisa very narrowly beat Kim, Robin, and Jessica in a contest that threatened to last the entire summer if the judge hadn't decided to challenge them with University words.
In mid-July, the Murtaugh's left, with the Bakers promising to visit them soon. The Bakers thought they saw the last of them for a while, at least until the Christmas holidays, until a surprised greeted them at their front door as the summer wrapped up.