She brushes her hair out before the mirror in the tiny bathroom, and remembers that though they'd sworn they'd be home today, they didn't quite make it. Instead, they'd managed a two-bed vacant room in a relatively cheap hotel miles away. But, Jo thinks, the kids don't really mind. Everything's been a smooth trip, and she wonders if she she'll ever manage getting all seven of them together for a similar trip ever again.

Number one hassle: getting a load of teenagers up before the crack of dawn every morning for nearly a week. She sets the brush aside, playing with her hair a bit as her youngest daughter's shriek of delight echoes from the room. Cringing lightly, she exits the bathroom and crosses her arms disapprovingly at the sight.

However, she can't help but smile.

"Get off of your father," she commands lightly at the dog-pile that's formed on the bed. She can't even see Cliff under all of the teenagers that have thrown themselves on top of him. She repeats herself, and, reluctantly, the kids separate.

"He asked for it," Angela replies, faking an attitude. She pulls her hooded sweatshirt tighter around her, and places her glasses on the desk in the corner.

"Did not," Cliff scoffs, pleading innocence. Jo rolls her eyes. "I swear, they just attacked me!"

"Then you won't mind this?"

Jo crosses the distance in the small room quickly, launching herself onto the bed and into her husband with a laugh that all of her children echo.

"Not fair!" Ella giggles, climbing with some struggle onto her parents. "I want in!"

Both adults lie still for an absolute second before Cliff sits up sharply, gathering Ella in his arms and tickling her until she turns red with laughter.

Jo watches with a smile until they've all calmed down—and Julie is already nodding off in the armchair in the corner—and decides to get everyone settled down for the night.

"So, where's everyone sleeping? Is there enough room?"

"We've already settled, mum," Michael assures her. "It's fine."

They move independently to their own places—she and Cliff get the first bed, Angela and Julie in the second, Michael on the floor in the corner of the room, Stephen on the ground in the crack between the girls' bed and the wall, and Aaron and Ryan crammed into the foldout couch. Ella stays half under the scattered covers and crawls onto her mother's lap.

"Can I sleep with you, mummy?"

"'Course you can, sweetie," Jo assures her. "Do you want me to do your hair?"

Ella yawns, and shakes her head. "It's messy. It'll get messier. Do it tomorrow?"

"Sure thing," she says, as Ella begins to burrow beneath the thick covers on the bed. Jo turns off the lamp by the window, and reaches for the one on the side table.

"Is everyone comfortable?"

There are various groans and mumbles in reply, and she's sure by now that Julie's fast asleep.

"Yeah."

"Uh-huh."

"Sure thing, mum."

"All fine."

"Turn off the light, already."

"Stephen Allen, you will watch that tone," she warns sharply. There's silence for a moment, and then she turns off the light. "I love you."

"Night, mum."

"Night."

"See you tomorrow."

"Do they have breakfast here?"

Cliff sits up in the dark. "If you don't go to sleep, Aaron, I'll make you catch yours yourself."

"Yes, dad..."

"Goodnight," Jo repeats firmly, laughing as she pulls the blankets up over herself, Ella clinging close to her underneath the blankets.

"Night," Ella says sleepily, snuggling close.

"Goodnight to you, too," Cliff tells her, trying to get close with their daughter in the way, planting a soft kiss onto Jo's lips.

She kisses him in return and sleeps soundly in the bed, with the noise of the air conditioning unit humming softly among the breaths, snuffles, and snores, of the nine in the room.

When she gets up to go get ice the following morning, she doesn't quite mind that she has to step over three sleeping kids on the floor along the way.

And closing the hotel room's door softly behind her, Jo doesn't think she'll ever miss any of this.

Not one bit.

{A quick note here if anyone's a bit confused, but I just spent a good 20 minutes or so trying to align these kids' ages properly with the time frames, etc., etc. Anyhow, this story-with the ages I'm imagining-would take place around 1991 or so.

Michael, the oldest, is 17.

Angela is 16

Stephen is 15

Aaron, 13

Julie, 12

Ryan, 10

And Ella is 6, but she's adopted, probably from Switzerland/Sweden/some sort of European or Northern-European country. I haven't quite worked out the kinks yet}

-Nessa