Shawn woke up when he heard laughter. 'Great, it's that day.
Gus, his oldest son, stood grinning and holding a marker next to none other than Lucas Lassiter – this couldn't be good.
Today happened to be the day that he, Gus, and Abby were watching all the kids in their houses, which shared a pool and a backyard. As he didn't feel his wife behind him, it was a pretty safe bet most of the kids had arrived.
He stood up and looked in the mirror above his dresser. Sure enough, the four-year-old and five-year-old had drawn all over his face. A crudely drawn pineapple took up most of his face, and the rest was covered with the words "lucas" and "lassiter" with a lot of the letters facing the wrong way.
"Thank you for the wake up call, boys," he told them.
"Welcome, Uncle Shawn!"
He ushered them downstairs where he found Iris and Logan. The oldest children in the bunch, the two ten-year-olds felt it was their job to police the others. They seemed to be settling a quarrel between his three-year-old, Jason, and two-year-old Cameron McNab.
"Need any help?" Shawn asked.
Iris shook her head, and Logan replied, "We've got this."
His wife fed baby Jeff in the kitchen, his one-year-old and the last of the Spencer brood.
When he reached the backyard, he found Gus supervising pool play. Six-year-old Lilly Lassiter, and four-year-old Lavendar "Darry" Guster were playing on the steps with Gus and Lauren's two-year-old, Leroy. Chris Vick sat by Gus looking lost.
"Chris, Cam's inside, man," he told the three-and-a-half year old, who nodded and ran inside as fast as his tiny legs could take him.
Gus shot him a puzzled look, "Shawn? Where are your pants?"
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Shawn went back inside, and this time sent a glare at Logan and Iris.
"Sorry, Uncle Shawn," Iris choked out.
Logan just laughed louder, "I didn't know they made Phineas and Ferb boxers for someone over the age of twelve."
"Oh, ha ha, you two are so funny," Shawn replied sarcastically.
"Shawn," Abby called, walking over, "Can you take Jeff with you? He needs a change."
Shawn sighed, "I don't see why not."
"We could change him for you," Iris offered.
"We can?" Logan asked.
Iris nodded, "What's the matter, genius? Finally find something you can't do?"
Logan looked at his best friend with vigor, "Oh, it's on."
"Please, Aunt Abby?" Iris asked.
Abby shrugged, "I see nothing wrong with it."
"Can you guys change Leroy while you're at it?" Gus asked as he came around the corner.
"Care to have a competition?" Logan asked.
Iris nodded, "You bet your butt!"
Logan accepted Jeff, and Iris picked up Leroy and his diaper bag.
"You ready to be beaten, Vick?"
"I think you got that backward, Lassiter."
They raced up the stairs to the changing table in Jeffery's room, then pulled the ottoman from the sleeper couch over to the table so they could reach the table, lifting the two boys up and onto it.
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A dripping wet trio of Jason, Cameron, and Chris came sloshing into the Guster living room.
"Lawson, they spwished at us."
Lawson looked up from his homework at his cousins. As the third oldest of all the cousins, and the older sibling to one of the perpetrators, he felt he needed to step in. "Okay, I'll take care of it."
The three little boys led him out to the pool. "Darry, Lilly, did you guys splash them?"
All five shook their heads. "Not them," Cameron told him.
A few seconds later, he felt a spray of water hit him in the back. He turned around with his arms crossed, "Lucas, Gus, get out here."
The two smiling boys appeared wielding super soakers.
Lucas turned those deep blue eyes that looked just like his father's onto his cousin. "Sowwy, Lawson."
Gus turned that face so much like his father's on him, too, "We didn't mean to."
Lawson rolled his eyes, "Not gonna work on me, you two. Quit splashing people."
An evil grin came onto their faces, and they began to squirt Logan's Lab pup, Bear, and Shawn's yellow Lab, Pineapple.
Lawson sighed, "Not my problem."
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"I won fair and square," Iris shot at her cousin as she handed Leroy back to her uncle.
Logan smirked, handing Jeff back to Abigail, "That's 'cause you're a girl."
Iris looked shocked, "I'm going to kill you, Logan Lassiter!"
He laughed as she chased him outside and pushed him into the pool, but he dragged her in along with him.
Abigail watched, laughing. "They remind me of Shawn and I," she told Gus.
Gus nodded, "Before he asked you out and stood you up."
Abby nodded, "Yeah, but I don't think Logan would ever do that to her. He's too smart."
Gus laughed, "And he's only like that with her. You haven't known them as long as I have. He's like a tiny Lassiter. He's the same way Lassiter is without his wife around whenever she's not around. They don't always hang out, but they share a lot of friends and all of them know how close the two are."
"Well, they have been best friends since age three."
Gus laughed, "They've been best friends practically since birth. Chief Vick knew about Logan since day one. He and Iris have been playing together their whole lives. Juliet had him only two weeks before the guy left her, and she transferred here right away."
"Wow, I never knew all that."
"That's because I'm Juliet's brother-in-law, and you're not," he replied with a hint of laughter. "I'm married to the closest thing she's ever had to a sister."
Abby laughed, "Sister-in-laws are easy to talk to."
"Gus laughed back, "Yeah, I guess you are."
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When Shawn made it outside in his swimsuit, he found a bunch of the kids in the pool.
Lucas and Gus sprayed Logan and Iris, who seemed to be enjoying a swim in clothes. Lawson, now clad in a swimsuit, pushed the two little boys in, then jumped in after them. He gave high fives to Logan and Iris, who were helping Gus and Lucas out of their shirts so they could swim. Lucas took off his pants, too, and started swimming around in his boxers.
"That boy has no shame," Shawn commented to no one in particular, helping his son out of the pool.
Logan, Iris, and Lawson burst into laughter.
"Shawn," Abby called from inside the house a little later.
Juliet stood there, smiling. "I took the rest of the day off to hang with my kids. Where are they?"
Shawn laughed, "Check the pool."
"How were they?"
"Oh, they were fine, Jules."
Juliet followed him out, then burst into laughter. Everyone was fleeing the pool except one little child. "Lucas Carlton Lassiter, where are your clothes?"
He just smiled up at her, "Hi, Mommy!"
"They were fine, huh?" She asked, surveying her kids. Logan's clothes were soaked through, Lilly had scratches all over her arms from trying to teach her cat to swim, and Lucas swam around butt-naked.
Shawn just laughed and shrugged, "Well, at least we know your oldest son is good with diapers."
All 12 children smiled at her.
"We had fun, Mom," Logan told her. "That's all that matters."