"I'LL KILL YOU" that's the first thing David Rossi heard when he came back home after a way too long case.
Awesome he thought and put down his keys, debeting if it was a good idea to walk further in the house and face whatever war his children were fighting or run away and never look back.
"JJ I SWEAR TO GOD, I'LL BEAT THE BLONDE OUT OF YOU IF YOU DON'T GIVE IT BACK"
That's it.
That was what screamed "You can't run, get in there and kill them all".
He chuckled.
"Emily, I don't want to hear you say something like that ever again. And calm down, go to your room, get it together and come back down when the demon has vanished and my sweet, lovely daughter has reappeared" he walked towards the living room where he knew the commotion was and heard his wife's voice.
He opened the double doors and saw a nine year old JJ hiding behind her mother and a very angry Emily in front of them, ready to tear the little girl apart.
"Oh so I'm the demon and I have to go to my room while she's the angel who gets away with it! GREAT!" she turned on her heels and ran to her room past her father, without even welcoming him back.
"DADDY!" the blonde girl, on the other hand, emerged from behind her mother and ran into his arms. David smiled and picked her up "Hello princess" he kissed her cheek and high fived her "Good job on surviving that squirt"
"Not so fast young lady" JJ hid her face in her father's neck.
She knew she was wrong and had done something bad but she had hoped that with her father being back, her mom would forget to scold her.
But she didn't.
JJ watched her mother walk up to them with her hand stretched out "Give it back and go to your room. This is your last call, next time there will be consequences" David put her down while the little girl complained "I only wanted to play!"
"Then you ask" the blonde mother bent down to the little girl's level and made sure she knew that what she had done wasn't right "Now, you head me. Go to your room"
JJ turned around and walked away, stomping her feet.
"Don't stomp your feet, young lady"
She stopped immediately making her father chuckle.
"That's not funny!" Erin shoved him in the chest before rubbing her temples. It only made him chuckle more but before she could react to that once more, he grabbed her hands and pulled her in his hold. Her arms immediately wrapped around his waist and her head rested on his chest while she closed her eyes to try to relax and she had to admit that whenever he held her like that, she would feel much better. It had been one hell of a day and those two fighting made it ten thousand times worse.
"Oh I know it isn't. That's why when I came back I had to think twice before coming in. I was about to run away and never come back" she giggled and pulled away, giving him another playful slap.
"Where's the rest of the gang?" David asked after kissing his wife's head.
"Would I be a terrible mother if I said that I have no idea?"
David burst out lauhing "Depends on why"
"I had literally just come back when I realized there were high chances I would be down a child so I didn't have the time to check on everyone else"
"GET THE HELL OUT JJ!" their conversation was interrupted by another one of Emily's screams.
Both Erin and David looked up and sighed.
The blonde smiled at her husband "Welcome home daddy"
David chuckled and finally kissed her "You check on in with everyone else and I start on dinner?" he asked and she nodded, giving him one last peck on the lips before pulling definitely away and going parted ways.
"Mommy!" Erin's heart burst with joy when his youngest's face lit up at she sight of her.
She kneeled down and caught him in her arms when he ran to her "Hello my sweet baby boy" she kissed his head "Did you miss me?" she asked and he nodded energically "I missed you too" she smothered his face with kisses simply because she could.
He was only four years old so he still loved mommy's cuddles.
JJ, being nine, did too. But not that much.
"Did you have fun at preschool?"
Spencer shook his head "No?" Erin looked surprised "It's boring" okay, now not so much.
"They only color stuff and no one can read so I can't talk about books with anyone" he said and Erin sighed. She and David were going to have to have a talk about Spencer sooner rather than later. He was obviously smarter than the average four year old kids.
He wasn't interested or stimulated by the preschool programs and needed something more suited for him because there was no point in keeping him there. It wasn't doing him any good.
She made a mental note to talk about with David later. For now she picked Spencer on her hip and walked out of his room "Let's go see what your brother and sisters are up to".
She knocked on the door next to Spencer's "Come in"
"Hi sweetie" Erin smiled and met her daughter's smile "Hi mom!" she beamed and ran to hug her. Penelope was the sweetest girl Erin had ever met.
So genuine and loving.
"What are you doing?" she asked "Oh, I was playing some games with my friends on the computer" Erin smiled at Penelope's excitment.
"Don't take too long, dinner is almost ready"
"Dad is back?" Her eyes lit up and Erin smiled, nodding. The blonde squealed and ran to the door "I WANNA GO SEE DADDY TOO!" Spencer wiggled in her mother's arms and she put him down.
The little boy ran behind his sister to go downstais and meet their dad, who they hadn't see in four days.
Erin went to the next door and saw that it was empty. Perfectly neat and clean but empty.
Of course she thought and went to Emily's room.
"Go away"
"Come in" they said in unison and Erin, as much as she was mad at Emily, smiled and opened the door.
And here they were.
Her beautiful, adorable different in everything and anything twins.
Even their rooms were opposites.
Aaron's was perfect and tidy.
Emily's looked like a bomb had exploded.
"Is it safe?"
"No, you'll catch fire as soon as you step in"
"Cut the attitue young lady, or you'll be the one catching fire" she walked in and kissed Aaron's cheek "Hi mom"
"Hi Aaron"
"Yes hi traitor" Emily glared at her twin brother "Ohhh! She's angry" Erin exclaimed and Aaron laughed when their mom started tickling his sister.
"Mom stop!" she tried not to laugh and to push her away.
"Nha I don't think so" she laughed
"Mom- seriously stop!" she failed to hide the smile.
"SHE SMILED! SHE SMILED!" Erin screamed and took the opportunity to widen the crack in Emily's current wall. Emily tried her best to keep her mother's hands away from her sides but when Aaron held her arms to help their mom, she knew she was screwed and soon enough she fell in a fit of uncontrollable laughter.
"OKAY OKAY" she was out of breath "I SURRENDER"
"What? Did you say something? I didn't hear any-"
"I SURRENDER! MOM PLEASE I'M GONNA PEE" Emily had tears in her eyes and her legs bent to her chest while she tried to push her mother's off her.
Erin held up her arms and got off her daughter to sit next to her while she pulled up.
Aaron smiled when his mother hugged Emily to the side and kissed her head and Emily actually let her.
"Emily, I know she annoys you sometimes but she's only nine-"
"Mom don't please"
"I'm just saying that she looks up to you and sometimes thinks that sneaking behind your back is easier than actually talking to you because you're always on edge. And you're sixteen and hormones-"
"AH I'M OUT" Aaron covered his ears and ran away. Both women chuckled at his antics. He had a twin sister but talking about how her body functioned or what it was going through creeped him out.
"As I was saying, your hormones all over the place but she doesn't understand that. She doesn't understand why her big sister yells at her for no reason and why she shuts the door in her face. She wanted to play and thought that stealing your phone was the only way because she doesn't know how to talk to you"
Emily bit her lip and looked down.
She knew she took it out on JJ the most. Mostly because Penelope minded her business and was all the time on her computer and Spencer was too little to get on her nerves to that point. Aaron knew how to deal with her and how to take her blows and put her back in her place.
"Did she come up to give you the phone back?" Erin asked and Emily nodded her head.
"What do you say if you go get her? Your dad is making dinner and I think you've got a couple of minutes before it's ready" she checked her watch and Emily sighed before nodding.
"Alright. I'll see you downstairs" she kissed her once more and then got off the bed to leave "Oh, I also don't know what to think of the fact that your siblings became totally unfazed by you two fighting. Spencer used to cry and scream. Now he acts like it's nothing"
Emily chuckled and watched her mother leave with a sweet and encouraging smile.
She got out of her room and went to the door next to hers. Once she was in front of it, she took a deep breath and knocked on it.
"Go away" she heard her sister's small, angry and sad voice.
"JJ, it's me"
"Go away even more" at that, Emily couldn't help but smile. She was a fierce one, her little sister and she admired her a lot even if she never really said that. Plus they were a lot alike and that's probably why they fought so much.
"I come in peace, I promise" she hoped her voice sounded calm and nice enough to make her sister open the door.
She sighed in defeat when she heard nothing but silence but then she heard a lot of shuffling and moving noises before the door actually opened and her sister appeared behind it.
"What do you want?" she asked, not letting her in.
"Wow squirt, you built a secure system or something there"
JJ didn't say anything and Emily smiled sadly at her "May I come in?" she tried again, leaving the sarcasm to the side for a moment.
The blonde girl sighed and opened the door.
Emily walked in and sat on the bed, even if her sister went to the other side of the room where she resumed playing with a dollhouse.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you" Emily started
"And chasing you all over the house" she continued
"And yelling at you again"
Silence
"And also for kicking you out" Emily chuckled darkly because Jesus, she was a monster.
JJ shrugged.
"Look JJ, I really am sorry"
JJ put down her dolls and then Emily's hear broke when she heard her little broken voice "You always yell at me" she said "Do you hate me?"
Emily was to her side in less than half a second "Oh no JJ! Of course I don't hate you" she wanted to slap herself for making her sister think she hated her and for making those beautiful blue eyes cry "I'm sorry I'm mean sometimes. Well, almost every time but- I could never hate you. You're my little sister"
"You don't yell at Penelope and Spencer. Or Aaron. Do you love them more?"
Emily wanted to cry.
She had really messed up.
"No I-" what could she ever tell her? A stupid fight had turned in pure heartbreak for the both of them.
"I love you to the moon and back JJ and I'm sorry I yell. I really am. I guess I don't scream at them like I do you because you and I are really alike and you know what they say?"
She shook her head.
"They say that when two people are too much alike, it's a lot easier that they fight" that stole a small smile.
"But that doesn't mean that I hate you or I love you less. And it never ever will"
"You pomise?" JJ looked at her and Emily smiled, holding out her pinky finger "I pinky promise and cross my heart" she whispered.
JJ's face broke in a beaming smile and she wrapped her smaller pinky around her sister's.
"But do you promise that you'll ask before taking my things?"
"I promise" she said "And I'm sorry I took your phone"
Emily hugged her sister "It's alright squirt"
"Looks like Cain and Abel made up" David announced when Emily and JJ walked in the kitchen hand in hand. JJ looked confused but left Emily's hand to join Penelope and Aaron, Erin hit him playfully on the shoulder and Emily stuck her tongue at him before walking to him and kissing his cheek "Sorry about not saying hi before"
"It's alright gattina" She smiled at the nickname and asked if he needed help.
"For the love of God no, get out of my kitchen"
"You know dad, I could actually be able to do something if you taught me!" she laughed
"You'll just burn the whole house down" Aaron stole a piece of carrots and Emily gave him a slap behind his neck "Ouch Em"
"You deserved it"
"Did not"
"Did too"
"Stop"
"You stop"
"You'll end up in a juvenile insitute if you don't stop fighting"
"You started it"
"You hit me"
"You made fun of me when you can't cook either and you're possibly worse than me"
"I don't kill people as a hobby"
"Haven't killed anyone"
"Yet"
"Dad, make him stop"
"Son, don't wake the sleeping dragon"
"Dragon Emily doesn't know how to sleep"
"Aaron don't provoke her"
"See? Mom's on my side"
"Emily, don't make him provoke you"
"Mom!"
"Help the others set the table"
Aaron and Emily did what they were told and went to help their younger siblings set the table.
When Erin watched her kids happily chat while they set the table she couldn't help but smile and feel heart heart fill with love and happiness.
Their house was a mad house. It was pure craziness under any aspect you could come up with because they worked crazy jobs with crazy hours and had five kids, all different, all with explosive characters in their own ways and all with their own particular and sometimes too short temper.
She blamed her italian husband for that last one, and speaking of him, she turned to the side and smiled when she saw him cook.
She walked to him and kissed him, for no special reason.
"I love you" she said "And I love our crazy, impossible and soul sucking kids" they chuckled.
"They take their temper from you, cara"
Erin laughed "Funny, I always say they take it from you"
"Impossible. You're so much more stubborn than me"
"What? Have you ever heard yourself in an argument?"
"No, because your screaming makes it impossible"
Erin gasped and laughed "I don't scream!" she exclaimed.
David burst out laughing "You so do" he pulled her into him but she fought him off "No!" she laughed "Stop! David, let me go!" she exclaimed but eventually gave up, settling against his side and letting him kiss her.
"Ewwww, is the food going to be as disgusting as you two are being right now? Like, you've infected it or something" Emily made a face when she entered in the room with Spencer on her hip. Penelope stood next to her and Aaron was giving JJ a piggy-back ride.
"Oh Emily, stop it. They're in love!" Penelope was such a romantic soul. Sometimes Emily was jealous of her but other times, like when the walked in on their parents making out, she simply didn't understand.
"I'M WITH PENNY" JJ exclaimed jumping up and down on her brother's back "JJ! My back"
"All over our food!" Emily argued.
"I'M WITH EMILY!" Aaron added.
"Hey, sassy pants!" David exclaimed pointing at her with his wooden spoon "You wouldn't even be here in the first place if it wasn't for us"
"DAD!" Emily exclaimed and covered Spencer's ears "COULD YOU PLEASE NOT!"
David laughed and Erin rolled her eyes at her fifth kid "Okay everyone, come get your plates"
The kids followed their mother's order while David and Emily kept bickering.
Sitting at the table, watching her family, her beloved kids all with smiles on their faces and listening to their stories and whatever they needed to say or came up with, it really made feel Erin blessed.
They were the Rossi's.
One big, happy, crazy family.
