And with that, a set of blue eyes revealed themselves…

"Yes little one, and it looks like you're already dressed like a pretty mermaid," JJ responded, smiling at Emerson. "Did you have so much fun today?" she continued, unbuckling her car seat straps while Emily gently ran her fingers in a circular motion over Hudson's cheeks.

"Yeah," she nodded, holding her arms out so JJ would pick her up out of the car. "I maked this too, see," Emerson said showing JJ the mermaid tail bubbles was wearing.

"Wow, bubbles has sparkles on her tail too!" JJ said excitedly, winking at her mother who was smiling at her.

"Wots of spawkles, momma," Emerson gushed, naming all the different colored sparkles.

On the other side of the car Emily was met with not only another set of cerulean blue eyes but also a cute smile and big stretch for such a little guy. "Oh my goodness, that was a big stretch," Emily said with a smile.

"Mommy," Hudson said, reaching up just to be trapped by his car seat straps.

"Woah, hold on buddy. Mommy will help you, let me undo this buckle," she said as Emerson told JJ about her exciting day at grandma and grandpas. Hudson gasped when he remembered there was a marble in his hand and was quick to tell Emily all about peanut butters new adventure including grandpa and the magic crystal.

"I getta keep it, gwampa said," he stated as if for some reason Emily would question it.

"I believe you, baby. We can put your magic crystal somewhere super safe so you don't lose it, okay?" Emily said, more so because she didn't want Brooks or Brynley to pick it up and put it in their mouths, they could easily choke.

"Yeah, wike umm in my woom," he suggested.

"Yeah, I think your room would be a really great place for it. Maybe on your bookshelf next to Mr. Potato's," Emily supplied, referring to the lion figurine he had and named. They put it up high so nobody could accidently knock it over and to make sure he'd always have good dreams, at least that's what Emily came up with in the moment.

"Yeah," he agreed.

The six of them were inside the house now to give Hudson and Emerson a bit more time to wake up completely before throwing them into the party, it was only right seeing as this was their first birthday and had no idea what to expect. Sandy and Allen sat on the couch next to the mothers who were cuddling the twins listening to how much they enjoyed the time they spent together this morning with their grandparents. It warmed their hearts to know Hudson and Emerson had a good morning, they too also had an incredible time and couldn't wait for the next.

Fifteen minutes later the twins were very excited to go see their surprise even though they had to leave their cape and mermaid tail behind. Emily didn't want them to get ruined when the kids started running around outside with their siblings and knew they'd be distracted in a matter of minutes anyways. They did bring peanut butter and bubbles but that wasn't anything new, stuffies went everywhere with the Prentiss children and probably always will in some capacity.

When Hudson and Emerson saw the backyard, their jaws dropped open, and the mothers could feel their little bodies shaking in excitement which caused them to smile and take in the moment as the kids ran up to the twins in happiness. "Wook at all the twucks!" Hudson exclaimed, pointing towards the left half of the backyard.

"Mewmaids momma, wook!" Emerson screamed in excitement.

"But why all this here, mommy?" Hudson asked a few seconds later and Emerson nodded, agreeing with her twins' question.

"We're celebrating yours and Emerson's 5th birthday today, baby," Emily explained. She and JJ had just explained the surprise for them inside however, it was clear the twins didn't understand the full extent of what to expect when they went outside seeing as they were completely blown away and still a bit confused. "We know you are already 5, but we didn't get to have a party together, right?" she continued, knowing how important age was when you're a little kid.

"Umm, no," he answered.

"Right, so that's why we're having a party today," she smiled.

"Otay," they agreed.

And just like that, they were ready to celebrate.

Two hours later the party was underway, and the twins were having the time of their lives playing with their siblings and cousins along with Uncle Morgan and Auntie Penny who always joined them. River was also playing with the children, but she found herself often stopping to watch how much fun Hudson and Emerson were having and felt so happy.

There was so many activities at the party that the twins were absolutely loving, not to mention the other kids as well. On Hudson's truck side they were building the most intricate tracks that went all over the yard using mini cones, flags, road signs, stop lights, even sand and dirt because they put down a premade road on top of the grass. The mothers bought all types of trucks to drive over the child sized road where they could drive around one another and even sit down together to play.

They also had a huge stand sandbox with construction trucks and blow-up faux tires the kids could put around their waist and a maze made, but they were saving that for a bit later because they also had a huge bubble maker to fill the yard with bubbles so when they were running the course they would have to go through the bubbles as well. And then of course the monster truck 3D art projects to paint or color however you want because arts and crafts were a major part of the party.

For the mermaid side, painting mason jars with an underwater theme then filling them with pink, purple or aqua sand and tying a bow on the top then gluing rainbow seashells on was the perfect way to begin Emerson's birthday bash. There was also a huge box of sand filled with treasures Ariel collected in the movie and some extras the kids could dig for and keep, some dress up jewelry, faux pearls in seashells, little trinkets, and more—not to mention the treasure map Emily and JJ put together to lead them around the yard to make their own magic mermaid jars that light up.

They also had, much to Emily's dismay because of a certain stubborn little, a slime making station where they could fill their fish in a bag with Ariel's friends after playing with the slime while outside only. And then both kids had a bouncy house, one shaped like a truck the other like a mermaid along with the pool to swim in making a fantastic first Prentiss birthday for Hudson and Emerson.

Now they would be prepared for their siblings' parties that were coming up as Oakley's was next, Brooks and Brynley were about a month later followed by Olivers then Clarkes. This would be an exciting party for Clarke as it was her first Prentiss birthday as well, everyone else had either had one or multiple besides her so the mothers were prepared to do whatever she wanted. It was different for Hudson and Emerson as they knew asking them about something they had never experienced would only cause confusion and possibly overwhelm them, but Clarke understood and now the twins do too.

"Hey little dude, are you having fun?" Clarke asked, smiling at her little brother who was focused on filling one of the toy trucks with sand so he could then dump it onto the pile he was making.

"The mostest!" Hudson exclaimed, throwing both arms in the air. "My dump twuck fillin' up the sand to make the biggest piwl wif Ollie and Jack, see," he continued, pointing to what the boys were doing.

"Yeah, you guys made a huge pile. What are you gonna do with it when you're done?" Clarke asked.

"Mmm, I dunno," he shrugged. "Pwobabwee pe'nut butter save the day and have to use it," Hudson said very confidently.

"Oh yeah, I can see it. Hey, can I steal you away for a minute," she questioned, and Hudson nodded then took her hand. Once they were away from the boys a bit, including Morgan who always liked to play too as the cool uncle he was, Clarke whispered something into Hudson's ear.

"Weally?" he asked.

"Yeah, what do you think?"

"Wet's go!" Hudson exclaimed as his body radiated excitement. Clarke gave his hand a little squeeze and smiled then said, "Shouldn't we tell everybody over there to come with us, silly?"

"Oh yeah, come on evybuddy fowwo me!" he screamed, waving at them to follow. And just like that, the boys dropped their trucks and came running. Morgan did a quick scan of the truck side and realized he was really in the zone because most of the yard was empty already and he hadn't even noticed until now. Oops.

Emily and JJ had set up the cutest little backdrop for pictures, thanks to Clarke, for when the twins see their cakes because this would be something unreal for them and make for some great memories. They were doing this inside because it was a warm day and they didn't want the cake to melt, but more importantly, they didn't want the ice cream melting because after all the twins loved their ice cream.

"How about we put bubbles on the counter right here so you can see her the whole time," JJ suggested while they waited for the boys to come inside.

"No! I wanna hold bubbles, momma," Emerson said, not liking to be without her furry friend especially with all these people around her.

JJ knew cake and ice cream could easily be washed off, they even had the quick cycle, but Emerson was like Lily with her stuffy in that sense, she pretty much refused to be without it. The only time Emily could wash the stuffies was when the littles were asleep, and she skillfully swapped them out for another stuffy in the process. It was a nerve-wracking 30 minutes; quick wash took 15 minutes and another 15 to dry meaning the mother only did one stuffy a night, at least when it came to the littles.

"Okay baby, you can hold her," JJ caved, handing Emerson the stuffy. It was her birthday; she didn't have it in her to take away the comfort stuffy especially when she had just done multiple crafts projects with bubbles right next to her.

"My bubbles," Emerson said to herself as she snuggled her little lamb up to her face.

"Emmie, we havin' anover su'pwise!" Hudson exclaimed as he flew into the kitchen, quite literally considering Morgan was holding him up in the air, raising and dipping the little boy as he brought him closer to his twin.

"Yeah, that's why we in here now Huddy," she said with a giggle watching her brother flying around the kitchen.

While Morgan got Hudson situated in his booster seat next to Emerson, Lily was asking grandpa about something the twins didn't know about yet causing Allen to take her into the other room. "No gwampa, me no wanna doe in here."

"Just for a minute, peanut," he assured.

Allen sat on the couch and repositioned Lily so he could tilt her chin up towards him and smile at the sassy little face she was giving him because he saw so much of JJ and Emily in her even though he didn't know Emily as a little one. He had heard plenty of stories from Fiona before she had died, and a few stories from Gerald from the time he actually did spend with her and from what he could put together, Emily was very opinionated just like Lily. JJ was too, she was also very sassy and always made herself known in a house full of brothers, and while that wasn't the case for Lily, she always made herself known in a house full of siblings.

"Lily, we have a super important job, it's only for big girls though. Do you think you can do it?" he asked, knowing how important it was for Lily to be a big girl.

"You not a big dirl, gwampa," Lily said, scrunching her face.

"You got me there, peanut. Let's try this a different way then," he said, the last part more to himself than Lily. "This is a job just for you because you're a big girl, right?" he questioned, trying again.

"Yeah, me a big dirl! Me do it."

"Hudson and Emerson don't know about the super special paint, we're going to surprise them. Do you know how we keep it a surprise?"

"Umm, me umm, me no no," she answered with a shrug of her little shoulders.

Allen put his finger to his lips and made a shh noise. "We don't share the surprise until it's time to tell them."

"Otay gwampa."

"But Lily, I want you to really pay attention to this next part I tell you, okay? Look at me peanut," he said, tilting her chin again to make sure those beautiful blue eyes were looking into his. "If someone ever tells you to keep a surprise and it gives you an icky feeling, you can always tell me, grandma, your mommies, your siblings, or anyone else you feel comfortable with. Promise?"

"Me tell dem su'pwise gwampa," Lily exclaimed, scootching off his lap and running into the kitchen. When she got to her destination, she screamed, "Huddy, Emmie me haf a su'pwise you, it paintim' for evybuddy on da shiwts wif bowtles!"

And just like that, everybody stared at the four-year-old who couldn't contain her excitement level as she told Hudson and Emerson the final surprise of their party. The plan was to have some cake, digest it a bit then use the sugar rush to run around with bottles of paint and spray one another to create lasting memories in the t-shirts they created like they did on their trip. Nothing had changed, just the surprise aspect as Lily couldn't contain her excitement.

Clarke and Morgan's laughter broke the silence and Emily scooped up her little peanut and kissed the side of her head, "Yeah, that's exactly what we're going to do, baby. Thank you for telling Hudson and Emerson, that was so nice."

"Yeah, me mommy!" Lily said, resting her head against Emily.

Sandy whispered to Allen as conversations started again because she had made her way into the living room, staying out of sight when she saw the two go in there. "I heard what you said to Lily, honey. I'm proud of you. I just think, I'm not sure she fully understood what you meant, but that's okay, Allen. We will tell the girls about the conversation and I'm sure they will speak with Lily again; they've had multiple conversations with the kids already. You did a good thing."

"Thank you, honey. I didn't think about it at first, the big kids understand the joys of a surprise and keeping it a secret from their siblings, but I don't want Lily getting confused and thinking it's normal or okay if gosh forbid…" Allen said, trailing off.

"I know, Allen. And the girls will too, they've already spoken with Lily, honey. It seems like she was too excited about the paint surprise to truly think about it as a secret," Sandy assured.

She knew how serious Emily and JJ were about the children feeling safe no matter where they were, even if they initially felt safe at a particular place or with a particular person, they were able to change their minds at any point. And if someone ever asked them to keep something from their parents or keep a secret in general that they didn't feel comfortable with, to always come tell them or whoever they felt safest with.

After the singing of happy birthday where Hudson and Emerson were blown away by both the cake and by how many people sang to them, Emily and JJ found themselves laughing at the fact the twins were more excited by the many, many flavors of ice cream in front of them instead of the intricate themed cakes.

Hudson's was a two-tiered yellow cake with a cookie crumble down the side that looked like faux dirt with caution and stop signs placed around the sides with cones as well. There were also mini toy trucks pushing and collecting the dirt. Super adorable and matched his theme perfectly.

Emerson's was also a two-tiered cake, aqua on the bottom half, a purply-pink on the top with faux bubbles down the side to represent not only her furry friend but the underwater world. There were seashells placed all over, coral, some faux pearls in some of the shells, some starfish, and a mermaid sitting right on top. It was the perfect under the sea representation that matched her theme undoubtedly.

"Wook at this kind," Emerson said, now kneeling on her booster seat with her upper body on top of the countertop as she pointed to the ice cream. "It has sprinky's in it!" she exclaimed.

"Woah," Hudson said with wide eyes. "And it all diffrint kinds in the same one," he continued.

"It's called unicorn sparkle," Amelia told her brother and sister with a smile. They only had it on their birthdays because it made the day extra special, otherwise the freezer contained frozen yogurt the mothers passed off as ice cream.

"I want this one pwease, mommy," Emerson said. "The unicowm spawkle," she smiled.

"Me too pwease!" Hudson exclaimed.

"Me free!" Lily added.

"Who needs cake when you have unicorn ice cream?" Emily mumbled to her wife then looked at the kids. "Birthday ice cream coming up my babies. Should we have some cake too?"

"Umm, yeah pwobabwee," Lily nodded.

"I know you want some, bug. Emerson, Hudson, do you want to try some yummy cake? I think you might like it, lots of sugary goodness," she said with a wink to the adults who were patiently waiting to see their responses.

They looked at one another and had a silent conversation before turning back to Emily and nodded in response to her, it was as if they didn't realize it was edible. Truth be told they were beautiful cakes; the bakery Emily has used since Lily's first birthday was the best, the cakes were stunning and always made it into the photo albums.

Penelope took over cutting the cakes once the kids had theirs and Emily wrapped her arms around JJ as they watched Hudson and Emerson take their first bites because in a way, this was their first birthday. It wasn't the first time they had eaten ice cream, but it was their first bite of cake, and everyone was here to capture the core moment—Clarke was even capturing it on film.

As the first bite was taken two sets of blue eyes lit up while three sets welled with happy tears. Hudson and Emerson didn't know something could taste as yummy as ice cream, cake was the best thing ever. Emily and JJ couldn't help but feel incredibly happy these sweet babies were out of the awful situation they were forced into and were now thriving and enjoying life to the fullest.

River however, finally let her tears fall. She was feeling so happy and a bit overwhelmed with everything which she was told was normal from the many talks she's had with Emily. Gerald saw her standing a little off to the side and wrapped an arm around her, letting the girl continue to cry if she needed to or to at least provide her with some comfort with all the emotions she was feeling.

The two had spoken many times and River appreciated his openness and honesty, he told her how he wasn't the father Emily deserved but he was trying to make up for things the best he could. Gerald realized he couldn't take the place of Randall and would never dare to, but he'd always be there to lend an ear if she needed to talk. He also mentioned that he recently found out he was Aaron's father so he was learning how to be a father to two already raised children and doing the best he could.

"So, what do you think babies?" Emily asked, leaning forward on the countertop and reaching out to capture two somehow already cake-covered hands.

"It weally yummy, mommy!" Hudson exclaimed.

"The yummiest!" Emerson continued.

JJ laughed when the twins looked up at Emily and gave her a glimpse of their cake-covered faces. It was evident they absolutely loved it. "Did you two get any of the frosting into your mouths?" she asked with a laugh.

The twins looked down at their hands then at one another and burst into a giggle fit when they saw frosting all over the place.

While the kids were distracted by another activity while they digested the cake and ice cream, Emily and JJ brought River out front for her own surprise. It may be the twin's birthday, but they wanted to celebrate her just as much because she was the one who had done such a great job the last five years. They were still working on the case however, it wasn't worth pushing River before she was ready because she was very fragile and the team could follow other leads in the meantime.

"I don't understand, why did you get me something?" River questioned.

"You deserve it," JJ simply stated.

"But, I umm, why?" she asked with a nervous laugh. River knew she sounded like one of the little kids when they didn't understand something however, she kind of felt that way right now because she didn't get the reasoning behind the women getting her a gift, they had already done so much for her.

"River, you know how important it is to us that you feel safe and free to express whatever you're feeling, whenever you feel it, and to be whoever you are. We want you to know your privacy is always respected, and we never ever want you to feel trapped. That's why Jen and I have this gift for you with two conditions that I'm sure you'll understand," Emily said, handing River a little box.

River wiped the tears from her face then hugged the women before focusing on the box in her hand. She really appreciated the words Emily said because nobody ever took the time to say what the woman just did when River was growing up yet, she had heard it many, many times since being rescued. Emily and JJ were very vocal, they always wanted her to know she was safe with them and how different things were here. Even taking walks outside made the biggest difference to River and the fact Emily was so quick to offer her own phone before they went shopping just to make sure they all felt safe, it made her feel so protected and loved.

Inside the box River found a key and she looked up at the women with furrowed brows until JJ spun her around and she saw an SUV with a huge bow on the hood. More children meant an upgrade to a bigger car for the mothers, 12-seaters although Emily told JJ not to get any ideas with the extra seat they had because it was just one. They bought River a 7-seater, the third row could be pulled up if necessary, but they really got the bigger car because it was safe and if down the line she did help with the kids, she could.

"Surprise!" JJ exclaimed. "Now when you're ready you can take more than walks."

"I don't even know what to say," River said, looking at the car in shock.

This was so incredibly nice; nobody had ever done something like this for her before. Sure, when she turned 16 her parents got her a car but that was just to show off for their own friends, it wasn't really for her. They weren't even there for her birthday; they just left a note in the kitchen that said they were going away and would be back in two weeks. When her parents returned, she got home from school to find a car in the driveway and her dad handed her the keys then said to act surprised when all his friends arrived that night. River knew Emily and JJ weren't her mothers but there was just something about them, they were so motherly and intentional with everything they did.

"I can't take this, it's too much," River continued when she came out of the shock. "You've already done so much for me."

"And you've done so much for us," Emily said with a soft smile. "Hudson and Emerson are who they are because of you, River. All the kids absolutely love you, you're a part of the family."

"Thank you so much," River said, hugging them once again. "What are the conditions?"

"The first one is very quick and easy. You need to renew your license before you get behind the wheel," JJ said. "Although I'm not sure how quick it will be because you never know with the DMV."

"Well yeah, that makes sense. And you're right, it should at least be easy," River said with a laugh.

"And the second is, if you're leaving the house please tell me. Nothing fancy, you know, the same quick way you do when you take a walk just so I know you're out. Jen and I want you to have your independence, we do appreciate the heads up so if the kids ask, we aren't sending them searching if you aren't home. And if you're leaving with any of the kids, please, please let me know first because you know how they constantly run around in a million different directions all day long," Emily stressed due to the safety of their children and everything they'd been through.

"It's much calmer when they are in school," JJ said with a little laugh. "Summer gets a bit wild."

"Don't worry, I completely understand," River assured.

She knew it may sound crazy, but she actually enjoyed how much Emily and JJ cared about her whereabouts. It wasn't in a controlling way, it was motherly and evident that they wanted to protect her as much as the kids while giving her the freedom to come and go. River understood that telling Emily she was heading out for a walk was important because nearly every time she left one of the kids would come up to her and ask where River was, and having the correct answer helped. Emily could only tell the kids so many times that River was in her room having some alone time without them asking a million more questions, but if she said River went on a walk, they accepted that answer easily.

"Okay, is everybody ready?" Garcia asked, waving one of the girl's fairy wands around to capture the attention of all. "It's time for family fun my sweet sugar cakes!"

They had all changed into white shirts and a pair of jean shorts Emily had bought just for the occasion as she knew the paint looked super cute on the material as well, she couldn't wait to see how these ones turned out as the last set were adorable. The game had been explained and the twins were super excited to play, this time however they were trying things a little differently. Multiple squeeze bottles had been filled with paint, but squirt guns had also been filled because Hudson and Emerson enjoyed the Prentiss summer games and Allen had the idea to combine the two for more fun.

"YEAH!" the kids cheered.

"Jump freeze splash paint edition starts in 3, 2…" Morgan announced.

"1!" Lily screamed.

And just like that, the paint wars were off. The backyard broke into a fit of giggles, squeals and smiles all around as paint flew, splattering t-shirts in different colors making the best type of art: homemade and with love.