Due to the fact River, Hudson and Emerson had to stay in the hospital a few more days meant multiple different things happened that typically didn't. One: JJ was able to go with Emily and meet them without taking all the kids and get to know them a bit which was really great for everyone. Two: they were able to touch base with Sophia who was shocked to hear from the women even though they didn't actually take themselves off her list and happily help them bypass the bureaucratic bull shit so they could take the twins home from the hospital when they were ready to be discharged.

Three: Emily spoke with River about coming to live with them as well, however, in an entirely different capacity. She would now be free to come and go whenever she pleased, unlike when she was held captive by Samuel. Emily did mention speaking with a therapist when she felt ready, she also brought up going back to college again, only when she felt ready and whether that was in person or online was completely up to River.

But the main reason Emily and JJ thought to bring this 25 year old into their home besides to help her would be so she could help them. They were going to hire someone before school started because the kids activities were getting a bit crazy and Emily was only one person so having a live in nanny would be extremely helpful and they already knew from speaking with the woman she loved it. Before River got abducted she was going to school to become a teacher and spent a lot of time babysitting because of how much she enjoyed little kids—it was truly her passion.

Emily told River in no way were they holding her though. If she accepted the job and a few months down the line decided she wanted to do something else with her life, that was absolutely fine. They wouldn't be upset; they'd even help her figure out what else she wanted to do. All Emily and JJ wanted to do was help and because the brunette knew what it was like to grow up the way River did, she felt this need to protect and do right by her. River was so shocked. It was true, she did not want to leave the twins but she couldn't actually raise them and she knew that. If Emily and JJ raised the twins and she still got to see them everyday and help out that would be perfect to her so she accepted the offer.

Four: Emily and JJ had to figure out where the heck everyone was going to sleep. Thanks to the construction they had done their children were all upstairs with them but two more meant these five year old twins would be two flights of stairs away from them and that made the mothers very nervous. Granted, River's bedroom would be right next to them which may be a good thing because that's what Hudson and Emerson are used to however, Emily and JJ didn't know how they feel about that.

Clarke and Amelia had approached them with a solution they weren't particularly thrilled with either, but as parents they listened and smiled at the mini presentation the girls put together. Once their little siblings went to bed the night Emily and JJ told them about Hudson and Emerson the girls had additional questions that the mothers answered. Not everything because no child needs to know the horrors that their minds can't even comprehend yet, but what they could.

The girls felt really badly and understood that because their new siblings had spent so much time together they'd probably want to share a room but once the littles got them excited about decorating, they'd eventually want their own space. Due to this, the girls were both prepared to make the move downstairs where River would also be moving in for the first time. Amelia felt comfortable because there would be a grownup, her big sister, and if anything truly went wrong her mommies would be there super quick. Clarke didn't give it as much thought because if she was being truly honest, all the bedrooms looked the same to her; they had their own bathrooms, a huge closet, a unique bed for sleepovers with friends and the kids could paint it whatever color they wanted.

Emily and JJ were so hung up on the girls moving downstairs because it meant they were growing up. Clarke was starting her first year of high school this year and Amelia was no longer a shy little girl who nervously asked permission before doing every day things, she was now an outgoing, personable chatterbox who loved to tease her family members and invite friends over. The mothers were so proud of all their children, they had each grown leaps and bounds, it was absolutely incredible.

"We need to be quiet, right?" JJ said, reminding everyone of the rules they had already gone over. Today was the day, they were bringing the twins home.

Yesterday Emily and JJ went to the hospital and sat down with the kids and River to explain what was going to happen—it's fair to say they were met with some confusion as to why they weren't going back to Samuel's creepy makeshift apartment but River handled it well. It helped that Hudson and Emerson were so excited to play with other kids and seeing River at least pretend to be happy helped tremendously. And she was happy, truly, she was just very nervous too. She knew this wasn't going to be even close to the same thing, she trusted Emily and JJ but like the brunette said, it was okay to be nervous after everything she'd been through.

"Yeah!" Oakley shouted, then covered her mouth. "Oops."

JJ laughed a little and twirled her finger through one of Oakley's pigtails, "It's okay cutie, that's why we're practicing first. It's important not to be loud because we don't want to scare anyone—"

"Me bein' no woud momma," Lily interrupted, snuggling doe-doe while playing with Emily's necklace. Always calmest in Emily's arms, they knew that would be best for her especially after the crepes they had for breakfast because they had a little extra sugar.

"That's so good, bug," Emily said, continuing to sway back and forth a bit.

"Okay, are we ready?" JJ asked, knowing if she continued, they'd never get out of this hallway. The kids nodded and she led them into the pediatric wing smiling as the kids navigated the balloons they picked out for Hudson and Emerson.

"Knock, knock," Emily said while also knocking on the door to let the three know everyone was there. "Hi little ones. Oh look at those outfits, they fit perfectly," she commented. "I love them, very, very cute."

Normally Hudson would tell Emily something about what he was wearing but right now his eyes were wide watching how many people were walking into his room and Emerson was completely mesmerized by the balloons.

"Hi buddy," JJ said to Hudson as Emerson was now tucked in River's arms, unlike her brother who stayed rooted in his spot still looking at everyone.

"Woah," Hudson whispered.

JJ knelt next to him and said, "I know. There's lots of us, huh?"

"Mhm," he nodded, looking around at everyone and leaning against her. The mothers loved how snuggly he was; Emerson clearly was too, however, only with River so far which was understandable.

"Hi Hudson, I'm Oliver but you can call me Ollie. I heard you like blue so I got you this," Oliver said, handing Hudson the blue balloon with a smile.

"Wow, fanks!" Hudson exclaimed, reaching out for the string.

"You're welcome," Oliver said.

"I'm Oakley, I got you an orange one," she smiled, handing the one she picked out over to him next.

Clarke walked over to the little girl while the other kids spoke to Hudson and introduced herself. "Hi Emerson, I'm Clarke. I like your little lamb you've got there, I have a penguin, maybe they could play sometime. Here," she said, handing her the pink balloon after tying it in a bow around the lamb's foot.

"Fank you," she whispered.

"Of course," Clarke smiled. She then looked at River and said, "Hey, so umm yeah this is everyone. Well, actually the twins are at my grandparents' house because my mom's thought they'd get too loud but, wait let me move so I can point everyone out to you," she continued and then gave River the rundown while Emerson was distracted with her balloon. "Don't worry about remembering us all, I promise it's not uncommon someone calls out the wrong name."

"I'm sure your moms are pretty great at remembering most details," River commented.

"Yeah, you're right. But sometimes…" Clarke laughed right as JJ walked over to her.

The kids visited for a little longer and once the mothers saw everyone was warmed up with one another and the paperwork was signed, off they went. This was the first time in five years River was going to a place she could truly call home and the twin's forever home. JJ reached over the console when Emily drove out of the parking lot and squeezed her hand causing the brunette to briefly look into her cerulean blue eyes when she stopped at the red light and smile.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Jen."

"I luv you, free!" Lily said from the backseat.

"Four!" Oliver added.

"Five!" Amelia continued.

"Six!" Oakley said, holding up six fingers with a smile.

River smiled hearing how natural this seemed for the family, it wasn't staged or planned, they clearly did it often and she thought it was super special. She couldn't wait until Hudson and Emerson were a part of this as well, they deserved an incredible family more than anything.

The kids turned to their big sister and waited for her to complete the family numbers and Clarke looked at them and said, "Eh, six already seems like a lot of love."

"Cwalk!" Lily screamed.

Clarke looked out the window and bit her lip to hold in her laughter then turned back around and said, "SEVEN!" and reached over to tickle Lily who she was sitting next to. "Did you really think I wouldn't say it, Lil?"

The kids always said different numbers based on who heard the I love you's to begin with although, Lily was typically I love you three and the kids ping ponged off each other after that. Clarke really was the jokester of the family though and my goodness she loved to get them whenever she could, especially when she could get them all at once. Lily was still breathless with giggles in her car seat, so much so JJ turned around in her own seat to make sure the little one was okay. She was fine, just having fun with her big sister.

"Wait, this isn't the way to grandma's house," Amelia pointed out, now focused on the road.

"We aren't going to grandma's sweet girl."

"But that's where Brooks and Brynley are," Oliver piped up.

"I know they are buddy, grandma and grandpa are going to watch them for a bit longer," Emily smiled.

"Where are we going?" Amelia and Oliver asked at the same time. "Jinx!" Amelia laughed, beating her brother.

"It's a surprise!" JJ answered.

When they pulled up to Sweet Berry the kids went nuts, frozen yogurt was their favorite treat no matter if it was summer or the middle of winter and they brought it home to eat near the fireplace. Any excuse to add extra toppings onto their ice cream was a good day in their book because at home they only had sprinkles, chocolate sauce and whipped cream.

After a tasty treat Emily ran into her parents' house to grab to twins knowing they'd see them again tomorrow and said a quick goodbye. She and JJ had assured River they could hold their family off for so long which meant grandparents tomorrow and the team would scatter their visits after that so as not to overwhelm her, Hudson and Emerson. That being said, they'd come in handy for babysitting and extra hands while Emily and JJ took their newest members out for their shopping trips.

Emily and JJ had already moved some of their own clothes and more from Lily's too big section into the rooms they were going to start River, Emerson and Hudson in for now even though the shopping would be done in the next few days. This was a unique situation because of what they were coming from, more so River because she understood more but also the children. Emily and JJ were prepared to start their now second set of twins downstairs with River however, that wouldn't be permanent. This would only be until they got them ready for new paint and big boy/girl rooms, which was how the mothers were going to play off the move upstairs sometime before school started.

The big kids were also excited to help paint new rooms for themselves and/or Hudson and Emerson as well because Uncle Morgan always made it so much fun. Hotch would help put together any new furniture, Rossi would supervise, and Penelope would help decorate per usual. River would also be in for a surprise because she was considered just as much a new member of the family and needed everything the kids did along with electronics seeing as she was an adult.

Emily realized eventually she and River would need to sit down and figure out what her parents will said but that could wait, it's not as if she was pressed for money but that wasn't why she wanted to get it sorted it anyways. Emily truly wanted to help River and that meant setting her up for the future because even if the woman decided she didn't want to go back to school right away and just nanny for a while, then go to school later, eventually the kids would all be old enough to drive leaving her with nothing much to do. That was a very scary thought to Emily and thankfully years and years away, but she still wanted River to be set up for the future because she didn't think the woman would want to live with them forever. Not that they'd kick her out, however it was always good to be prepared.

"Oww Brooks," Oakley said, trying to get her pigtail back from her brother while her mother buckled Brynley into her car seat. "Mommy, help," she cried out.

"Don't pull little bear," Emily said soothingly, grabbing the pigtail above where Brooks had his strong grip so Oakley would no longer feel any pain. "Brooks Morgan, we don't pull hair buddy," she said, attempting to loosen his fingers.

"Me mama!" he giggled.

"This isn't funny bub, you're hurting Oakley when you pull her hair like this," Emily said to him. "Geez, you really got your fingers tangled in here, didn't you?"

River sat forward from her seat in the car and helped Emily out because she had the best angle. When Hudson was little he used to do this with Emerson's hair too, she had untangled her fair share of messes just like this one. "Mommy he's pulling," Oakley whined.

"I'm almost done, bear," Emily said, grateful to River for helping her.

"You're doing great, Oakley," River chimed in, untangling Brooks last finger from his sister's hair.

Thank you, Emily mouthed to the woman. "No-no, Brooks. We don't pull hair, that's naughty," Emily gently reprimanded, then turned to Oakley. "Are you okay, little bear? Let me see that beautiful face," she said, making a big deal of turning her face to the left then right. "Oh my goodness, you're still too cute for your own good. What are momma and I going to do with you, huh?" she asked, peppering kisses all over her.

"I dunno mommy," Oakley squealed.

"Should we chop all your hair off, or are you going to live?" the mother joked.

"I'll live," Oakley giggled.

"Oh good!" Emily said, pretending to be super relieved. "Okay, who wants to go home and play?"

Everyone said yes including Hudson which made Emily smile, he had come out of the shock he felt from seeing so many people once the kids sat down with him and was already having lots of fun interacting with others. Emerson stayed glued to River's side however, she did talk with whoever approached her and the mothers saw multiple smiles appear on her face so far and that made them very happy. They knew she'd warm up in no time.

No time was much sooner than Emily and JJ could have ever guessed for Emerson because after all, she still was just a five-year-old. All it took was wanting to see the castle, as she called it, and the little girl was off with her new siblings holding Amelia's hand as Hudson held Oliver's. River smiled seeing them so happy completely forgetting this was her new home too until JJ asked if she wanted to see her room while bouncing Brynley in her arms to keep the baby happy.

Emily had already explained to River that taking care of the twins would no longer be her responsibility, at least not the way it had been and even though they would be starting downstairs with her it was only because the mothers thought it would make the transition easiest for all of them. There would be a lot of changes here including River having her own room here, she wouldn't be in charge of cooking or cleaning, she could leave whenever she wanted to and go wherever she pleased, outside was always fair game, and all they were looking for in return was a little help.

The three of them went downstairs with Brooks and Brynley in tow so they wouldn't get into anything while the kids were showing Hudson and Emerson around and gave River her own little tour. "These doors lock from these two latches up here," Emily commented when they got to the double doors that led out to the backyard. "There's also a keypad system right here," she said, turning to the wall right next to them. "This isn't to keep you inside by any means but we don't like the kids to go outside if one of us isn't out there with them or for the littles to wander out there alone so the locks are on the tops of the door."

"And if you want to go outside after the kids have gone to bed and are unsure if we've already armed the house, just look at the keypad. If it's green that means the house isn't armed yet, if it's red, it's armed but you know that," JJ laughed, realizing from the look she was receiving it was evident River already knew. "Em and I were thinking we'd figure something out with you once you were settled in a bit so we wouldn't arm the house until you were ready. We don't go to sleep that early anyways, well, sometimes I crash early but Em stays awake late so feel free to enjoy the outdoor fireplace or whatever you want," JJ continued with a smile.

Emily and JJ were going to wait a few weeks before giving River the code because this was a huge change for her and they did not under any circumstance want it written down. Even if she wrote it down and the notepad stayed in the house, they just didn't want that in case River randomly took her notepad out with them. Emily had made it crystal clear her notepad was none of their business and that was the truth, what kind of person would she be if she said, oh by the way I need you to hide this. It just didn't feel right to Emily even if it was for all of their safety.

"Me dolalala no, mama!" Brooks babbled, kicking his feet and squirming around in Emily's arms.

"Okay bubs, okay. I know, you can play with your siblings in a few minutes," she said, then put him down knowing the baby gate was locked. JJ also put Brynley down and they proceeded to dump out the baskets of toys the mothers had for them in the game room.

"Perfect," JJ said sarcastically watching toys fly everywhere. "Oh yeah, while it's on my mind—something very simple we ask is to always lock the baby gates. I realize it sounds silly after we put them to bed but come the following morning if they aren't locked—"

"Don't worry, I'll lock them," River assured.

"They are very easy, even Lily can get them open," JJ added.

"Don't remind me," Emily commented.

"I can see why you wouldn't want her to know how to open them," River said sympathetically.

"Anyways," Emily said. "Let's keep things moving before we're bombarded with crazy kids," she continued knowing this would be the last stop on the tour seeing as Hudson and Emerson's shared bedroom was down here. Shared to start before the split and move upstairs for their big boy and girl rooms, the perfect excuse to get the littles onto the third floor.

"Do you know which room Amelia and Clarke decided on, babe?" JJ asked, not knowing which ones the girls picked. It didn't matter either way, what she would be able to tell from her wife's answer though was which room the twin's beds were set up in.

"Amelia, Clarke," Emily answered, pointing to the left than right.

"As Em told you, before the kids go back to school we're going to change their rooms around but until then this one will still be a guestroom," JJ said, pointing to the left. "And this one is for Hudson and Emerson," she continued, revealing the door to the right.

River gasped when JJ opened the door. This room was absolutely gorgeous, and it was just their temporary room because in a few months they'd be moving upstairs. Emily and JJ picked out toddler beds for them to start, the same bed Lily had actually. It was lower to the ground and bigger than a typical bed, they had built in guardrails and were colors Hudson and Emerson loved. Above Husdon's bed was an H, Emerson had an E, they had extra fluffy blankets in their special colors, their own little bookcases, toy bins, and each of them had a rug on top of the rug on the floor to accent the color scheme on their side.

Lily Rose has always been bubblegum pink and the mothers didn't want to repeat colors which was getting a bit harder with so many of them, so Emerson Kate was sherbert pink. Hudson Grey was arctic blue like Jennifer Joyce who was sky blue. Oliver Sky was evergreen, Amelia Mae was light coral, Oakley Rayne was purple, Brynley Grace was peach, Brooks Morgan was aqua, Clarke Collins was lavender and Emily Elizabeth was wild berry.

Name blankets and colors were beyond important for the family because it helped make life that much easier for the mothers. Laundry baskets are something kept inside the closet, but Emily also had another set in the laundry room in everyone's colors to help with sorting. Backpacks were either the kids colors or had a pattern unique to them, for example Lily's is a butterfly shocking absolutely no one. Toy bins are the kids colors, shoe bins for the mudroom, dance/soccer bags, packing cubes, suitcases, cellphone cases, anything to make life less complicated, decrease confusion, and add quality time together. When Emily ordered a name blanket for Lily when she was in her stomach, she did not think it would declutter her life, but she was so grateful for the dang blanket, not to mention they were the kid's favorites.

"They are going to absolutely love this," River commented.

"Come on, let's go see your room," JJ said after they looked around Hudson and Emerson's room. Emily just shook her head, sometimes she was as impatient as the children were—it was so cute though and Emily loved every minute of it because it made her so authentically Jennifer. "I know we're waiting to paint the kid's rooms, but we can paint yours whenever and change whatever you want."

"Jen," Emily said, pulling her wife back a bit as River pushed open the door to her new room. "Let her breathe."

"Wow," River whispered as tears fell down her cheeks. This room was so serene, so beautiful, so perfect, so untarnished by the evil in the world. Emily was happy she had wrapped her arms around her wife because she knew River would need a few moments to just be although, she wasn't sure how many moments she'd have because by her calculations the kids would be running downstairs any minute now.

A few minutes later when Emily heard the beginning of footsteps at the top of the stairs she gently touched River's shoulder and said, "River, take as long as you need okay? I'm going to shut the door to give you your privacy but there's absolutely no rush at all."

Emily looked down at her watch and then continued, "Dinner will be in about an hour and a half, you have a clock right there. If you aren't hungry I'll save you a plate and I can warm it up for you later. You have a full private bathroom right through there with everything you'll need and like the kids Jen and I left you more clothes to wear until we go shopping. Hudson and Emerson will be fine, take this time to relax, look around, do some writing, take a bath, do whatever you want. There's an iPod on your nightstand with all types of different music, all types of books on those shelves you can read, another notepad, obviously a bed if you want to sleep. Feel free to roam about, nothing is off limits just don't be surprised if you bump into some kids. And if you want to go for a walk, just find me before you leave the house because my phone is upstairs and I want you to have some way of getting in touch with us so I'll give you mine. We'll get you a phone when we go out, I'm sorry we didn't have time beforehand it gets a bit crazy around here sometimes," Emily said with a laugh.

And with that, Emily left River in her new room and closed the door to let her continue looking around. Emily and JJ didn't do much to the guestroom, in fact, the room was left simple and clean for a reason. For being downstairs River was surprised by how much light there was in the room because when you envision a bedroom that isn't on the main or second floor of a home you don't think of a particularly pleasant place. Well, she was very wrong. The room she was standing in had two huge windows taking up the entire length of the headboard and then another two on her left.

There were gorgeous curtains that clearly blocked out all the light if she wanted to sleep in, eight huge fluffy pillows on the bed, a white bedspread with a tan bedframe and a tan throw blanket on the bottom of the bed with two off grey pillows. There were off grey nightstands, a white, tan, and grey rug under the bed and on the floor, a little bench with more pillows in the corner with a few hooks above it, each containing a fluffy robe. There was also a desk with the most adorable lamp, the drawers were filled with notepads, pens, pencils, even some drawing material and the desk chair looked incredibly comfortable. That is where Emily left her very own name blanket causing her to smile, right there in the color sea breeze: River Blair.

River went into her bathroom next and her eyes went wide seeing a huge bathtub and shower combo, fully stocked with luxurious shampoos and conditioners according to her because she's had to use whatever she was given for the last five years. There were also some bath bombs, bath salts and oils, lotions, a few different perfumes, and a bag of makeup thanks to Penelope seeing as Emily and JJ had no idea what to buy besides mascara and concealer.

River couldn't believe this was where she would call home now. Not to mention the rest of the house and knowing the twins would have all this space to play and grow made her so happy. Most would say River had a great life with her parents because her father was successful but what really is a great life anyways. Just because you have expensive things doesn't mean you have a great life. River would have taken love ten times over before money any day of the week growing up. Something she could tell the minute Emily opened her mouth the first day she came to the hospital though was how much she cared about people and that spoke volumes to her. River knew Emily and JJ would be great mothers for the twins but she was secretly hoping Emily could help her just be happy for the first time.

She wondered if she should go check on Hudson and Emerson and see how they were doing but then remembered Emily's words and went back into the bedroom and got the iPod the brunette had told her was there and ran a bath. But before doing so she realized she couldn't hear anything even when she put her ear to the door and quickly opened it to see if they had already gone back upstairs. When River opened her door she heard kids voices and wondered how thick these walls were and how she'd ever hear Hudson or Emerson if they needed her at night and made a mental note to ask Emily later.

What River didn't know was the soundproofing Emily and JJ added between bedrooms even downstairs was because they knew one day the kids would be moving down there too, just not so soon. Either way, they didn't want them waking one another up with night terrors or sleepovers and due to the baby monitors they'd never had an issue. River would feel better knowing she too would have a monitor for the twins and wouldn't miss a cry if they needed her.

Soon enough she was relaxing for the first time in five years and crying once again however, they weren't tears of sadness.

"Alright, I'm going to go make dinner," Emily announced when the children were happily playing outside. Emerson suddenly seemed to realize River wasn't there and because Emily was leaving too, she quickly threw herself at the woman. "Woah little one," Emily said, scooping her up. "Don't you want to play?"

Emerson shrugged and watched as everyone else continued to play together, never letting go of her lamb who continued to come with her even though they were outside; it was okay though because doe-doe went with them from riding elephants at Disney World to pasta making classes in Venice and everywhere in between. Truth be told, Emerson did want to play but she also didn't really know because she's five and regulating emotions is hard when you don't know how to do it yet.

"I know baby, this is a lot of change for you, isn't it?" Emily said, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear and the little girl nodded.

"How about you and bubbles come snuggle with me for a little bit," JJ suggested, including the lamb and winking at her wife knowing Emerson would want to play again in a few minutes. Lily got this way too when she became overwhelmed so this was something the mothers were very familiar, especially recently.

"Yeah," Emerson answered with a nod.

Emily kissed the top of Emerson's head then placed her down in JJ's arms, bending down to give her a chaste kiss on the lips as well then she made her way into the house to get started on dinner. Before she closed the slider door Emily stopped to look at everyone and smiled seeing her family so happy. "Nine's enough," she said to herself, then walked into the house. "Yeah, nine's enough," she repeated.