As you may have guessed from the title, this story was inspired by the movie "Cheaper by the dozen," the 2003 version. I really love that movie and imagining Finn and Rachel with a lot of children so I decided to join the film and my favorite couple through this fanfiction.
I really hope you enjoy it and I just want to say one last thing: English is not my native language so if there are any errors (incorrect spelling, verbs, etc...), please tell me! Your corrections can help me improve my English so I'd be really grateful :)

"Mom, have you seen my clarinet?", Thomas asked while coming into the kitchen and opening the fridge. He was very hungry that morning.

"Don't eat, Tom! I mean, don't you see we're making breakfast?", Sarah sighed as she put up her brown hair in a high ponytail and continued to prepare sandwiches. Benjamin, who was beside her, nodded and walked away from his sister to put a knife in Thomas' hand. "Here, help us", he said and returned near to Sarah, his hockey helmet bouncing on his head.

"I want it with peanut butter!", Peter exclaimed as he entered with his skateboard in the kitchen. He left it by the door and went straight to the cupboard, taking out a pack of Cheerios. "We too!", the twins –Elizabeth and Alison - said in unison while they finished setting the table. Thirteen plates, forks and glasses, plus three packs of cereals and four cartons of milk.

Meanwhile the other two twins, Daniel and Noah, had emptied the whole dog food container on the floor attracting their mother's attention who had just entered the kitchen. "Daniel and Noah, look what you've done!", she scolded them and gave them a shovel to clean everything up. By now, with twelve children, she had learned to keep calm and was able to handle almost any situation, also thanks to her husband, Finn, who at that moment was cooking at least twenty pancakes. Rachel walked over to the stove and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before turning to the children and reminding them the various programs of the day.

"Thomas, your clarinet is in your room and, please, don't eat while you're playing; I just cleaned it", she recommended her twelve-year-old son while serving breakfast on their plates. The other children made an expression of disgust.

"Sarah, you're coming back to school today and don't get into trouble again, young lady, or your father and I won't let you play outside". The eleven-year-old girl's eyes widened, but she nodded and continued to eat. Meanwhile Rachel had turned to Simon, her eight-year-old son, and to her six-year-old twins. "Simon, don't bring Cas to school, yesterday you scared to death three of your schoolmates when you put it on the table of the cafeteria", she informed him and then she added, talking to the twins, "Lizzie and Allie, try not to correct your English teacher again, okay?" The two girls rolled their eyes, but nodded and sat down at the table.

Finally, Rachel said to Daniel and Noah that they had an appointment with their dentist at five. The two children were about to protest but Finn shushed them by putting a plate full of chocolate pancakes in front of them. He sat down next to Rachel and squeezed her hand under the table before starting to eat. Chris and Annabel, the teenagers of the family, arrived a few minutes later and sat down without saying anything, not wanting to disturb that quiet moment that was really rare in a family like theirs, composed of fourteen people. Of course, now Emily no longer lived with them , but still there was chaos at every hour of the day.

Rachel and Finn's eldest daughter, Emily, was twenty-two years old and had just moved into a new apartment, in Ohio, with her current boyfriend John, whom her younger siblings and – if we want to be honest – her parents, didn't like very much. He considered himself an actor, but in reality he had only appeared in a perfume commercial and Rachel, mother of twelve children as well as famous actress on Broadway, could hardly stand his arrogant and self-centered behavior, especially when John tried to convince her that television was much better than theater. Finn liked him even less, to be honest, but he pretended to like him just for the sake of his daughter.

"Sarah, stop tickling my foot!", Annabel cried, sending a threatening look toward her little sister sitting in front of her. Sarah raised an eyebrow and looked at her amused. "Are you crazy, Annie? I'm not even touching your leg", she said, putting a spoonful of cereal into her mouth. Annabel opened her eyes widely, frightened. "If it's not you then what is…" she wondered and shrieked when she felt something bite her foot. What happened next happened so fast that describing it would be a challenge. Pancakes and cereal boxes flew all over the kitchen, threw into the air by the eleven kids who stood up so quickly from their chairs to hurl the table to the ground, making a real mess on the floor.

"It's Cas! He escaped from the cage!", Simon screamed as he pointed to the little brown and white hamster running through the kitchen in search of shelter. Benjamin, the family member who loved dangerous situations, stood up on a chair and tried to throw himself on the hamster, missing him, however, at least four feet and hurting his elbow. Rachel rushed to his aid, giving him a kiss on the wound and telling him that he should "never make a move so reckless again". Meanwhile, Finn had ordered Annabel and Chris to close the doors of the kitchen and Peter to go and fetch the landing net they use at the beach and his hockey stick.

"Here, daddy!", said the nine-year-old boy as he handed him the items he asked for. Finn thanked his son before calling aloud his wife's name. "Take it, Rach!", he shouted, throwing her the landing net with perfect aim, the result of countless hours of training. Since high school Finn had never lost his passion for football and thanks to his hobby he now had a job he greatly appreciated: football coach for boys from fourteen to eighteen years old. Rachel grabbed the landing net without any problems and stared at her husband, waiting for some instructions.

Finn smiled at her before explaining the plan of action. "Okay, now listen to me: I approach Cas slowly and with this hockey stick I push it toward your direction, straight towards the net. Okay?", he asked, assuming the tone he always used to explain something very complicated to the boys in his football class. Rachel nodded and positioned the landing net in front of herself, ready to receive the hamster. Finn walked up to the rodent, trying not to make any noise that would scare him and make him run away.

Meanwhile the children had gathered near the refrigerator and they were watching the scene intently, without making any sound. The room was charged with tension and Finn did nothing but increase it when, with the hockey stick, he made a movement so fast that the hamster did not even notice his presence until he was pushed quickly towards the net that Rachel was holding. The latter raised it in the air to prevent a second escape and the children exulted together, giving high fives to their parents. "Great job!", Daniel and Noah exclaimed happily, exchanging a handshake with Rachel and Finn.

After everyone had calmed down, Rachel and Finn asked the children to clean up the kitchen while giving the landing net, with the hamster still inside, to Simon. "Put him in his cage and make sure it's closed", Finn recommended, looking at him sternly. Sarah, who in that moment was washing the cups with Annabel, snorted, turning to his brother and father. "Closed or not, that hamster will certainly cause other troubles. Isn't that true, Simy?", she teased her brother, calling him by the nickname he hated so much. Simon looked at her almost with hatred before yelling at her not to call him like that and going to his room. Rachel and Finn sighed and, shortly after scolding their eleven-year-old daughter, they set to work to bring the kitchen back into a decent state.

At seven o'clock all the Hudson began to prepare to go to school or, in Finn's case, to work. Rachel would stay at home to finish various domestic activities before going to the grocery store.

About sixteen years ago she used to leave the house before Finn to go to work in the theatre, but those times were over by now. After their third child, Rachel and Finn had agreed that it was better if Rachel took a break from Broadway and tried to be a full-time mom. At first, bringing Emily and Chris to work with her was pleasant and also a great way to spend more time with them, but Annabel's arrival had complicated their daily routine and Rachel came to the conclusion that leaving Broadway was their only option. The salary that Finn earned with his work was quite enough to support them and now nearly twenty years had passed since the last time Rachel had set foot on a stage. Sometimes she missed the theatre and that feeling she felt every time she sang in front of a huge audience, but she never regretted her choice. She and Finn had chosen to have a big family and this was the least they could do for their children. And it wasn't so bad because, each time for her birthday, Finn took her to see a musical on Broadway, and that was the best gift she could ever receive.

"Be careful, today!", Rachel warned her husband while gently stroking the bruise that had appeared on his temple after one of the kids of his course had hit him with the ball, the other day. Finn kissed her tenderly on the lips. "I'll be fine, don't worry." He smiled at her and then turned toward the stairs that led upstairs. "Guys! Time to go!", he cried and was immediately invested by a mass of brown and ginger hair. Annabel, Chris and Peter said good-bye to their parents before going out quickly to go to school. The first two would go by Chris' car, while Peter would use his skateboard. Finn, instead, would accompany the other four and then he would go to work while taking with him the five-year-old twins, Daniel and Noah.

"Hey Simon, do you need a hand, honey?" Rachel approached her eight-year-old son to help him. He was trying to reach his hat hanging on the coat rack still too high for him. He looked angry and he kept jumping up and down without asking for help to any of his siblings or parents. The child nodded sadly and Rachel lovingly ruffled his hair before passing him the hat. "Thank you", Simon said hastily, anxious to join his father, but Rachel stopped him. "Don't move, wait!", she exclaimed before lowering herself to his height so she could look into his eyes. "What's wrong?"

Simon directed his glance to the ground. "Sarah says that I always get into trouble and that no one cares about me and Cas", he whispered with tears in his eyes. Rachel hugged him close to her and planted a kiss on his ginger hair. "It is absolutely not true, honey. You know Sarah says it just to annoy you." She looked into his eyes and adjusted his hat. "We all love you very mu-" But she couldn't finish the sentence because Daniel and Noah chose exactly that moment to start a fight in the garden and Rachel had to intervene to separate them and prevent them from hurting themselves.

About three minutes later, Rachel turned around to keep talking to her son, but she realized that Simon was already in the car talking with Ben about some hockey game. She sighed and kissed good-bye all the other kids and Finn before returning home and trying to tidy up the mess that was left in the kitchen.

Another week had begun for the Hudson family, but they still did not know how many things were about to change.

Here's a list of all the Hudson kids and their ages :)

Emily, 22 years old

Christopher, 17 years old

Annabel, 16 years old

Thomas, 12 years old

Sarah, 11 years old

Peter, 9 years old

Simon, 8 years old

Elizabeth and Alison, 7 years old

Benjamin, 6 years old

Daniel and Noah, 5 years old