I do not own cheaper by the dozen or any of the characters.

This is my first Fanfic so i hope you like it, please review.

This happens after the second movie.

The Return to Lake Winnetka

Chapter 1

"Kids dinners ready" Tom shouted out to all of his kids who were mucking about in the garden. As usual Jake, Sarah and Mike were practicing and perfecting new boarding and skating tricks and moves. Mark was letting his new pet frog buttons wonder round the garden, while Jessica and Kim sat with their heads buried in some books. Henry was practising his clarinet and Nigel and Kyle were chasing each other around covered in mud

Everyone gathered round the table, racing each other to get a good seat. Sarah, Jake and Mike sat together at the top of the table, as they usually did most to their sisters, Jessica and Kim's annoyance, as that too was their favourite place to sit. The rest of the baker kids just sat wherever they could find a seat.

Each year it felt as if there were becoming more and more spare seats at the table. Now that the older baker siblings had moved out. Nora was now living with Bud and baby Tom, Charlie was living up beside the lake and Lorraine was living in her own apartment in New York.

As a family all of the siblings got along really well, Nora and Lorraine were like best friends; Charlie and Henry had a close bond, but now that Charlie had moved out Henry found himself spending more time with his other siblings. Both the sets of twins were really close as they shared rooms and basically because they were twins, then mark mostly kept him self to him self. Then there was Sarah, Jake and Mike who probably had the strongest bond, out of them all.

" So you kids been enjoying your summer" Kate asked trying to make conversation with her kids.

"Yeah it's been cool" Jake replied with a mouth full of spaghetti.

"It's been alright I suppose" Kim said, with most of her sibling nodding in agreement.

"See me and your Mother were thinking of possibly returning to the lake" Tom announced much to the shock of his children. Everyone stopped eating and started at their parents waiting for them to say something. After about five seconds of silence Kate spoke.

" So what do you think"

"I thought we went back last year as one last time" Mark replied with a sarcastic tone, much to his dad's shock as he was expecting a good responce.

"Yeah one last time as a family because Nora won't be wanting to come, Lorraine will be busy in new York and Charlie lives down beside the lake anyway so it will be a chance to see him" Tom answered, hoping his kids would be a bit enthusiastic.

"I don't know dude" Jake replied before Mike to over.

"Yeah because we were going to enter lots of skating and boarding competitions this summer, and we've already singed up for some of them". Mike had an expressing on his face trying to convince his parents to change their minds.

" We want to go back, it does have our name on it", shouted Nigel and Kyle.

"Well at least there's a bit a enthusiasm," Tom said with a smirk, "well we kind of have to go back to the lake anyway because we've already rented out the house".

"Dude what was the point of asking us if we were going back anyway" Mike groaned.

Everyone started talking over each other and giving every reason why they didn't want to return to the lake. All except for Sarah who sat in silence staring at her plate of food. Usually she would be the one with lots to say, not nothing at all. Jake noticed his sister's rather unusual behaviour; she just looked at him and gave him a little smile.