Work Text:
Daphne Basset: Idea!
Hyacinth St. Clair: oh god what now
Hyacinth, do not be rude to Daphne.
Hyacinth St. Clair: I wasn’t
Hyacinth St. Clair: I was just asking a question
Benedict Bridgerton: Daff, what were you going to say?
Daphne Basset: Thank you, Ben. I was going to say…I think we should go on a family vacation!
Eloise Crane: no
Daphne Basset: El you haven’t even heard more about it!
Eloise Crane: no
Daphne, I think it’s a wonderful idea.
Gregory Bridgerton: oh shut up ant
HEY
Hyacinth St. Clair: why would we want to go on a family vacation…
Eloise Crane: chaos. chaos. chaos.
Colin Bridgerton: I think it could be fun! What did you have in mind Daphne??
Francesca Bridgerton Stirling: If you say Disney World I’m leaving this chat.
Daphne Basset: ugh you all are no fun
Eloise Crane: YOU WANTED US TO TAKE OUR SPOUSES AND CHILDREN TO DISNEY WORLD.
Daphne Basset: I thought it would be fun :(
While I appreciate the sentiment, Daphne, I’m afraid Disney World is not our family’s style.
Benedict Bridgerton: What about a beach vacation? We could rent a beach house for a week, the kids would love it, it’d be super relaxed?
Francesca Bridgerton Stirling: Ben, that is a great idea!
Colin Bridgerton: Colin loved ‘What about a beach vacation? We could rent a beach house for a week, the kids would love it, it’d be super relaxed?”
Hyacinth St. Clair: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD GREGORY GET AN IPHONE SO IT STOPS DOING THAT
The plan comes together rather quickly after that. The Bridgertons (eight siblings, their mother and spouses, and far too many children to count) will rent a house up at the beach. Anthony, the de facto leader of the family, with him being the eldest and all, somehow ends up having to actually make the reservation, even though it was not his idea.
He finds a house large enough to fit each and every member of the family, a fifteen-bedroom 'cottage', makes the reservation, and then sends a Venmo request to each of his siblings for their share in the rental cost.
“Kate, have you done this before?” he asks his wife in awe.
“Done what?” She laughs at him, unsure what her usually stoic husband is so giddy about.
“This Venmo thing! I just pushed a couple of buttons and now there’s money there!”
“Oh, Anthony,” Kate responds as she kisses him on the cheek. “Thank you for the reminder as to why I married someone older than me.”
“I am not old!” he rolls his eyes, but his smile indicates to his wife that he doesn’t actually mind his age. “I’m at least not too old to not be able to do this.”
And then he grabs her and pulls her down into his lap, and suddenly, all thoughts of the beach vacation are momentarily forgotten.
Anthony: Okay, the rental is confirmed and sleeping assignments will be sent soon.
Colin: sleeping assignments?
Hyacinth: anthony you have got to be kidding me
Anthony: I am not kidding, dear sister. The house is rather large and we need to make sure we know where everyone will be staying.
Hyacinth: okay well I obviously am sharing a room with Gareth
Why wouldn’t you, Hy, he’s your husband?
Hyacinth: Yes, well last time we went on a trip, Anthony forbade us from sharing a room.
Anthony: YOU WEREN’T MARRIED YET?
Hyacinth: this is not 1825, Anthony, my wedding dress was not white for a reason
Gregory: can we be done talking about hyacinth and gareth and sleeping arrangements
Anthony: Yes.
Daphne: How many bedrooms is it? You know we can’t possibly put more than 6 kids in one room or they will never behave!
Eloise: My children will always behave.
Hyacinth: uh-huh, sure.
Francesca: *attachment sent*
Thank you, Fran!
Anthony: Francesca, I was going to make the assignments and send them.
Francesca: too late
Benedict hears the pitter-patter of eight small feet running through the house followed by the sounds of his wife yelling after them.
“Alexander Edmund Bridgerton, you need to put pants on before you go to school!”
Benedict chuckles to himself and marvels at how ordinarily perfect his life is. Four beautiful children and a wife he didn’t deserve, and an upcoming family beach vacation where he could relax.
“What are you stewing about?” Sophie enters his studio, where he’d been working on a new painting since the morning.
“Just admiring how great life is,” he replies, before standing and sweeping her into his arms for a kiss. She giggles and they head back into the hallway hand in hand.
“How are the little devils?”
“Your son wishes to go to the second grade naked, so there’s that,” Sophie chortles. “No doubt who his father is, that’s for sure.”
Benedict feigns a scoff in response.
“Well, Alex will certainly enjoy the beach then.”
“I cannot wait to relax,” Sophie states. “I have every intention of pawning our children off onto one of your siblings.”
“I’m sure Greg or Hyacinth would love to spend some time with their nieces and nephews,” Benedict agrees.
Then, Sophie leans in dangerously close to him and her hot breath on his neck makes his skin crawl with goosebumps.
“Mommy and daddy get to have some fun on this vacation too.”
She pulls away from him just as little toddler Violet comes running into the hall, screaming that her brother Will took away her blankie.
Benedict scoops his daughter up into his arms and whispers back to his wife, “vacation can’t come soon enough.”
e: okay so just so we’re clear, there is no schedule right?
d: this is vacation, no schedules
d: but I do think the kids should have a bedtime still, so you know we can all...
So we can do what, Daphne?
d: let loose, have some drinks, play games, you know, just things without the kids around!
h: haha have fun with that I will be carefree and drink whenever I want
a: No.
a: You will be a good role model and aunt and display appropriate vacation behavior.
h: yes and a good, fun, role model aunt shows her nieces and nephews how to have a good time
h: you all realize your children will come to me in high school and beg me to buy them alcohol.
h: that is the legacy I’m trying to establish
d: Absolutely not.
b: Anyways
f: Daphne, I think a schedule is good. Besides, El, you have twins and a baby so a schedule is probably a good idea for you.
e: ugh
Uhmmm, I have a baby too?? Why are we forgetting about me
f: Colin no one forgot about you or your baby or your wife.
g: hey…I forgot to mention…I’m bringing my girlfriend.
Colin is riding in the passenger seat reading the notifications from his sibling group chat out loud to Penelope.
“Remind me why we thought this would be a good idea?” she laughs as he audibly groans in annoyance at his siblings.
“Can we just turn the car around now and go home? Aggie is sleeping, she’ll never even know the difference,” he only half-jokes to his wife.
“Colin, it’ll be fun,” Penelope resigns. “The weather is supposed to be beautiful and we haven’t seen a lot of the family in a while! Plus, I really could use a few days of sunshine and no work obligations.”
Colin looks over at his wife and the pleading smile on her face and knows no matter how chaotic this family trip is going to be, he would do anything to make her happy. So, he gives a small nod of his head and kisses her on the cheek.
“You’re right, it’ll be great,” he declares. “As long as there’s enough food.”
Hyacinth 🌸 : Gregory only you would spring your girlfriend you've only been dating for a few months on your family during vacation
Gregory 😎: Lucy is fully prepared
Hyacinth 🌸: she better be
I can’t wait to meet her, Greg!
Gregory😎: thank you daff
Benedict 🎨: Soph and the kids and I just pulled up to the house! It looks wonderful, and the beach is not too crowded.
Anthony 😤: See, I told you all I picked a good house.
Eloise 💖: Anthony no one ever said you didn’t
Colin 🍟: Stop trying to make us out as antagonists, Ant...you’re the oldest you just have to deal with our annoying tendencies.
Anthony 😤: shut it you two
Benedict 🎨: what’s everyone's ETA? The kids want to go to the beach already
Anthony 😤: We’ll be there in 15
We’re two minutes away!!!
Colin 🍟: pen says we’ll be there in like 20
Gregory 😎: 10 minutes for me and lucy
Hyacinth 🌸: same
Francesca 💜: Michael and I are going to be a little late…...we’ll be there in like 3 hours??
Hyacinth 🌸: OH MY GOD THEY HAVEN’T LEFT YET BECAUSE THEY WERE TOO BUSY HAVING SEX
Francesca 💜: 😏😏😏
“Ahhhhh Simon there it is!!” Daphne exclaims excitedly as her husband turns into the driveway.
“I can’t believe you’re forcing me to go on this stupid vacation,” Amelia, their oldest daughter cries from the back.
“Amelia, that’s enough,” Simon says sternly as he puts the car into park. “This will be fun family time with your aunts and uncles and cousins and grandmother. Behave.”
Amelia rolls her eyes and climbs out of the car, her younger sisters and brother following after her.
Daphne sighs and Simon puts his arm around her as they begin to unload the back of the van.
“And here I thought our baby girl would stay a baby forever,” Daphne laughs into Simon’s chest. “Now that she's almost a teenager that wants nothing to do with us.”
“Darling, as soon as she sees the beach she’ll be happy we ‘forced’ her into this.”
“Yes, but you know Belinda and Caroline will just mimic whatever mood she is in, and I do not want to be the sibling that shows up to family vacation with three crabby pre-teen daughters.”
Simon just laughs as he grabs more stuff out of the car.
“Daff, your entire family knows you are the glue that holds all of them together, they will not mind our adolescent children and their moods.”
“God I hope you are right,” Daphne says as they make their way into the beach house.
Hyacinth, the little shit I love: okay who let their child run all around the house and get sand everywhere
Greggy: not me
Hyacinth, the little shit I love: well OBVIOUSLY
Oldest Brother: Why are we texting we’re all in the same place?
Fran is still not here, so no, we’re not all together
Favourite Brother: She’s got a point, Anthony
Oldest Brother: Fine, but if this group chat is the only way we communicate during this vacation, I want a refund.
Penelope’s Husband: I think it was Edmund and Miles and Charlie and Alex and Will and Oliver and David
Greggy: What?
Penelope’s Husband: the children who ran all around the house and got sand everywhere
The Eldest Sister: Way to blame everyone else’s children but your own
Penelope’s Husband: MY CHILD IS ONLY A YEAR AND A HALF OLD
True, but Agatha still could have gotten sand everywhere
Penelope’s Husband: oh my god
Hyacinth, the little shit I love: Colin it’s rather sexist of you to assume only the boys made a mess, the girls could’ve done it too
The Eldest Sister: ABC and Amanda are down at the beach, they haven’t come inside in like 2 hours soooo
Favourite Brother: and Charlotte and Violet are with me and Soph right now
Hyacinth, the little shit I love: I didn’t say the boys DIDN’T make the mess, I just said greg shouldn’t assume it was them; girls can be messy too
My Only Sane Sibling: yeah so this is already chaotic Michael and I are just gonna turn around
Oldest Brother: Not a chance in hell, Francesca.
Eloise descends the stairs from the top of the house, humming to herself with baby Penelope on her hip. In the room assignments done by Francesca, Eloise and Phillip were placed in the bedroom in the loft of the house, furthest away from everyone and everything else. Eloise would be sure to thank her sister for that when she arrived.
Penelope was finally sleeping through the night, and with the twins staying in a room with their cousins, Eloise and Phillip could truly utilize their vacation time.
“At first, I didn’t think this was a good idea,” Phillip says as he follows Eloise down the stairs, “but now, I’m really glad you convinced me to come on this vacation.”
Phillip lightly smacks her butt, a teasing display of affection and message for what he plans to do later.
“I told you!” Eloise remarks triumphantly. “The twins want nothing to do with us since their cousins are here and the baby is perfectly happy.”
They reach the main floor of the rented house, which is already a mess. Thirteen children and two babies mean a plethora of swimsuits and toys and beach objects that are just thrown in the living room for easy access on the way down to the beach. Eloise doesn’t mind, and in fact, she loves that the mess is probably driving at least half of her siblings insane.
She puts Penny down in the playpen Aggie is in and steps into the kitchen to see what is going on. Kate and Anthony have the kitchen counters covered in vegetables and Eloise immediately shakes her head.
“Mmm mmm,” she starts, “I will not be eating like a bunny rabbit while I am on vacation. We are ordering pizza and having a bonfire on the beach!”
She shuffles her brother and his wife out of the kitchen despite their protests and promptly finds a takeout menu. Phillip is laughing at her and shaking his head.
“What?” she asks with a smirk on her face.
“Nothing,” he says, coming up behind her to wrap his arms around her waist. “I just love you a lot.”
Daff: Wait, where is mother?
Hy: What do you mean where is mother…..is she not meeting us here?
Greg: Colin was definitely supposed to pick her up.
Ant: Goddamit. Colin?
Col: I DIDN’T KNOW I WAS SUPPOSED TO PICK HER UP
Col: I THOUGHT WE WERE JUST BRINGING HER HOME WHEN VACATION WAS OVER
Ant: It clearly stated in the itinerary that you were supposed to pick mother up, while Benedict was supposed to bring her home.
Col: fuck I’m sorry
El: nice one bro
Col: shut up
Ben: Fran??? Are you and Michael still close to home?
Fine. Ugh. Yes. We can get her. But you owe me, Colin.
Col: whatever you want
Your firstborn child.
Col: nope, not that
Hours later, when Francesca and Michael finally arrive after having turned around twenty minutes into the drive to pick up Violet, they are greeted by the shouts of their family awaiting their arrival.
“Aunt Frannie! You’re finally here,” her niece Caroline yells as she races down the stairs to hug Francesca. “We’ve been waiting for you...and Uncle Michael!”
Francesca does not miss the tiny glimmer in her niece's eye when she mentions her husband. She loves that her family is just as enraptured by Michael as she is.
“Hello my loves,” she giggles as more of her nieces and nephews, ranging from teenagers to little children to toddlers, greet her with hugs and kisses.
“Ugh,” Hyacinth says as she comes into view, “It’s not fair how beloved you are. I’m definitely the cool aunt and yet they all love you more.”
Francesca laughs as she hugs her sister, “I’ll make sure you are my children’s favorite aunt one day.”
She looks over to see Michael greeting her brothers and brothers-in-law, their bags he’d been holding having been discarded on the floor in favor of a cold beer.
He comes back over to her and kisses her.
“What was that for?” she giggles when they break apart.
“I’m just so happy to be here, with our family,” Michael says earnestly.
The house smells of sunscreen and baby powder and pizza and love, and Francesca couldn’t be more excited.
Hey.
brother that is old: Really, Greg? We were doing so good about actually talking to each other the past few days instead of texting.
It’s important.
brother that is old: What is?
The reason I’m texting.
brother that paints: seriously greg why can’t you just talk, we’re all in the same room?
mean sister 1: it’s going to look awfully suspicious when we’re all looking down at our phones like this
mean sister 2: Eloise is right
nice sister 1: Let Greg type!
Thank you Daff
brother that eats a lot: okay so what is it
I want to ask Lucy to marry me, here at the beach at the end of the week
mean sister 2: OMG
brother that is old: Congrats, Greg!
nice sister 1: GREGORY THIS IS GREAT NEWS
nice sister 2: Yes, Michael and I totally called it!!
mean sister 1: okay I guess this is a nice surprise
brother that paints: I’m so happy for you, bro!
brother that eats a lot: you really introduced her to us and now you want to lock her down before we scare her away, huh?
brother that eats a lot: jk, congrats man!!
Thanks everyone 😊
Gregory puts his phone back into his pocket and looks up to see his siblings all sneaking glances at him, smiles wide on their faces. They’re all watching a movie, some animated talking/singing animals one, and the kids' faces are all glued to the screen.
He remembers the ring sitting up in his suitcase in his bedroom, and can’t wait until the end of the trip when he can propose. Lucy loved his family and fit in so well with them.
Just that day, she’d been the hero when Miles had come inside as red as a lobster, having fallen asleep in the sun and crying about how much pain he was in from the sunburn, and upset with his brothers and cousins for teasing him about it.
Lucy immediately filled a bathtub with cool water and some apple cider vinegar as Kate tried to cajole Miles, then took his nephew and placed him in the bathtub, immediately relieving the boy's pain.
Later, she’d gently but firmly talked to the other kids about being nice to their brother and cousin when he was in pain, and they’d all never again dare to tease Miles in front of her.
Now, she stirs against him and wakes up. Her eyes blink open and she stares up at him.
“Hi,” she whispers, so as not to disturb the movie.
“Hi,” he says back.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Just you,” he replies, “and how much I love you.”
She snuggles back into him and Gregory can’t help but think that maybe coming to the beach will have to be a yearly tradition.
Idiot Brother #1: Okay everyone remembers we need to have the house cleaned and cleared out by 12:00pm tomorrow.
Beautiful Sister #2: Aye, aye, captain. *salutes*
Idiot Brother #2: someone (Gregory) needs to wipe the marker off the walls
Idiot Brother #4: Excuse me? I’m newly engaged. It was Charlotte and Violet who drew on the walls, so surely that means it’s Anthony and Benedict’s job…..
Idiot Brother #2: Nope, definitely you. It’ll be good practice. Sophie says Lucy told her she wants a lot of kids.
Idiot Brother #1: I agree with Benedict (Lucy told Kate the same thing).
Idiot Brother #4: I hate you both.
Gareth and I need to leave early.
Beautiful Sister #1: What, why?
Idiot Brother #1: You’re not leaving early and getting out of cleaning just because you’re gonna be hungover.
RUDE
Beautiful Sister #3: Hy, if we all help out it really won’t take that long.
Beautiful Sister #1: The children are even helping! Really Hyacinth you can’t not help.
Idiot Brother #4: I just texted Gareth and he said you do not need to leave early.
Gregory I stg
Idiot Brother #3: Hyacinth really you’re acting like a child and we all know it’s because you don’t want to clean up.
Beautiful Sister #2: Seriously Hy, you’re worse than the twins sometimes.
Beautiful Sister #2: AND YOU ARE AN ADULT
Wow is today “gang up on the baby of the family’ day?
Beautiful Sister #1: You’re really not the baby of the family considering there are almost fifteen children in this family.
Idiot Brother #2: Daphne’s right.
Beautiful Sister #3: We can make it a competition, Hyacinth. Cleaning that is…winner gets to pick next year’s vacation spot?
YOU’RE ALL ON
Hyacinth plugs her phone into its charger and climbs into bed, her freshly tanned skin glowing against the stark white bedding.
Gareth wraps his arm around her and she breathes him in, the scent of the ocean stained on his skin.
“Did you have a good week,” he asks her as he kisses her forehead, and she loves that with him she feels soft.
“Yes,” she says, and she truly means it, thinking back on the chaos of the week and how much she loves her family, despite the craziness of it all.
Just today, the whole family had been in a frenzy when they couldn’t find Amelia for a couple of hours. She’d been down on the beach with the rest of the older kids and then all of a sudden Belinda raced inside crying to Daphne that Amelia was gone.
Everyone took off in a different direction trying to locate the girl.
It turned out, she’d just been at the house next door. A boy by the name of Robert Joliffe was staying there with his family and apparently, he and Amelia had become quite good friends in the past week. She’d joined his family for lunch without so much as saying a thing to any Bridgerton.
Hyacinth laughed when Simon had to go for a run in order to blow off the steam of realizing his baby girl was not such a baby anymore. Amelia, who’d spent the week mostly sulking and complaining about spending time with babies, suddenly claimed she couldn’t wait to come back next year.
Gareth pulls the covers over them and breaks Hyacinth out of her reverie.
“Ugh, my back and shoulders are so sore,” he says with a yawn. “It seems our nieces and nephews only wanted to use me as their personal water park attraction. I swear there is still salt and sand in places it shouldn't be.”
Hyacinth laughs at her husband and knows she’ll never forget the image of Alex and Will flinging themselves on his back in the ocean, or how Oliver and Edmund and their nerf guns drenched him when he was least expecting it, or how he looked playing in the sand with Violet and Charlotte, letting the little girls bury him in the sand.
She knows this family vacation was a good thing; she knows it helped Anthony relax for once, that Benedict would likely have a new beach painting in his gallery soon, that Colin got to see his daughter walk for the first time across the sandy beach, that Daphne got to hold her children close against her each night at the bonfire knowing they were soon going to be grown themself, she knows that Eloise got to tell everyone she was pregnant again and that she’d never seen her sister smile wider, she knows Francesca got to be with her nieces and nephews and husband and not feel like she was missing out on something, she knows that Gregory got to propose to the woman of his dreams, and she knows that her mother got to watch her children and their families laugh and love each other for a whole week. Hyacinth closes her eyes for one last night of vacation and knows that it was a good thing.
So, maybe she’s okay with having to help clean up tomorrow.
Birthgiver: Ahem, would anyone mind telling me which of you it is that forgot to make sure I was in your car home?
Anthony: oh jesus christ we’re never going on family vacation again