A/N: So, I heard that The Loud House took home two Emmys this May. Along with the announcements of Season 4, Season 5, new comic books, the spin-off, and the movie, I suppose we deserve some kind of celebration. Sending the kids off to a little all-expense-paid party in a luxury ballroom owned by a conference centre situated on a hill in the nearby countryside could be reasonable. Yeah, that sounds good.

If you're an active reader of The Loud House comics, perhaps you may spot the little reference I threw in here as a little joke. I blame Lola and Lana for being too precious.

Falling within the established timeline as stated in my profile, some references to my other stories will be made in this one.

Not Dancing On My Own

April 28, 2019 – May 14, 2019

Part 1 – A Fish Called Opportunity

Everyone knew that Lincoln Loud had a best friend rooted in Clyde McBride. That was a staple that had remained for many years of their lives. They shared many interests and had a spirit for adventure. Clyde was always prepared to go along and assist Lincoln with any crazy plan that formulated within the mind of the Loud family's sole son, or try to dissuade him from doing something incredibly stupid. Additionally, Lincoln partook in the fun Clyde enjoyed, even if they weren't quite as heart-pumping as his own ideas for fun. Overall, the boys enjoyed each other's company immensely and were always watching each other's back. They made a great team and had experienced the best (and the worst) that the world had to offer to a pair of boys ready for adventure. Best of all, the fun never ended.

But conduct a deeper analysis into Lincoln's history, and you would see that he had spent a greater deal of time and fun with his sisters than with Clyde. Even Lily, the youngest of the crazy female bunch, had seen more sides of her only brother than Clyde ever had. And if we're really going to be honest here, it would only be fair to say that Lincoln's very best friends were none other than his ten sisters.

Deep down, he knew this very well.

Each and every one of them meant so much to him. He had very protective and brotherly instincts embedded inside him that reached out to all ten. Additionally, he always tried to please each sister by engaging with her various hobbies, helping her out, and finding ways to improve her life. Even if a few of his ideas were out of whack or ended up causing more grief than ease, Lincoln had his sisters' best interests at heart, if of course he wasn't blinded by his own personal gain. He was only 11 after all. The brain of a self-seeking little boy doesn't stray too far. But most of the time, his motives were only for the best for all of them, and his sisters knew this. And each of them, from bossy take-charge Lori and crazy-competitive Lynn, to rough-and-tumble Lana and innocent infant Lily, loved her brother unconditionally and always looked out for him. They took nearly every chance to hang out with Lincoln and were never hesitant to lend their bro a hand when he asked for one or even when he didn't ask…they were girls, so of course they knew exactly when he needed help when not voiced explicitly. They smothered and mothered him to the ends of the earth.

That's not to say that it was all milk and honey by any means. Eleven kids bottled up in one house was almost expected to feature packages of fights and scuffles that were just waiting to explode upon contact by even the lightest touch of a single careless step. The kids fought, poked fun at each other, pilfered each other's belongings, and down right got on to more nerves than a human body could hold. Try as he might, Lincoln just couldn't seem to stay out of any of the fight clouds that blew out of the family, and there were LOTS. Yet despite the rough-housing, teasing, fist-fights, and occasional emotional abuse that could deem their relationship as weak, all the sisters had a pretty darn healthy status with their bro. It was nothing but pure sibling love that kept their ties with him together.

And the feeling was mutual. He loved them too much to leave any one the girls on her own.

But sometimes, amidst the frantic rush in the game of life and the struggles that it brought him, Lincoln could forget how much his sisters cared for him…which only meant that he needed a little reminding.

The inky black sky was saturated with stars and a moon so bright, it could pass off as the midnight sun. Out here on this wide balcony overlooking the valley below, you could hear the crickets singing away, as if trying to accompany the wild music pumping its beats inside the grand ballroom, where the party was still in full swing. Thankfully, behind the balcony's closed glass doors, the noise was all but a faint hum, leaving the tranquility of the outside undisturbed. A cool breeze played softly with the tips of the pine trees. And on a warm June night, it felt most pleasant indeed.

The stone balcony was very large and very old-fashioned. It curved out a complete semi-circle, with two dozen mini pillars holding up the railing. A lone stone bench stood on the balcony at the furthest point from the glass doors. A few potted plants also stood in select spots along the perimeter. And a little white-haired boy stood there too, his arms resting on the stone railing, staring up at the moon.

Lincoln Loud heaved a heavy, sad-sort of sigh. He was wearing a smart orange button shirt, his black jacket, good pants, polished black shoes, and a jet-black tie. His hair was slick and smooth. Nothing over-the-top fancy, but certainly formal. Not to mention handsome. The only thing that would complete the picture would be his 'man with the plan' expression that told the world 'Hello, there…I've got a plan to make things better for everyone!' But sadly, this was not the look that adorned Lincoln's face at the moment. Instead, it was just the opposite. A man with no plan, a guy who had just given up.

He felt he had hidden his depression behind a masked smile tonight rather well. He smiled throughout dinner, responded politely to those who spoke to him, and whatnot. Now, finally alone, he didn't have to wear a fake smile anymore. He could let his true feelings envelope him, casting whatever look upon his face that they chose.

He stared out at the truly spectacular view of the countryside; far different from what the city of Royal Woods had to offer. The nearby lake sparkled and shimmered in the moon's light and the mountains in the distance held true majesty just by standing in their one spot.

He knew she was out there. Somewhere. But not here.

He wondered briefly if he should return inside before anyone noticed that he was gone. But somehow, his feet wouldn't correlate with his brain as it sent out orders to get moving. The outdoors was somehow calling him. Out here, he could be himself. In there, he'd have to pretend to be so chipper and proud of their achievements. Or maybe it was his heart; it felt so heavy that it must have been anchoring him to this one spot, refusing to let him move anywhere. So, he stayed put. He closed his eyes, hoping the party would be over soon. The sooner they got home, the better. Then he could get into his bed and try to sleep the pain away.

"Hiya, Linc! What'cha doin' out here by yourself?"

A familiar high-pitched voice sprinkled with a bit of a giggle reached his eardrums, breaking the silence of the exterior world. He turned around and saw his 14-year old sister, also in formal wear, walking towards him. He forced a small smile. "Not much, Luan. Just needed some air, I guess. It's stuffy inside."

"I'll say! There's definitely a lot of fun stuff going on inside. Get it?"

Luan laughed at her own joke (what else is new?) and of course, Lincoln didn't. Instead, he just resumed his gaze out to the open valley with a moping look on his face. Luan must have noticed this because her round of laughter ended quicker than it normally did.

"Hey, is something wrong?" she asked, a slight glow of concern in her voice.

Lincoln just continued to look out into the forest; dark, yet illuminated by the moon. "Not really…" he brushed off lamely.

Luan frowned. "Come on Linc, I know you better than that. Something's bugging you." The comedienne may not have been as observant or quick-thinking as Lori or Luna, but she still possessed big sister instincts that were very much alive…especially right now. Lincoln was never this unenthusiastic or quiet unless something was bothering his mind. She should have picked up on the signs: the way he had shuffled his feet as they made their way through the expansive hallways to the dining area, how he had been very quiet throughout dinner while the rest of the siblings ate and chatted happily…in fact, come to think of it, he had been acting this way all week.

She walked up so that she was now right beside him to put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Lincoln, you know you can tell me or any of us if you're in any kind of trouble, or just need help. You do know that, right?"

Lincoln looked down at his hands, dangling over the railing. He did know this. The support he received from his sisters was something he often thought he would never need, but wouldn't give up for anything else. "Yeah," he mumbled.

He finally turned his head to look up at his older sister. "I…I'm just…I dunno…missing Ronnie Anne again."

As much as she wanted to squeal and gush over Lincoln's very obvious attraction to the girl who bore that name, Luan managed to restrain herself, for her brother was depressed and that did not warrant laughter. Especially this particular depression. Lincoln missing his faraway girlfriend had become a recurring habit that he was prone to falling for, yet always tried to avoid showing. Although she and the rest of the girls teased him from time to time when they saw this, they truly sympathized with him for his situation, especially Lori, given that their eldest sister was in the exact same boat, but with Bobby.

Being a girl built for laughs and fun, she hated seeing anyone looking miserable. So, she gave him a little side-hug around the shoulders. "Aw, Linky, I'm so sorry."

Lincoln sighed, letting a tiny bit of Luan's comfort wash over him. He leaned into her hug slightly. "It's fine…I guess. She's happy living with her family. I should be happy for her."

Luan released the sad boy and leaned against the railing next to him, also staring at the evening view. She addressed him without looking at him. "Did she pop into your head just now?"

The Loud boy sighed again. "Not exactly. She's been on my mind for a while now…I don't know why; she just suddenly enters my thoughts at random and then I get all sad and lonely. And now, all the lights and music and stuff just remind me of the Sadie Hawkins Dance a couple years back. Even if we didn't go to it together, we still wound up in each other's faces while we were there…I don't know. I just miss her."

He looked to the side at his sister. She was smiling at him, apologetically and full of bubbly gush. "Awww…I bet your girlfriend would be touched if she knew that you miss her so much."

Lincoln blushed hard and looked away with annoyance. "She's not my girlfriend," he muttered.

"I'm sure she misses you too, you know."

He looked back at her, but this time with a shimmer of hope in his eyes. "You really think so?"

"Oh, definitely! We've all seen the way she acts around you. She really cares for you, bro."

Lincoln frowned at her statement. "She beats me up, calls me names, bullies, scares, annoys, and pranks the living daylights out of me. How is all that supposed to define as 'care', Luan?"

She fixed him an 'Are you really that dense?' kind of look and leaned down towards him so that they were at eye level. "Don't I do all that stuff to you, Linc?"

That halted his tongue for a good ten seconds. She had a point. "Oh…um, yeah?"

Luan giggled. "We do that stuff to you because you're so much fun to fool around with. And also because we care for you…just in different ways."

Although her logic didn't really make all that much sense to him, given that him being suitable to 'fool around with' leaned more towards treating him like a rubber ball to toss and kick around at the park at his expense while the owner had the time of her life, Lincoln couldn't help but let loose a tiny smile. He thought he understood what Luan was trying to tell him. There was no doubt that Ronnie Anne, despite his various negative run-ins with her in the past, cared for him. She was like that. But did she care for him that much? As in like…that way? Maybe.

But if that wasn't it and he had just missed the point completely, there was one thing he could be certain of, and it was that Luan cared for him, despite their history of sibling scuffles and pranking incidents throughout their years growing up together.

"Thanks Luan, I guess you're right," he said quietly as he straightened up and faced her properly, feeling a little better. It was then that he finally seemed to notice how Luan looked this evening. She was wearing a simple yellow dress with small white accents around the edges and a bronze sash at the waist. She also had black shoes and was sporting some shiny silver earrings and a dark purple bracelet. Her light brown hair was tied in a bun with a small curtain falling down the back of her head, similar to the hairstyle that she had done up when they had all attended the Royal Woods Theatre to hear Lucy recite her poem for the poetry festival. Unlike the dress she had worn to Lucy's event, this one reached just above the knees instead of the feet, and there wasn't a little squirt flower pinned on her this time. Lincoln thought he could see a bit of lipstick as well.

Perhaps he was just plain clueless when it came to noticing these things, or maybe growing up in a household full of girls had desensitized him of his sisters' appearances; their casual, formal, and swimming attire never seemed any different in his eyes. Even tonight, as they had all climbed aboard Vanzilla to reach this conference hall for the dinner and dance party, he couldn't recall exactly what his sisters had chosen to wear. Someone inside his brain was now scolding him for not paying better attention. And at the present moment, as he stared at her, it would be a lie if he told himself that he didn't think that Luan looked exceptionally beautiful tonight.

He wondered if he should say something to her. He wasn't really sure how you were supposed to tell your sister that you think she's looking lovely tonight.

While his mind was fumbling over this, Luan, meanwhile, had other things on her mind. Though Lincoln was no longer looking gloomy, she could sense that he was still in low spirits and she wanted to make certain that he was feeling better about his girlfriend's absence. There was no way Ronnie Anne could be here right now, but she very much wanted her brother to enjoy this evening while it lasted. Her eyes trailed towards the doorway leading back into the interior of the ballroom; bright lights were streaming through the glass, lighting up half of the balcony floor with vibrant saturated colours, and the music was still playing loudly, albeit muffled significantly thanks to the closed doors. Suddenly, it died down and Luan could just make out the DJ making an announcement on his microphone.

"We'll be playing a select number of slow songs in just a minute, so grab a partner and get ready to dance those worries away, for there shall be no unhappy faces tonight!"

Luan glanced at Lincoln, who had resumed look-out at the forest again.

When a fish called opportunity bites your fishing hook, you don't let it escape.

"Lincoln?"

"Yeah?"

"I can't bring Ronnie Anne to you…but I do want to cheer you up."

He looked up at her, knowing exactly what she was about to do: a fully improvised display of her best comedic material presented just for him in an attempt to make him forget his troubles. "Ehh, no offense Luan, but I'm not really in the mood for jokes right now."

Luan frowned. "That's not what I had in mind." She sounded a little offended.

Lincoln's eyes dropped. "Oh…sorry," he muttered guiltily, and he meant it too. "Well, what did you have in mind then?"

"Would you like to dance with me?"

His eyes suddenly darted back up at her. There was an awkward silence between them for a few seconds while they just looked at each other. "Er…I-I don't know, Luan, I…um…" What could he say? 'No'? That would be rather rude wouldn't it? Especially given the way she had asked him so politely, without putting on a fancy show or even cracking a pun. Most unusual for her.

Then Luan smiled at him warmly. 'C'mon Linc, it'll be fun! This party includes a dance and that's what we're gonna do! And if you're worried about looking silly, I'll teach you the moves to a slow dance."

Lincoln turned to glance at the dance floor. It was so big, even when viewed from out here. "I actually know how to slow dance…"

"Wait, you do?" she asked, looking surprised. "Since when?"

He looked away, notably anywhere else but at his sister. "Uh…my friend Girl Jordan from school taught me a few steps…nothing that professional, really, I just…know a little bit more now, that's all." He glanced her way.

A big silly grin had spread upon Luan's face, which he couldn't decide whether to describe as adoring or devilish. Probably both. "Girl Jordan, huh? We'll revisit that later…right now, you just have to dance! Let's see those lessons pay off! Pleeeeease?" she begged, cupping her hands together close to her heart.

He now looked up at his sister in the eye. She was ecstatic, no doubt wanting to see him demonstrate those moves, but in her begging was hope. Almost a desperate kind of hope. She really wanted him to do this with her. And by this point in his life with his sisters, he knew there was no point in trying to back out. He might as well give in before she pulled out those puppy eyes, the look each of his sisters had managed to achieve that never failed to melt his heart…

Oops, too late…dang it, there they were. Sparkling in the illuminating moonlight and the nearby lights from the party were those big ol' eyes of his sister, glossy glassy eyes that did not stare through him, but instead gazed deeply into him, touching his heart's centre where all emotions and senses tingled upon the sight of the puppy eyes. There just wasn't any point in trying to resist once he was exposed to them. And each of his sisters knew this.

It didn't exactly help that the bright flickering lights were causing the sparkle in Luan's eyes to dance, aiding the effect.

"Okay, fine. One dance."

He winced slightly as Luan let out a delighted squeal. She then gently took hold of his hand and he reluctantly allowed her to lead him swiftly towards the doors. Once they left the cool of the outside and reentered the warm, brightly lit ballroom, the mood suddenly took a nosedive. They were just in time for the round of slow songs. As if the DJ had been listening to their conversation, the music changed drastically from the fast-paced, care-free remixes to a gentle tune. The first one to be played was Pentatonix's rendition of 'Dancing On My Own', a much calmer version of the original Robyn cover. Apparently, lots of other people had been waiting for the slower songs, as many more dancers were taking to the floor than ever, all pairing up. The dance floor quickly filled. Most of the party goers Lincoln knew, some he did not. But they were all older than him and his sisters…the party of Louds who were attending this event were the youngest on the guest list for some reason.

Luan guided Lincoln off the maroon carpet and on to the shiny tiled floor – Lincoln was thankful she didn't choose to place them directly in the middle, but just slightly off to the side –, and waited for him to put his hands in position. Awkwardly, he took hold of one of her hands and put the other around her waist, followed by her placing her free hand on his shoulder. He felt a little queer. It wasn't the closeness to his sister or anything of the sort that was making him feel this way; he just didn't want to get her all excited over nothing.

"I don't know about this, Luan…I'm not really that good," he whispered. Luan looked down at him and offered an assuring smile.

"You don't need to be nervous with me, Lincoln. Just have fun. Luna has always told me to just let the music carry you away. Focus on it and your dancing partner. And try not to step on her feet."

Though he still felt a little unsure, that last statement actually caused him to smile. "Don't worry about that," he told her, and they both fell silent as he began to lead them into the dance, slowly starting to move to the rhythm. Luan simply followed his guiding motions. The lights slowly dimmed, such that they were mere silhouettes rising from the dance floor.

Somebody said you got a new friend.
Does she love you better than I can?
There's a big black sky over my town.
I know where you're at, I bet she's around.

Yeah, I know it's stupid,
I just gotta see it for myself.

I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, ohh,
I'm right over here, why can't you see me, ohh,
I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the girl you're taking home,
I keep dancing on my own.

The beat started to pick up just a little, but Lincoln kept guiding Luan around in their little spot, smoothly going with the movements that he could remember from his 'lessons' from Girl Jordan. As he tried to steer clear of the other party guests dancing nearby them, he looked up at Luan and saw that she was grinning at him.

I just wanna dance all night.
I'm all messed up, I'm so out of line.

"You're pretty good at this, Linc," she whispered.

Lincoln couldn't help but feel a little proud. He puffed up his chest a bit. "Thanks," he said modestly, gaining some confidence back.

Stilettos and broken bottles,
I'm spinning around in circles.

It wasn't so bad, dancing with his sister, something he had never really done before, at least not like this. In fact, he kind of liked it, and he began to loosen up and relax. It was a nice feeling; the music was soothing, the lighting soft, and Luan's gentle hold on him was comforting. As she was taller than him, it was a bit of a challenge, but nothing distracting. He twirled her swiftly before drawing her back in.

I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, ohh.
I'm right over here, why can't you see me, ohh.
I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the girl you're taking home
(You're taking home)
I keep dancing on my own.

The lyrics seemed to reach out to him; Lincoln couldn't help but have a fleeting thought. Ronnie Anne was certainly not the girl he was taking home. If anything, he told himself jokingly, it was Luan he would be taking home tonight, living in the same house and all. But then again, he thought, I'm not dancing on my own either.

But you don't see me standing here,
I just came to say goodbye.

I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, ohh.
I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the girl you're taking home
(You're taking home)
I keep dancing on my own.

I keep dancing on my own.

The song ended, seemingly as fast as it had begun, and another slow song started up immediately after, this one being none other than Ed Sheeran's infamous 'Thinking Out Loud'. Lincoln was about to head towards the tables, but Luan didn't let go of him; she continued to dance to the new song. He didn't protest. Instead, he took the hint and resumed leading. Only then did he notice the fog at their feet. Huh, they had a fog machine…nice touch.

Slow dancing is not difficult to pick up. Pretty much anyone without prior knowledge can partake in the serene magic of it all like any professional dancer. However, there are noticeable differences between someone who is merely swaying to the music and mimicking those around him, and someone who has the moves already laid out in his mind. And it was clear that Lincoln knew what he was doing as he almost effortlessly guided Luan around the dance floor. It was truly amazing.

As the music progressed, Luan leaned her head down slightly, such that it rested comfortably upon Lincoln's. The boy let his eyes gaze up at her, observing her silver braces sparkling oddly in the disco ball's orbiting specs of light. She was smiling and her eyes were closed; it looked like she was enjoying this.

"I've never really taken you to be the dancing sort, Luan."

The girl spoke in a murmur without moving her head. "I'm not into it much, to be honest. But I've always wanted to dance with you."

That genuinely surprised him. "You've always wanted to dance with me?" he asked incredulously, still keeping his voice low.

"Yep."

He had no idea what to say to that…so he just pulled her a little closer and leaned into her. It seemed to be the natural thing to do in this moment.

The song continued to play, music filling the atmosphere of the spacious room and the dimmed coloured lights adding to the effect. Lincoln felt a strange feeling that he had been lacking all evening. All week, really. He felt happy. Content, despite Ronnie Anne's absence. Like that empty hole in his heart did not feel so empty now. The heaviness with which it had previously held seemed to have lightened considerably as he danced with Luan. How exactly, he didn't know. But somehow, held in Luan's embrace while he too held her, he felt lost in a world that only dreams could take him to…where nothing seemed to matter except for the music, his dance partner, the shiny disco ball, and the mist at their feet. Pressed snuggly to Luan's body, she felt so warm and he felt so comfortable. He didn't want this to end, though he wasn't quite sure why.

I'm thinking out loud,
That maybe we found love right where we are.

Oh baby, we found love right where we are.
And we found love right where we are.

Almost before he realized it, the song reached its end, and another slow song followed. This time however, Luan lifted her head back up and let go of her dance partner, as did he, though he felt a twinge of reluctance to do so. They looked at each other for a moment before Lincoln became aware they were now standing right in the middle of the dance floor. Too wrapped up in the magic of the music and a dance, that he hadn't been paying attention to where he had been steering them. He wondered briefly how many people had seen what they just did.

Luan quietly broke the silence held between them, speaking in an almost mystified voice. "That was beautiful, Lincoln. You dance like a pro."

Lincoln really couldn't think of anything to say except for, "Thanks. You too." She giggled at his simple response and they made their way back towards the tables.

Each of the many circular dining tables donned a white tablecloth and softly lit candles. All the dinner plates and cutlery had longed been cleared away, replaced by the smaller dessert plates and the various confections that were loaded upon them. Only a few people were still occupying their seats, as most were out on the dance floor. One table was heavily occupied by eight of Lincoln's nine remaining sisters, all in their formal wear. Only Lily was absent. Lincoln was glad that she was at home with their parents; tonight's party would end at an hour far too late for his baby sister. Speaking of sisters, there they all were, goggling at him and Luan as the they approached them.

"Lincoln! Where on earth did you learn to dance like that?!" Lola gaped.

"From one the girls in his class," teased Luan before he could stop her. She swung her arm around his shoulders. "And her lessons really payed off. Our dear brother has a hidden talent!"

Lincoln felt his cheeks heat up as the rest of his sisters started bombarding him with questions and their own personal input, in hushed voices as there was still a slow dance going on.

"You literally looked like a dance master out there, Lincoln," Lori commented.

"More like the dancing king," Luna glowed.

"And it looked like you were having fun," Lucy added in a sullen, yet mildly impressed tone.

"Guys, really, it's no big deal," Lincoln said, hoping it would just shrug off. "I just know how to dance now, that's all."

"Then you totes got to dance with me, Linky!" said Leni excitedly, hopping up from her seat. Before Lincoln could say anything, his 16-year old teen sister took his hand and led him back on to the dance floor. Without a word, Luan sat down in her chair between Luna and Lana to watch the fun.

It was clear that there would be no 'shrugging it off'.

Lincoln found himself once again on the tiled floor, slowly leading Leni into the next slow dance. It proved to be a little more of a challenge, since she was much taller than Luan, not to mention that she was in heels. To match them, she wore a long strapless turquoise dress with a white sash, along with a pearl necklace and earrings. Her silky blond hair had a distinct curl that seemed to flow majestically down her back as they danced on the spot. Tonight's party wasn't supposed to be full-on fancy formal, just semi-formal. However, some of Lincoln's sisters had chosen to take full advantage of the opportunity to dress up and Leni was no exception. Lincoln never said it out loud, but he was among many who considered Leni, though naïve, lightheaded, and ignorant, to be a true supermodel.

Her natural beauty radiated to her insides, something he cared far more about. However, he sometimes forgot that she was this beautiful on the outside too.

"O-M-Gosh, Lincoln, you really are a great dancer!" she whispered gleefully.

Her brother smiled and felt more of that confidence restoring inside him. "Thanks, Leni." He extended his arm up high to twirl her, earning himself a Leni-giggle from her as he did so, and she hugged him closely upon resuming closed position, prompting him to smile a little bit wider.

When the song finished, they returned to the table, where Lincoln was hoping to sit down and rest for a while. But hopes of that happening were soon dashed as Lynn jumped up and grabbed his hand. "All right, Stinkoln, now it's my turn. Show me what you got, bro!" She practically dragged him on to the floor as the next slow song started up and Leni resumed her seat to tell the girls all about Lincoln's new skills.

Now, dancing with Lynn was an interesting experience. Out of everyone in the family, she was the closest to Lincoln's height and he found her much easier to dance with. There were other complications to factor in though, for she wasn't quite as flexible as Luan or Leni had been, having a slightly rough and robotic stride in her step. Overall though, she danced well enough. But again, as he had felt with the previous two sisters, a deep feeling of pleasure and contentment streamed through him, making him quite happy as he led Lynn into the dance, despite the feeling of his polished shoes cramping his own feet.

He took note of Lynn's appearance as he both held and guided her. Her dress was adorned with a familiar shade of red with a white bow at the back. She wore black shoes, but he couldn't see any jewelry on her. He couldn't spot any difference done to her hair either, except for the white ribbon holding up her little ponytail. It was a rare occurrence to see his athletic sister all dressed up, let alone dancing to a slow song.

In fact, this whole picture seemed very odd. His over-competitive, tough-as-nails sister, who rough-housed him at any chance she had, frequently chose him to be her punching bag during moments of frustration, and sometimes equalized with Lana for the level of possessing gross habits, was dancing with him in an outfit he very rarely got to see her wear. As unusual as it was, it was also a nice contrast to everything he had ever classified Lynn to be. To add to this picture, a small, yet noticeable smile was present upon her face as they slowly rotated.

Once the gentle song was over, he and Lynn broke apart. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but quickly closed it, apparently deciding to back out of what she was about to say. Also very unusual for Lynn, but Lincoln could tell that she had enjoyed their dance. So, he didn't say anything either; he instead flashed her a smile, to which she shyly returned. Then, much to his own surprise, he offered her an arm, which she took a hold of, looking a little surprised herself. As if she were his date to the high school prom, he walked her back to their table, where they quickly found Lola and Lana engaged in an argument, with the older sisters trying to get them to stop.

"I'm going to dance with Lincoln first!" Lola was saying.

"No, I am! We're going to do the worm!" Lana hissed.

"That's NOT a dance move that goes with these songs, you clod!"

The verbal ammunition ceased instantly when they spotted their coveted prize in question approaching them, confusion etched on his face. "Linky, I wanna dance with you next!" Lola begged, rushing up to him at once, batting her long eyelashes at him.

"No, I want to! Please, please, please, Linc?" Lana pleaded, trying to elbow her way in front of her twin.

Both of them were offering him the biggest puppy eyes that you ever saw.

Lincoln was used to his little twin sisters fighting and bickering over most everything. But for the first time in who knows how long, they were fighting over him. This gave him a most peculiar sense of brotherly pride, one that he had not felt for quite some time. Unfortunately, he had to lay down some disappointing news for them. He knelt down to reach their eye level.

"Sorry guys, but I don't think I can dance with either of you. It's not that I don't want to, but you're just too short for me to dance with."

Lola and Lana looked at him and then at each other. Then, to his surprise, they both smiled.

"No problem!" they said in unison.

"What?"

"Guys, this feels really weird," Lincoln said a few moments later. He was dancing yet again, while holding Lola's gloved hands, but trying not to step on Lana's feet. The twins had stacked themselves on top of each other, with Lola taking the top and Lana controlling the bottom. The result was a dance partner who was slightly taller than Lincoln and wobbled with a rather ungainly step. Yet in the end, the effort was decent enough. But never before had Lincoln danced with a stranger partner.

"Oh, Linky, your dancing is so enchanting," Lola gushed, gazing at Lincoln with dreamy glowing eyes, a look that she undoubtedly would only reserve for her very own Prince Charming. The rotating disco ball seemed to make the sparkles on her hot-pink dress shine twice as much as they already did. Lola's appearance tonight didn't stray too far from her usual look, though her dress was different from the gown she normally wore. Lincoln thought he recognized it as the one Dad had bought for her that time when Dad thought he was playing favourites among his own kids. As Lincoln looked at Lola during the dance, she gave the air of a true princess threefold. Her hair almost seemed to wave care-free down her back as they swayed to the music. And delicately placed atop her head was a large golden tiara. He was secretly glad those two statuettes that she had posed with for the photos earlier weren't permanently attached it. They were after all awfully heavy.

"Remember, as soon as this song is done, it's my turn to be the head and hands!" Lana piped up from just below Lincoln's middle. She winced as Lola's pink heels dug into her shoulders, but still managed to hold her up and keep in step with her brother's feet. Like Lynn, the young mechanic very rarely wore anything outside of what was appropriate for her hobbies, namely her muddy overalls and sweaty T-shirt. Tonight though, Lana must have broken at least a dozen of her self-imposed rules to exchange her work clothes for a simple teal-coloured dress with small sleeves and a pair of black shoes. Her hair was even combed down, rather than being held in pigtails. Certainly not as fancy as the other siblings, but definitely an effort from Lana's usual standards. If anything, she had chosen not to bring her signature red cap tonight. That already said a lot.

Lincoln wondered if she was hiding any pipe wrenches somewhere in her dress.

Altogether, there were two thoughts on his mind as he danced with the twins. The first was that Lola and Lana were truly adorable. Beautiful little souls that held on to him and his heart, and refused to let go. The second was a baffled wonder: Why are they playing so many slow songs tonight? And come to think of it, one after the other?

Maybe someone should have told him that the final hour of this party was dedicated completely to slow dancing. Meh, who reads the fine print on those invitation letters anyway?

After Lana had had her turn to be the upper half of the 'body' – during which Lincoln finally decided that there were no tools on her person, as Lola seemed to support her twin with ease – , the three kids all returned to the table, and the twins excitedly told their sisters all about dancing with their brother. As for Lincoln, he was truly exhausted by this point. That was the sixth song in a row that he had danced to. But it was evident that his role as the dancing king was far from over tonight; before he could retire to his empty chair, Luna took his hand and led him back out there. Another slow song was starting up.

"Let's spin this slow jam, little bro."

"Luna, that's what I've been doing all night…"

"Oh, just shut up and dance with me."

And so, he did. And like with all the sisters before Luna, he enjoyed dancing with her. He knew she could dance, but had never really pictured her dancing ballroom style before, let alone with him as her partner.

Lincoln had always looked up to Luna; she was often something of a hero to him. Such times were few when he didn't want to hang out with her, even if she was mostly engrossed with nothing but music. LOUD music. She was always supportive of her little brother and looked after him in any way she could, leading to his profound trust in her. And she always made time for him. All these things he thought as he gently led Luna into the dance. She was taller than Luan, but shorter than Leni, giving them only a medium effort to dance properly. But regardless of whatever complications, she seemed happy. That made him happy.

"Luan was right, dude. You really can rock those dancing shoes," her raspy voice whispered to him as they rotated.

"Yeah, I…I guess I can," he said, staying humble about it all. "But they're kind of killing me right now."

"Getting a little bushed, are ya?"

She always had that knack of understanding just how he was feeling without him needing to say so. He secretly appreciated that. "Maybe a little."

Luna gave a very un-Luna-ish giggle and let her cheek rest against Lincoln's head. "You can't really blame us, bro. We've all wanted to do this kind of thing with ya."

Though he didn't stop dancing, he was struck with a brainwave, remembering Luan's words from earlier that evening. "All of you?" he asked in awe.

"Sure thing. I know I have."

He was now more confused upon hearing this new information, yet at the same time, quite flattered. He and Luna kept on dancing, and like his sisters before, took in Luna's appearance for what felt like the first time. A dark purple dress that, much like Luan's and Lynn's, reached just above the knees with a black waist band, and her rocker boots had been traded for light purple heels. Her hair was sleek and long crystal earrings hung from her ears, replacing those paperclips that he had always found odd, yet typical for Luna. A silver necklace with a musical note pendant looped around her neck. As with Lynn and Lana, he was quite taken aback by his rockstar sister's radical appearance; having grown up all his life being so accustomed to seeing Luna in nothing but her shortly cut and torn 'threads' as she called them, it was very rare for him to see her looking so…well, like this. He couldn't help but be a little immersed by her beauty. Why hadn't he noticed any of this before?

Before he knew it, he was no longer dancing with Luna, but with Lori. With her being the tallest of the sisters, he found her to be the most difficult dance partner to lead, but out of all of them, she was the lightest on her feet and danced with the most elegance, no doubt the result of having been to so many dances throughout her years of high school and her numerous dates out dancing with Bobby.

"Lincoln, I got to say…this is literally the most fun I've ever had with you in a long time."

The young boy smiled. "Likewise, Lori." He held her close as they swayed to the rhythm.

"The next time I host a party, I'm letting you join and I'm going to play all the slow songs on my playlist."

He gulped. "Yeah, I doubt that," he muttered, causing Lori to smirk. He looked her over at her lavish indigo dress with a lighter hue of blue down the middle. Lori wore several articles of jewelry on her, and her hair was styled in such a way that he was reminded of the makeover Carlota had given her in an attempt to get Bobby's attention the time the brother and sister duo had tried to convince the Santiagos to move back to Royal Woods. It seemed almost impossible to not envision Lori as a model straight out of one of Leni's fashion magazines. Before he could stop himself, he started stuttering.

"Hey Lori, I uh…I think you look, um…very…"

Lori quickly caught on to what her little brother was babbling about, prompting her to flash a seductive smile at him. "You think I look nice in this dress?"

Lincoln blushed deeply. "Erm…yeah."

The eldest sister chuckled at her brother's adorable innocence. "Lincoln, let me give you some advice. If you think a girl looks nice, don't hold back on telling her. You don't need to make a fancy show out of it...just be polite and tell her. She won't be mad. If anything, she'll be flattered. Girls like to hear that they look good, especially from boys."

He looked down for a moment, then back up at her. "Okay, well…I think you look…beautiful tonight, Lori."

She smiled and held him closer. "You little sweet talker."

Not long after that, come yet another slow song, he was holding on to Lisa as they danced on the spot. With the four-year old genius being the shortest of the bunch tonight, you would think it would be dead impossible for Lincoln to dance with her, especially considering the effort that Lana and Lola had to go through to dance with him. But Lisa, being one step ahead as usual, had come prepared. Her little green shoes were equipped with hydraulic spring locks of her own invention that could extend her to twice her normal height, enabling the scientist to reach her brother's shoulders. For the first time ever, she was standing at eye level with Lincoln.

Forget the twins' wacky idea. Robot-legs Lisa was without a doubt his weirdest dance partner yet.

Other than the shoes, the rest of her outfit was normal enough. A dark emerald dress that reached all the way down to her feet with gold buttons and a light green sash. Nothing could be done about her shaggy hair though, but around her little neck was what looked like a silver-chained necklace. Even her thick glasses seemed to have a shine to them; Lincoln wondered if she had polished them for tonight's event. As stoic and emotionless as Lisa tended to be, he could hardly deny that she looked quite pleasant. Not to mention that she could dance to a reasonable degree. That also surprised him, for he had firmly believed that Lisa's interests almost never ventured away from the world of science. But then again, he had caught her a few times dancing wildly to her West Coast Rap.

"I must admit to you, Lincoln. Whilst I am not particularly enthralled by synchronizing the body's maneuvering abilities with the rhythm of ballroom music, street name slow dancing, I have to say that performing such actions with you are providing me with much profound pleasure."

Lincoln didn't think the elaborate explanation was necessary, but he got the message loud and clear. "Well, Lisa, even though this is the strangest dance I've ever done in my life, I'm having a pretty good time doing this with you too."

Lisa smiled and leaned her head comfortably on to her brother's shoulder. She had never done that to him before. He liked it a lot.

Only when his dance with Lisa was over did Lincoln FINALLY get a chance to sit down. The moment he walked to the table and dropped into an empty chair, he felt the aches and pains crawl right up his legs from his sore feet, and he mopped the sweat off his forehead, heaving a heavy sigh. But it was a sigh that was not just from tiredness, but contentedness. He hadn't had this much fun in many months, something that he had been slowly coming to realize as he had danced around the ballroom with his sisters tonight.

There were still several dancers on the floor slowly moving to the music, which were still slow songs. He saw Luan engaged in a graceful waltz with Luna close to the DJ table and the twins doing their own kind of a slow jig together off to the side. Some good friends of his, Kevin and Karla, were doing a friendly 2-step nearby and Lisa was at the buffet table snacking on the chocolate desserts. She was reaching the tabletop with the help of the extendable shoes (which was Lisa's main reason for installing such weird features to them in the first place). Speaking of desserts, Lincoln scanned the table and spied several half-eaten pastries and cakes scattered on various plates, abandoned by his sisters, and he suddenly became aware of how hungry he felt. Don't mind if I do, he thought happily as he helped himself to the sweet stuff. Free food is always a welcome thing.

Only then did he notice that he was all alone; not a single sister was sitting around the table anymore. He felt a little relieved, not because he didn't wish to dance with them, but simply owing to the fact of how exhausted he was after grooving to nine songs in a row nonstop. Each dance with each dance partner had been so distinct that he could miraculously list off each one with clear memory. Perhaps it was the desserts that were giving him the fuel to reflect a little more clearly, but whatever it was, he felt comfortable just to rest and remember the events of this party. Nine dances for each of his ten sisters.

Nine dances for his ten sisters? Lincoln frowned. Something wasn't adding up. He thought he could recall leading nine dances. Did he remember to count Lola and Lana's combined character for two separate dances? Oh wait…that's right, Lily was at home with their parents. So, there were actually nine sisters at the party with him tonight. Nine sisters, nine dances. Now it made sense.

He was just thinking of how pleased he was that everyone would go home soon with jubilated spirits, when he saw her. Standing all alone, a small distance from the edge of the tiled dance floor and almost hidden in the shadows, was Lucy. Lincoln's mind froze. Had he danced with Lucy yet? He tried to remember; he clearly summoned up dancing to nine different songs that night, but couldn't recall dancing specifically with his goth sister. Then realization hit him like one of Luan's cream pies. He had danced with Luan to two songs earlier that evening. Despite the shouts of pain that his legs were screaming at him, he got up and began weaving his way through the maze of chairs and tables, making his way over to Lucy. He could see her just watching the couples out on the floor dancing, smiling, having fun. She looked…she looked the same as usual. But her features became clearer as he got closer to her and he could see that, by the way she was sagging her shoulders and the frown that was present on her pale face, something was wrong. This gloomy appearance wasn't quite Lucy's usual dismal self. She seemed to be giving off an aura of unhappiness…almost disappointment.

At last he reached her and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, Lucy."

The girl looked up at him. "Hey, Lincoln," she said. She spoke in her usual monotone voice, but he swore that he could sense a glimmer of hope lingering in it. "How was dancing with Lisa?"

"Positively weird! I hope she grows at least another foot before we try that again. Height-wise, I mean. Not an extra foot. But then, she's only four. She still has lots of time."

Lucy curved her mouth a bit in response, but didn't say anything. The brother and sister looked at each other for a moment in silence, despite the soothing music currently playing. Lincoln got a good look at what Lucy was wearing. A small ink-black dress with a white collar and sleeves. She wore jeweled earrings and a silver bracelet on her left wrist. Her hair looked so straight and silky, yet her eyes still remained covered by those long bangs. Never before had he seen her so entrancing.

Just then, as the current song ended, the DJ spoke into his microphone again.

"All right, everyone, we'll be closing this little party with one last slow song to remember us by! So if you haven't had your chance to dance away with your special friend, now's your time to shine! Peace 'all.

Lincoln looked at Lucy who had resumed her role of staring longingly at the dance floor occupied by happy dancing couples. Luna's words from earlier suddenly echoed through his head. 'We've all wanted to do this kind of thing with ya.'

When a fish called opportunity bites your fishing hook, you don't let it escape.

"Lucy?"

She looked up at him.

"Would you like to dance with me?"

He watched her mouth slowly curve into a tiny smile. "Yes, please," she whispered.

And so, Lincoln touched down on to the floor for one last dance. And this time, he had Lucy. The last song to be played tonight was once again 'Thinking Out Loud', but the Jasmine Thompson version. Standing in the centre of the dance floor, he held his eight-year old sister closely as they began to move to the music. He could tell that she was a bit shy to be so close to him, let alone do a slow dance together, but he kept his hold on her so gentle and so calm that it wasn't long before he felt her begin to relax.

When your legs don't work like they used to before
And I can't sweep you off of your feet,
Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love?
Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks?

Darlin' I will be lovin' you
Till we're seventy.
And baby my heart could still fall as hard
At twenty-three.

Lincoln observed Lucy carefully as the tiny smile on her face slowly grew just a little wider. He silently twirled her and gracefully brought her back to him.

I'm thinkin' 'bout how
People fall in love in mysterious ways,
Maybe just the touch of a hand.

Well, me, I fall in love with you every single day,
And I just wanna tell you I am.

Wordlessly, Lucy rested her head upon her brother's shoulder. She felt surprisingly lightweight to him. He thought he could detect a faint scent of what appeared to be lilac waft into his nose.

So honey now,
Take me into your lovin' arms.

Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars.
Place your head on my beating heart.

I'm thinking out loud
Maybe we found love right where we are.

Ironically, out of all his sisters, Lucy was by far the easiest for Lincoln to dance with. She was only slightly shorter than him and she seemed to fit perfectly against his body as he held her, rotating slowly on the tiled floor. For the first time that night, he was dancing with someone who could lay her head on his shoulder naturally without having to lean a ways downward or come up with an elaborate plan to make herself taller. And her feet…they almost seemed to float with no weight whatsoever as she danced, akin an angel. She was moving like it was nothing to her. As the song progressed, his initial belief that Lori was the best dancer vanished out the balcony doors; it appeared that Lucy harboured a hidden dancing ability of her own.

When my hair's all but gone and my memory fades
And the crowds don't remember my name.
When my hands don't play the strings the same way,

I know you will still love me the same.

Cause honey your soul can never grow old
It's evergreen.
And baby your smile's

Forever in my mind and memory.

I'm thinkin' bout how
People fall in love in mysterious ways
Maybe it's all part of a plan.

Well, I'll just keep on making the same mistakes
Hoping that you'll understand.

But baby now (ooh),
Take me into your loving arms (ooh).

Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars.

Place your head on my beating heart.

I'm thinking out loud
Maybe we found love right where we are.
Maybe we found love right where we are.
We found love right where we are.

At long last, the music ended, drawing the dance to a close. The dimmed lights slowly tuned up as all the dancers broke apart with smiles of satisfaction on their faces. Lincoln slowly separated from Lucy, who looked up at him for a moment before looking down to the floor, rubbing her arm shyly. She said nothing, but the small smile was still very much present. He gently took her hand and led her back to the table, where Leni was waiting for them, aiming her phone in their direction.

"EEEEEEEE…you guys are TOTES adorable!" she bubbled before stopping the recording. Both Lincoln and Lucy blushed.

"Hey! Who ate my lemon tart?" demanded Lynn as she surveyed the tart-less table.

End of Part 1

Songs used: 'Dancing On My Own' (Robyn cover, Pentatonix version), 'Thinking Out Loud' (Ed Sheeran and Jasmine Thompson version), and 7 mystery songs.