Lincoln stood there on the landing, his arms resting against the banister. His thoughts were swimming around his head, the talk with Bobby also fresh on his mind. Each time he thought he was going to achieve clarity, doubts would creep in and just confuse him further, which was beginning to give her a headache. He wasn't sure how long he'd been out there, but before he knew it, the door to the apartment had opened, with Ronnie Anne walking out of it. He gulped before greeting her, saying "hey."

"Hey," she replied, making sure to shut the door behind so no one else would come out. "You mind if I join you?"

"No, uh, go ahead."

"Thanks." She walked over to him, standing by the banister, just a couple of inches between their shoulders. For a moment, neither of them spoke, a mixture of doubt and fear preventing them from making the first step. Eventually, Ronnie Anne sighed, having had enough of the silence. "Today's not exactly been great, has it?"

Lincoln frowned. "No, it… it really hasn't." He turned to look at her. "Did Lori tell you about the mistletoe?"

"If you mean that it was Bobby's idea to surprise Lori, then yeah. Can't say it surprises me, just… didn't go to plan."

"No, I… I guess not." Lincoln scratched the back of his neck, starting to feel the doubts from before returning. "It was… awkward, wasn't it?"

"Yeah…" She turned her head slightly in his direction. "No offence."

"None taken. It was more the fact that everyone was… just their, you know? Trapping us in, urging us to do it, your aunt taking that photo."

"I know, right?! I mean, what did they have to gain from all that? They could tell we weren't comfortable like that, yet they still treated it like the event of the century, or something!"

"Exactly!" After a moment, a small smile graced his lips, his cheeks turning ever so slightly pink. "Although, despite that and what happened in the snowball fight- sorry about that, by the way," she shook her head and raised her hand to let him know it was okay. "Despite all that… this has probably been the best couple of days in my life."

She blinked, unsure she had heard him right. "Uh… would you mind saying that again?"

"These past two days have been… amazing, to say the least. I've always loved Christmas, but… I've never felt such energy for it as I have. Before the mistletoe, I felt like I was in ecstasy- being around you and your family, hanging out at the arcade, sharing Christmas together…" He looked back at Ronnie Anne, who was listening intently while mildly shocked. "It's been unbelievable."

She looked down slightly, her own cheeks starting to tint as she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Wow… to be honest… I've had a similar feeling." Lincoln felt his heart jump a little when she said this, intrigued to hear what she meant as she looked back up at him. "I know that it's been a huge change, now I'm living with my extended family, not to mention sharing it with your family… but it's just been something I can't describe. It's like… okay, I know you don't skateboard that much, but it's like when you go off the top of a halfpipe, and you're just floating in the air for a moment, and even though you have to go back down, that feeling of adrenaline and weightlessness stays with you."

Lincoln's smile grew. "That's not a bad analogy, actually." His cheeks heated up a little more. "And… I hope you don't mind me saying this, but… I think that I feel this way because of you."

Her heart skipped a beat, her hope beginning to rise. "Really?"

He nodded. "Don't get me wrong, your family are awesome, but… when you left Royal Woods, there would be times where I think of you, and just feel… so confusingly upset that you weren't still there. It was always bittersweet whenever we had a video call, because it was great to see you and… hear your voice, but it reminded me that I couldn't just go and visit you whenever, and that it's my main way of communicating with you now."

She couldn't believe it- she was hearing just what she was hoping she would hear, and from the one person she wanted to hear it from. This didn't stop her from smirking at him and telling him, "I've never heard you be more mushy, Lame-o," which made them both chuckle. "Though, I gotta admit…" She rubbed her left arm with her right hand, ducking her head but looking up at him. "That's pretty much how I feel about you too."

Though his smile was replaced with a look of shock, he felt a lightness in his heart. "You… you do?"

He could tell she was nervous by her gentle nod, and he knew that this was because she was used to showing her tougher exterior rather than breaking down the walls, but he appreciated being the one she broke the walls for. "I know it sounds lame, but… I miss when we would hang out, just the two of us. You were the one person that, when it was just us, I didn't have to be what everyone else saw- the heartless bully, who only had fun when she was pulling pranks on someone. No one else in Royal Woods cared that I liked video games, or skateboarding." She leaned against the banister again. "While I'm glad there are people in the city like my friends, who I can share that with…" She turned her head in his direction. "But they never cared like you did."

He smiled, placing his hand on top of hers on the banister, causing her to catch her breath at the contact and shift her gaze to meet his. "You made me care by opening up to me. The more I got to know you, the you that I see, the more that I wanted to know more about you."

"You're such a dork," she said, though it was mixed in with giggles that made his heart flutter. "That's probably what I like most about you. You're fun and… c-cute," both their blushes shot up significantly at this, "and… had I not left Royal Woods, I might have considered asking you if we could be… official, you know?"

His smile just seemed to grow. "I would have liked that. The truth is, even after all this time, I still really like you. Even though we live so far apart, I still kind of want to be with you."

"I do too," her smile started to droop worriedly, "but… I'm scared."

He grew concerned at hearing this. "Of what?"

"Of changing things too much… changing in a way that things don't work out for us, and that things become awkward for us, to the point that everything we have now, everything we had before… is all for nothing."

"It doesn't have to be that way. I know that Bobby and Lori might be older, and they might be going to college together, but that doesn't mean it can't work for us too. And if nothing else, I would never, EVER want to lose you as a friend… but I can't deny that I want this to work, and that that desire is outweighing my fear."

She laughed dryly. "I just wish I could be that certain." She looked away. "But I'm not, Lincoln. You go back home tomorrow. It's easy to say this stuff, but… how can I be certain it won't be just words?"

He thought for a second, then steeled up as he placed his hand against her cheek, using his other to hold her hand in front of him so she looked into his eyes. "Because… Ronalda Analena Santiago… I love you."

Just as she prepared to respond, he pressed his lips against hers, causing her eyes to widen in shock. Except, this time, it was different. It wasn't like the time she punched him for doing so; it wasn't like he was just doing it to apologise; and it certainly didn't feel forced like the kiss from earlier that same day. No, this time, she felt it was so much more genuine from what she felt- comfort; passion; tenderness; and most importantly, love. She eased in to the kiss, wrapping her arms around her neck so she could return the favour, and the two fifth-graders were in their own world. Their families could have come bursting out, squealing and cheering and taking pictures, and they wouldn't have noticed. The whole world could have come crumbling down around them, and it would be lost on them. All that mattered was what they felt- physically, emotionally and spiritually- then and there in that moment.

The kiss couldn't last forever, as they released to regain their breathing, their chests rising and falling slowly and deeply in sync, as were their heartbeats. Their eyes were locked on each other's, smiles painted on their faces, and they held that embrace. "I love you, Ronnie Anne."

"I love you too, Lincoln." She took the opportunity to nuzzle her nose with his, something they would be mocked endlessly if they did it in front of the others. "God, when did we become so mushy and lame?"

"I don't think it's lame."

She lightly, jokingly slapped his chest. "You would say that, Lame-O." This brought out warm laughter from the pair of them. "Should we head back inside?"

"It's probably for the best. The longer we stay out here, the more likely my sisters are to try and come out here."

"I'll be surprised if they aren't on the other side of the door." She put her hand on the door handle, opening it quickly, and widened her eyes at the sight of an empty hallway. "Huh. I'm surprised." Lincoln chuckled, rolling his eyes, before he felt her take his hand. "Come on, Lame-O. We can relax in my room before dinner's ready."

He simply allowed her to lead her towards the room at the end of the hall. As they passed the living room, Lori caught a glimpse of them holding hands and resisted the urge to yip out of joy for them. 'I'm so proud of you, Linky,' she thought to herself.

Come five o'clock, it was time for the big Christmas feast- everyone was sat around the makeshift dining table, chatting happily to each other as they awaited the food. Sure, the table was already set, with everyone having cutlery and plates in front of them, as well as glasses for their drinks (white wine for the adults, water and fruit punch for the kids), and there were already plates and bowls filled with pigs in blankets, Brussels sprouts, roast potatoes, carrots and sweetcorn, tamales, and much more, spread across the table, but there were three empty spaces of considerable space, which were the reason that no one had been filling their plates yet.

"Okay, everyone!" Lynn Sr announced as he, Rosa and Frida brought in three platters, which they placed in the three available spaces. "Dinner is ready!"

Everyone cheered, happy that they would be able to eat. "Wait a minute!" Rosa called out, silencing the cheers. "Before we eat, we must pray." There were a few moans, mainly from the kids of the Loud, but their parents looking sternly at them stopped this. Everyone linked hands, shut their eyes and bowed their heads. "Father, we thank you. Not just for this plentiful, bountiful feast that we are about to enjoy, but for bringing us together in harmony. We thank you for keeping us healthy and safe, and for keeping us on the right path. We thank you for everything you do for us, and we hope that we can do right under your watch. Amen." As a chorus of "amen" came from all sides of the table, they parted hands. "Now, what would a Christmas feast be without…" She grabbed the lid from the platter nearest her, Lynn Sr and Frida grabbing the other two. "The turkey!" Everyone gasped as the lids were removed, watching in awe as they unveiled three beautifully cooked turkeys, the skins a perfect golden brown. "Dig in!"

With that, the three of them began carving the turkeys, piling them onto everyone's plates as they began passing the different food items around to those who desired them. As soon as everyone got what they wanted (and, in many cases, the vegetables that they didn't want, but their parents made sure they got), they began to eat. The food was of such high quality that, despite how much had been eaten in previous meals, they eagerly dug in to the meal.

Bobby, grabbing a spoonful of mashed potato, turned to Lori. Seeing what he had planned straight away, she smirked, grabbing a spoonful of her own. They linked their arms together, then fed each other the fluffy food, both giggling as they did so. Ronnie Anne gave a small laugh. "It's weird," she said to Lincoln, thankful that everyone else was either too enamoured in their eating or talking loudly enough to not notice or care, "I always thought they were just being overly mushy when they did stuff like that. Looking at it now, I can kinda see why it's romantic."

"Yeah," he replied, "it does suit them. So, uh," he looked at her, "should we do that?" After a moment of quietly looking at each other, they smirked and both went "Nah!"

They both chuckled. "Hey, could you pass me another of the pigs in blankets?"

"Sure. Think you could pass me another tamale?"

"Sure."

As they did so, Lori and Bobby glanced at them, having noticed them watching their 'shared eating' but pretending not to have, then smiled to each other. "It's so sweet," she commented. "It's definitely not like what we have, but it's perfect for them at this stage."

"I wouldn't say it's so different, babe," Bobby suggested. "From what they told us, it sounds like it's the same- maybe not in how they show it, but definitely in the way they feel it."

"Wow… I never knew you were so good with words, Boo Boo Bear."

He blushed a little. "All thanks to you, babe." She giggled, before he raised his glass. "Cheers."

She reciprocated. "Cheers." With that, they clinked their glasses and took a small drink from them, then returned to indulging in the festive meal.