"tonight, the town of Royal woods mourns the loss of a very special person to the community"

"A young woman, who worked for Child protective services and a patron to organizations who helped abused kids, was in Royal woods was tragically killed tonight by one angry father"

"Tragedy strikes in the small town of Royal woods as the local speaker against child abuse was killed tonight"

.

.

.

.

Lincoln Loud, now at the age of 23, had arrived back at Royal Woods just yesterday. He was currently in his fiancee's parent's home sleeping with her in their own bed, snuggled together within a large dark purple blanket, was Lincoln and Tabby.

Tabby slowly began to stir and her eyes opened only to be greeted with the faint light of the sun shining through her blinds. she got up and she turned her head to her fiance and indeed saw hi still sleeping, she got out of bed, wearing a pair of lincoln's shorts that she "borrowed" and a black sabbath shirt. She grabbed a pair of clothes and went to the bathroom to use it before taking a shower and changing before waking up Lincoln. She had finished her shower and was now drying herself off, her hair was much shorter then it was years ago, it was now a pixie cut and her pink tips were gone so her hair was now completely black, she now wore a pair of lip earrings in honor of Smooch. She put on a pair of tight black jeans and then a white and black striped long-sleeved shirt before putting a black vest over it. She then left the bathroom and headed back to the room but then saw her mother coming out of her own room

"Hey sweetie" Tabby's mother, Rachel, said

"Hey mum" Tabby replied

"going to wake up Lincoln?" Rachel asked

"Yeah, he wanted to visit his family and whoever else was around before heading over there" Tabby replied with a sigh "I just don't know how he's going to act once we get there..."

Rachel walked to her daughter and put her hands on her daughter's shoulder, causing her daughter to look at her mother before being pulled into a hug. Tabby then returned the hug and then they broke the hug

"I'm sure everything will be fine, just be there for him," Rachel told Tabby

Tabby softly smiled and nodded, "Right," She said

Rachel smiled back, "well go wake up Lincoln, breakfast is almost ready, your fathers cooking eggs and sausage for breakfast"

Tabby nodded and Rachel then headed to the kitchen while Tabby went back into her room, still seeing Lincoln asleep on her old bed, the approached the bed and shook him lightly, knowing that would at least wake him a little

"Hey Linc, come on love, it's time to get up," She said softly

Lincoln groaned a little and then pushed rolled on to his back and got up, rubbing his eyes as the same light now shined in his eyes, he looked to his fiancee and gave her a sleepy half-smile

"morning" He greeted

"Mornin" Tabby greeted back with a smile "get dressed and come down for breakfast, then we can head over to your parent's house and visit"

Lincoln nodded and got off the bed and went grab a new pair of clothing before leaving for the bathroom while Tabby headed to the kitchen.

She walked down the hall and saw some of the childhood photos her parents had some were new, like the picture of Lincoln and her taking pictures for their wedding invitations. she remembered smiling that whole day, they had taken a lot of photos and gave some to family and even some friends. One that she gave to her mother was a picture of the two smiling, while Lincoln carried her bridal style and she was laughing, she really was laughing too. As she remembered how giddy it had made her feel, she turned away from the photo and continued her way to the kitchen.

Once there, she saw her dad dressed in his business clothes, as he had just finished putting the last plate on the table, he then turned to put the pans in the dishwasher only to see his daughter. Tabby's father, William, smiled at his daughter while grabbing the pans and placing them in the dishwasher.

"hello Rockstar" William greeted his daughter

"Hey Dad" Tabby greeted back

Her mom was already eating at the table and was close to being done. Tabby sat down at the table and grabbed the plate right in front of her seat and started to eat. Tabby's dad finished cleaning whatever mess he made while he had cooked and then looked to his phone.

"Good, I can still make it," He told himself

"workin today dad?" Tabby asked

"Yep," He said "sending me to Utah again, I should only be there for a week though, so that's good, I might even be home to see you and Lincoln off," William told his daughter

"Be safe dear" Rachel told her husband "And don't lose your wallet this time too"

William rolled his eyes with a simile, "that happened once, but I won't" He said "Bye honey, By Tabby, and don't forget to tell Lincoln I said bye" he then left the house.

"bye love you" Tabby and her mother said simultaneously

a minute later, Lincoln entered the kitchen and saw the two women eating breakfast, he looked around before heading for his seat.

"your dad leave for work, Tabby?" Lincoln asked

"he did, went to Utah this time" Tabby replied

Lincoln nodded and began to eat with the family. Tabby looked at him and while she did her expression saddened a little bit. he had only come back once he had heard what had happened and to see Lincoln break down like that, it was the toughest thing for her to see again. It reminded her of all those years ago when she had Lincoln first started dating, thankfully though he wasn't alone this time, tabby comforted him that entire day.

Tabby's mother finished eating and put her plate and fork in the dishwasher and left the kitchen and went to the living room, Tabby looked to Lincoln as he ate the last of his eggs before going for his sausage.

"Hey love" Tabby called

"yeah, Tabby?"

"Are you sure you wanna do this today? are you ready for it?" Tabby asked

Lincoln looked at her and he put his for down and sighed, "I've been asking that same thing ever since I wanted to come here, and to be honest, if I don't do it now, I might never do it, it's bad enough we couldn't attend it" Lincoln told her "But yeah... I'm sure I wanna do this"

Tabby softly smiled and nodded, "alright, and I'll be with you every step of the way," She told him

"I know Tabs," He told her with a soft smile "I know"

After their conversation, they put their dishes away told Rachel that they were leaving and she hugged them both but gave Lincoln a tighter hug. Rachel knew how hard today might be for the Loud boy and she hoped that everything would be ok. The two left the house and headed for their car, which was a black 1971 El Camino with purple stripes on the hood and the on the trunk. They drove for 20 minutes before Tabby and Lincoln had finally arrived at the Loud House. Not a lot seemed to change in the past 12 years, the house looked pretty much the same. They got out of their car and walked up the driveway and up the steps to the front door. Lincoln rang the doorbell and waited for a moment. The door opened and a 13-year-old Lily stood at the doorway and once her eyes landed on her brother, she quickly crashed into him with a tight hug

"Lincy!" Lily cried out

Lincoln was taken aback for a while but hugged back with a smile, "Hey Lily, good to see you"

Lily broke the hug and looked to Tabby and hugged her tightly as well, Tabby giggled and hugged back, "Hey there pipsqueak" Tabby smiled "good to see you again"

Lily then broke the hug and looked at the two with wide eyes and a bright smile, "I can't believe you're getting married!" Lily cried "can I be the flower girl!? can I!? Can I!? Can I!?" Lily pleaded

Tabby chuckled, "we'll think about it Lily" Tabby said with a smile

"Lily, where's mom and dad?" Lincoln asked

"They went to the store to pick up some more food" Lily repeated

"Hey, Lily, who's there?" Came a voice

The three looked up to see Lynn Loud with Lana and Lola behind her. Lynn looked at her broth and smiled before running down the stairs and going for a hug, Lincoln held his arms out and the two siblings hugged.

"It's good to see you Linc" Lynn said with joy "feels like it's been years!"

Lincoln chuckled, "it has been Lynn, three years since we last saw each other in person," Lincoln said, "Are Lori, Leni, Luna, and Luan here too?" Lincoln asked

Lynn nodded, "yeah, Bobby and Ronnie are here too along with Benny and Sam, we all came down here since we heard you'd be coming down for the week, and since it's been a while, we thought it was a good time to visit," Lynn told her brother

Lincoln smiled as Lynn called everyone downstairs, letting everyone know he was there. Lincoln could hear the rumbling of many feet on the second story of the house and he could see a large group of people come down the stairs. They all hugged Lincoln and Tabby and the family began to chat like old times.

.

.

.

Currently, Lincoln was sitting on the front steps as he was watching Tabby play with Lily as well as Loan, Lori, and Bobby's kid. The front door open and he turned to see Lynn, she looked at him before sitting next to him

"Still can't believe you're getting married before me," Lynn told him

Lincoln smiled, "I'll admit, I was still surprised she said yes," Lincoln told his sister "but every time I remember that she did, I smile, it was one of the best moments in my life"

Lynn nodded and looked to her brother, "How are you holding up?" Lynn asked

Lincoln looked at her and then to the ground, he fidgeted with his hands before sighing and he ruffled ith his hair a little, "Not good, but I'm trying to stay strong for her" Lincoln told Lynn

Lynn looked at him with worry, before looking back at Lily and Loan running around. It's been a long time since she and Lincoln had actually talked about some deep stuff that was on their mind. The last time they talked like this was a week after Lincoln returned home from Becky's house

"You know what this reminds me of?" She asked

"What?" Lincoln asked

"That day" Lynn told him

Instantly, Lincoln knew what she was talking about and he thought back on that day...

Flashback

Lincoln had arrived home after spending some time with the guys, he entered the house only to find Lynn sitting on the couch looking down. Lincoln closed the door behind him and looked at Lynn

"Hey Lynn" He greeted

"Hey Linc" She greeted back, sound almost robotic

Lincoln took a seat next to her on the couch. Neither said a word as a few commercials played on the tv. Lincoln looked to Lynn and could see that she hadn't looked the same since he got back, it was understandable with everything that had recently happened. The Family was desperately trying to regain the happy lives they once had, but that would take some time. However, Lynn had been looking the worst, she had bags under her eyes and she hadn't even played any sports since he returned, she just stayed in her room and didn't talk to almost anyone. It worried him.

"Lynn?"

"Sup?"

"Are you ok?"

After his question, Lynn froze a little but quickly returned to her gloomy demeanor as she kept staring at the tv. "I'm fine Linc," She told him

"I don't think you are, you've been acting weird ever since I got back," Lincoln told her "are you mad at me or something?" he asked

Lyn quickly turned her head to her brother, "No!" she cried in worry

Lincoln was taken aback by her sudden mood change. Lynn now faced him completely before looking away

"I'm sorry I've been acting strange it just..." Lynn began

"Just what?" Lincoln asked

Lynn looked at him with worry and fear on her face, "Do you hate me?" she asked

Lincoln looked a little stunned but he knew something like this might have come up. After all, he still wasn't socializing with most of his sisters since everything was pretty much on the rocks. However, it didn't mean Lincoln hated them, but he could see why Lynn had thought that he hated her. She was indeed one of the main reasons he left and she knew that.

Lincoln sighed before taking Lynn's hand, it startled her and she looked at him as did he

"Lynn I don't hate you," Lincoln told her

"But-!"

"I know you might think that I know all of my sisters might think that, but the truth is your my sisters and I will love you guys with all my heart, I can't promise that things will be the same anymore, but know that no matter what, I will love you, as well as everyone else," Lincoln told her

Lynn looked at him with shock, "But I... I... I treated you like shit! H-How can you forgive me?" She asked, tears beginning to form in her eyes

Lincoln shook his head, "I haven't" he told her

Lynn was now more confused, "I-I-I don't understand..." Lynn replied

"I know," Lincoln told her "Lynn... I can't forgive the things you and everyone did to me, I can't, but that doesn't mean I have to cling to it, Just because I don't hate you doesn't mean I can forgive you, again, I can't forgive those things, but I don't have to hate you for the things that happened in the past" Lincoln told her

"Then why come back?" Lynn asked

"I came back because I knew that it was time, being away, was just causing everyone pain, and I didn't want that," Lincoln told Lynn, "The important things I've seen since I came back as everyone's mood being picked up, everyone changing a little for me, and maybe even for themselves, and I saw them actually trying and most of I'll I'm seeing you trying Lynn"

"What do you mean?" Lynn asked "I've been sulking, I haven't apologized to you or anyone else and I-"

"But you are" Lincoln cut her off "Lynn, you may not have said it, but you've been showing it, I see you try and do things for everyone, not because there's something in it for you but because it's how you apologize"

Lynn was a little amazed that he could tell that. Lynn was never one for being mushy and feely, but her actions always spoke louder, and Lincoln saw this. Over the week she had been doing more things for everyone and she hasn't even tried doing anything that was seen as a sport or she could turn into a competition.

"Lynn I don't hate you," Lincoln told her "I love you"

Lincoln pulled her into a hug and Lynn was still a bit shocked but after a few minutes she returned the hug

"I'll be there for you as long as you try not to overreact and be honest with yourself and with me," Lincoln told her

"I will," Lynn told her brother "I promise not to overreact anymore and as long as your honest with me too, I will be with you," Lynn told him

"Deal," Lincoln told her

Lincoln smiled as the memory ended and he looked back to Lynn, "and you did try, and it worked, you've been open with me and the others and even stopped overreacting with everyone else to, I can't tell you how many ties you changing has saved both our asses" Lincoln finished with a chuckle

Lynn chuckled too, "tell me about it, remember that time Luna and Luan thought you had cheated on tabby?" Lynn asked

Lincoln nodded, "yeah I remember," Lincoln said "How did they assume I cheated on her when I was just practicing with Haiku for a play?" he asked

"They only focused on the words "love you" and "behind their back" when you were reading that script," Lynn told him "I swear I was so glad that I heard the whole to thing and was before they overreacted"

Lincoln nodded, he then felt his phone buzz and he took it out to see that it was time for him to get going for the day, "I gotta get going... it's time" Lincoln told her

"Are you sure you don't want us to come with you two?" Lynn asked

"We'll be fine" Lincoln told her reassuringly "We'll come back for dinner before we head back to Tabby's place"

Lynn looked at him and nodded, "alright, but remember, we'll be here for you Linc" Lynn told her brother

Lincoln nodded with a soft smile, "I know"

Lincoln told Tabby that it was time to go and she told the two little girls that she would be back soon to play more. Tabby and Lincoln got in the car and headed off to their destination.

.

.

.

.

Now, it was still midday, and Lincoln and tabby had driven uphill and were now on a small mountain range overlooking the town. they stopped the car and got out, Lincoln grabbed a rose as did Tabby, then looking around they found what they were looking for. They watched where they stepped as they passed the many stones that held the names of the dearly departed. Finally, they were at the stone that held a very close friends name

"Hey, Becky... it's been a while" He said "I'm sorry we couldn't make it to your funeral"

They stood in front of the gravestone of their friend Becky. A person who had changed Lincoln's life.

Becky Anderson

June 19th, 1990 - September 31st, 2020

beloved niece, wife, and friend to all

"Lincoln and I are getting married soon and we're both doing great," Tabby told the gravestone "we wished you could be here with us."

"We miss you a lot Becky," Lincoln said

Tears formed in both pairs of eyes as they set the roses on the ground in front of the grave.

"We know you're in a better place, and we hope that you're looking down on us and smiling," Lincoln said as the tears fell "Love you, Becky"

Tabby wiped the tears from her eyes and sniffled before she looked to Lincoln and held his hand and he did the same.

"I never got the chance to actually thank you for everything you did for me, I owed you, and now... now I don't know how I can repay you," Lincoln said, his tone changing

"Linc's a comic book artist now, really famous now too, should have seen him when he won his first award for the best graphic novel of the year, he was in tears" Tabby giggled with tears rolling down her cheeks "I've been working at my own guitar shop and I've been singing on the internet too, lot of people like it"

They said goodbye once more and promised they would visit again at some point. They went back to the car and Tabby started it up and they turned the car around and drove off, Lincoln looked back at the grave from his mirror. as the grave got farther and farther he was still saddened but he felt relief that he at least got to visit her, and he was sure to visit her every time they were in Royal woods.

In a way, things turned out good for him, despite his current loss, he knew that she wanted him to be strong for her, and to carry on. Lincoln would do so, for Becky, for his family, for his fiancee, and for himself.

The End