Lincoln was straightening his orange-colored tie in front of the bathroom mirror. He wasn't sure if he looked good dressed for an important occasion while whatever was left of his bruises on his body continued to heal gradually.
"Are you almost ready?" Jordan walked into the doorway. Her attire consisted of a skirt down to her knees that matched the color of a long-sleeved jacket she wore over a white undershirt. Lincoln turned to look at his girlfriend and then looked back at the mirror and sighed. Since he woke up, he felt like he was mentally drained to the point of being out of words. He just couldn't speak. Anxiety had taken over, but he wasn't panic-stricken or hyperventilating. Somehow it was showing on his outside as being more listless and depressed. Jordan knew it too. She had to help Lincoln get out of bed and guide him downstairs. It was damn near heartbreaking for the young girl and her parents felt bad for both preteens. They hoped that after today, everything could be put behind them and whatever the court judge decided on would be in Lincoln's best interest. But right now, the man with a plan had practically ceased to be, relying on support and comfort just to stay on his feet. The poor boy was overwhelmed from everything that transpired, everything that he felt happened so suddenly. He couldn't believe that a mere week ago, he was on the train to New York City. Staring almost blankly into the mirror, his mouth opened slightly and closed a few times over.
"..." But no words came out, only a few muttering sounds.
"Oh, Linc..." Jordan had never felt so sympathetic towards Lincoln in her entire life. She wanted him back to being fun and lovable, but it looked like that would have to wait. Perhaps when this was all over, Lori could sign him up for therapy. Jordan walked up to Lincoln and rubbed his back up and down. "It's okay," she whispered to him softly. Lincoln wished it was. He felt like crying, but yesterday seemed to be his last day for letting out tears and he just felt like an empty shell of himself today, as if he had clinical depression. There's no doubt he wasn't ready to face his family, despite that he told the visiting officer he was ready to say what needed to be said, whatever it was or would be. "Linc..." murmured Jordan. "Look at me... please..." Lincoln did so and she delicately pulled him in for a little kiss. Afterwards, Lincoln drew in a deep breath and sighed. Jordan held out her hand and Lincoln took it as she gently guided him out of the bathroom. They went down the stairs, holding hands, and Jordan's parents waited for them along with Lori and Leni, all of them well dressed.
"You two look cute together," said Kate. She was either teasing her daughter or trying to lighten the mood. Jordan blushed with a slight smile while Lincoln only turned a little red, but still had a long face on.
"Yeah, too bad we can't exactly drive you to the movies for a date... at least not today," said Jack.
"Dad, Lincoln's still feeling pretty bummed," said a worried Jordan. Lori and Leni both bent down to Lincoln and hugged him together.
"It's gonna be fine, Linc," said Lori in a motherly voice.
Meanwhile, the proud and staunch NYPD officer stood with the Loud parents and their seven other daughters inside the designated court house's lobby. All of them grew increasingly nervous, as they hadn't seen Lincoln with their own eyes since that terrible evening, with the exception of Luna, who got to see Lincoln for a bit of small talk. For a few of them, it did feel a little awkward having to be dressed up and well suited to appear before a professional court judge, namely Lynn Jr., Lana, and even Lola. But for Lola, it was simply because she could not wear her usual princess getup. She had to wear the closest thing to a tux.
"We'll see just how much this unfortunate incident has molded you girls," said the officer. He looked out of a window and saw Kate's car with Jordan, her parents, and the three Loud siblings on their way to the entrance. "Perfect timing." He turned to the remaining Louds standing in the lobby. "He's coming. Hold on to your butts."
The door opened and before the eyes of the Loud family, in came Jack, Kate, Lori, Leni, Girl Jordan, and... Lincoln Loud. There he stood, in his light blue suit, orange tie, and unique white hair, Jordan holding on to his arm for emotional support. There was silence for about thirty seconds before Rita dared to make the first move. The Loud mother looked to the officer, who nodded approvingly at her, and then slowly walked to her only son. Bending down to his level, she gently touched the top of his head and then steadily caressed his cheek. After a week or so of missing, Rita's baby boy was really there, in front of her. Lincoln gradually raised his own hand to touch his mother's warm hand, holding it against his cheek. As she felt her son's hand, she examined him a little more and there were the bruises. They were healing nicely, so thankfully she never got to see just how badly seven of her daughters physically harmed him. But it was obvious how badly they mentally scarred him. She could see it in his eyes.
"My... my baby..." Rita whispered to Lincoln. Fresh, large tears suddenly formed in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks as he let out a muffle. Rita finally broke down herself, hugging her son after what felt like forever, far too long for any parent to be separated from a child. "Lincoln... I'm so sorry..." she cried. Lincoln was crying as well, but in his state of mind, it sounded like he was stifling his sobbing.
"Hey, sport," said Lynn Sr., embracing his son and forming a three-way hug. "Son..." he murmured.
"Mom... D...Dad... I..." Lincoln began whimpering, his tears practically preventing him from speaking coherently. "I...I-I-I...I-I..." This tacking on to Lincoln reuniting with his parents hit home for Jordan and to some extent her mother. Jack pulled out a handkerchief for his wife to dab her eyes. All nine of Lincoln's sisters present were also letting tears out of their own. But eventually, Lincoln swallowed hard and finally spoke his first sentence of the day. "I-I...sh-shouldn't-t...ha-a-av-v-ve...r-run-n...a-away-y-y-y...y...y..." He let out a little hiccup from crying way too much.
"Oh, sweetheart..." sighed Rita. "Your father and I let this happen to you... and we shouldn't have."
"She's right, sport," said Lynn Sr. "We let our girls have the run of the house and... they took advantage of you."
"Speaking of," said the officer to Lincoln. "You'll be happy to know that they all confessed to whatever actions they committed against you yesterday evening, including Lori and Leni." Lincoln's eyes widened, the last of his tears leaking out.
"B...but... th-they..." Lincoln stammered, trying to defend them, but didn't have enough words in him then and there.
"I'm aware," said the officer. "And that's where you come in. Young Mr. Loud, your role in this private hearing is to testify. Only then can the judge decide what would not only be favorable for the law, but also you. But right now, it looks like you need a few. Good thing you all came early... because we got time." He gave a curtly nod to the seven sisters who wronged Lincoln to begin with. "Do what you have to."
"One at a time, girls," Rita reminded them gently. And so, one by one, each sorry sister steadily approached Lincoln and he allowed them all to share a big hug with him. Whether it was because Lincoln's mind was too frazzled or if he simply trusted them to come near him because they wouldn't dare harm with the officer in the vicinity, in that moment, he had finally set aside his anger and fear for them and allowed them to show him their love and compassion for him - Luan, Lynn Jr., Lucy, Lola, Lana, Lisa, and finally Luna. Luna put on a sad smile and then started sniffling and sobbing before she hugged her baby bro at last, something she had longed to do at Jordan's place but didn't get the chance.
"Bruh..." she choked out in between sobs. Jordan didn't seem to keen about Lincoln's sisters even touching him at first, but she had to let it happen. Even she couldn't hate them forever. Suddenly, Lincoln began looking around. Something was amiss... or someone.
"Wh...where's Lily?" he asked.
"We left her with Pop-Pop, honey," Rita responded. "We didn't know how long we'd be here and-"
"Hold it, hold it..." The officer cut her off. "Now I have to ask a question for my own clarification here. You didn't know how long this endeavor was gonna take, you didn't count on not being successful, and you left your two-year-old in a relative's care until further notice. You didn't want her involved with the police? What if this hearing was to concern her too?" The officer suggested that a bit of a whoopsie might have been made. What would happen today would likely affect the entire family and their youngest daughter was not present for the important hearing. Perhaps this wouldn't help the family's case, but it was too early to tell. "This is just sad," sighed the officer, rubbing his temples singlehandedly. "I could use a quarter pounder with cheese right about now."
Eventually, everyone settled down and followed the officer, along with two of his colleagues, to the court room doors. This is where things would surely start going down. The officer and Kate each held folders containing important documents.
"Kate, as you know, you'll be Lincoln Loud's lawyer," the officer declared. Kate nodded before bending down to Lincoln.
"Are you ready?" she asked him. Lincoln sniffled once more, took a few deep breaths, looked at Kate, and then nodded. "All right. Let's get this over with." Everyone went inside the court room to begin the hearing.
The private court hearing began with the officer handing the judge his folder, which contained necessary files and documents. The Loud family sat in two rows - the parents and the four younger siblings in the front with Luna, Luan, and Lynn Jr. directly behind them. The officer remained standing nearby while his two colleagues barricaded the room door. Lincoln sat not too far from his parents with Jordan and Kate on either side of him with Lori and Leni in a row directly behind him. Leni couldn't help but give a little kindly wave to Lincoln, making him crack a small smile, which he needed to put on badly. He was here to testify and he had to be strong for his family regardless of whether he was with them or against them.
"Lincoln Albert Loud," declared the judge. "Please rise." Lincoln gulped and stood up, Jordan still holding his hand as she sat. Kate briefly put her arm on Lincoln's shoulder and nodded to him, as if to encourage him. "As I consider the ramifications of your family's confessions, this begins with you and whatever statements you are able to give. Are you with me so far?" Lincoln bravely nodded, so the judge went on. "To keep things simple, you'll present to this court of law your testimony, in which you are free to add in your own point of view. Then, we will allow any of your family members to have their say, if any, and then your lawyer will make her statements and finally, young Mr. Loud, you will give a closing statement along with any thoughts you have on this hearing. Are you ready?" Again, Lincoln nodded, like he wanted to save his words for any speech he could give. "Then we'll begin," said the judge. Lincoln knew this meant going back through his terrible, painful memory once more, but he was not alone, and he needed to testify to help decide his family's fate. As Lincoln began to speak and recall vividly what happened on that night that tore him up, Jordan stood up and began to rub his shoulders to help give him emotional strength.
Good luck, Leni, Lincoln thought to himself. He walked to his room and entered before lying down on his bed and hoping that in some way, everything would go back to normal. He started hearing the squeak of the stairs, signaling to him that his sisters were about to have the fateful meeting. He opened his door enough to see with his eyes his sisters entering Leni's room, all with smug and confident faces. Slowly, he counted them until they all went in, the door closed, and the meeting had begun. Even though he wasn't a part of the meeting, he was still getting knots in his stomach. Deciding to calm himself down, he closed his door and picked up an Ace Savvy comic book from his desk. Reading for what felt like hours with a slight unease of how much time it was taking, he gulped and his heart started beating a little faster with each passing second. He could hear high voices coming from Leni's room and were then suddenly silenced, which put him on edge. Then, there was a sound of a door slamming open with pure anger and Lincoln hoped for the best and also feared for the worst. He thought that his other seven sisters would all retreat to their rooms soon enough, but more and more footsteps came closer and closer... to his room. And then, the sounds suspiciously stopped. It felt like they were right outside his door, waiting for him to take a small breath to let them know he was there. Lincoln was quiet and scared at this point, not knowing what was happening until his door was kicked open out of anger. And there they stood, seven angry sisters.
"SHE CHOSE YOU!" That was all Lincoln could understand as shadows of his sisters loomed over him. The next moments of his life were easily his most painful ones.
Several times over, Lincoln had paused briefly in between words, practically choking up and feeling like he would burst into tears at any moment. Each time, Jordan did her best to soothe him by giving massage-like rubs with her soft gentle hands on his shoulders, arms, and backside.
"I-I... I... I wish n-none of this... ever h-happened," Lincoln quivered through tears. He sniffled heavily. "I-I-I... I... I d-don't know h-how many times... I-I've h-had to relive this... until I can just... put it behind me..." Of course, Lincoln wasn't the only person recounting it as utterly painful. The seven sisters directly involved had to listen to Lincoln tearfully retell his tale and from his point of view, making them feel like total monsters. Lana and Lola held each other, Lynn Jr. buried her face in her hands with Luan holding her, Luna's lips quivered and her eyes bore pure sadness, and both Lucy and Lisa held their mom, unsure if they could keep it together while they were all wracked with guilt. When the judge acknowledged that Lincoln was finished, it was time for the next set of statements to be said.
"To the persons involved and to their parents, have any of you anything to say, be it in your defense or otherwise?" asked the judge. Luna was the first to rise and start talking.
"We have... nothing to offer in defense," Luna confessed. "I think I speak for the seven of us."
"Our actions were immature..." said Luan.
"Damaging..." Lynn Jr. added.
"Dark..." Lucy spoke up.
"Selfish..." Lola blurted.
"Disgusting..." Lana added.
"And every definition of wrong," Lisa finished.
"And we have our fair share of the blame as... failed parents," said Lynn Sr., the Loud father. "By simply stepping aside and allowing our daughters free reign... it all amounted to... our only son... getting swept up in the crossfire."
"Our little boy paid for our mistakes," Rita confessed. "We proved to be... irresponsible." It was then time for Kate, serving as Lincoln's lawyer, to come forward and present the judge with her documents and statements.
"Yesterday evening, the eleven Loud family members held in police custody confessed to their actions," said Kate. "And apparently, their assault on Lincoln wasn't the whole story. There are numerous other incidents, each and every one of them building up to what finally sent the young boy over the edge. While they were passed off as him being nothing more than annoyed at their antics at best, it was as a result, the mental buildup was too great and he was unable to release all of his buried emotions until it was too late." The judge looked over the written documents from Kate, eyed the family sitting before them once, and then proceeded to read from the documents.
"We have as follows," said the judge. "Lisa Loud, armed with a scalpel in an attempt to 'borrow' one of the boy's kidneys..." This first piece of information came as a gigantic shocker to everyone else present in the room. Jordan in particular let out a small yelp, covering her mouth with her hands. If she didn't hate Lincoln's sisters enough, this would be a game changer. "Luan Loud, April Fool's Day pranks that I dare not describe, but have had the potential to either kill or permanently disable victims." It started to become apparent that the Loud parents weren't even aware of possibly half the atrocities the Loud sisters committed and that poor Lincoln, despite only ever getting annoyed, was secretly too afraid to tell them. That and perhaps the parents never exactly sided with him out of fear of playing favorites. "Luna Loud, the use of musical equipment as weapons, namely temporarily deafening the boy with speakers set to maximum volume." Luna sat crying in silence hearing this. Now what would Lincoln think of them having to remember every single painful memory in addition to the most recent one they gave him? "Lola Loud, baiting her sisters into humiliating her brother for wearing noise-cancelling headphones." The Loud parents sat wide-eyed in shock. Lynn Sr.'s mouth was agape while Rita covered her mouth, hot tears running down her face in shame and embarrassment. Lincoln never told them any of this, but it was all too easy to understand why. "Lynn Loud Jr., where do we begin?" The athlete sister gulped, knowing full aware what was coming and it was gonna sting hard. "And many if not all specifically target the boy in question. We have reckless roughhousing, capable of causing broken ribs, concussions, and such, wrestling, throwing fast balls, uncouth hygiene, and stealing his breakfast for nearly a month after the boy began middle school!" It sounded like even the judge was beginning to get angry and worse, the parents were ready to explode on the spot. Rita began sobbing quietly. "And then there are actions caused by all of them - assaulting their brother in the family's van over a seat, pressuring him to kiss a girl, and then there's Leni Loud..." Sweat droplet formed on Leni's face and ran down. "Last night, she confessed that she might have been manipulated by her other sisters to behave aggressively towards her brother." Oh, that, thought Leni, relieved. Yes, she had let out a rather tearful confession, but given the current circumstance at hand, the officer decided to let Lori and Leni off the hook... almost too easily, it seemed. "And finally," said the judge. "We have... locking the boy outside of his home at the age of 11 for more than a single night under false pretenses!" This was easily the most infamous one of all, an actual crime committed by the family. While intended to teach Lincoln a lesson for merely lying, instead of a simple grounding, which he was no stranger to, the family chose to take fifty steps too far. "Young Mr. Loud," the judge addressed to Lincoln. "You've heard the confessions listed here in the case of this hearing - all here, black and white, clear as crystal - so it falls on you to answer truthfully." Lincoln gulped as the judge went on. "The apoplectic assault on you the night you ran away from home... Was it really not the first time such an atrocity was committed upon you, in which case all of these confessions are true?"
This was it. One little word was all it would take and it fell upon the terrified white-haired boy. He quickly pondered back to his conversation with Jordan's dad, Jack.
"Lincoln... there's no easy way to say this, so no beating around the bush. I want to get the law involved in this matter, but I also want to know if this is what you want. I want to know if I have your support in this," Jack explained as best he could. Lincoln's face changed instantly upon hearing the question to one of unsureness. An internal war was going on inside his head. Yes, what his sisters did to him was undoubtedly in the wrong and if the law was involved, there would be a punishment. But was he really about to betray his family in exchange for revenge?
"I-I... I want to... take some time... and think about it. Is that okay?" asked Lincoln, still somewhat on shaky grounds. Jack nodded.
"As I wanted to say before, take your time. Nothing needs to be decided here and now today," Jack pointed out. They both stood up and Jack offered Lincoln a handshake and he took it. "It's been a pleasure to talk you, kiddo. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask me. Alright?"
"I will. Thanks, Jack."
Lincoln had asked for more time and now, it had run out. He had to come to a decision, but it seemed to be made for him. Even in a private hearing, he was technically under oath. If he spoke the truth, his family was likely to be condemned, but if he stayed silent, he'd be damned. Who would he hurt? His family or himself? He knew his seven sisters involved this time around were truly sorry and wanted nothing more than to be a family again, even though they understood that they would have to face the consequences first. But at this point, no matter what, it would be a a long time before that happened. So how could they think differently of him? They seemed prepared to accept their brother telling the truth about them, while the Loud parents definitely wanted to hear what their only son had been holding back. Perhaps this would give Lincoln the time he needed to be away from his family until his own mental health could recover enough, but there was still no telling what would happen to them... or him. It was now or never and the young boy finally believed he had nothing to lose. Taking a few deep, shaky breaths, tears staining his face, he gave the judge his judge his final answer.
"Yes," he blurted out, his voice completely hitched and on the verge of weeping for the umpteenth time. Rita began sobbing silently again, now knowing a lot more of what her daughters did behind closed doors, while Lynn Sr. paled, not looking too good himself.
"Very well," said the judge. "If you are able, would you care to provide this hearing with a closing statement?" Lincoln's next choice of words left his mouth with stifled sobs.
"I-I... I never wanted any of this to happen." Lincoln swallowed a lump in this throat. "I just...w-wanted to live a normal life... and I... I...I... I feel like I lost it... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." Speaking finally became too much for the poor boy and he broke down in tears once more, Jordan caressing him for comfort.
"Now for the Loud family," said the judge. "You've heard young Mr. Loud's testimony and statements. Is there anything to wish to say before I pass sentencing?"
"No," said Luna. Lola gave a tug at her in response.
"But I'm too young and beautiful to go to jail!" she cried, keeping her voice down.
"Quiet," said Luna firmly before speaking to the judge again. "And I think I speak for my sisters that... we've said and done enough. My baby bro has said enough too." Seeing her little brother cry his eyes out today was far too much for her to bear. He was in a state of grief, completely contrary to his slightly calm demeanor when she first crossed paths with him after he ran away a week ago. But Lynn Loud Sr. stood up.
"There is something... I would like to say," he said. "And... Your Honor, I wish to say it directly to my son."
"Granted," said the judge, so the Loud father made his way over to his crying son, wrapped in Jordan's embrace. Jordan let him go and Lincoln turned to cry in his father's arms.
"I'm so sorry, son," said Lynn Sr. "Whatever happens to us, I want you to know something." Lincoln looked into his eyes. "We love you," Lynn Sr. continued. "You were very brave today, and I'm proud of you." This almost made Lincoln feel even more ashamed. He had stood up to his family, but at the same time, he never wanted them to pay the price for it.
"My baby," said Rita, also embracing her only son. "Your father and I never realized how much you were hurting until it was too late. We promise that things will be different, but it might not happen starting with us." With everyone then back in their seats, the judge began to pass the sentence that would decide the Loud family's fate.
"The first sentence begins with the seven Loud sisters directly involved," declared the judge. "For Luan Loud and Luna Loud... Juvenile Hall, three days. For Lynn Jr., two weeks. And yes, they will start during the beginning of your next school terms." This meant that juvie would take away those first days in school, forcing the sentenced sisters to have to catch up with necessary school work and such. "As for young Mr. Loud's younger sisters," the judge went on. "While we will entrust their parents to provide necessary punishment, I'm afraid it will not happen right away, as your little girls will instead be placed separately in child day care." This earned a gasp from almost everyone else present, the exceptions being Kate, Jack, and the officer standing by. Lola and Lana held on to each other, afraid that even they would be separated from each other. "This being because... for Rita Loud and Lynn Loud Sr., you will temporarily lose custody of your younger children, including both Lincoln and Lily Loud." This was already starting to be a little bit too much. Silent tears came down the faces of every Loud sister. Lincoln was biting his lower lip to the point of almost making it bleed. He pretty much got what he wanted, to stay far away from his family until he was ready, but even he didn't predict it would go like this despite that he should have seen it coming.
"Please, not my babies!" Rita pleaded. "Not my little Lily!" This would leave Rita with only Leni, Luna, Luan, and Lynn Jr., and even then, they had to survive juvie first. The judge swiftly made a hand motion to gesture Rita to simmer down.
"As I said," the judge went on. "This is only a temporary separation. In the meantime, the Loud parents are hereby sentenced to special parenting classes and will be required to earn official parenting licenses in order to regain custody of your younger children. These classes can take from three to six months to complete and afterwards, you both will take on 30 days of community service." Either the law was coming down hard on the family, or actually showing an act of mercy to them. The Loud parents could have easily been sent to jail over expelling their only son from the house as it was. "Furthermore," said the judge. "The court hereby grants Lori L. Loud full legal guardianship of Lincoln and Lily Loud, effective immediately." Now this came completely out of nowhere. At 18 years of age, Lori was considered a certified adult, so being able to look after both her little brother and baby sister was possible. However, the upcoming responsibility was beginning to rain on her parade. She and Bobby were living together in the same apartment as is and so they would have to make arrangements. Lily would have to be relocated, and so Pop-Pop would have to be told the truth, what really happened. And Lincoln would have to transfer to a middle school in Great Lakes City. Poor Lori's head began to swim in thoughts and she felt that she would drown. But no, she had to be a responsible adult for the sake of Lincoln and Lily. Even though she might not have been given the best upbringing and her desire for control overshadowed her love for her little brother at times, her past had to come to an end and no longer define her. This was now. "This hearing is now dismissed!" the judge suddenly boomed, snapping Lori out of her thoughts of what the future held. The officer came forward to discuss matters with the judge and fill out any necessary paperwork. The other two officers in the room came forward to escort the Loud parents and seven of their daughters out, but they were to wait outside the room. Kate then approached the stern officer.
"I can't tell you how glad I am that this dispute was resolved in a single day," said the officer. "Let's talk about that vacation of yours... Shall we?" Kate looked back to Lincoln.
"One moment," she said and the officer nodded understandingly so. There Lincoln sat, surrounded by Lori, Leni, and Jordan, all embracing him for sheer comfort. The white-haired boy, 12 years old, the man with the plan, buried his face in his hands and cried. It was over. It was all over.