Hello everyone. I'm finally back after over 3 long weeks! I apologize for not updating sooner; I was busy away with studying for and completing my finals. But at long last, I'm now free from my school obligations (for about 5 weeks). I hope to be updating this story more often as a result.

Anyways, before getting to the chapter itself, I wanted to respond to some guest reviews I received on chapter 7:

Kirby: Thanks for your request and I appreciate that you've given me permission to use your character in my story. Unfortunately, I do have to tell you that I'm not interested in taking my story in the direction you requested as I have different plans for this story. Believe me, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but I hope you don't take it personally. It's just that I want my story to go in a different direction.

Tristen: You're welcome for the birthday mention in the last chapter. I hope you enjoy your adulthood!

As for your more recent comment, I'm not sure if that was meant as a negative or a positive thing, but I will say that it wasn't my intention in making the last chapter parallel to chapter 10 of "Companionship" as far as the sad sentiments go. I hadn't read chapter 10 of "Companionship" until about a day after I had finished writing the last chapter. Anyways, Lynn making Lincoln cry had been the direction I had intended for chapter 7 as I was trying to introduce some conflict; it was never meant to be parallel to "Companionship". I'm sorry if you saw it that way, but hopefully this clears up your potential concern.

Alright everyone. Here goes chapter 8. I hope you enjoy!

Lincoln and Lola observed as Lynn Sr. ran up towards them with Lisa, Lori, Leni, and Luna following behind him. Lincoln smiled wide upon seeing the five coming up to him and in no time, he found himself being wrapped in the arms of his father.

"Lincoln, I'm so glad to have finally found you," Lynn Sr. said as he struggled to not break into tears. "I was worried that you had gone missing!"

"It's okay Dad," Lincoln said calmly. "I'm right here. I'm guessing you already know why I decided to run off?"

"Yes, son. Luan told me and your mother everything. I'm very sorry that your sister Lynn said those things to you. She can be quite the competitive person when it comes to anything game related."

"I can tell," Lincoln said chuckling a bit.

"But I want to let you know that neither me nor your mother tolerate bullying in our family. What Lynn did to you is completely unacceptable and it will not go unpunished. Your mother is in the arcade having a serious talk with Lynn about this and we will both make sure that from now on she treats you with respect, okay son?"

"Okay Dad. I understand and I'm more than willing to forgive Lynn as long as she never insults me the way she did ever again. Can I just ask you for one favor though?"

"Sure Lincoln, anything for my son!"

"Just don't go too hard on Lynn. I don't want her to feel like she's a terrible sister. She may have been mean to me, but I still love her."

Lynn Sr. had to process Lincoln's words for a moment. On the one hand, he admired the fact that Lincoln wanted to put all this into the past and get to form a good bond with his athletic sister. But on the other hand, he was still angry and furious with Lynn for what she did. He had no idea what he'd say to her once he confronted her.

At last, Lynn Sr. spoke. "You've got a kind heart Lincoln. I'm really glad that you still love Lynn. You do know that as a father I still have to punish Lynn because she needs to learn from this experience. But I will do my best to be calm with her," Lynn Sr. said, barely able to contain his anger.

"Thanks Dad," Lincoln said as he hugged his father. "I love you so much."

"I love you too Lincoln," the patriarch said as he broke the hug. Immediately after, Lori, Leni, Luna, and Lisa embraced their brother in a group hug, with Lola hopping off the bench she was sitting in to join the group hug. (Despite Luna having felt awkward around Lincoln before, she felt so moved by what he went through that she finally broke away from her insecurities and allowed herself to cuddle her young brother.)

"We love you Lincoln," the five sisters said in unison.

"I love you guys as well," Lincoln replied, feeling much better.

"Alright kids," Lynn Sr. spoke up as the group hug broke. "How about we go to McDonald's and grab some grub? I'm starting to feel my stomach beg for some nutrients."

Everyone then realized that they too felt hungry. "Sounds great!" they said. They all began to walk over to the McDonald's restaurant, each planning out what to eat upon getting there.

As they continued walking, Lynn Sr. leaned down to Lola's ear and whispered, "I don't know what you and Lincoln said to each other before I got here, but it looks like you really helped cheer him up because he was smiling when I caught sight of him. I'm sure you told him some really nice things and I just wanted to thank you so much for caring about your brother. I'll make sure to get you a nice reward for what you did."

"Aww, thanks Dad! I'm just glad Linky's feeling better now," she replied, blushing a bit from her kiss with Lincoln earlier.

Just then, Lana came up running behind the group. "Lincoln!" she yelled.

Lincoln turned around, only to find his young mechanic sister jumping into his arms. He was a bit stunned by how sudden Lana appeared, but still happy to see her.

"Aww Lincoln, I'm so glad I finally found you," Lana said as she kissed Lincoln's cheek.

"It's okay Lana, everything's okay," he said, holding Lana tightly in his arms. "I'm right here. And so is Dad and five of our sisters. We're going to grab some food here at McDonald's."

"Aw sweet! I'm definitely in!" Lana shouted with excitement, now cuddled in Lincoln's arms as if she were a baby. Lincoln only smiled at how cute Lana looked and patted her baseball cap.

"Glad to hear that. And thanks for having gone searching for me. It means a lot to me," he said, kissing Lana's forehead. Lana smiled in return and hugged her brother more tightly as the group now entered the McDonald's in Dairyland to get some good grub.


Lynn Jr. felt herself shrink as she now faced her infuriated mother. She had never expected her day to take such a wild turn.

"Alright Lynn, I want you to be completely honest with me," Rita spoke with a strict tone. "Why did you say those mean and insulting things about your brother?"

Lynn struggled to formulate her words. She didn't know what exact words she could use to calm her mother down. No matter what she said, her mother would remain mad at her because no explanation could justify what she did to Lincoln. Unfortunately for Lynn, she didn't have much time to think.

"Answer me when I'm talking to you young lady! I want an answer and I want it now!"

Unable to hold back, Lynn found herself breaking into tears. "Okay, okay, I admit it! I said those mean things about Lincoln because I was just trying to mess around with him! I thought that he was tough and wouldn't mind some teasing and fooling around. I didn't think he'd end up feeling this way…"

Rita only sighed. She may have been angry with Lynn's actions, but she was still her daughter nonetheless, and she didn't want to see her cry. She quickly grabbed her athletic daughter and hugged her tightly as she continued to sob.

"Lynn," Rita said in a calmer tone. "Look at me." Lynn did as she was told, with tears still in her eyes. "I can see that you regret what you did, and I am very disappointed in you for the way you acted. I have always taught you to be nice to your siblings, to treat them with respect. I have said so many times to all of you that you need to treat everyone with kindness and respect. It's the only way to make good friends in life. No one wants to make friends with a person who only insults them. No one wants to be friends with a person that will treat them badly. Do you understand me Lynn?"

Lynn nodded, "Yes Mom."

"Good. I don't like seeing any of my children upset. And you do realize that you didn't only hurt Lincoln's feelings right?"

"Yeah, I hurt Luan and Lana's feelings too. And I'm so sorry for what I did," Lynn said through sobs. "I know that simply saying sorry isn't enough, but believe me, I really feel bad for what I did."

Rita only tightened her hold on Lynn. "I can tell that you're being sincere, and I appreciate that you are recognizing your mistakes. I don't want you to feel upset because you're my daughter and I love you. However, as a good mother, I do have to punish you because you need to be able to learn from your mistakes and I want to make sure that you will never make this same mistake again. So, for now, you're going to have to follow me around for the rest of the day. You are not to play any games or go on any rides. Understood?"

Lynn nodded, "Yes, understood."

"And listen to me, when it's time for all of us to go back home, I'm going to have you ride in the passenger seat up front so that there aren't any issues between you and any of your siblings. When we get home, you are to wait until everyone has gotten off Vanzilla and gone inside the house. After everyone's gone inside, you and I will both walk up to your room and I'll explain what my punishment is for you. Your father will probably be there as well to have a serious talk with you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, loud and clear."

"Okay, I don't want to ever hear of you mistreating your siblings. You may be a strong, competitive, and determined athlete, but that doesn't mean that you're allowed to go off insulting whoever you'd like, especially not your own family."

"I understand, and like I said, I'm really sorry for what I did. I'll accept whatever punishment you and Dad have for me."

"Good," Rita said. "I appreciate that you understand that what you did was wrong. Now it's time to fix that. I will gladly accept your apology, but only until you have apologized to Lincoln, Lana, and Luan. Got it?"

"Yes," Lynn replied.

"Alright," Rita said, releasing Lynn from their embrace. "Now follow me young lady, let's go see if we can find your brother. I hope your father al—" Just then, Rita heard her phone sound. She pulled it out of her pocket and saw that it was her husband calling her.

Answering the call, she said, "Lynn! Honey, any updates on the search?"

"Yes!" Lynn Sr. responded happily. "We found Lincoln! We're eating in the McDonald's over on the other side of the park."

"Oh honey, I'm so glad to hear that! Is Lincoln alright?"

"Yes, he is doing okay. He seems to feel much better now and is having some fun talking with the twins."

"Awesome honey! I'll meet you over there in a few minutes."

"Sounds great! Well, I'll see you when you get here!"

"Alright honey, take care!" Rita said, hanging up the call. To Lynn, she said, "Good news Lynn, your father already found Lincoln. They're over at the McDonald's having a meal. We're going to walk over there and when we get there, I want you to apologize to your siblings. If all goes well, I may allow you to ride with your siblings when we head back home and I will also accept your apology. Sound like a plan?"

"Totally Mom, let's go," Lynn said, eager to make amends.


A few minutes later, Rita and Lynn Jr. made it to the McDonald's, just in time to see Lynn Sr., along with Lincoln, Lisa, Lana, Lola, Luna, Leni, and Lori exiting the restaurant. Lynn Jr., ashamed and nervous, decided to hide behind her mother.

"Uh-uh, Lynn," Rita said, taking notice of her young athlete's intentions. "I want you right in front of me young lady. You brought this upon yourself and it's time for you to make everything right." Lynn slowly peered out, obeying her mother.

"Honey!" Rita then shouted to Lynn Sr., taking off to embrace her husband with Lynn Jr. alongside her.

"Honey, I'm so glad to see you. Thanks for being such a good man and for finding Lincoln. You've got a special surprise coming up tonight!"

Lynn Sr. blushed. "You're welcome hun. I'm just glad Lincoln's alright."

Rita then turned to see Lincoln sharing laughs with Luna and rushed over to envelope him in a hug.

"Oh Lincoln! I'm so glad you're okay!" she said with glee.

"Hey Mom! I'm glad to see too!" the white-haired boy said.

"Feeling better now?"

"Sure am." He then spotted Lynn Jr. standing several feet away and said, "Mom, if it's alright with you, I'd like to say some words to Lynn."

Rita nodded. "Absolutely son." She turned around to Lynn and shouted, "Lynn! Come over here, your brother wants to say some words to you."

Lynn panicked, and at the same time felt perplexed. "Did my Mom just say that Lincoln wants to say some words to me?! How could this be?! After what I said to him, how could he possibly want to talk to me?" Then it hit her. "Oh wait, I know what's going to happen. He only wants to tell me how much he hates me. I bet he'll just tell me that he doesn't want to ever see me again." She sighed. "Welp, I guess let's get this over with."

Lynn walked over to where Rita and Lincoln stood. Rita told her, "Alright Lynn, I'm going to give you some space to talk with your brother. But I'll be watching and listening to you. I'd better not hear any negative things escaping your mouth. Got it?"

"Yes Mom."

"Alright, go ahead and talk with your brother," Rita said as she went back over to her husband to talk with him about their athletic daughter and the punishment she'd be getting later.

"Hey Linc," Lynn managed to say, her eyes facing the ground. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"Hey Lynn, yes, I have some things I wanted to say to you," Lincoln said with a stern expression on his face. Lynn caught his expression and braced herself for the worst.

"Alright, here it comes…" Lynn thought to herself.

"I've been thinking about what happened earlier today, and, well, let's just say that I didn't appreciate how you insulted me, Lana, and Luan." Lynn felt a fierce stab in her heart hearing those words. She wanted to speak up at that moment but decided to allow Lincoln to continue.

"I know that I said that you weren't my sister Lynn. But…that's not true. You're still my sister Lynn. Even though you really hurt my feelings, I still love you. All I needed was some time to be able to process my emotions. Our Dad and some of our other sisters were able to help me calm down. And at the end of it all, yes, you did offend me and I don't appreciate what you did. But you're still my sister and I think I can put this all in the past. So what do you say? Let's start this over from the top. I'm Lincoln Loud, your new young brother," he said, extending his hand for a handshake.

Instead of getting a handshake though, he found himself getting a tight hug from his athletic sister. Lynn now cried into her brother's left shoulder, moved by his words.

"I'm sorry Lincoln! I'm really, really sorry for those nasty things I said to you! I don't know why I let myself do this to you! You didn't deserve to be treated that way! In fact, I don't deserve your forgiveness, I don't deserve your love!" Lynn wept.

Lincoln hugged Lynn tightly and caressed her hair. "No Lynn don't say that! I'm your brother, how could I not love you?"

"I don't deserve it! You deserve to have a sister who's much better than I am. You deserve a sister who will always treat you good, not hurt you like I did."

"Lynn, look at me," Lincoln said, getting the athlete to make eye contact with him. "I know you really regret what you did. And I don't want you to suffer like this. You are my sister, I love you. And I forgive you. Don't let your thoughts bring you down. I don't want to see you this way."

"But Lincoln, don't you see?! I hurt your feelings!"

"Lynn, everyone makes mistakes. I've made terrible mistakes before too. Once I kicked a little girl back when I was at the adoption center for beating me at a game of UNO. My caretakers punished me by not letting me watch TV and play games, and by not letting me talk with the other kids for three days. But thanks to that experience, I learned to behave better. I learned to never again hurt anyone if I lost a game. You too will learn from this experience Lynn. I know you will. And I can tell that everything you've just said to me is coming from your heart. Everything's going to be okay Lynn, okay? Promise me that you'll stop saying bad stuff about yourself, okay? You're a great girl with lots of talents. I love you."

Lynn's heart warmed. "Thanks Lincoln, you're a really good brother and I wouldn't trade your love for the world," she said. Then, she unexpectedly found herself planting a passionate kiss onto Lincoln's lips, stunning them both, but they let themselves enjoy the kiss.

Meanwhile, Rita and Lynn Sr. had been observing and listening to Lynn and Lincoln's entire exchange, only to be shocked with their athletic daughter's sudden act.

The other Loud sisters present also took surprise upon seeing Lynn suddenly kiss Lincoln's mouth. And it made them mad.

"What the—?! Are you literally kidding me?" Lori asked with displeasure.

"That is totes, not cool," Leni said.

"Dude, there's no way I just saw Lynn kiss Lincoln like that. This can't be," Luna added.

Lana said, "After all she did to our brother and now she's going to try to buy him over like that? No way!"

Lisa simply shrugged it off, not caring less about the matter, stating, "Eh, just brother to sister love. Nothing to be concerned about."

But Lola seemed the most ticked off. "How could Lynn just do that to my prince! He's my prince, MINE! She doesn't deserve Linky! She doesn't deserve him for the way she treated him!"

As for Lynn Sr. and Rita, they felt a tension rise in the air. They glanced over at the angered Loud sisters and back to Lynn and Lincoln. Feeling like something needed to be done, Rita walked over to the still embraced Lynn and Lincoln and decided to say, "Looks like you two were able to make up."

Lincoln, breaking away from Lynn's hug, managed to say, "Yep. I'm glad we did. And she definitely meant everything she told me." Lincoln blushed a bit from Lynn's kiss, but was glad and thankful to have reconciled with her.

"You don't say," Rita chuckled. "Well Lynn," she said facing the athlete. "How do you feel about apologizing to Lana?"

"I think I'll go do that now!"

"Great! I'll come with you if it helps you feel more comfortable."

"Sure, I'd appreciate that, thanks!" With that Lynn gave Lincoln a quick hug and approached the other Loud sisters.

"Lana," Rita began. "Lynn has something she wants to say to you. Lynn?"

"Um, yes, I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry for those harsh things I said to you," Lynn said. "I should have never been mean to you or to Lincoln. I understand that you're still mad at me, but I hope to be able to fix all of this. I want to be a better sister to you and all my siblings. I'm sorry."

Lana was indeed still mad about the whole ordeal. While Lincoln may have forgiven Lynn, Lana was still too upset to be able to forgive Lynn that easily. But because her mother was standing right in front of her she had to fake her forgiveness as to not disappoint her.

"Alright Lynn, I forgive you," Lana said with a still angry expression on her face.

"Thanks Lans," Lynn said happily. "Glad you could understand me."

"Very well Lynn. Let's go see if we can find Luan so you can apologize to her too. I think she's over at a hot dog stand near the arcades," Rita said smiling.

"Sounds like a deal, catch you later Lana," Lynn said as she took off with her mother to find Luan.

Lana didn't immediately respond. She waited until the two had walked a considerable distance before muttering, "I forgive you in your dreams you jerk. Lincoln deserves respect, not those stupid insults. And if you can't be a good sister to him, then I will. I should've been the one that kissed him, not you!" Lana then blushed in jealousy. Had she just admitted to herself that she had feelings for Lincoln? Had she just told herself that she wished that she had been in Lynn's shoes to deliver a kiss on Lincoln's soft lips? Lana stopped to think about what she had said for a moment, realizing that maybe she did love Lincoln in more than just a sisterly way.

But she wasn't the only to come to this conclusion. Luna had only felt herself feel more profound feelings for Lincoln than she had before. "That stupid athlete! I should have been the one to kiss Lincoln's lips. He deserves love, not bullying!" she said out loud, only to realize the fact all too late.

Lori, Leni, Lola, Lana, and Lisa had overheard Luna's words. They all frowned at her in anger.

"What was that you said about kissing Lincoln's lips?" Lola yelled.

"Oh crud, I said that out loud didn't I?" Luna blushed, embarrassed.

"Literally," Lori said. "And I'm warning you, don't you dare try to pull a fast one on Lincoln. Or else I will literally turn you into a human pretzel!"

"Can it with the 'human pretzel' threat. You don't scare me too much anyway," Luna retorted.

"Oh really?" Lori taunted. "Maybe I should pulverize you into dust instead!" she yelled, balling her fists.

"Or, how about I totes run you into the ground Lori?!" Leni yelled.

"Normally I'm not one to obsess with human emotions, but, if any of you try to win Lincoln's heart, I'm not going to think twice before using my nuclear weapons on you all," the young prodigy asserted.

"Lisa? You too?!" Lana asked.

"Hey, who's to say that scientists can't become captivated in the world of romance?" Lisa protested.

"Well, I don't care, Lincoln is going to be mine because I'm the oldest in this family, and therefore I call dibs on Lincoln!" Lori boasted.

"No, I get dibs on Lincoln!" Luna shouted.

"No, I do!" Lola exclaimed, "I'm the one who helped cheer him up, and besides, who can resist the elegance of a beautiful princess?"

"Bleh!" Lana remarked, only to get Lola to start a cloud fight with her. Lori, Leni, Luna, and Lisa joined the fight, punching each other over who would win Lincoln's heart.

Lincoln and his father had been meanwhile talking about plans for the coming week when they took notice of the altercation taking place between the six Loud sisters.

"What the heck is going on?" Lincoln asked, worried.

"I don't know but none of this is good. I'm gonna go stop the fight, wait for me here on the bench okay?"

"Sure thing Dad." Lincoln agreed. Lynn Sr. took off to break the fight amongst the six Loud sisters and with a worried, yet stern look he asked, "What's going on over here? Why are you six fighting with each other?!"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhh…." the Loud girls blushed in shock. They didn't want their father to learn the truth about how they felt towards Lincoln. More importantly, they didn't want Lincoln to find out about their feelings towards him because they worried that he would end up hating them.

Lori ended up breaking the ice saying, "It's, um, we were fighting about something foolish, just about who got to keep a quarter we spotted on the ground."

"Yeah," the other Loud girls said with embarrassment.

"Wow, over a simple dang quarter huh? You should be ashamed of yourselves. I did not put my effort into raising my children so they could fight with each other, especially not over insignificant matters like this!"

"We're sorry Dad!" the Loud sisters said.

"Alright girls. I'll let this one slide, but don't let me catch you ever fighting each other again, alright?"

"Got it!" the girls said.

"Good," the patriarch said, and glancing over to his watch, he said, "It looks like it's time to go home now so let's head on towards the exit where your mother is probably waiting for us with your other sisters." To Lincoln, he said, "Come on Lincoln, it's time to go home now." With that, the group headed off to the exit where they met up with the rest of the group and headed back home.


The night took off on a sour note, with Lori, Leni, Luna, Lana, Lola, and Lisa still mad at each other. The six didn't bother talking to each other at all, not wanting to cause another fight. Each of the six Loud sisters took off either to bed or to do a small activity on their own.

As for Lynn Jr., Rita didn't allow her to ride in the back with her siblings on the way back home, as Lynn Sr. had informed her about the fight that took place earlier in the day. In an effort to avoid more brawls, Rita had Lynn Jr. ride in the front passenger seat.

And, as Rita had promised earlier, she and her husband had Lynn Jr.'s punishment ready.

Once everyone had gone into their rooms, Lynn Sr. and Rita stepped into their athletic daughter's quarters ready to talk everything out.

"Lucy," Rita spoke. "Can you please go hang out in your brother Lincoln's room for a bit? We need to talk with your sister Lynn."

"Okay Mom. This will be a great opportunity for me to share some of my poetry with Lincoln," Lucy replied in monotone.

"Alright Lucy sounds good. And sorry to bother you," Rita responded.

"Not a problem, I understand," Lucy said as she made her way over to her brother's room. Lynn Sr. then closed the door behind him.

"Alright Lynn, you do remember what we talked about earlier today, right?" Rita started.

"Yes Mom," the athlete answered.

"And as I said, me and your father have to punish you for what you did so that you can learn your lesson."

"That's right," Lynn Sr. chimed in. "We need to make sure that you learn your lesson so that you don't make this same mistake in the future."

"So, your father and I have decided that you will be banned from playing sports for the next 2 weeks. And that includes games held at school too," Rita said sternly.

"We are also going to have you help Lincoln, Lana, and Luan with cleaning their rooms for the next 2 weeks. This will help you bond with them better," Lynn Sr. added.

"Finally, you are not to hang out with your friends until the punishment period has been completed. Instead, try bonding with your siblings better. Show them how much you love them. You've already got a head start with Lincoln, which is…good," Rita said, still surprised about her daughter kissing her son on his mouth earlier. "But I also want you to make amends with Lana and Luan. Show them that you really are trying to be a better sister to them."

"Do you have any questions for us?" Lynn Sr. asked.

"No Dad, everything sounds good. I'll heed to your rules and I promise that I'll be a better sister to all my siblings," Lynn Jr. replied.

"Very well then," Rita said. "Thanks again for having apologized to your siblings. As of now the punishment is in effect. If you break the rules we've set for you, there will be more serious consequences. Got it?"

"Yes Mom."

"Good. Now there's one other thing I had in mind," Rita said as she proceeded to have a conversation with her athletic daughter.

Meanwhile, Lucy and Lincoln were having a fun time talking with each other. What exactly were they talking about? Find out in chapter 9 of "The Loud Crush."

Alright everyone, this concludes chapter 8. Again, I apologize for not having updated this story sooner. My finals were very intense (especially Lab Biology). But thanks to God, I'm finally done with finals. I hope to update this story once a week if possible.

That said, I hope everyone has a great day/night. This is Erik from EAP715, signing off. God bless.