"Malling" with the Gal Pals

(Story Synopsis: As the midway point of summer approaches, the time has come for every kid's least favorite "activity;" back to school shopping. For Lincoln, this leaves him feeling disgruntled for two reasons; that Summer Break is almost over...and that he'll need new clothes for school. This means he will need to look for clothes inside Reininger's; the same store where his sister, Leni works in.

Along with her, Lincoln will also come face-to-face with Fiona; a co-worker of Leni's who...isn't on the best of terms with him. Will his shopping trip go off without a hitch or will he end up on her bad side...again?)

Back to school shopping, a time of the season every kid across the nation never really looks forward to. Some dislike it because they dreaded the sort of "cute" outfits their parents might pick out for them. Others hated it because it signals the coming end of summer break and a small few...just didn't really enjoy shopping.

In the case of one Lincoln Loud, he was especially dreading going to the mall for back to school shopping. Unfortunately; no one, not even Lincoln's parents, knew the exact reason behind this fear. One day, after failing to get him to open up; Carol decided to go to Clyde and asked if he knew anything about this. "To be honest...does Lincoln really need to get new clothes for school" Clyde asked nervously, "I mean, he seldom changes his outfit."

While his words did hold some truth in them, it hurt the poor lad immensely to lie (both physically and psychologically.) But despite any discomfort he was feeling, Clyde did his best to remain strong. Alas; through his body language alone, Carol could immediately tell that he was hiding something.

"I'm warning you, lil' man" she said with a mildly threatening tone, "either you tell me the truth...or I'll have to break out my secret weapon!" Now, Clyde knew that Carol wasn't as vicious or intimidating as Lori tended to be. But something about her tone of voice and choice of words filled him with a mild sense of dread.

Regardless; he stood firm and once more, refused to give her an inch. "Okay, Clyde" Carol murmured while smiling slyly, "but just remember, I did warn you first." With that said; she brought out her purse, unfasten the strap and began fishing about inside of it for several seconds. Finally, she chuckled naughtily upon finding what she needed; her cellphone.

Clyde's face swiftly went pale, thinking that Carol would try and make a call to his dads and tell them of his failure to cooperate. "Hold on...that sounds like something Lola would do" he thought to himself "Carol wouldn't go that far...would she?" The whole time he was lost in thought, Carol was busy fiddling around with her phone; as if looking for something.

Upon taking a nervous peek at her, Clyde saw that she wasn't skimming through her list of phone numbers. Instead, it looked as though she was looking through her MP3 library; which made him feel slightly less tense. But then, he remembered what she said earlier to him; something about a "secret weapon."

"What do you plan to do, Carol; play a ten-hour loop of Boyz Will B Boyz" he asked boldly, "because I've done that before already, especially with SMOOCH." The young teen stopped browsing for a moment to give Clyde a light pat atop his head, telling him she had something else in mind. "See...I'm about to use a little trick I learned from Haiku during Spring Break" she sniggered, "I hope you're ready for it."

With her warning now out of the way, Carol resumed skimming through her MP3 list. Finally, she found what she was looking for and pressed play; all while telling Clyde to "prepare himself." Afterwards, the poor lad suddenly tucked himself into a ball; prepping for the worst.

Then, seconds later; Clyde's ears echoed with a soft and melodious piano tune. Confused, he slowly eased himself out of his protective position and was prepared to question Carol on her tactics. But as he slowly opened his eyes; instead of seeing Carol looking ready for a fight, she appeared rather sad.

Her eyes were wide with sorrow, her lip was in a sort of quivering pout and the only sounds she made seemed like the whimpers of a puppy longing for affection. It was in that moment that Clyde realized what was going on. Carol was using a combo move of "sad puppy eyes" and the "pouty lip," a classic emotional manipulation trick used by young girls and women alike.

At the same time, she was playing Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata on her cellphone; a classic tune to play to tug at the heartstrings of others. At first, these tactics seemed too much for Clyde to resist; considering how much of a sensitive sweetheart the Gal Pals knew him to be. But surprisingly enough; after playing the music for almost a minute, Clyde remained strong.

"I'm sorry about this, Clydey" Carol thought with an outward sigh, "but...I'm afraid you've forced my hand." With that said; she gave a whistle and Dana, Becky, Whitney and Phoebe came in the room in a flash. "You called, Carol" questioned Dana, "is there a problem here?"

Without a moment's pause, she brought the ladies into a huddle and they swiftly began to whisper amongst themselves. Clyde watched nervously, while they did so; only choosing to look at him for brief moment over their shoulders. When they all finally broke away, the five Gal Pals just stood over poor Clyde; staring down at him slightly.

"We'll give you one last chance, sweetie" Dana urged sweetly, "tell us what's up with Lincoln or prepare to face...the 'Puppy Dog Pout Barrage." Somehow, the young McBride boy could already guess what the barrage would entail. But in spite of this, he still held his ground and refused; proclaiming he could not betray the "Bro Code" like that.

In spite of them admiring their young bestie for his loyalty; in the end, the Gals knew they had to get him to talk. So; Carol pressed play on her phone, once more and the puppy dog pout face swiftly returned. This time however, the others quickly joined in while also adding a few whimpers and crocodile tears for an extra kick.

That did it, this combined use of the face and the tears were all Clyde could handle. With a loud and exasperated groan, he threw up his arms in defeat and fell to his knees; all while murmuring "sorry, Lincoln" under his breath. "Okay...so, the reason why Lincoln isn't so keen about going clothes shopping is...complicated" he stated, "not in an extreme case, mind you but still."

Feeling like they were getting somewhere, Carol urged Clyde to continue on; promising him that they wouldn't use the faces on him again, if he did. "Okay...now, do you guys promise you won't freak out or anything" he asked, "because I've got a feeling you'll say there's no real problem here, once I start talking." Before continuing, he directed his statement directly towards Carol and her crew; proclaiming the situation involved someone they might know.

"Clyde, dude...we've been through so much with you and Linc; this past year" Becky said matter-of-factly, "whatever's going on, we can definitely take it." The others all said the same thing, even Phoebe; despite thinking the situation might not actually involve her specifically. With all this in mind, Clyde let out a sigh and finally came clean.

"Carol...the store you plan on taking Lincoln to is Reininger's, correct" he inquired, "if so...do you remember who works there?" While doing her best to remain polite, Carol gave Clyde a light eye roll and said she could already guess why Lincoln's been so nervous. "He's worried about facing Leni, after everything that's happened...am I right" she asked, "but as I recall, she's been doing exceptionally well with her part of the family's Community Service."

The others echoed the same reply, while also adding how much of a big help Leni's been towards her family during their classes. "This is all true...but Leni isn't the only one who works there, though" Clyde interjected, "she has two coworkers...one of whom isn't really Linc or mine's biggest fan." Upon hearing this, Carol and her crew could already guess whom their young friend was referring to.

Her name was Fiona and she was one of their classmates, back at Royal Woods High; as was her fellow Reininger's co-worker and shopper, Miguel. But in that moment, Carol wondered what sort of history her pal had with Lincoln and why it all made him so distressed. "I've said too much already" Clyde said fearfully, "if you want more info, you gotta get it directly from him!"

In that moment, Carol knew he spoke the truth but she also knew Lincoln wouldn't be able to speak about his history with Fiona without possibly going into a fearful shock. So, she decided that whenever she would discuss it with him; she'll have to do so as gingerly as possible.

(Line Break)

The following morning after lunch, Lincoln along with Carol and her crew were off on their way to the Royal Woods Mall. During the whole drive there, the poor lad's mind was racing with fearful thoughts. He also wondered how he found himself into the situation in the first place.

(Flashback: Loud House, hours earlier)

When the time came for Lincoln to leave, he was struck by a sense of relief. Normally, in the past; it would be one of his elder sisters (like Lori or Leni) or his parents who would take him back to school shopping. But unfortunately, they had to leave early that morning with the rest of the family to continue their cleanup of the "red side" of town (which Lincoln remembered was the spot where Luan painted several buildings red.)

For a moment, Lincoln felt like he was in the clear...until his four guardian angels came in and "saved him at the last moment. "We can step in for you and help Linky out, Mr. and Mrs. Loud" Dana stated, "we were all heading down that way ourselves, ironically enough." Lincoln did his best to appear grateful, on the outside; despite the great deal of annoyance he was suppressing on the inside.

Meanwhile, his parents greatly appreciated the girls' generosity and accepted their offer; proclaiming that they truly "saved their bacon." With that settled; Mr. and Mrs. Loud, hugged/kissed Lincoln goodbye, wished everyone luck and prepared to leave with their daughters. "Behave yourself for the girls while you're shopping, honey" Rita shouted from outside, "and don't pick out any clothes that are obscene or too revealing."

Lincoln gasped in embarrassment at the assumption and was poised to call his mother out for saying such things in front of his guardians. But then, seconds later; he caught sight of his family trying their darndest to suppress fits of laughter. It was then that Lincoln realized that his mother was only joking, which caused him to chuckle and shake his head in mild amusement.

After that, Vanzilla eased itself out of the driveway and went off down the road; leaving him and the girls at the house alone. For a while, all seemed eerily silent; which made Lincoln feel mildly tense. "So...uh, when do we leave" murmured Lincoln shyly, desperate to help break the ice; "you girls have any ideas on outfits you'll be wearing for the new school year?"

Much to his surprise, they did not answer him; all they did was stare at him intently with firm looks in their eyes. This led poor Lincoln to think he was in some kind of trouble; due to his history of seeing similar looks in his sisters' eyes, in the past. Finally; Carol took a knee, rested her hand on his shoulder and looked at him with a firm yet somewhat gentle stare.

"Linky...you know me and the girls here love you, right" she asked tenderly, "and you know you can tell us anything, if something's wrong...right?" While somewhat confused by the odd questions, Lincoln nodded slightly and said that the love was more than mutual. "Good...so, tell us honestly" inquired Whitney, "what happened at Reininger's that makes you so scared to go back again?"

At first, Lincoln was prepared to lie his way out of the situation; until Carol raised her hand up in a halting gesture. "Don't bother trying to tell us otherwise, pal" she said firmly, "Clyde already gave us half the info already." Lincoln suddenly felt a grimace forming on his face, the moment he heard this reveal.

"And before you say it...Clyde says he's sorry for betraying your trust" Whitney stated, "but we had no choice but to force it out of him." With a curious head tilt, Lincoln looked up at his guardians and asked how they were able to get his BFF to confess. "Are you suuure you wanna know, sweetie" Dana asked slyly, "because you may not like the answer."

With this simple statement, Lincoln started to think he might be in over his head. But then, he realized that whatever they had in store; it couldn't compare to what his sisters had him endure for years. "Go ahead, ladies; have at it" he said confidently, "I can take it!" After this, the ladies gave one another a look and smiled down at the boy slyly.

Then, Becky handed Carol her cellphone and she immediately pressed play on her music player. Seconds later, Lincoln could hear the familiar keys of a certain music score; one that seemed all too familiar to him. "No...they wouldn't dare" he thought to himself, "they wouldn't use the same trick again, would they?!"

As he stood there lost in his thoughts, Lincoln looked above him and saw the quartet of females giving him the "Puppy Dog Pout" look. In less than five seconds, he could already feel his heart aching at the sight of their sad faces. Yet, in spite of it all; he tried to remain strong. When the faces, music and whimpering didn't do much to break him; seconds later; the time came to break out the "big guns."

"Pwease, Wincoln" Dana begged in a toddler-like voice, "tell us what's wong, we only wanna help." After that, Carol joined her bestie in giving her charge the ultimate "Cute Overload" attack. "Tell us why you no wanna go, Wincoln" she murmured, "pleasy-squeezy-wheeze?"

That did it...after hearing so much baby talk from the girls, Lincoln finally caved in. "UGH! ALRIGHT ALREADY" he shouted in defeat, "I'll tell you, just...please, don't talk like that anymore!" The ladies cheered in unified victory and thanked Lincoln for "answering their wishes" by squeezing him in a big group hug.

When they all let him go, ten seconds later; they waited patiently for their charge to give them the details. Meanwhile, Lincoln was starting to have second thoughts; believing what he would say next might upset his guardians. Finally, after letting out a sigh; he took a seat on the living room sofa and asked everyone how much they learned from Clyde.

"He just told us that this all seems to involve two workers at Reininger's" Becky replied, "these workers also happen to be friends and classmates of ours from school." Lincoln nodded slightly and said that it was those exact reasons that kept him from wanting to confess. "I got worried that if I told you what's happened, you'd get mad at Fiona" he muttered, "I don't want your friendship to end because of me!"

Upon hearing these words, the ladies suddenly felt an odd sense of déjà vu wash over them. These were the exact words Lincoln said back when they first met before certain...events took place. It was then that Carol started to think Lincoln was in real serious danger, which brought her to utterly beg him to confess.

"As your guardian...er, one of your guardians; it's my responsibility to protect you from any possible danger" she said firmly, "and I plan to uphold that duty, no matter the cost!" After that; nothing else was said for what felt like ages until at last, Lincoln decided to continue. "The thing is...the last time I crossed paths with Fiona, it was when me and Clyde were helping Leni" he explained, "scarves were turning up missing in the store and Mrs. Carmichael, Leni's boss, was threatening to fire her; if she didn't find them."

The Gals nodded slightly in understanding while also commending Lincoln for wanting to help his sister in her time of need. "That still doesn't explain how this all involves Fiona" Whitney said bluntly, "did you do anything wrong towards her?" In an instant, Lincoln suddenly found himself quivering nervously; as if he were back in court again.

Almost instantly, Dana caught sight of this and immediately took action to calm him down. "Linky, relax" she said soothingly, "whatever you did, I'm sure it was an accident and you paid for your mistakes." With a weary sigh, the young white-haired Loud said that he did indeed pay for the mistakes he did; in more ways than one.

"To make a long story short; whenever our families or friends are in danger, me and Clyde often volunteer to help" he explained, "we do this by assuming the identities of Ace Savvy and One-Eyed Jack." To say that Carol, Dana and Whitney were speechless from the explanation would've been the understatement of the year. Becky on the other hand, saw it as them taking their love of Ace to the next level.

"I know it seems...childish" Lincoln admitted, "but Ace and the Gang are a big inspiration for us and they've always helped us out in times of need." After this, Lincoln clenched his eyes shut; expecting the girls to either start laughing mockingly at him or scolding him. Instead, he was met with only silence; which left him confused.

When he took a wary look at them, Lincoln could see Carol looking at him with a stoic yet gentle gaze; one that seemed to say "keep going." "Okay...so, when we got ourselves dressed; Clyde and I set out to try and find whoever stole the scarves" Lincoln explained, "but there were a few...hiccups during our investigation." Without a second thought, he revealed that said hiccups included accusing Fiona of stealing the scarves and knocking over a pair of displays (one for bras and the other for sunglasses.)

"In the end, we were able to find the culprit and help get Leni her job back" Lincoln stated, "but at the same time, we also made an enemy of Fiona." After that, Lincoln slumped gloomily against the sofa cushions; as the waves of shame and guilt began washing over him. At the same time, the Gals hadn't said one word; which made Lincoln all the more worried.

Finally; Carol stood up from her kneeling position, collected her purse from the kitchen and beckoned everyone to follow her. "C'mon, Lincoln" she said simply, "time we get started on shopping before the crowds get crazy." For a moment or two, Lincoln stood frozen in place with a dumbstruck look on his face.

After snapping out of the daze, seconds later; he raced out the door and rushed to Carol's side. "Wait...that's it" he asked confusedly, "no scoldings, no reprimands...we're just gonna head off like I said nothing?" Upon hearing this, all four ladies turned towards him and gave him a simultaneous "raised eyebrow stare;" which was a big surprise after their "Puppy Dog Pout Barrage."

"If we arrive too late to the mall, dude; you may get just that" Carol said warily, "now, climb aboard." In a matter of seconds; Lincoln scurried over to the other side of the van, opened the door and climbed inside without any delay. Once he was buckled in, Carol revved up the van and they went off on their way.

(Flash Forward to the Present: The Royal Woods Mall)

The moment the memory fully played out in his head, Lincoln was surprised to find that they had arrived at the mall parking lot. As Carol began looking for a space, the poor lad soon found himself twitching nervously; feeling like he was experiencing one of Clyde's "Lori episodes." But before he could sink deeper into his anxiety, he suddenly felt someone's arm wrap around his shoulders in a loving side-hug.

He turned to the side to find Dana smiling kindly down at him while patting him softly. "Sorry about earlier, Linky" she confessed, "it was all just...a lot to take in, you know?" The other ladies murmured similar statements to Lincoln, who offered up the softest of smiles and nodded in understanding.

"It's all true, though" he sighed, "the moment we get within so much as two feet of the store...she will see me and probably lose it!" The girls all nodded in understanding and each of the remaining three followed Dana's earlier gesture by patting Lincoln reassuringly atop his head. "Don't you worry about Fiona, pal" Carol said with a light smile, "we'll take care of her for you."

With that said, everyone unloaded out of the van and headed off for the Reininger's entrance. Meanwhile, on the inside; Fiona and Miguel were seen looking bored out of their minds. At the same time, Leni could be seen giddily tidying up the displays and restocking some of the shelves.

"UGH! We totes applaud your dedication, Leni" Fiona grumbled, "but business is super dead today...there's no point in tidying up." Upon hearing the word "dead," Leni (in her usual absentmindedness) almost assumed her bestie was implying there were zombies in the store. "No, Leni" sighed Miguel, "she means that there are no customers coming today; so, we've got no real work to do."

The moment he said this, Leni scratched her chin in confusion and look towards the door. "Are you sure nobody's coming, guys" she asked, "'cause I see a group coming up from the parking lot right now." This reveal took both Fiona and Miguel off-guard, causing them to almost fall over themselves.

Thankfully, Leni was quick enough to rush over and save them from getting hurt. Once they had all calmed down, Fiona turned towards the main door and prepared herself to welcome the group of potential customers. But when her gaze fell upon the white haired, bucktoothed preteen that was with the group; her demeanor suddenly soured.

"Oh, no...not again" she thought angrily, "there is NO WAY I'm letting that twerp wreck things in here like last time!" With that in mind, Fiona was moments away from shutting Lincoln out of the store. But then, she noticed Carol and her posse with him; which made things awkward for her.

Then, the situation became even more so; when she noticed Leni and Miguel going off to greet them. Once the doors opened, the second eldest Loud Sister proceeded to hug each of the girls; all while saving an "extra special hug" for Lincoln. Before the aforementioned boy could speak up, he suddenly felt the air being squeezed out of his lungs by his sister's embrace.

"Linky, it's so good to see you" Leni gushed adorably, "welcome to Reininger's, everyone!" After this greeting, she released Lincoln from her hug and allowed him a moment to breathe. Once he got some air back in his lungs, he looked up at Leni and said it was a surprise to see her at work.

"I know I was supposed to help the family at the park today" she stated, "but Mrs. Carmichael said she needed an extra hand for the Back to School sale today and I had to come in." The four Gals nodded in understanding but couldn't help but notice a small flaw in Leni's logic. "Didn't the judge say you'd be on probation while you're working" questioned Becky, "in which case, who's keeping watch here?"

Lincoln and the remaining three Gals asked the same thing; while also adding that Officers Higgins, Simmons and Campos would be looking after the family during cleanup duty in town. "You're assumptions are correct, Mr. Loud" a voice said suddenly, "which is why I volunteered to stand in their place." Lincoln and Co. each gave a slight yelp in surprise and turned around to find one Officer Schoffner standing behind them.

"Oh...Hello, Ma'am" Lincoln chuckled timidly, "I...haven't seen you for some time." Schoffner gave him a light nod and said she'd been quite busy over the summer. "Among my other duties, I've also been helping keep watch over your kin" she said bluntly, "simply to make sure none of them cause more trouble than they already did."

The moment she said this, Fiona bitterly muttered under her breath how the rest of the Louds weren't the only "trouble makers" around. "Did you say something, Fiona" questioned Carol suddenly, "I didn't hear you." Thinking quickly, the young teen rushed over to a pile of jeans and proceeded to fold them; in an attempt to make herself look "innocent."

Unfortunately, this did not fool Carol in the slightest...but she chose to keep quiet about it, for now. "What can I help you all with, Ma'am" Officer Schoffner said suddenly, "I may not be a worker here but I should do my part in keeping watch for trouble while I'm here." The four teens shook their heads and assured her they were fine, as did Lincoln.

"Well...should anything go amiss, notify me or Ms. Carmichael immediately" said the officer, "as you were." With that, she turned towards Leni and said she would be taking a quick lunch break down at the food court. "I trust you can stay out of trouble, while I'm away" she inquired firmly, "if there is any trouble...well, you get the idea."

With that, she bade everyone farewell and went off on her way towards the food court area of the mall. But once she was out of sight; Fiona ceased folding the shirt pile, grabbed Lincoln roughly by his collar and proceeded to "escort" him out of the store. "Hey, Fiona; that's totes rude" exclaimed Leni, "you can't behave like that towards my little brother!"

Mere seconds later, Carol and her crew voiced similar complaints; while Miguel reminded her that the cameras were still on. With every side against her, Fiona saw no point in arguing and released Lincoln from her hold (albeit roughly.) "I thought I told you not to come around here again, twerp" she growled, "I can't afford having your antics screw up my work...AGAIN!"

To say that Leni was confused by her friend's outburst would be a gross understatement. "Whatever he did, I imagine it was an accident" she said defensively, "he would never make someone's life more difficult on purpose." With a rather sarcastic chuckle, Miguel chose to reopen old wounds and remind Leni that Lincoln was the one "responsible" for him and Fiona breaking their friendship for several months.

While a small part of Lincoln's mind believed him, he sensed that the teen didn't say what he did completely out of spite. Regardless of intent, the comment felt like a severe blow to Lincoln; who suddenly started hunching over in despair. Both Leni and the four Gal Pals gasped in horror at this, rushed over to the boy's side and did their best to calm him down.

"Don't give in to despair, lil' buddy" Becky urged pleadingly, "remember what Dr. Lopez told you...think of pleasant things." With this simple command, Lincoln closed his eyes and tried to think of positive thoughts; all while taking in cleansing breaths. While this was going on, Fiona and Miguel couldn't help but snicker softly at the display.

"Talk about Drama Queen" the young teen boy said bluntly, "what's got his undies in a bunch anyway?" No sooner had he said this, Fiona commented that it was simply the "little twerp acting like a baby." The moment she heard both comments, the usual sweet and friendly Leni Loud experienced something rare for her...blind, unrelenting fury!

"Now listen here, you two jerk-wads" she seethed venomously, "my little brother is not a twerp and he is definitely a screw up!" The two Reininger's workers, Lincoln and the Gals were all taken aback by this behavior; to say the least. It wasn't often for Leni to show off an angry side to her.

"Lincoln may make some mistakes, every now and then" she stated, "but he is still the best little brother I ever had!" From here; she began to praise his loyalty, his dedication towards the people he loves, his often clever/imaginative mind, his love for his family and many other qualities. As expected, Lincoln was both shocked yet touched by his sister's argument.

Yet, however passionate Leni's words were; it did little to sway over her two friends/coworkers. "She's right" Carol said suddenly, "Lincoln is a great guy, in spite of any mistakes he's made...you just don't care to know that side to him." Without showing the least amount of emotion in his voice, Fiona asked why she'd want to get familiar with a "stupid kid."

"C'mon, Fiona" groaned Dana, "don't you think it's a bit much to get angry at a boy for accidentally knocking over some displays?" Dumbfounded, Fiona glared at the teens and said her beef with him went far beyond that. "If it's about him accidentally accusing you of stealing...we already know about that" Carol said bluntly, "besides, with so many scarves going missing; somebody walking out of the store with something blue in their bag does seem suspicious...don't you think?"

Just as she was about to offer up a rebuttal, Fiona suddenly found herself at a loss for words. True, her being falsely accused of stealing did seem a bit offensive. But she didn't exactly help things by keeping the stuff she bought at their competitor's stores secret from everyone.

"Okay, you got me there, gang" she sighed reluctantly, "but what about the 'superheroing' him and his buddy were doing?" Miguel quickly shouted out in agreement and brought up every instant a kid stole some stuff from the mannequins just so they could play hero. "That does seem annoying" Becky admitted, "but Lincoln and Clyde were just trying to help in the only way they knew how; by becoming like Ace and One-Eyed Jack."

Leni sounded off in agreement, while also adding that such behavior was one of the reasons why she loved Lincoln so much. "He's also really good at baking" she added, "remember those muffins I had in my lunch the other day...he baked them." Upon hearing the comment; Lincoln blushed slightly and proclaimed it was a team effort between himself and his BFF, Clyde.

"Wait...this is the guy who made those sweet treats" Miguel exclaimed, "we always thought it was your dad." Leni shook her head slightly and assured her friend that the treats were done completely by the boys' own hands. "Well...I can't take all the credit" Lincoln said bashfully, "Dad taught me the basics, Clyde provided some pointers and I've learned the secret on how to keep them nice and fluffy from watching Operation: Dessert Storm."

Upon making this reveal, Miguel's jaw fell open in surprise; which Carol couldn't help but find amusing. "Shut...Up! You watch O.D.S. too" he asked eagerly, "Next to Vest Friends Forever, that's my all-time favorite show!" Lincoln chuckled slightly, happy to meet a fellow fan and confessed it was one of his favorites as well.

"It's one of the best things I watch during the week" he stated, "next to ARRGH and Dream Boat." The moment the latter program was mentioned, Fiona felt as though she'd been hit in the head with a bat. "Hold up" she cried, "you watch Dream Boat, a little kid like you...I thought you'd be more into nerd culture stuff."

Upon taking notice of their friend's ever-growing disbelief, Carol and the Gals suddenly felt some sly grins appear on each of their faces. "Okay...seeing as how business is dead for the moment, I think it's time we all talked a little bit" Whitney suggested, "and I mean civilly!" In an instant, Fiona realized that the statement was being directed at her and gave a light "harrumph."

"Please...try and work things out with my bro, Fi" begged Leni, "don't make me choose between two kinds of people I love again!" Upon hearing this statement, the four Gal Pals blinked confusedly and asked what Leni was talking about. "Pull up a box, Gals" sighed Lincoln, "there's another part of the Louds History you should know about."

(Line Break)

Sometime later, Officer Schoffner was returning from her lunch break; sipping on a latte cup she purchased from the food court. As she draw nearer towards Reininger's, she could hear sounds of laughing from inside. Her police instincts kicking in, Schoffner made a beeline for the store entrance...to find that everything appeared okay.

Aside from there being so few customers inside like before, everyone appeared okay; including Lincoln and his group. Eventually, Miguel caught sight of Schoffner from the desk and waved at her. "Good afternoon, Ma'am" he said in greeting, "I trust you had a good lunch break?" Despite her instincts telling her to remain on guard, she still responded with a polite "yes."

"That's wonderful to hear" said Miguel, "as you can see, things are well in order here." He then added that during her time away, Lincoln and his associates agreed to help see to the few customers they had in the store. While this was rather generous of them; Schoffner felt that as patrons to the store, the group didn't have to do the employees' work for them.

"It's no trouble at all, Ma'am" Lincoln said while popping up suddenly, "it's my way of making amends for all the grief I inadvertently caused my sister and her co-worker so long ago." Before the officer could say anything, Leni and Fiona called Lincoln over to help them lift a box up to them. Without a moment's hesitation, he answered the call and hurried over.

Officer Schoffner watched as the young Loud boy bent down, lifted up the box full of sweaters as high as he could and hand it off to Leni. After this, she handed it to Fiona and she placed the box onto a shelf. "Thanks for the assist, lil' man" she said while giving Lincoln a high five, "Leni was right, you are cool...but you're still a nerd."

Surprisingly, Lincoln took no offense to the comment; choosing to only smile at her and proclaim "and proud of it." This caused everyone to share a hearty laugh, which Schoffner couldn't help but smile at. "Well...looks like everything's a-okay here" she muttered with approval, "nothing went amiss while I was away...right?"

Without hesitation; everyone said everything went splendidly, aside from a...minor disagreement between Lincoln and Fiona. "It's okay, though" Dana interjected, "they've talked things out and Lincoln agreed to help his sister here for the rest of the work day." At first, Schoffner was prepared to scold the teens for having a minor do some of the work.

"With all due respect, Ma'am; it's like I told you earlier" Lincoln stated, "I caused Fiona and my sister a bit of grief, long ago...the least I can do is help make amends." For a moment or two, Officer Schoffner offered no response; which made everyone feel nervous. Finally; she let out a soft groan smiled and decided to let this go...just for today.

After that, she went back on monitoring Leni from the other side of the store; which didn't really bother her. After that, Lincoln and resumed helping Fiona and Miguel with their work in silence. But then, Carol suddenly remembered why they came here in the first place; his back to school clothes.

"Let me finish helping these two hang up some shirts first, Carol" Lincoln called out, "then, we'll get back to business." The young teen smiled at him warmly and thanked Lincoln for lending a hand. "Agreed, lil' man" said Miguel with a chuckle, "we really appreciate the help; how can Fiona and I repay you?"

For a moment, Lincoln considered asking for a discount on any clothes he would get from her...but decided against it, after a while. "There's no need" he said humbly, "if my helping you helps make things cool between the three of us, that's all I want." For a moment, Fiona didn't know how to respond; which made everyone feel quite anxious.

Finally; she looked down at him, smiled and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Yeah...we're cool, Lil' Loud" Fiona assured, "just promise me one little thing." With a gentle yet weary sigh, Lincoln looked up at the teen and awaited her request.

"It's no biggie" she stated, "just...if you ever plan on doing your 'superhero business' again, let me know so that I can properly prepare the displays." When Lincoln asked what she meant by "properly prepare them," Fiona chuckled and answered him by presenting a small prohibition sign. Beneath the familiar "no symbol" was what looked like a human symbol; the same kind one would find on the Men's Room door.

However, this symbol showed the man "performing" a series of flips. When Leni got a look at the sign, she turned towards Fiona and asked what it meant. "Anytime your bro and his bestie go into 'Hero Mode,' these will be on display" she replied, "they're meant to say...'No Superhero Acrobatics near Clothing or Apparel Displays!'"

After saying this, she proceeded to hang the signs at each of their respective areas. "We've already notified Mrs. Carmichael about this" Fiona added, "you'd be surprise how many kids come here wanting to buy clothes just for 'Hero Stuff.'" Lincoln laughed heartily at this news, imagining all the times such a thing happened.

"If you and your friend promise to obey this rule whenever you're here...we're cool now" she said with a coy grin, "do you think you can work with that?" Without hesitation, Lincoln nodded his head enthusiastically and thanked Fiona for giving him a second chance. "Well, now that that's settled; back to business" Carol sighed with relief, "Miguel, get the dressing room ready!"

In response, the young teen saluted her and hurried over towards the aforementioned room; opening the door. Meanwhile, Fiona and Leni proceeded to guide Lincoln towards every clothing display available. "Well, guys; I'm happy that things are square between me and Fiona here" Lincoln said timidly to the viewer, "I just hope I can survive modeling for her and my sister!"

Soon after that, Leni came in with an armful of clothes and shut the door. "Let's try some new pants first" she suggested from inside, "do you want the usual jeans, Khakis, Jorts or Skinny Jeans?" With a light grin upon his face, Lincoln reached over and pick up a pair of blue jeans from the pile. "Okay, my man" Miguel stated, "let's get measuring."

(First AN: Looks like Lincoln has a new Gal Pal, thank goodness he was able to fix things between him and Fiona. Anywho...I think I remember Crafordbrian17 requesting me to make this idea requested, sometime last year. But I couldn't at the time because I was busy with other pieces.

Regardless, here's the final product; I hope it turned out well for you all.)

(Second AN: The "Puppy Dog Pout" thing was in reference to something Haiku did in either my original Gal Pals story or for one of the other Oneshots in this anthology. Regardless, it was such a funny scene that I just had to use it again. I think the puppy whimpers and small tears the Gals used were a nice touch to really weaken Linc and Clyde's resolves, don't ya think?)

(Third AN: To anyone who felt Fiona seemed OOC here, I'm sorry if you felt that. But in the rare moments she, Lincoln and Clyde crossed paths; they didn't exactly part on pleasant terms. Thus, I envisioned her still feeling...a tad surly over how the boys behaved back then and how they accused her of stealing.

It certainly didn't help much that both Fiona and Miguel still remembered the events of the trial from the OG Gal Pals story. Regardless; with the help of his legal guardians, he and Fiona were finally able to put their issues to bed. I may use her and Miguel again, someday...but don't quote me on that.)

(Fourth AN: The Operation: Dessert Storm thing and Leni mentioning Lincoln and Clyde's snickerdoodles are references to Loud House episodes. The latter one being from Middle Men, while the former has been brought up by name in more episodes than I can count.

I figured O:DS would be a good way to help Lincoln and Miguel bond a little.)

(Fifth AN: The title of this oneshot, "Malling" is a play on the term "Mauling;" which is something used to describe a vicious attack from an animal. In this case, Lincoln was afraid of getting verbally and emotionally "mauled" by Fiona. Just wanted to point that out, in case anyone got confused or curious.)

(Final AN: There's just one more oneshot story and then, the Summer Arc of this anthology is over. Afterwards, we'll be going into the fall; where we'll join the gang on Lincoln's first day of Middle School, Halloween, an upcoming camping story featuring Beatrix Yates and of course, Lincoln's Birthday. In regards of the potential birthday story, many theorize that Lincoln's birthday is around the starting weeks of September or the end of August.

Because of this, I've decided to save Lincoln's B-day for the premiere story of the Fall Arc. Keep your eyes peeled for it, in the weeks ahead.)