Lunch Rush with the Gal Pals

(Story Summary: Business down at the Loud Family's restaurant, Lynn's Table, has been dead for some time and Lincoln is worried his dad may go out of business; as a result. Will the Gal Pals, the Babes in Blue and their children be able to help them or will their efforts only make things worse for the Louds?)

As the scene opens inside the walls of Gus' Games n' Grub, Royal Woods' most popular arcade/pizzeria, we find the Gal Pals sitting together at a collection of booth tables near the arcade machines. Along with them were the latest additions to their crew; Ellie Higgins, Dolores Campos and the Simmons Siblings, Tonya and Omar. A few weeks had passed since they and Beatrix Yates had been officially made part of the group and during that time, everybody seemed to hit it off pretty well.

Ellie and Jordan bonded over a common love for exotic animals, Dolores shared with Kat stories about the camping trips she took with her mother last June and Tonya revealed to everyone what their lives were like before Officer Simmons took her and Omar under her care. Needless to say, this particular tale was not a very pleasant one. As it turned out, her birth mother passed away mere hours after she had given birth to Omar.

Her father took this very hard and saw the poor boy as a curse, from that point on. "Things got even worse for us, when we got older" murmured Tonya, "specifically around the time Big O's Gigantism first started developing." Now, the Gals only heard brief tidbits about the aforementioned condition during their lives. But luckily for them, Tonya was there to help shed some light on a few things.

To start with, their birth father's grief grew so much that he was starting to live far worse off than any other single parent in the world. Then, when Omar's condition first started to show itself at the age of ten; things really took a turn for the worse. "Not only was it hard for Daddy to by clothes in Omar's size...no offense, Bro" she murmured apologetically, earning a smile from her brother; "but at the same time, feedin' him proved to be just as hard."

When asked what happened that made things difficult, Tonya said that her brother's Gigantism came with a few "side effects." Among them were heart issues, issues with the lungs and in terms of the events in her story, a stronger appetite. "Payin' the medical bills was hard enough on Daddy" she sighed, "but the food bills proved to be just as bad."

The Gal Pals all murmured softly in shock, while also offering their kindest sympathies to Omar; which he warmly welcomed. It was here that Tonya suddenly revealed two major bombshells in her story, the first one being the abusive behavior her father would later show both her and Omar. "Poor guy was scared outta his wits, whenever he saw Daddy yellin' at him or threatening him with a paddle" grumbled Tonya, "at the same time, it also made my blood boil hotter than Momma Gail's chicken gumbo!"

It was here that she revealed a promise she made to her birth mother, right before she died; to protect her baby brother at all costs. Like any big sister would, she forever vowed to keep that promise; even if it meant fighting off her own blood. Of course...standing up to him, even at the age of thirteen, proved to be a losing battle straightaway.

"The creep slapped me so hard 'cross the face, I went flyin' along the living room floor" Tonya growled, "where I later bumped into the nightstand...and knocked off the phone." Upon hearing this little tidbit, it didn't take long for the Gal Pals to deduce what would happen next...and their assumptions proved correct. Without the slightest hesitation; Tonya told them about how she took the phone into the bathroom, locked the door to keep her father from coming after her and called the police in less than ten seconds.

"When I got through, I told the po-po what was going on and they sent someone right out" she said with a light chuckle, "coincidentally...the officer who rescued us was none other than Officer Simmons herself." The Gals couldn't help but cheer heartily at this news, suddenly feeling a whole new level of respect for their friend on the force. But just as quickly as it came, their joy swiftly faded away and one of them (namely Haiku) couldn't help but ask what happened after that incident.

"Once our...former Daddy was put behind bars, Officer Simmons brought the both of us to the station" Omar explained, "we were afraid that they might send us off to an orphanage or put us in a foster home, at first." With this statement, the Gal Pals suddenly felt a sense of morbid curiosity grip at them; making them feel curious to know more. But at the same time, they didn't want to push Omar or Tonya into going any deeper into such a dark part of their lives; if they didn't want to.

"Naw...it's okay, I'll tell ya" Omar said with a light smile, "Mama Gail's grandmama once said that the best way to free yourself from a burden...is to share the load, so long as others are willing to help carry it." Without a second thought or the slightest moment of hesitation, the Gal Pals proclaimed that not only would they be willing to help share the boy's burden; they'd hold onto it as long as he needed. "After all, we were there for Lincoln when he first shared his burdens with us" Cici chuckled, "and at this very booth, no less."

This reveal left Omar and the girls feeling quite humbled, amazed that they were all situated in such a "historic" place in the crew's lives. But this moment did not last very long and all too quickly, Omar went back into "Serious Mode" for the remainder of his story. "For hours, me and Tonya sat in the main lobby of the police station; shivering in our chairs with worry" he murmured, "but...someone was kind enough to give us some cocoa to calm ourselves down."

Although they all agreed that this small segue into positivity did help ease the tension, the Gal Pals firmly urged for Omar to remain focused in telling his story. In time, he revealed that the New Orleans Police Chief was considering the ideas of foster care or the orphanage...until Fate quickly stepped in. "Coincidentally enough, mine and Tonya's situation happened almost a month after Mama Gail and Mama Donna got married" Omar said wistfully, "they were making plans for a honeymoon to the Caribbean when the call came in."

Upon hearing this, the Gals each let out a heavy sigh; relieved to hear that the station managed to get a hold of Officer Simmons before it was too late. At the same time, they also felt a great sense of pity for the fact that she and her wife had to miss out on their honeymoon. "It's okay, y'all; really" Tonya assured, "they managed to squeeze it in later in the Fall Season of that year...once some other important business was settled."

When asked what else was left for Officer Simmons to do, the afro-haired preteen smiled coyly and brought up a picture on her phone. It featured her and Omar down at the New Orleans Police Station with their officer hero, who was holding up a laminated adoption paper in her right hand. "In less than four weeks after that...awful night, we got called back to the station" Omar explained, "where she gave us the biggest surprise ever...adoption papers!"

This news caused the entire group to squeal with delight, knowing full well what it all meant; Officer Simmons and Donna Ramon had officially made Tonya and Omar their family. After this, the duo heaved out heavy sighs; confessing how wonderful telling their story made them feel. "It does feel good to have the right people be a sounding board for you" Becky chuckled, "but...I'm surprised you haven't shared this with Lincoln yet, once you became buddies."

In response to this; Omar confessed that he did share this story with Lincoln, at one point. It was on the first weekend of the new school year, when he came over to hang out. When he revealed how accepting the Loud Boy was, even after learning about his and his sister's backstory; the Gals all felt very touched.

"That has to be the sweetest story I've ever heard" Jordan sighed, "but...one thing still puzzles me, what led to you and your family coming all the way up here to Royal Woods?" Just as Tonya was about to answer this question, a waitress arrived and asked if either table was ready to give their orders. "Just give us the usual, Lonnie" Carol said while slipping a wad of cash to the waitress, "now, what would our newbies like?"

After taking a moment to study the menu, the four newest members of the crew each found something they wanted to try.

Ellie: "I'd like to try this here...spaghetti pizza of yours, Ma'am; make it a large, I might wanna share some with my folks at home."

Dolores: "I think I will try...a platter of your finest Scorpion Pepper Hot Wings, Señora"

Tonya: "I think I'll have a chicken parm sandwich...what about you, Bro?"

Omar: "Hmm...this does look good but...I think I'll just stick with whatever our friends beside us are havin', maybe share some knots with my sister."

After taking not of everyone's orders, the waitress (whom Carol addressed as Lonnie) thanked everyone for their patronage and gave the usual "your meal will be ready shortly" statement before leaving. Once she had left, Cici turned towards Dolores and asked if she "happened to have a death wish?" "There's only been one group of people crazy enough to eat the Scorpion Challenge Special" she gasped, "the Kangaroos Softball team...and we all know who leads that group, right?"

Without missing a beat, the Gals all sounded off their answered robotically with three simple words; "Lynn Loud Jr." "Around here, she's known as Lady Dragon-Breath" Phoebe muttered in disgust, "and she had a habit of belching out said breath in our lil' man's face, way back when." The Gals each shivered violently with a mix of disgust and fear, dreading the idea of being on the receiving end of one of Lynn's belches (or worse.)

But in spite of these stories, Dolores didn't appear the least bit concerned and the Gals were eager to know why. "Lynn isn't the only one who has an iron belly in this town, amigas" she said with a chuckle, "in our home, Mama´ always cooks up some spicy foods; says the sting helps keep her awake while out on duty." The ladies all chuckled/groaned softly with surprise at this reveal, wondering how Dolores had managed to stay alive for so long after such meals.

But aside from that, they found it...rather ironic to hear such stories from the mouth of such a "classy looking" lady like her. "Don't let this sweet face of mine fool you, everybody" she said with a coy grin, "I'm what you would call a...how you say, tomboy." Upon saying this, Dolores went on to describe how she had a fondness of indulging in things that were both "boy" oriented and "girl" oriented.

"People often said that I take after my Mama´...and they are right" she chuckled, "I can tussle like the strongest of chicos and...I happen to love a little pampering on my free-time." Mere seconds after that, Ellie confessed how she and Dolores were often confused as sisters; once their mothers became a crime-fighting duo. In the eyes of some of her peers, she was also seen as...rough around the edges.

But once people got to know her, they discovered that Ellie was (in her own words) as soft and sweet as biscuit coated in honey. "Boy, you guys really are a fun bunch; just like Lincoln said you'd be" Stella chuckled heartily, "I have a feeling we're gonna be great pals."

(Line Break)

While they waited for their food to be brought over, everyone shared stories with one another about what they did over Summer Break. Of course, Omar was quite amazed by how adventurous the group's summer had been overall; especially after seeing the photos Phoebe and Carol took. "Looks like y'all had some real fun" he chuckled, "much of my summer was spent with Mama Donna down at her bike shop, while Mama was on duty."

Dolores seconded the boy's latter statement, adding that there were times where life got rather lonely at home without her mother around. "My Papi works late into the afternoon down at the 'Werk It Dance Studio" Dolores revealed, "he's part of an after school program that teaches emotional and social development skills through dance." The older Gal Pals murmured softly with intrigue, thinking that teaching dance for those in need was both a fun and worthy cause.

As for Ellie, she confessed how she herself was the lucky one due to her father being a stay at home parent. She was especially felt thankful he was around whenever she had...rather weird dreams, ones that almost always involved her mother being in trouble while on duty. "Some think havin' a parent who's a cop is 'cool' and it can be" she confessed, "but...whenever Ma has to work late at night, I...I get so worried for her that I...sometimes have trouble goin' to sleep at night."

Upon mentioning this, the poor girl let out a soft gasp of alarm and did her best to hide herself from everyone's view; fearing that everyone might mock her for such a confession. That was when Haiku scooted herself towards he, placed her hand upon Ellie's cheek and gently turned her head towards her. It was here that she caught sight of not only Haiku smiling at her warmly but the rest of the Gal Pals crew as well.

"Do not despair, Ellie; there's no shame in fearing for your family's safety" she murmured with a soft grin, "there were times where...I feared my Nanna might hurt herself during one of her Ren Faire shows." Feeling curious, Omar asked what the young Goth girl had seen her grandmother do; to which she replied with examples like acrobatic displays, sword-fighting demonstrations, fire-eating and the "ever popular" sword-swallowing shows. Upon hearing mention of the third talent, Cristina politely insisted that no one mention it out loud again; stressing that she did not want to lose her appetite.

The rest of the crew nodded/murmured in agreement and decided to focus on discussing less...gross activities they'd all done during the summer. Needless to say, Omar and the girls all agreed that the Gal Pals all had a rather adventurous time together. "I'm especially impressed with everything our little chico has done for you" Dolores commented adorably, "did he really put himself through all that trouble for a picnic date, back in July?"

Before answering, the Gal Pals stressed that the event in question wasn't really a "date;" regardless of however beautifully it turned out in the end. After that, they regaled everyone with stories about everything Lincoln put himself through that afternoon; all for the sake of making them happy. When they heard that he accidentally set their picnic up in the wrong direction; Ellie, Tonya and Dolores all feared the worst.

But at the last second, Carol revealed the best part of that in spite of that one hiccup; everything still turned out beautifully. "Long story short; even though we didn't 'see' the fireworks; we still got to be together under them" she sighed blissfully, "all while having a magnificent moonlight view ahead of us." Not only did this story cause the three girls to sigh, it also brought a few tears to Omar's eyes.

The final icing on the cake came when Phoebe revealed a photo of that day on her phone, which also happened to show a few stray fireworks exploding in the background behind them. "That's a real sweet story right there, ladies; if ya don't mind my sayin' so" Ellie complimented, "meanwhile, each of our 4th of July moments had their own kind of 'fond memories...' just not the kind you'd expect." Upon hearing these words, Tonya soon found herself blushing with embarrassment; which made the Gal Pals feel slightly concerned.

"What's up, T; is something wrong" inquired Cici, "did one of us say something wrong?" With a frantic shake of her head, the young teen insisted that none of them said anything wrong; it was something Ellie. "Oh! C'mon, Sis; are you still hung up about what Mama did" Omar asked nonchalantly, "we thought you looked...adorably festive."

Despite knowing that her brother's words weren't spoken out of...that much spite, Tonya still warned Omar to not say anything more or else risk her wrath. This behavior did not go unnoticed by the Gal Pals and they cautiously asked what the problem was. Realizing that the cat was already out of the bag, Tonya took out her phone, accessed her photo library and brought up something her mother took on the Fourth.

"Long story short, this guy thought it would be 'funny' to stick flags in my 'fro while I was nappin'" Tonya grumbled while jabbing a finger at Omar, "and my Mama thought it was cute to take pictures of that moment!" After this, she brought up a picture on her phone; one showing her asleep on a sofa with two items planted deep into her afro.

One was a miniature version of the American flag and the other was a red, white and blue colored pinwheel toy. Naturally, the Gals all thought this looked rather cute...but they did their best to suppress their giggles. Naturally, this all irritated Tonya quite a bit but Omar assured her that it was all in good fun; not out of spite.

"If it makes ya feel better, lil' lady...you're not the only one who's had that sort of problem" Whitney grumbled with a smile, "look at this pic my mom took of my hair on the 4th before we went to see Lincoln." With these words; the blonde teen took out her phone, accessed her own photos and showed one off to everybody. Curious, everyone gazed at the phone to see a picture of Whitney wearing what looked like a plastic headband over her poofy hair; one that resembled the Statue of Liberty's crown.

"Aww! That's such a cute look for you, Whit" gushed Stella, "and very festive too." Although a part of her appreciated her friend's sincere statement, Whitney still felt embarrassed about the photo; adding that she had to literally beg her parents into not posting it online. "The good news is they honored my wishes" she stated, "the bad news...they still E-mailed it to the rest of my family!"

To really bring her story home; Whitney revealed that one of her relatives, namely her grandmother, got the idea to post the picture online. So, while she was spared from having her parents "humiliate" her, it still happened regardless. "Such an ironic outcome" murmured Haiku with a grin, "I feel like I could laugh."

Surprisingly, this statement created a bit of a mixed response from the group with the main Gal Pals crew chuckling softly and the newbies feeling utterly confused. It was here that Jordan claimed that after a while, they might come to understand the wee Goth's sense of humor. "Believe me, guys...it took a while for us to become accustomed to it" Kat stated, "but once we did, Haiku's jokes can actually be funny."

Although a small part of them still had their doubts, Omar and the girls decided to take her word for it and simply nodded in agreement. Afterwards, Dolores went about looking at the rest of the gang's memories together. That's when she caught sight of Lincoln's little dance number at Jordan's party from last Spring.

After pressing "Play;" she watched in awe as the Loud Boy danced, crooned and dazzled the crowd of party goers. In time, the others got curious and asked to have a look at the video for themselves. The instant they heard Lincoln hitting the final high notes, Omar's jaw almost hit the floor while Ellie and Tonya's cheeks glowed a bright red with amazement.

The Gal Pals caught sight of what they were all watching and some of them couldn't help but sigh wistfully. "Yeah, that was quite a show Linky put on" Dana stated, "he had almost every girl their swooning...especially the younger members of our crew." With these words; Jordan, Cristina, Kat, Paige and even Haiku suddenly started shouting in protest (albeit softly.)

But alas, all it seemed to do was make the obvious ever more so; that they were moved by Lincoln's singing skills. "Hold up...is that really our lil' dude singing right there" questioned Omar, "man...with a voice like that, he should be on the Glee Club." This suggestion caused several of the Middle School Gals to giggle softly under their breath.

Although, they weren't laughing because they thought being on Glee Club was "silly" or "darkish;" like how Lincoln's personal bully group did. Rather, the idea of hearing Lincoln sing openly in public again caused these ladies to almost behave like giggly fangirls. "Speaking of Linky...where is he" Dana inquired suddenly, "it's been almost thirty minutes and he hasn't joined us yet."

The instant this was brought up, the group's mood suddenly changed from pleasant to serious in a matter of seconds. It was here that the waitress, Lonnie and Gus (the owner of Gus' Games n' Grub) arrived with everyone's orders in hand seconds later; the latter of whom looking equally worried. "I was just about to ask you girls the same question, when I saw you talking earlier" Gus stated, "poor lil' guy's been...out of sorts lately over the past week or so...but no one knows why, not even Clyde."

That was it, the final nail in the coffin to prove to the group that something really serious was going down. Not only did the idea of Lincoln being in trouble fill the Gal Pals and Omar with a great sense of dread, the idea that he wouldn't confide in his own best buddy was a major red flag. "Guys, nothing...serious happened with Lincoln at school recently, right" Carol inquired, "you didn't see him get detention, get into a fight or anything like that?"

Without the slightest hesitation, the Middle School members of the crew confessed that things seemed okay with him; aside from Biff still busting his chops. "But then, one morning; he comes to school with the saddest look on his face" Cristina stated, "it was the kind of look someone has when some really troubling news is suddenly thrown atop their shoulders...you know what I mean?" By the end of the story, every other member of the Gal Pals crew suddenly started to feel fearfully apprehensive; none more so than Carol herself.

As his leading legal guardian, she made a promise to help her special little guy whenever danger arose; regardless of whatever or whoever the culprit might be. "If what you're saying is true, Cristina; let's make a note to talk with him about what's going on" she said firmly, "that is...if he plans on coming here at all." Whether by coincidence or some form of Fate; the instant Carol said these words, she and the crew suddenly heard the front doors swing open.

Everyone turned with a shock, feeling both curious yet anxious about who might be at the entrance. At first, Kat thought it might've been Chandler and the rest of his posse; which would've been pretty annoying to deal with on her part. Although he and Lincoln appeared to be on "friendly terms," Chandler still felt annoyed by the fact that Kat spent so much time with "a bunch of randos from school" (as he so eloquently put it.)

But as she took a closer look, she was relieved to discover that it was actually Lincoln coming in. However, at the same time; everyone could see clear signs that there was something amiss with the boy. His eyes were bloodshot and bore heavy bags, his hair was a disheveled mess and when he was walking, Lincoln seemed to be dragging his feet along the linoleum; as if his shoes were filled with rocks.

Initially, the first instinct Carol's crew had was to go over and shower him with some warm affections; thinking it would help lift his spirits. But then, they realized it would probably only make things worse and decided to remain quiet for now. As for Gus, he decided to go over and greet Lincoln accordingly; like a good host should.

"Hey there, bud; how's one of my best customers doing" he said happily, "your friends are all waiting for you at the booth." Now, what happened next not only threw Gus for a loop but also the Gal Pals crew as a whole as well. Rather than give off his usual enthusiastic thank you and star-bright smile, Lincoln simply walked past the mustachioed manager; his feet dragging behind him, his head hanging low and only offering up a sullen "meh" in response.

All eyes watched as the boy slinked his way over to the Gal Pals' booth before he tiredly plopped down, face first onto the seat; letting out a distressed moan seconds later. Upon hearing this sound, the crew all suddenly felt a combination of worry and mild frustration at Lincoln's behavior; which led to them unanimously deciding to get to the bottom of things straightaway. "Okay, we've tried to stay outta things up until now...but this has gone on long enough" Cici said firmly, "what's going on with you today, dude?!"

As all the other Gals started chattering in unison with equal worry in their voices; to Lincoln's ears, it all sounded like the annoying hiss of white noise one hears on a TV. Thus, he remained in his sullen position and gave the Gals the same "meh" response he used on Gus mere seconds ago. "Okay, Lincoln...this is really starting to bug us a little" Paige said in annoyance, "aren't you going to say 'hi' to us, at least?!"

Much to the young lady's surprise, Lincoln started to turn his head ever so slowly till it lay sideways on the leather seat. But instead of him honoring Paige's request and giving out a "hello" or a simple "hi, everybody" in greeting; he only raised his hand nonchalantly into the air and gave out an unintelligible moan. This seemed to make the ladies even more annoyed and they (along with several other patrons) were prepared to let Lincoln hear it.

"Okay, dude; before we go any further about your attitude...tell us one thing" Phoebe ordered slightly, "how the heck did you get here on your own?" Rather than answer her verbally, Lincoln pointed his hand behind him towards the doors; where everyone caught sight of Miss Donna Ramon parking her bike outside. Upon entering the establishment, several patrons found themselves feeling...slightly anxious around the rather intimidating biker babe; Gus in particular.

But instead of feeling bothered by their behavior, Donna only smiled and waved hello while walking before making her way over towards the Gals' booth. "C'mon, kiddo; that's no way to sit" she stated, "you gotta plant your rump down and get yourself nice and cozy, like this." With these words, Donna lifted Lincoln up off the floor and gently situated him in-between Carol and Becky.

But despite being in the company of such dear friends, the poor lil' man still looked down in the dumps; which made the Gals feel even more bothered. "C'mon, Linky; say something to us" Dana pleaded, "is it...is it something we did, are you hurt, sick or are you..." Before she could go on any further, Lincoln suddenly ripped out a collection of napkins from the nearest dispenser...and cried into them loudly.

Thankfully, it did not last for very long and after taking a moment to dry away some tears; Lincoln was finally calm enough to speak. "No, D...this has nothing to do with you guys at all" he murmured sadly, "it...it's my family's problem and part of it's my fault!" Before any of the Gals had the chance to either dismiss their buddy's claims or calm him down, Donna took him by the shoulders and gave him a light shake; all while saying he was "talkin' crazy talk."

"Okay...for real, could someone please tell us what's happening" cried Phoebe, "I don't wanna sound rude here...but I don't want any drama to ruin my appetite!" Once more, Lincoln took a few seconds to calm down his anxious mind; prompting Carol and Dana to offer him something to drink to help calm his nerves. After accepting the request, taking a sip of soda and finally feeling relaxed enough to speak again; Lincoln decided to cut straight to the chase with his news.

"You guys already know how the court decided to give my family back their jobs, after their debt was fulfilled...right" he asked, earning a few nods from his friends; "well...once everyone went back to work, my family thought life would go right back to how things were before; including my dad with his restaurant." Thus far, everyone appeared to be following Lincoln's story well enough but they still questioned why these circumstances would leave him feeling so upset.

"I'm getting to that...anywho, my dad was beyond excited to get right back to his kitchen and start cooking for the public again" Lincoln said wistfully, "he didn't even care if he would be doing it while on probation." Upon hearing this reveal; Dolores asked why Mr. Loud would be on probation at all, since his family had finished repaying his debt to society. "I think I can answer that for ya, kiddo" Donna interjected, "while the Louds did repair all the physical damage to the town, they have yet to earn back the town's trust...present company excluded, Lincoln."

Once he assured his chaperone/caretaker that everything was okay, the aforementioned Loud Boy confirmed her words to be true; stressing that the town's lack of trust in his family has put a real wrinkle in their lives as of late. "For starters, even though she's gone off to her dream college; Lori's been telling us at home how she's been getting the stink eye from a lot of people at Fairway" Lincoln explained, "meanwhile, some of my other older sisters have been having issues of their own." When the Gals all asked what these issues were, he only said that the list "was far too long to keep track of."

"For starters, they haven't had a single call to babysit from anyone in the neighborhood in ages" Lincoln stated, "they probably still think my sisters would be too big a danger to their children." In addition to this bombshell, he revealed how Luna and Luan haven't had much luck in getting any calls to perform for people. Of course, this was important because they wanted to use a share of whatever they might earn to help their dad out.

Sadly, like Lincoln said; there weren't that many calls for gigs and it was leaving the Louds with barely enough money in their pockets. "Things are getting so bad, his folks have even considering making some cutbacks" Donna stated, "first among them...is closing down Lynn's Kitchen."

(Line Break)

For what felt like ages, all was as quiet amongst the Gal Pals crew; the only thing that broke this silence were the sounds of games being played and other patrons laughing merrily. As for Lincoln; after delivering his news, he did everything in his power to not burst into tears again. As if sensing this, several of the Gal Pals did their best to comfort in their usual manner.

"Aw, pal; I'm so sorry this is happening to you guys" Carol murmured sympathetically, "are things really that severe for you guys...money-wise?" As a response to this, Lincoln took out his phone and brought up something on Leni's Social Media page; a picture of the Dining Area of Lynn's Table. The Gals all recoiled in alarm when they saw the amount of cobwebs beneath the tables, the dust collecting on the seats and the dreary nature of the restaurant's atmosphere.

Omar, meanwhile chose to observe all of these things on the photo in silence; as if he were studying them. When he finally chose to speak up, ten seconds later; the first thing he said was "why was this even posted?" "Remember...this is Leni we're talking about" Becky muttered, "she probably thought the family could earn the public's sympathy by posting the inside of their place."

Rather than be offended by his friend/guardian's comment, Lincoln gave his shoulders a heavy shrug and claimed she "wasn't that far off" in her assumption. "Uh...Lincoln, as your friend; I've gotta level with you" Kat stated, "the whole place is so dirty that it looks like the venue for the All-State Dust Bunny Convention." While they also agreed with their friend's words, the other Gals also asked how long it had been since the restaurant was last cleaned.

Much to their shock, unfortunately; Lincoln sighed heavily and proclaimed that with no customers coming in, there didn't seem to be a point in keeping Lynn's Table tidy. "Let me ask you all something" he said in a dry yet blunt tone, "do you know how much time passed since my sister posted that picture?" Almost immediately, everyone started chattering amongst themselves; making several different guesses ranging from a few days up to weeks.

"Sorry, guys but you're all waaay off" Lincoln stated, "this picture was actually posted on the day the place reopened for the summer...and that was months ago!" This reveal not only caused the Gal Pals to suddenly gasp in horror, it also led to several nearby patrons crying out in disgust. The whole time this went on, poor Lincoln could only hang his head in sorrow; thinking that their reactions were more than justified.

When everyone finally managed to calm down, Haiku was the first to speak up; proclaiming that the picture Lincoln showed them was far too distressing; even for someone like her. "I'm afraid we must agree with her on this, dude" Becky murmured, "I mean...we love you and all but how could you and your fam let your place go like this?" Once more, Lincoln felt that his friend/guardian's words were more than justified but they still hurt all the same.

After taking a moment to wipe some tears away and lightly munch on a garlic knot, Lincoln heaved out a sigh of defeat. "Why bother, ladies...there's no point in cleaning up, if no one comes" moaned Lincoln, "do you know when the last time we had a customer was?" Before anyone had the chance to answer, the Loud Boy brought up another photo on his phone; one near identical from the last.

In it, they saw Lana bringing in some animals from the streets and offering some of her dad's food to them. Needless to say, this left the Gal Pals feeling pretty disgusted; in more ways than one. "I know what you're thinking and you're all right...what Lana's doing would be considered a health code violation" Lincoln blurted out, "but you see, that food she's feeding them was spoiled and...well, we had to get rid of it somehow!"

In addition to this, he revealed that aside from the strays; only a small handful of humans came to the restaurant. These included his grandfather and Myrtle, Aunt Ruth, Mr. Grouse and even Flip; who only came to get a "discount" on some of Lynn Sr.'s hot sauce from the kitchen. "Now, knowing the kind of food Flip had in his place; my dad was leery about making a trade" Lincoln sighed, "but...as they say, desperate times call for equally desperate actions."

No sooner had he said this, the Loud Boy confessed that not only did his dad honor his trade with Flip; he agreed to give away any and all "semi-edible" foods he might have to the shyster. Worse still, it was later revealed that Flip only "paid" for these exchanges with "discount" coupons for Flippees at the Food & Fuel; which the Louds discovered were all expired, thanks to Lisa. "Long story short, we've been having some serious problems at home" Lincoln groaned, "and that's just the tip of the iceberg!"

Their nerves already feeling shot from the story they've heard so far, the Gals softly moaned with despair; not because they felt irritated with their bestie...but because they couldn't think of any other way things could get worse for his family. "Don't tell me there's another Protocol thing going on, friendo" Ellie interjected, "if there is...just say the word and I'll put out a call to my Mama down at the station." Not long after this, Carol and her crew offered their assistance as well; vowing to give the Loud Sisters a piece of their mind, if things were that bad again.

But while he much appreciated everyone's concern and willingness to help, Lincoln quickly assured them all that things hadn't devolved back to what he called "Protocol Madness" again. "Nope, the real issue is...Thanksgiving is coming up" he sighed, "and not only are we too deep in financial troubles to even think about buying the food stuff we need, we have a second problem mixed in with this." Feeling curious yet worried at the same time, the Gals all asked Lincoln what his other problem was and whether or not they could help.

In response, he revealed that the issue wasn't so much of a what; it was a who. "Gals, you remember the trip we took to Great Lakes City back in late June...right" questioned Lincoln, "and do you also remember the talk I had with Bobby?" Straightaway, the Gal Pals all nodded slowly in understanding; their minds thinking back to how determined Lincoln was to help cheer Bobby up that day.

Once he saw that everyone was up to speed, the boy in question revealed that Lori and Bobby thought up "the best way" to see if they were ready to be Boyfriend and Girlfriend again...Thanksgiving Dinner with family. "The problem is my family isn't the only one thinking this idea" Lincoln revealed, "it turns out everyone at the Casagrandes' apartment wants the same thing...but for different reasons." Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long for the friend group to realize why the Casagrandes had their own separate Thanksgiving dinner plans.

Not only had it been years since Ronnie Anne's family had last seen her but at the same time, no one knew if Rosa wanted any member of her family to be seen around the Louds (besides Lincoln.) "Both mine and the Casagrandes' side has a legit reason to have Bobby and Lori stay with them for Thanksgiving" the Loud Boy sighed, "but due to some...tense circumstances, we all couldn't work out a peaceful compromise." It was here that Lincoln revealed something so strange, the Gal Pals all swore he was making it up.

But several times over, he insisted to them that every word he said was the absolute truth; regardless. To get to the point; Lincoln revealed that his sister, Lisa created a device for "occasions such as this" (as she claimed.) "According to her, it would present some 'What If' scenarios to us; showing exactly what might happen during a certain situation we were facing."

When asked what this supposed "machine" of Lisa's showed everyone, Lincoln's only response was that what they saw was "nothing worth writing home about." "Long story short; instead of enjoying each other's company, the simulation only showed both of our families constantly trying to one-up each other" he grumbled, "whether it was my mom and Frida arguing over decorations, Luna and Hector refusing to 'share the stage' together or my dad and Rosa fighting over whose food Bobby and Lori should eat first!" With each example presented, the Gals and Omar all came to one unanimous decision...that the Loud and Casagrande Families were both acting like children.

In addition to this; Dolores revealed that the more a family tries to keep one of their own too closely, the more it only drives them away later. "Ironically enough, Dolores...that is exactly what happened in the 'What If' scenario we were all shown" Lincoln sighed, "we all ended up pushing Lori and Bobby away, forcing them to have Thanksgiving at Flip's." Normally, people would question why a business would still be open during a holiday; especially Thanksgiving.

But since Flip managed both a gas station and a convenience store, it made sense for someone like him to be open 24/7. "In the end, the simulation showed both our families apologizing for what happened" Lincoln said matter-of-factly, "it also showed Flip coming up with an idea to solve our problem...rotating every other year to celebrate." Upon hearing this and taking a moment to think it over, the Gals all felt the idea sounded pretty good...on paper.

But even there, the situation of who should stay with whom during the holidays still lingered in the air; which meant similar fights could or would break out later on. "Also, the drive is only three hours long...right" Cici inquired, "such a distance doesn't feel that long to make a drive over the following day to celebrate a holiday with family." To help prove her point, she revealed all the times her own family would make a similar drive over to Detroit to see her family on Christmas.

"That's easy for you to say, Cici; your family's only a half-hour's ride from town...I doubt Vanzilla could make the drive from here to Great Lakes in one piece, if we did what you're suggesting."

(Quick flash shows Vanzilla traveling to Great Lakes City and back to Royal Woods during every major holiday. During this time, the van breaks down during both trips; which incredibly frustrates the family)

"Maybe it's time your pop got in another set of wheels" Phoebe suggested, "I mean, Lori's got her own car now; so..." Again, Lincoln believed the idea sounded good on paper but he soon revealed that they already made such an attempt once before and his dad was not pleased with the trade. In the end, with so many ideas proving to be a no-go; the Louds felt they were all at the end of their rope.

"Wow...that does seem like a lot for you to deal with" Kat murmured sadly, "and here I thought my family's holiday plans were stressful." The rest of the Gals murmured softly in agreement and understanding, their minds still spinning from trying to process what Lincoln had told them. As for the newest members of the group, each of them stared at each other in silence; as if asking themselves what could be done to help fix things.

For what felt like ages, the friend group just sat in their booths in silence; barely looking at one another or touching their food. At one point, Lincoln left his booth and decided to go play some games; thinking some mindless fun would help him forget his troubles. "Go on ahead, Linc" Carol cooed softly while hugging him, "we'll all be here, if you need any cheering up or whatever."

Lincoln smiled warmly at the teen as brightly as he could; feeling thankful that he had such good friends, in spite of everything. The Gals and Omar all watched in silence as he trudged his way over towards a Muscle Fish arcade machine, their hearts breaking with every step he took. "Poor kid, he and his family have all been through enough to last a lifetime" Donna sighed, "I wish there was some way we could all help him out."

Although they sided with her one-hundred percent on the notion, the Gal Pals all agreed that there was only so much that the likes of them could do to turn a family's financial situation around. Then, Ellie looked down at the table and noticed that Lincoln left his cellphone behind; which still had the image of Lynn's Table empty on the screen. After taking note of both the hygienic state of the establishment along with everything Lincoln had shared, she was suddenly struck by inspiration.

"Hey, y'all...psst! I think I'm getting an idea" she whispered softly, "and it might just be crazy enough to help turn things around for our lil' buddy." Feeling cautious yet hopeful at the same time, the Gals and Omar wasted no time in asking what Ellie had in mind. "We can't talk about it too much here...not while Lincoln's within earshot of hearing everything" she whispered, "but I just know this will work and I'm gonna need some help makin' sure it goes well...how 'bout it?"

Almost immediately, they all wanted nothing more than to help agree with Ellie's idea but there was something about whispering behind his back that just made it all feel...somewhat sketchy. "I want to make this a surprise for the lil' man" whispered the country girl, "we can't discuss it while he's within earshot of us, can we?" After letting out a simultaneous gasp, the Gal Pals cautiously glanced towards the arcade area; hoping Lincoln didn't hear what they were talking about.

However, much to their relief (and also their dismay;) he appeared to be highly engrossed in his game, in spite of his overall gloomy body language. "Okay, Missy; we'll hear you out" Whitney whispered, "but don't make us do anything we might regret or feel embarrassed by." Ellie smiled brightly, offered up the "Scout's Honor" salute and called for everyone to huddle up.

Of course, while they chatted; the crew took brief pauses to eat some of their food.

(Line Break)

The following day, the group arrived at the Lynn's Table restaurant; only to discover that it was closed. Of course, after hearing Lincoln's story; they all agreed that no member of the Loud Family were in the right spirits to come back here just yet. Still, the Gal Pals all wondered how they planned on getting in without the family knowing about it.

"For that matter...where are Omar and the girls" Haiku murmured, "I thought Ellie said she needed us to help with her plan." Despite feeling just as concerned as their young friend, the other Gal Pals remained hopeful and believed that their newest members wouldn't stand them up. Then, all of a sudden; the skies rang out with the sounds of a bike engine revving mixed in with the shrill cries of police sirens.

These noises came so suddenly that every one of the ladies came close to leaping out of their skins, even Haiku. At the same time, Carol felt a twinge of betrayal grip at her heart ever so slightly; believing that Ellie may have ratted them out to the police for trespassing. Just as she was about to vow her revenge on the young lady in question, Carol suddenly heard the sound of uproarious laugher fill her ears; as did the other Gals.

At the same time, they could also hear a series of familiar voices crying out joyfully at their expense. "Ay! You all should see your faces right now" Dolores' voice gasped between laughs, "you were all like...'WAAAH!'" The minute they all heard the young preteen's voice, the Gals gasped loudly in realization and their faces soon started blazing red with annoyance. As they glanced over towards the parking lot they caught sight of four vehicles being parked; three police cruisers and a motor bike.

When they realized just who it was that pranked them, the Gals all shook their fists in frustration; proclaiming that their little "joke" wasn't funny. "I figured y'all would appreciate a little déjà vu humor, ladies" laughed Officer Higgins, "after all, Miss Pingrey...didn't you and two of your friends pull the same stunt on Lincoln, last year?" The instant this was revealed, the younger Gal Pals and Dana all glared softly at the three leading teens; who all cried out defensively saying "we were only playing."

"But in all seriousness, ladies; good to see you all again" Officer Higgins said in greeting, "sorry about the little scare." Once their collective nerves had finally calmed down, the Gal Pals smiled uneasily and assured the Babes in Blue that there was no harm done. "Now, then...my Ellie's told us about her lil' plan for this place" Officer Higgins stated, "and we want to do our part in helpin' the Louds out in their time of need."

Soon after that, Simmons and Campos sounded off in full agreement with the plan; the former adding that she had been anxious to do some down home cooking for a long time. Soon after that, the Gals were suddenly greeted by the sudden appearances of both Mr. Simmons and Mr. Campos; who were stepping out of their wives respective vehicles. As expected, they questioned why the two gentlemen were here at all; while also expressing their sincerest thanks for coming.

"Heya, ladies; heard you needed some help" chuckled Randolph, "lucky for you...I happen to know a few home improvement tricks." Soon after this; Officer Campos' husband, Esteban also expressed his eagerness to get working. As passionate as he was for Ace Savvy, it was only matched by his love for cooking (along with his devotion to his wife.)

"Glad to hear you all want to help us this much...I really appreciate it" Carol said appreciatively, "but how are we supposed to get in since Mr. Loud still has the key to this place?" This news caused the other Gals to gasp loudly in alarm, realizing that getting into the restaurant was just as important as fixing it. Then, with a smile on her face and a hearty laugh in her throat; Officer Simmons revealed that she was given the backup key sometime last night (courtesy of Kotaro, Mr. Loud's best friend and band-mate.)

With that; she stuck the key into the slot, unlocked the door and opened it up to reveal...a complete mess. There were cobwebs under every table, the booth seats were covered in several layers of dust, the walls showed signs of chipping paint, the lights were all a mess and the table cloths were coated all over with dried food stains. Truth be told, the whole place looked so much worse off than what they saw on Lincoln's picture.

"Madre Mia...when you girls said things were bad here, we didn't think they'd be this bad" Officer Campos murmured, "maybe Mayor Davis should've allowed someone from the family to remain here to manage the upkeep, if not make or serve any food." While they fully agreed with their partner's ideas, Officers Higgins and Simmons said there was no point in thinking of the past anymore. Now, it was time to bring the place back to its former glory and the Gal Pals were more than ready to start.

"Okay, y'all; here's what we're gonna do" Ellie declared, "we're all gonna divide up into teams; one will work on dust duty, the second will do paint work, the third will tend to the seats and tablecloths and a fourth team will tend to the lights." Without the slightest delay, each of the Gals went about assigning who would be in charge of what. Dana and Becky would both tend to the lights, Whitney would help Team Two with painting, Haiku agreed to help Dolores and Stella with cleaning the tables (with herself being the one to change the tablecloths) and the rest of the crew tending to the kitchen.

Speaking of which; before they went about their work, the Gals all caught sight of Omar and Officer Simmons bringing some things into the kitchen area. Among them were several "mysterious" boxes, some pots, a collection of pans and some brand new cookware. "Uh...not to seem rude Ma'am" Jordan said warily, "but what do you two plan on doing with all that stuff?"

With a coy smile upon both their faces, Mother and Son only smiled playfully and said "it's a surprise;" claiming they had something "special" in mind to help bring customers back. "Okay...we'll take your word for it, I guess" Carol muttered uneasily, "but we best move quickly before the Louds decide to pop by suddenly." With that said, everyone let out a proud cry of "GAL PALS" (with Omar adding the small murmur of "and Guy Friends") and went to work.

But just as Carol was about to head off to one of the assigned work areas, Ellie suddenly held her back; claiming that she had a different job for her. "Now, then...word through the grapevine says you're quite popular on the social media circles, yeah?" Feeling slightly flattered by these claims, Carol dismissed them shyly and said she wasn't as popular as Lori made her out to be.

"Well...whatever kind of following you might have, it's just what we need for Phase Four of my plan" Ellie stated, "and before you say somethin'...I know it seems like I skipped two other phases but we'll get to those in just a bit." Once more, Carol felt a tad wary in trusting the young lady completely with such a plan; mostly due to how secretive it all felt. But before she had the chance to tell her about this, Carol saw Ellie going into the kitchen; calling out to all the cooks waiting inside.

"OOOH! This plan of yours better work, lil' miss" the teen growled softly, "if Lincoln's family loses this place because of your shifty behavior, it'll be my head...and probably yours too!"

(Line Break)

An hour and a half flew by since everyone first started working and by now, they were making some rather strong progress. After Team Three had taken care of cleaning off the dust and cobwebs, those on Team Two were doing great work in repainting the walls. Of course, Teams One and Three made certain to finish their jobs first; as well as place tarps over every booth to prevent paint stains.

Team Four, with a lot of help from Mr. Simmons, had repaired about half of the hanging lights and those on kitchen duty were also working quite diligently. However, there were at least one or two hiccups during all of this; as with any other kind of big job. Those working on the lights had some difficulty keeping themselves steady on the step ladders.

Haiku was seen collecting a small number of the spiders that made the cobwebs beneath several tables, which many felt like it was something Lana or Lucy Loud would do and after dealing with bits of dry paint falling into their hair more than once, Carol and Whitney had to borrow some hairnets from the kitchen to keep their heads clean. Of course, finding one to fit over the latter's massive poof was a challenge in itself. In the end, Whitney decided to trade jobs with another of the Gals; one that didn't require her wearing something over her hair.

"Sorry to tell ya this, missy...but the only other job left is scrubbin' the booth seats" Tonya stated, "hope you don't mind getting your nails messed up." Upon hearing these words, Whitney suddenly felt a chill of disgust flow through her. As much as she hated things falling into her hair, messing up her nails was another one of the teen's red flags.

But then, in the far back of her mind; a voice softly reminded her of who she was doing all this for. Even now, she could still hear Lincoln crying hopelessly in her head; which caused the poor girl to clutch at her heart slightly in anguish. "Tonya's right, I've gotta suck it up and put in the work...for Lincoln" she thought to herself, "besides, I'm due for a pedicure down at the spa soon anyway."

With that, she picked up a scrub brush and bucket and made her way towards one of the booths; ready to start her job. Once they were all back in their assigned spaces, everyone went right back to work on tidying up the place. There was a great deal of scrubbing, dusting, painting and repair work done to the place; which almost made everyone feel like they'd been going at it for hours.

But through it all, they reminded themselves who this was all for and it was more than enough to drive them forward. At the same time, while all of this was; a lot of noise was going on inside the kitchen. Not only was Officer Simmons busy setting up the new dishware, Donna was tending to any and all repair jobs while Omar was tending to one of the boxes he brought in.

Upon opening it, the boy sighed blissfully at the contents inside; which were revealed to be the freshest of fruits and veggies in town. "Thank goodness Liam was kind enough to share some of his family's crop with us" he stated, "now...let's get to cookin!" No sooner had Omar said this, Officer Simmons appeared beside him; stressing how often she told him never to cook on his own.

"C'mon, Mama; I only cut my finger one time when I was helping you mince" the boy whined softly, "besides...it was no bigger than a paper cut!" While she knew her boy spoke the truth; as an officer, Simmons had to do her part to honor the motto of Protect and Serve; despite being off-duty. It was then that the two managed to reach a compromise; Officer Simmons granted Omar permission to help with the cooking...but only if he agreed to let her supervise and attend to real "heavy duty stuff."

"Listen to her, Big O...really" Donna said with a light chuckle, "not only is it a fruitless idea to argue with your mother but if you're planning to cook what I think you are, you'll need Gail's help." After mentally debating with himself over everything, Omar finally relented and agreed to have his mother assist him. But as a condition, he wanted to make sure to do at least half the cooking work.

Just then, Carol suddenly came burstinh into the kitchen; her hands coated with some layers of dust and soap bits. Naturally, her sudden arrival startled the Simmons Clan a bit but the shock didn't last for very long. "Sorry for spooking you like that, everybody" she said apologetically, "but I just came here to ask if I could borrow some dish-washing gloves...some of us are in serious need of them."

Without saying a word; Omar opened up a drawer, collected several pairs of gloves and handed them over to Carol. But not before his mothers urged her to wash up her hands, along with all the others who needed to use the gloves. Carol nodded obediently and was about to leave the kitchen...when she suddenly noticed all of Omar's supplies.

"Well, lookie here; didn't know you guys were planning on doing some cooking" she stated, "what are you planning on making?" With a soft grin on his face, Omar smiled at the blonde teen and told her his family was prepping a "surprise" of sorts; one that both the Gals and (with luck) all of Royal Woods might enjoy. "Okay...I'll take your word on that, I guess" Carol murmured uneasily, "but remember, Lincoln's is counting on us to save this place."

With that, she collected the pack of gloves and returned to the dining area; leaving the Simmons Family behind to their business. "Boy, Gail; you were right about that girl" chuckled Donna, "she really seems determined to help a buddy out at any cost." Officer Simmons chuckled softly under her breath while smiling, playfully telling her wife of just how much the Gal Pals worked toward keeping each other safe and happy; Lincoln especially.

"Come to think of it...me and my partners are doing the same thing right now" the officer chuckled, "and here we thought looking after the Louds ended once Summer was over." No sooner had he heard his mother say this; Omar chuckled softly and told her that deep down, watching over the Loud Kids wasn't all "business" for her. "Admit it, Mama...you, Jenny and Gabby loved spendin' time with them over break" he said slyly, "and they felt the same way about y'all."

At first, the Babes in Blue were prepared to challenge all of Omar's claims; remembering how the Royal Woods Police Handbook warned officers like them to not have personal attachments with individuals who were under criminal investigation, indictment or had histories of felonious activity. In the case of the Louds, everything revealed in the courtroom last Spring was such an example. However, Officer Simmons remembered that she and her partners had a second responsibility; acting as the family's caretakers.

Of course, according to Judge Snapper; they were labeled as "emergency" caretakers, which made them think it would only last while the Louds did their summertime community work. But much to the ladies' surprise; over the course of those three months, they soon found themselves becoming...pretty close with the Loud Children. Jenny enjoyed playing games with Lily in the living room, Gabriella found some of the girls' company charming (particularly Lucy, Lisa and Luan) and although she tried to hide it, Gail couldn't help but reflect on how much fun she had jamming with Luna.

With these thoughts in mind, Officer Simmons turned to her son and asked why he was so determined to help Lincoln out. "Well...as you may know, Mama; I haven't been able to make many friends since we moved here" Omar murmured, "people either thought I was scary or picked on me for my size...but not Lincoln or his lady friends." Officer Simmons suddenly felt a cold chill run through her, upon being reminded of her children's first days of school in a new town.

As rough as life had been for the two of them in New Orleans before being adopted by her, she feared history would repeat itself in Royal Woods; especially with unstable people like the Louds around. But surprisingly...here they all were; working together, laughing together and having a hoot of a good time. All in all; meeting the likes of Lincoln, his sisters and especially the Gal Pals was a blessing for the children of our Babes in Blue.

"Yeah...I guess you have a point, Big O" Officer Simmons thought to herself, "those Louds are truly somethin' else." After that, she simply sat there in the kitchen; staring aimlessly at everyone going about their work. Then, after a short while; Officer Simmons felt a light bulb turn on in her brain and she made an immediate beeline for the rear exit.

"I'll be right back, Omar; I promise" she exclaimed, "I've just gotta step outside to make a quick call."

(Line Break)

After a while, everyone was laying sprawl along several booth seats in the dining area; all while panting and sighing heavily with exhaustion. "Jeez, that was a lot of work" Cici murmured, "I haven't broken this much of a sweat since we did track in Gym a few weeks ago." Several of the other Gals sounded off wearily in agreement, all while mentally berating themselves for enduring such heavy labor.

Then, as if on cue; the kitchen doors suddenly flew open and everyone saw the Simmons Family proudly marching out. At the same time, the Gals also noticed that they were wheeling out a large pot resting in the middle of a serving cart; along with a collection of soup dishes. They all watched in confusion, as Officer Simmons brought the cart to the middle of the room; wondering what she had up her sleeves.

Upon seeing the looks of exhaustion and fatigue on everyone's faces, she sensed that now was the right time to break out the big guns. "Shoot! Y'all look like you've gone through a hundred wars, kids" chuckled Officer Simmons, "how about a little something to eat after all that work, huh?" Before any one of the Gals could say a word, their stomachs decided to do so for them by letting out a monstrous orchestra of hungry growls.

"I do believe that answers your question, Officer" Haiku murmured, "so...what is it you have in the pot there?" Seeing this as a signal, Officer Simmons gestured for Omar to remove the lid from off the stew pot. The moment he did so, a massive cloud of steam puffed out like a geyser; spreading over almost every inch of the place. The Gals all cried out in surprise, when this cloud washed over them; some like Whitney and Kat complaining that the warm air would make their hair frizz.

But before either of them could make such a complaint, they suddenly found themselves sniffing about the air hungrily; as did the other Gal Pals. The sniffed at and smelled the steam for several seconds until, much to their surprise, they suddenly felt their mouths salivating with hunger. "MMM-MMM! What is that delicious smell" Jordan cried with glee, "what's in that pot, Officer Simmons?"

Without any further delay, Gail and Omar smiled brightly and proudly revealed their latest addition to the Lynn's Table menu; Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. "Gumbo, Gumbo...that's a type of soup, right" inquired Stella, "my granny makes some good soups at home." Taking the young lady's words as a compliment, Officer Simmons explained that Gumbo was sort of like soup...but with a few key differences.

"Soup is essentially heated water mixed with chicken or vegetable broth" she stated, "whereas gumbo is thicker, spicier and contains a wide variety of recipe mixes; like my Mama's famous Chicken and Sausage Gumbo right here." Admittedly, the ladies had a...slight understanding of what Officer Simmons was saying but she felt it was better to have them taste the dish for themselves. With that in mind, she filled up one of the soup dishes that were in the cart full with gumbo and held it aloft to the young ladies asking "who wants to have the first taste?"

For the first ten seconds or so, no one seemed to answer the call; probably due to how fatigued they all felt from cleaning. Finally, Jordan stood up from her seat and offered to try out the gumbo first. She walked up to the cart (albeit a little slowly,) held up her hands, took hold of her bowl and was then given a large spoon.

"Eat up, baby" Officer Simmons urged with a smile, "Mama Simmons' gumbo always did the trick to put a little fire in my belly, when I needed it." Not needing to be told twice, Jordan took hold of her spoon and dipped it into the gumbo's thick juices; collecting a reasonably sized piece of chicken in the process. Her sinuses burned with the rich aromas of the meat and gumbo, which made the young lady feel even hungrier.

When she finally popped the food into her mouth and took the first few bites, Jordan's face started glowing as bright as a Christmas tree. Then, seconds later; her hunger took complete control and she swiftly guzzled down the rest of the gumbo in a matter of seconds. The whole time she did this, the other Gal Pals gawked at her with looks of utter shock and confusion on their faces.

When she had finally finished eating, Jordan collapsed blissfully into an open booth and bellowed out the shrillest of joyful squeals. "Holy Cannoli, Jordan...are you okay" Becky asked worriedly, "was it...w-was it really that good?" Almost immediately, Officer Simmons answered the young lady's question by offering her a bowl of gumbo.

Without a second thought or delay, Becky took her first taste of the dish...and almost felt her eyes pop out of her head. "WHOA! THIS IS DELICIOUS" she cried with delight, "guys, you've seriously gotta have a taste of this stuff; it makes my insides feel so warm!" Within seconds, each member of the Gal Pals was given a bowl of gumbo and much like their two friends; they were also highly satisfied.

The rich taste of the broth, the well-cooked meats and the "special secret ingredient" Omar said he added gave the dish just the extra kick it needed to really bring it home. "OMG! This stuff is so good, I can't believe I haven't tried it before today" Carol exclaimed gleefully, "but...with all due respect, we thought you were prepping one of Mr. Loud's dishes in there." Officer Simmons and Omar nodded silently in understanding and proclaimed that while Lynn Sr.'s food was tasty, the menu was missing something very important; variety.

"That's why me, Mama Gail and Officer Campos' husband, Esteban agreed to help with the cookin'" Omar stated, "we've added a few extra things to the menu we know the town will love." Their collective curiosities piqued (as well as their hunger,) the Gal Pals asked if anything Mr. Campos had in mind would be as the stuff they tried at the Casagrandes' place. "It's true, Papa´ does knows how to make a tasty tamale every once in a while" Dolores said matter-of-factly, "but sometimes, he likes to be a little...how you say, bold!"

With that said, she gave a whistle and Esteban came out with yet another serving cart; one that had a platter covered with a silver dome. Upon removing said dome, the Gals saw what looked like a large green pepper that was covered in a sort of white sauce-like substance and...who knows what else. When they asked what sort of this was, Esteban replied with only three words; "Chile en Nogada."

"For you Americans who are unaware of this dish, these are Poblano peppers stuffed with picadillo and coated with a white walnut cream sauce" Dolores explained, "I'd explain what Picadillo is to you...but we are how you say, pressed for time." With this in mind, she offered Carol and her crew each a sample of the dish; hoping they would enjoy it. "We'd been pretty satisfied with Officer Simmons and Omar's creation, so far" Whitney stated, "something tells me lightning might strike twice here."

After nodding to one another in affirmation, the four teens each sliced off a fragment of their peppers and popped them into their mouths. Upon tasting the flavors of the sauce and the rich mixture of the meat stuffing, they soon found themselves floating on Cloud 9. "MMM! This is so good, you guys have some serious skills" Carol cried out with glee, "let's just hope the rest of the town will enjoy this food as well."

No sooner had she said these words, Carol gave a startled yelp when she saw Ellie suddenly pop up beside her. I was here that the young lady in question proclaimed that it was now time for the final two phases of the plan to be put into action. "For starters, let's open up some windows and turn on the fans" she ordered, "time to bring out the ol' Pie on the Windowsill' strategy."

At first, the Gals didn't seem to understand this part of Ellie's plan...until they heard the mention of a pie cooling on a windowsill. With these words, their minds were suddenly filled with cartoonish images of figures being blissfully lulled over to the item in question by their alluring scents. If the smell of Officer Simmons and Omar's gumbo managed to make them go bonkers with hunger; maybe, the rest of Royal Woods would feel the same effect.

"Well, ladies; you heard your orders" Carol said firmly, "let's spread out and start opening the windows up!" The other Gal Pals saluted obediently and went straight to work in opening almost every window in the restaurant; save for the ones that still had a drying paintjob. While they were busy, Ellie turned her attention over towards Carol; who appeared eager to learn her role in this whole plot.

It was here that Ellie explained that the next step in the plan was not only simple, it was also something Carol would have no trouble doing. "Your part is relatively simple, Miss" Ellie stated, "we're gonna advertise the grand comeback of Lynn's Table and show it off to the whole town...maybe even beyond that, if we're lucky." The instant she heard the word "advertise," Upon hearing this plan, Carol's first assumption was that Ellie intended on making a commercial for the place.

While it all sounded good...on paper, she told Ellie that it was too late to get the kind of things they would need to make a commercial; namely lights, a script, camera equipment and other things of that sort. "Oh...we ain't plannin' on doin' any of that, Miss Pingrey" Ellie chuckled, "these days, the best way to advertise is to 'go digital;" as you city folk might say." With these words, she asked Carol if she happened to be familiar with the concept of online reviews.

Almost instantly, the blonde teen's face suddenly glowed with realization; finally understanding why her social media status was such an "important element" of the whole plan. However, deep down; Carol knew that she wasn't quite as well-known on Social Media as Lori Loud always made her out to be. But in spite of these uncertainties, she still hoped that her amount of followers would be just enough to help bring people back to this place.

But before she went about in doing her part in the plan, Carol needed to understand something from Ellie; seeing as how Dolores, Tonya and Omar were all still busy to talk to. "I need to know...why are you guys so eager to help us help Lincoln" questioned Carol, "you and your friends' families could barely tolerate his sisters and I've seen how hostile Officer Simmons used to be with his folks." Within seconds, Ellie started to understand the teenager's concern and she realized that now was as good a time as any to let the cat outta the bag.

The truth is, according to her; even though she and the others only knew Lincoln for a short while; Ellie admitted that Lincoln was a great guy and didn't deserve the mistreatment some of the students down at Royal Woods Middle School gave him for his family's mistakes. Furthermore, despite getting off to a rocky start; the Babes in Blue all found themselves becoming...attached with the Loud Siblings over the summer. "So, long story short; we all are in the same boat your posse was with him, Miss Carol" Ellie stated, "he's become such a dear friend to me, the gals and Omar that...we all couldn't bear to see him suffer."

As she sat there in silence, taking a moment to allow these words to process properly in her mind; Carol suddenly felt an odd sense of déjà vu. It wasn't that long ago when she and the other Gal Pals were in the same spot Ellie and the kids were, all bound together by a simple cause; helping a friend in need. With this realization, Carol realized just how wrong she was to have doubted Ellie and her friends when this whole thing first began.

She may have inducted them into the crew along with Beatrix Yates mere weeks ago but here, at this very moment; Ellie, Tonya, Omar and Dolores were all proving to be true blue Gal Pals. With these thoughts in mind, Carol was more determined than ever to ensure the success of this whole endeavor. "Omar...get me another bowl of that gumbo" Carol said with determination in her voice, "it's time for me to update my social media status!"

(Line Break)

Time passed by and down at the Loud House, little seemed to have changed in the family's mood. No one was laughing, no one was playing...no one was even fighting with anyone over who got to sit where or who got to use the remote. Nope, things in the Loud House were anything but loud and nobody seemed to care.

Then, without warning; Lynn Sr. suddenly heard his cellphone going off. With a soft grunt, he reached across the table and picked it up; noticing Kotaro's face on the caller ID screen. "Sorry, buddy...but I'm not really in the mood to talk right now" the poor man murmured, "or...I might not be in the mood to talk at all."

After saying all this, Lynn was mere seconds away from pressing the "IGNORE" button on the screen...until the other Loud Kids suddenly felt/heard their phones going off as well. Much like their dad, they also didn't feel up to answering their phones; regardless if it was a dear friend or family member calling. But then; Lincoln realized that ignoring a call from Clyde, Rusty, Liam or any of his friends would make him feel even lower than he already was.

Thus, in the end; he decided to answer his phone...but intended to keep the conversation short. "Hey, Clyde; sorry I haven't called you in a while" Lincoln murmured sadly, "I just haven't been in the mood for any..." Before he had the chance to finish his statement, everyone suddenly heard a mix of excited yet frantic chattering coming from Lincoln's phone; causing the boy to painfully plug up his ears.

Feeling both wary yet curious, the Loud Sisters and their father decided to answer their phones next; wondering what sort of calls they might get. But before any of them could say a simple "hello," their ears suddenly rang with the same frantic/excited chatter Lincoln heard earlier. Eventually, Lynn Sr. was able to finally get through to Kotaro and urged him to speak more clearly.

"What's gotten into you, man...what's with all the shouting" he asked, "is something wrong?" Within seconds, the man's voice sounded much calmer than before and through his conversation with their father, the Loud Kids swore they heard him say that their family "made the news." Coincidentally, everyone on each of their phones started saying the same thing; which made the Louds feel even more confused.

"But...But Bobby, how could we have all made the news" Lori asked confusedly, "my family and I literally haven't left the house for a few days." Soon after this was said; Bobby, through all his excited babbling, urged Lori to come down to meet him at Lynn's Table. Once they all arrived, he swore that everything would become much clearer.

"Wait a second, dude...why's Bobby at the restaurant" questioned Luna, "that place has been shut down...hasn't it?" No sooner had this been said, the Louds suddenly heard Kotaro chuckling nervously before he confessed to giving his copy of the restaurant key to someone the other day. Naturally, Lynn Sr. was quite shocked by this news...not to mention just a little miffed.

"I know...I know you're pretty sore with me about this, Lynn" Kotaro said on the other line, "but trust me when I say...it was all for the greater good." As Lynn Sr. flew into an argument with his best pal, Lincoln was dealing with his own call. Again and again, Clyde kept urging for someone in his house to turn on the news; claiming that the report would "blow his mind."

"Chunk's saying the same thing, dude" Luna announced, "what's so important on TV that everybody wants us to see it?" While her family was otherwise occupied on their phones; Lily, of all people, decided to turn the TV on. After taking a moment to properly balance herself; the wee toddler hobbled her way over to the coffee table, picked up the remote and pressed the power button with her tiny hand.

The instant they heard the TV's loud chattering, the rest of the Louds halted their conversations and turned towards the screen. "Ugh! It's literally rude to disrupt your family's phone conversations, Lily" Lori said in annoyance, "but...since it's on, may as well see what everyone's talking about on the news." With this in mind, she politely took the phone from Lily's hand and started aimlessly flipping through every channel; barely caring about what was on.

Then, just as Lori was getting into the triple digit channels; a familiar sight flashed on the screen...Lynn's Table. "HOLD IT THERE, LORI" Lynn Sr. called out, "that must be what everyone wants us to check out...go back a few channels!" Without hesitation, Lori did as she was told and flipped back through the previous channels before stopping at the one her father wanted.

At first, everybody thought their eyes were playing tricks on them...but they weren't. There, right on the screen was the Lynn's Table restaurant; looking as good as it did when Lynn first opened it (maybe even better.) At the same time, everyone caught sight of something that almost made them faint on the spot.

Not only was the place looking cleaner and snazzier than before but there appeared to be a line of people lining up single file outside of the doors; a line that seemed to stretch on for miles! "What the...What's going on" Lincoln cried out in shock, "what happened to the restaurant, where did all those people come from...and who did all this?" Unsurprisingly, the Loud Sisters appeared even more confused than their brother did; while the parents looked as though their jaws would fall off their faces.

In time, "Ace Reporter," Katherine Mulligan appeared on screen and she looked eager to tell her viewers about what's going on. "Quick, somebody turn up the volume" Rita ordered, I don't want to miss any of this!" Not needing to be told twice, Lincoln took hold of the remote and turned up the volume as high as necessary. After that, he pressed a button to rewind the broadcast back slightly; to ensure his family got the full story.

"This is Katherine Mulligan here, live from Downtown Royal Woods" the reporter announced with bravado in her voice, "if you've just finished eating...well, you may want to make room for seconds because you do not want to miss out on all the good stuff they have down here at Lynn's Table." The minute Lynn Sr. heard mention of his place of business, he came close to fainting with shock; armchair and all. As for the kids; they couldn't decide whether they should feel excited, worried or confused by all this.

In the end, the Louds all had one simple question on their minds; "what the heck is going on?" "Okay, everybody get dressed and get into Vanzilla" Lynn Sr. ordered, "it's time we get to the bottom of all this!" Not needing to be told twice, everybody else rushed up the stairs to their rooms; leaving Lynn behind to try and mentally process everything.

Who reopened his restaurant, where did all those people come from and most importantly of all, who in the hey-hey was cooking in his kitchen?! All these questions and more were buzzing around the poor man's head like a swarm of angry hornets, giving him one monster of a headache. "Whatever's going on, one thing's for sure" Lynn whispered angrily, "I won't let some wise guy try to weasel their way onto my turf!"

With these thoughts in mind and with his heart burning with fiery passion once again; he rushed into the kitchen, snatched up his keys and rushed out the door; heading straight for Vanzilla. Not long after that, the rest of the Loud Family soon appeared; all of whom looking equally determined to find out what's going on. But before they left the driveway, everyone suddenly noticed that Lynn Jr. was bringing one of her bats with her; which made them feel quite concerned.

As if sensing this from them, the young semi-retired jock held up her free hand defensively and told her family she only intended to use her "weapon" on the intruder; no one else. "Hmm...I guess we can overlook this for one time" Rita murmured warily, "but if you must use that...just hit the creep's legs and no one else's." With a smile on her face, Lynn Jr. gave her mother an "a-okay" hand sign and placed the bat at her feet for later.

(Line Break)

As the scene shifts to somewhere in Downtown Royal Woods, all appears rather peaceful and serene. Then, the skies suddenly echo with the sounds of a loud engine revving; as a familiar vehicle passes by. Like a bat out of the Underworld (as Lucy would say,) Vanzilla zoomed through town as fast as the speed limit (and the engines) would allow; intent on getting to Lynn's Table before it was "too late."

Now, the "viewer" may look at this and believe that this might've been the work of Lori's mad driving skills. But no, as it turned out; it was Lynn Sr. who was at the wheel...but it didn't make his family nonetheless worried. "Now, honey...I know you're worried about the restaurant and we want to get to the bottom of this as much as you do" Rita said nervously, "but...could you, maybe...drive a little slower?"

Not long after that, the kids sounded off in agreement; many of whom were doing anything possible to keep themselves from getting carsick. Meanwhile, Lynn remained ever focused on getting to the bottom of whatever was going on at Lynn's Table; still under the belief that someone was trying to "take over his business." "Father...while I share in your concern, we must approach this situation logically" Lisa muttered, "even if someone were to take over your restaurant, they would require the consent of both the mayor and the original owner!"

While deep down, Lynn Sr. truly knew that his daughter spoke the truth; his sense of logic was clouded by his rage and resentment. After all the struggles he and his family had endured up to this point, the idea of someone cooking in his place was the straw that broke the camel's back. In that moment, Lynn was determined to confront the "usurper" and throw them out...even if it meant he might get into even more trouble with the police.

Then, without warning; he suddenly felt Leni grab hold of his shoulder and screaming for him to stop. At the same time, Lynn Sr. was finally able to notice a stoplight in the distance; one that had just turned red. While they waited for the light to change, the Louds did their best to calm themselves down (Lynn Sr. most of all.)

After a while, Lynn finally worked up the nerve to speak and the first thing he did was apologize to the family. "Dad...we literally get it, you love your restaurant and so do we" Lori said with a sympathetic grin, "we all had a part to play in helping Lynn's Table get to where it is today." While there was no real malice behind them; the instant he heard the second half of his sister's statement, Lincoln slumped low in his seat with guilt. It was here that he confessed how his family did indeed help get Lynn's Table to where it is...including the part where it was shut down.

"Sigh...Lincoln, we've told you all this before many times" Lucy murmured, "the restaurant getting closed wasn't your doing, it was us!" As much as it hurt for them to reopen that particular wound, the other Loud Sisters couldn't help but agree that the young Goth had a point. They all chose to keep their fight going, inside and outside of their home.

As such, whatever happened afterwards was the complete and total result of their actions; including the unwarranted food fight they caused at Lynn's Table. "Because of us literally behaving like babies, it cost Dad his dream job" Lori murmured in shame, "so...how exactly is this whole thing your fault?" As the light turned green and Vanzilla continued on driving (this time at a more sensible speed,) Lincoln tried his best to think up some sort of rebuttal...but nothing came.

Eventually, the Louds arrived at the area of town where Lynn's Table was situated and they came upon a sight so strange; it almost made Lucy's bangs fly up. Firstly, the exterior of Lynn's Table looked good as new; complete with a new paint job, the sign being fixed and the girls swore they saw a pair of picnic tables near the rear of the place. But most of all, what really got the Louds attention was the long line of people that seemed to stretch on for miles.

"Sweet Sassy Molassy...what the heck happened here" cried Lynn Sr. exclaimed confusedly, "where'd all these people come from?" Sadly, the rest of the family felt just as confused as their husband/father but they felt nonetheless curious about all this. But as Vanzilla eased over towards the parking lot, the family was astounded by the amount of vehicles stationed there.

Thankfully, there was still one space available; the Employee Parking space (or as Lynn called it, the Chef's Spot." Once the van was parked, the Louds made an immediate beeline for the front; only to be stopped by a few disgruntled people standing in line. Among those disgruntled voices was none other than Mr. Grouse, who appeared to have a bib wrapped around his neck; looking ready for a meal.

"HEY, LOUD; NO CUTTIN'" cried the old man, "YOU MAY OWN THE PLACE BUT THAT DON'T MAKE YOU BETTER THAN THE REST OF US!" No sooner had this been said, several other people in line voiced their own disapproval at the Louds for supposedly "cutting ahead;" many of whom insisting they wait like everyone else. "Uh...Please do excuse me for what I'm about to say, everyone" Lisa murmured, "but if I may ask...WHAT THE HASHTAG, DOLLAR SYMBOL, AT-SIGN, ASTERISK IS GOING ON HERE?!"

As expected, this rather odd use of "cursing" did little to upset the people in line but it left the Louds feeling quite surprised; mostly because no one had ever seen the little genius quite so frustrated. That being said, they felt just as confused and annoyed as she did and also demanded some answers. "I don't know what you all seem so upset about, gang" a familiar voice said from the line, "I thought you'd be happy to see the place up and running again."

Upon hearing this, the Louds looked halfway up the line and caught sight of two very friendly faces; Pop-Pop and Myrtle. After greeting her father in the usual way, Rita questioned who was responsible for everything that was going on; hoping to get a clear answer. Sadly, the only thing Albert told her was to "speak with the people inside.

"How are we literally supposed to do that, Pop-Pop" Lori inquired in mild frustration, "we can't get to the door without people complaining we're cutting...ah, dang it, of course." After taking a moment to mentally berate herself for her mistake, the eldest Loud Sibling urged her family to follow her to the staff entrance door in the back of the restaurant. Thankfully, nobody stopped them from going to that space...but the family's minds still buzzed with many questions.

In the end, however; they understood that the only way to get answers was to head inside and speak to the "new management" (as Lynn Sr. chose to call them." "Now, honey; I know we're all a little...concerned about what's going on" Rita said with a cautious tone, "but let's try and approach this with a little bit of patience, care and sensitivity; shall we?" At first, she expected her family to put up some sort of a fight or argument but nothing came; everyone was completely silent.

Then, after a short while; Lynn and a few of the girls smiled at Rita and murmured the words "yes, dear/Mom...of course" in the most "innocent" voices they could make.

(Line Break)

A split-second later, the Employee Entrance door suddenly burst open and half the Loud Kids came pouring into the kitchen; several among them carrying anything they could use as a weapon. The first to take action was Lynn Jr., who took a moment to think back on some lessons she learned in Anger Management over the summer. "Remember what the instructor said, Loud...don't go too deep into your old tendencies" she thought to herself, "just hold up your bat and give these guys a taste of...mild intimidation."

With this in mind, Lynn took in a heavy inhale through her nose and put on her "game face;" hoping that at least one of the workers here would submit to her. "ALRIGHT, PEOPLE; LISTEN UP" the former jock growled, "IF YA DROP THE DISHWARE AND LEAVE THE KITCHEN PEACEFUL-LIKE...WE WON'T HAVE ANY TROUBLE!" After that, she patted her bat threateningly in her hand; signaling to everyone that she wasn't joking.

Mere seconds later, Luan and Lola joined Lynn at both sides; the former wielding a Whoopee cushion containing what she called "Five Alarm Stink Bombs." Said bombs contained a chemical mix of spoiled milk curds, watery sweat from Lynn Jr.'s socks, expired canned dog food and the aroma from one of Lily's old dirty diapers (before she was potty-trained.) With such a mixture, Luan's cushion would create a smell so bad it would drive everyone out of the place (and possibly half of downtown Royal Woods.)

As for Lola, she preferred to simply use her tiara as a boomerang and knock out some of the staff present (much like her superhero counterpart, the Queen of Diamonds.) But while all this was going on, some of the workers were looking at the Louds with confused expressions; as if they were thinking "are they being serious?" Now, one might think that this would be a good time for one of the Loud Parents to step in and stop their daughters.

Unfortunately, Rita was working alone in doing that; whereas her husband, Lynn decided to join in on his daughters' scare tactics. Once he took the lead, the Loud Family Patriarch brought out his cowbell and held it threateningly over his head. "Okay...somebody better start talkin' or I'll be playing your swan song while my daughters deal with you" he growled, "who's the wise guy trying to take over my restaurant?!"

Once more, none of the workers in the kitchen answered Lynn's demands; which made the situation feel incredibly tense. Then, at that moment; the doors leading into the dining room suddenly opened and everybody saw Carol coming in. "C'mon, people; table five is still waiting on their cacciatore order" she said firmly, "what's even going on in...MR. LOUD?!" Upon hearing the man's name, the kitchen staff workers present suddenly started moving about frantically; all while saying "MR. LOUD, SIR" in alarmed voices.

As they watched everyone stand nervously at attention (with the exception of Carol,) the Louds simply stared at the whole scene in utter shock; unsure of what to say, think or feel at the moment. That's when Carol came over and greeted the family (specifically Lori and Lincoln) with an enthusiastic hug.) "I'm so, so, SOOO glad you guys are here" she squealed gleefully, "we didn't want you to miss the glorious return of your dad's restaurant."

The instant he heard these words, Lynn quickly snapped out of his stupor and started questioning Carol on what was happening in the nicest way he could. "EEE! I'll do more than tell you what's happening, guys; I'll show you" the teen stated, "follow me into the dining room." With that statement made, Carol was finally given the "cacciatore" she was asking for and carried it into the next room; urging the Louds to follow.

When they made their way through the kitchen doors, the family was met with a most beautiful and breathtaking sight. Firstly, the entire dining area of Lynn's Table looked good as new; even better than after the Louds themselves finished refurbishing it in the place's hay-day. The hanging lights had brand new shades, the seats in all the booths were clean as a whistle, every table had beautiful new tablecloth and the walls had a completely fresh and new coat of paint.

Along with all this, the Louds happened to notice a few new additions to room as well. There was a karaoke machine on the eastern side of the room, decorative paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling, pictures of the Loud Family cooking together at home hanging on the walls. But the most surprising sight of all was the amount of people present, which seemed to rival that of their opening day's attendance. To say that the Louds were shocked by all this would be the understatement of the century.

"This is...T-This is...I...I don't even have the words to describe what I'm seeing" Lynn Sr. stammered, "where'd all these people come from, who did all of this and...(sniff, sniff) what is that heavenly smell?!" No sooner had this been said, the rest of the Loud Clan took a whiff of the air and soon let out long sighs of contentment. Truth be told, they hadn't smelled anything so delicious in a long time but they had no idea what it was.

But before they could all ask someone for answers, Carol suddenly pushed them over towards two of the few remaining open booths available. Once they were all seated, she suggested/recommended that the Louds try one of the newest additions to the menu; "Ragin' Cajun Down-Home Gumbo." "Hold on a second, Carol" Lori interjected suddenly, "Dad never served gumbo here before...I don't remember him making it either."

Just as he was about to echo his sister's words, Lincoln was suddenly struck by realization; as if the bat Lynn intended to use had accidentally bopped him on the head. "I know only one person who prides herself in making Gumbo" Lincoln murmured, "but...nah, that's crazy; there's no way she would..." At that moment, the boy's train of thought was suddenly disrupted by the same exquisite smell he sensed earlier.

However, this time; the aroma felt so much closer, as if it was right under his very nose. After sniffing at the air blissfully for a few seconds, Lincoln gazed down at the table and spotted that someone placed a soup bowl before him. When he was about to ask where it came from, someone suddenly grabbed Lincoln from the side and gave him a noogies."

"HEY...KNOCK...K-KNOCK IT OFF" he cried out in dismay, "this is a public place, you can't just attack people for..." As he looked up to see just who his supposed "attacker" was, Lincoln's eyes almost popped from his head in surprise. Standing beside him was none other than Tonya, who was playfully gave him another noogie.

"Sorry about surprisin' you like that, my man" she chuckled, "I just wanted to be here and see your face when you try Mama Gail and Omar's gumbo." At first; the Louds couldn't decide if they should feel upset with Tonya, confused or continue on with their earlier anger. But when Lincoln smelled the aroma of the dish in front of him, his hunger quickly overpowered his thinking and he immediately gave in.

Now, since this was his first time trying gumbo ever; Lincoln didn't know what he might expect. But considering how delicious it smelled to him, he decided to throw caution to the wind and give it a try. After dipping his spoon into the broth, he collected a big piece of chicken meat and eased it up towards his open mouth; prepping his mind and taste buds.

The instant he took his first few bites of the sample, Lincoln's entire face suddenly beamed with delight...just before he started guzzling down the rest of the gumbo. "BLIMY, MATE! I've never seen you eat that fast since you got that special edition Zombie Bran" Luna exclaimed, "was it...really that good?" Rather than answer his sister outright, Lincoln simply let out a blissful moan before fainting back into his seat like a rag doll.

"Okay, this is getting crazy" Lori murmured firmly, "Carol, bring us a round of gumbo for the table...we'll see if it's as good as Lincoln made it look." As if knowing this would happen, Tonya gave a whistle and shouted "we got some Ragin' Cajuns down here at Table Eight" to the kitchen." After that, Kotaro came bursting out of the kitchen; wheeling a serving cart containing multiple bowls filled with gumbo.

When he arrived at the Louds' table, he promptly placed every bowl before each member of the family; telling them they were "compliments of the chef." "Wait a ding-dang minute, K-Dog...I'm the chef of this place" Lynn Sr. cried out in confusion, "how could you let someone cook in my kitchen?!" After taking a moment to gather up his courage; Kotaro explained that due to the Louds taking a "leave of absence," someone volunteered to help cook for Lynn's Table.

Sadly, Lynn wasn't hearing it and he was determined to give the "usurper" a piece of his mind. "Oh, it's interesting for you to mention that" Carol stated, "because one of the cooks is standing behind you right now." Not needing to be told twice, Lynn shot up from his seat and glanced over his shoulder; eager to say a few words to the "new chef" of Lynn's Kitchen.

Unfortunately, instead of confronting some random citizen from off the streets; he was met with the stern gaze of one Officer Gail Simmons. Needless to say; in less than a few seconds, all of Lynn's earlier bravado had been doused quicker than a campfire in a blizzard. Rita also struggled with her own nervous behavior, upon seeing the officer glaring at her husband.

But while the sight of her made his parents feel uneasy; Lincoln, on the other hand, felt a great wave of relief wash over him. "Officer Simmons...it's so good to see you here" he sighed happily, "but why are you here...was it about what Lynn and Luan said in the kitchen a few minutes ago; if so, we can explain." At first, the two Loud Sisters in question were prepared to scold their brother for "squealing" on them.

But because of their still frazzled brains, empty bellies and the genuine fear they felt from the officer's glare; those thoughts quickly disappeared. Meanwhile, Lily safely crawled down from her seat and happily hobbled her way over towards Officer Simmons; hugging her left leg fondly. With a sweet smile on her face, the police woman reached down and scooped the Littlest Loud up from the floor; cradling her ever so gently.

"Ooh, Lily; I missed you too, baby" she murmured sweetly, "have you been behavin' while I was busy?" Without hesitation, Lily answered in the best way she could; either with a simple "uh-huh" or with excited babbling. Suddenly, the kitchen doors flew open once again; this time revealing Officers Higgins and Campos.

"Did my lil' ol' ears hear the sound of a sweet baby gigglin'" the Belle in Blue exclaimed, "where is she...I've been hankerin' for some sugar." Upon hearing this, Lily looked over Simmons' shoulder and let out another joyous squeal at the sight of the remaining two officers. In no time, the trio were happily hugging the little one in their arms with great joy; causing many patrons to gush adorably.

Deciding to throw caution to the wind, Lincoln approached the Babes in Blue and asked if he or his siblings could get some love as well. "Normally, it's against officers like me to show familiarity with civilians" Simmons muttered professionally, "but since today's a celebration...C'MERE, YOU!" With that, she snatched Lincoln with her free arm and pulled him in for a side hug; as well as sneak in a quick kiss on the cheek.

At the same time, both Higgins and Campos wasted no time in showing the other Loud sibs some love; mostly the younger ones. Of course, while all this seemed wholesome to the eyes of the patrons; Mr. and Mrs. Loud both found it all to be rather...unconventional. "Uh...nice to see you and the kids acting chummy, ladies" Lynn Sr. murmured uneasily, "but aren't you three still on duty?"

Upon hearing these words, the officers' love fest stopped briefly so that they could take a moment to compose themselves. Straightaway, Officer Higgins apologized for "letting her emotions get the best of her." "As we said, today is a day of celebration" Officer Campos stated, "not just for you, Mr. Loud but for us and the children as well." Yet again, Lynn Sr. was left feeling more confused than ever and he wasted no time in asking just what everyone was celebrating.

"For that matter, how did you do all of this" questioned Lori, "I mean...the spotless booths, the décor, all these people; how did you make all this happen?" With a proud smile on her face, Officer Simmons confessed that everything was made possible thanks to their awesome team. Of course, it didn't take long for the Louds (especially Lincoln) to learn who the team consisted of.

But even then, they still wondered how everybody was able to get so many people to come back to the restaurant. "Like my wife said, guys; it was all a team effort" said Donna as she approached them with a collection of soft drinks, "we had rockin' team of cooks workin' in the kitchen; Carol and her posse as the wait staff and we thought up the best ways to attract customers." From here, the biker babe explained how they used the scent of her family's gumbo to attract the townsfolk; like a pie cooling on a windowsill.

This endeavor was, of course achieved by not only opening nearly every window in the place but also by blasting the aroma out through the building's exhaust fan as safely as possible.

(A quick flashback shows Omar and Officer Simmons setting down some gumbo bowls beneath the vent that leads to the exhaust fan. Once the aroma bursts out a passing breeze then drives it through the town; causing many citizens who are walking, chatting, working or whatever else to suddenly stop in their tracks. Then, in true cartoon fashion; they all sigh blissfully and are carried over towards the entrance Lynn's Table)

"Oh! So, that explains the awesome smell we came across on our way here" Luna gasped in realization, "cool plan, seems like it really attracted a lot of people." Although she felt flattered by the young rocker's words, Officer Gail confessed that neither she nor Omar could take all the credit for the customers coming in. "See...this whole plan was made by our kids and the Gals" Officer Higgins interjected, "ya see, Miss Pingrey thought that..."

Just before the officer could finish her statement, a joyful squeal cried out from a booth near the kitchen. The Loud Kids turned to see where it came from and were soon met with a most surprising yet familiar sight. Sitting in the aforementioned booth was Carlota Casagrande and it looked as though her cousins; Bobby and Ronnie Anne were there with her.

Carol and her crew squealed joyously at the sight of the teenaged Latina and raced up to greet her happily, while Lincoln greeted the others with a fist bump (for Bobby) and a shoulder shove (for Ronnie Anne.) Meanwhile, the rest of the Louds were still trying to understand how and why the trio came here in the first place.

Eventually, Bobby caught sight of Lori and greeted her in a most loving fashion; which was something the young lady sorely missed. "Lori...babe, it's so great to see you" he laughed merrily, "we have a lot to catch up on." Lori chuckled softly under her breath in agreement and also expressed her joy in seeing her boyfriend once again; this time, on more pleasant terms.

When their love fest finally ceased almost a minute and a half later, she went on to extend the same greetings to Carlota and Ronnie Anne. "I can't believe it...what are you guys doing here" she asked giddily, "not that we aren't happy to see you, of course." Lincoln also voiced his curiosity on how and when the Casagrande Girl and the Santiago Siblings arrived at the restaurant, despite feeling just as happy as Lori was.

Carlota giggled softly at her townie friends/honorary family members and said she had to come right away, after viewing Carol's latest social media post. Of course, this revelation left Lori particularly shocked and confused; wondering what the post had that could've brought someone to make such a long drive. With this in mind, she brought out her phone and accessed Carol's Social Media profile; where she happened to find a video on the main page.

Without any further delay, she tapped her thumb on the screen and the upload soon started to play. "Hey-hey, everyone; it's your girl, CarolP back with another Vlog post." Carol said on the video, "I'm here down at Lynn's Kitchen, a restaurant owned by one Lynn Loud Sr.; who happens to be the dad of my two besties, Lori and Lincoln Loud." Although they were flattered to hear her address them so fondly on the recording, the aforementioned Louds still wondered where this was going.

As the video played on, it showed Carol trying out some of the best menu items Lynn's Table had to offer; as well as some new additions (such as the Simmons' gumbo and Officer Campos' Chile en Nogada.) Of course, there came a point where Lori almost felt that her friend was just "pretending" to like the food; hoping her behavior would earn her loads of "likes." But nope, when she saw Carol tasting her dad's Barbecue Chicken Salad and swooning blissfully; Lori knew that her reactions were genuine.

Then, just as things were starting to look fun; everyone noticed Carol putting on a sort of solemn expression. This meant she was possibly about to make a rather serious speech. "Now, people...I'd like to be a little serious for a bit to talk about something important" Carol murmured, "this place...it's been in a bad spot since the mayor shut it down, last Spring...all because of the wrongful actions of Mr. Lynn L. Loud Sr.'s daughters chose to let a fight get in the way of important affairs."

No sooner had all this been said, several patrons started whispering amongst themselves; many of whom had bitter memories of being on the receiving end of the Loud Sisters' food fighting at that time. At the same time, the ladies in question felt a mix of shame and irritation; wondering if Carol was trying to save them...or make them social pariahs once more. "Shh! Y'all, keep quiet" whispered Officer Higgins in a harsh tone, "don't start pointin' fingers until ya hear the whole story!"

Realizing that she had a point (and that it was not wise to risk themselves in arguing with a police officer,) all patrons in the room swiftly fell silent; allowing the Louds a chance to hear the rest of the video. "See...I know from experience that the Louds have made some mistakes...but they've more than paid for them, by now" Carol said firmly in the recording, "and now, they're trying to pick up the pieces of their lives and do their own thing...but they can't do that unless we, as a community...can help give them that chance." After saying this, she went on to show the remaining portions of her food; stressing that if Lynn and his family couldn't continue on with their livelihoods...the whole town would miss out on "great eats like this."

When the video stopped playing, seconds later; the Louds all braved a quick glance at the number of "likes" and the comment section; hoping there would be a...decent amount in either one. Imagine their surprise, then when they not only found that the video garnered thousands upon thousands of likes, it also gained quite a few comments; most of which were emotional yet positive.

"To make a long story short, my video went viral and then...well, you've seen the results for yourself" Carol giggled while gesturing at the crowd, "I was also able to attract people from other areas to come and eat here, like Hazeltucky and Beaverton." While this bit of news was both surprising and rather pleasant, it had one glaring flaw; how could the restaurant situate so many people at once. That's when the girls suddenly remembered the picnic tables behind the building and they asked who came up with that idea.

"That was my darlin', Ellie's smart thinkin'" Officer Higgins said with pride, "not only would it give your place some extra seats, who doesn't enjoy havin' a nice meal outdoors on a pretty day?" Following this up, Officer Campos brought the Louds towards one of the walls; where they saw two small bulletin boards hanging. The first one showed off a series of firm yet fair rules all patrons would have to follow; such as cleaning up all trash when finished, never skipping out on paying the bill, never instigate any fights and (much to Lana's dismay) only service animals would be permitted in the dining area.

"EEE! Service animals, that sounds so cute" Leni squealed, "imagine seeing lil' puppies and kitties walking around in adorable waiter outfits." Admittedly, the blonde's idea did sound adorable to everybody...but they quickly reminded her about the truth. "Dear Sister, real service animals are meant to provide emotional or physical support for patrons" Lisa explained, "such an example is the ever-popular Seeing Eye dogs for the blind."

Surprisingly, Leni was able to actually understand this explanation...but it did not dampen her dreams of seeing cute animals in the restaurant. In addition to this rule, Lana noticed that they still kept her idea to have a special animal menu around. However, it was stressed that the meals on said menu be made at home; so as to prevent any risk of contaminating the ingredients for the human menu items with it.

This rule was also made to prevent any possible disturbances caused by hungry service animals in the dining area. After that, everyone turned their attention towards the second board; which seemed to reference several "meal dates." "This here is slightly inspired by Lisa's basket of fries idea" Donna stated, "but rather than overwork the cooks by serving the basket every meal for every day, I suggested we do it...once or twice a week."

After taking a moment to think over the numbers and "possible scenarios" in her mind, Lisa slowly realized that Donna's idea was logical. However, she still managed to find one flaw in the plan; albeit a small one. "My apologies, everyone" she murmured with a light blush of embarrassment on her face, "at the time, I didn't realize that having Father make fry baskets for every patron every day on a repeated basis wouldpresent a great deal of work related stress."

Upon hearing the sad tone in his second youngest daughter's voice, Lynn quickly scooped her up and gave her a loving hug; ensuring her that she didn't technically do anything wrong. "You had a wonderful idea, sweetie...all you kids did" he stated, "we just...couldn't do them all at once due to small staff numbers or lack of means to meet such promises." After giving their father's words some thought, the Loud Kids all realized that he raised a good point and started apologizing to one another for their past actions.

"What's done is done, we cannot change what we did wrong in the past" Haiku murmured after seemingly appearing out of nowhere, "but what we were able to do was utilize all of your ideas in the most balanced way possible." As an example, not only was Lisa's fry basket idea referenced once more; she explained that while Lincoln and Clyde's "buses welcome" idea was still in effect, it was encouraged by the new staff that patrons should come by other means of transportation as well (cars, trucks, bikes...even skating was welcome.)

This way, the place wouldn't be overwhelmed by too many people at one time; which was something Lincoln fully understood. "Man...I'm so dumb for not realizing that issue sooner" he murmured shamefully, "sorry, everybody...sorry, Dad." Once more, Lynn Sr. let out a hearty laugh and assured his son that he truly didn't do anything wrong; all while snatching him up in a side hug.

"Hey! You guys kept my Bingo idea" Leni exclaimed while looking at the "Meal Dates" board, "but...why is it all the way on Friday night instead of every day?" Without hesitation, Whitney appeared and explained how if they celebrated or played something every day of the week; it wouldn't feel quite as special or fun. But by having a special Bingo Night for patrons young and old on Friday, people would still have something to look forward to before the weekend.

"What about the rest of our ideas, guys" inquired Lynn Jr., "like Lori's photo booth, Lola's tea party thing, Luan's birthday idea...and of course, my 'meal's free if it's not served in fifteen minutes or less' idea?" As expected, this inquiry caused the Loud Kids to chatter loudly with excitement...only for it to come to a sudden halt; thanks to the chimes of a small bell. All eyes then turned towards the kitchen, where everyone saw Omar lightly tap a spoon atop the button of a call bell.

"There...now that I've got y'alls attention, I'll happily answer your questions" he said calmly, "to start with...sorry, Miss Lynn but ain't no way us chefs can prep a meal in fifteen minutes; let alone less than that." Just as the young lady in question was about to challenge his claim, she suddenly remembered how overworked her dad was in meeting up everyone's order in such a time-window. She herself may be quick enough to do something in fifteen minutes or less but not her dad, mom or her siblings; unfortunately.

"That bein' said...we all agreed that everybody likes to have their meals served warm and fresh" Officer Higgins stated, "as such, instead of fifteen minutes; we've made it so that patrons would have their meals for free if they aren't served between thirty to forty minutes." After taking a moment to think it all over, both Lynn Jr. and Lynn Sr. believed that this idea was...a bit more doable than the original.

Next was the matter of foods being delivered to people's homes, as suggested by Luna. It was here that Donna agreed to help work for the restaurant and decided to act as the delivery woman. "All I ask in return is to have a reasonable paycheck and to have weekends off" she offered, "I've gotta have some time and money to manage my bike shop, ya know." After taking a moment to get over his initial shock, Lynn Sr. happily accepted both of Miss Ramon's conditions; all while shaking her hand enthusiastically.

"That's kinda cool...but what about my free concert idea" questioned Luna, "do I still get to play my tunes for the people?" In response to this; Carol explained how doing a concert for every person who comes in the place wouldn't feel quite as special for them, much like with Leni's Bingo idea. "So...we decided it would be better if you would perform during Saturday and Sunday Nights" she suggested, "you know, for any couples who might be coming here for a night out?"

At first, Luna was prepared to object to the plan; believing that having her only play on the weekends was basically "squandering" her talent as a musician. But then, Randolph/Mr. Higgins arrived and reminded her of one very important fact; that a musician needed to keep their voice healthy at all times. "Think on it, lil' miss" he urged softly, "if ya play and sing for everybody on every day of the week, that throat of yours will start hurtin' something fierce."

To really drive the point home, Mr. Higgins said that by performing on weekend nights; it would give Luna plenty of time to rest and train her voice during the rest of the week. "Yeah...YEAH! I really like the sound of that, Mr. H" the young rocker cheered, "thanks for helping me understand." After this, both she and Mr. Higgins playfully threw up "the goats" (or goat horns hand gestures) and cheered.

Overtime, the Louds were quite surprised by the amount of well-thought out and fair compromises everybody came up with for each of their ideas. But the biggest surprise of all was saved for last and, according to the Babes in Blue, it would be something they could all agree on. "Lori...word through the grapevine says you and Señor Santiago have been struggling with where you should have Thanksgiving dinner, Si" questioned Officer Campos, "well, I think you all have a mighty fine spot to eat right here!"

At first, the Louds were all prepared to question the officer's sense of logic...until realization suddenly struck them for the third time that day. In that moment, they finally realized the point she was trying to make; instead of either family having Thanksgiving Dinner at their own homes...why not have it here at Lynn's Table. "Wait...I thought workplaces weren't supposed to be open during holidays" questioned Leni, "does that include restaurants too?"

In response to this, her family explained that she was half right in her assumption; while most businesses do tend to be closed on the holidays, most diners and restaurants were usually the few places that were open. "In that case, I think we've found the solution to our problem" Carol said gleefully, "but...what do you think about it, Louds?" At first, Lori was prepared to answer for the family; thinking that Lynn's Table would be the excellent middle ground spot for both families to share Thanksgiving with.

But all too quickly, she realized that this particular decision wasn't hers to make; it was her father's. Speaking of whom, Lynn Sr. was in the process of pondering on if he actually could make the idea work. While it was true that most places like his were open during Thanksgiving; he couldn't really picture himself cooking for both his own family, the Casagrandes and all the other patrons at once.

Of course, when he brought this up to the gang, many of them proclaimed they were a long way ahead of him on that issue. "To start with; this is your place, Mr. Loud and you can decide whether to stay open or not and who gets to come in" Carol said boldly, "therefore...I think it's safe to say that you can both have the family here for that dinner and do so in a way that won't bring about unwanted interference from the public." With that said, she reached into her purse and brought out something she made at the local copy shop; a poster that read "Closed for Family Business, Come Back Later."

"Just put this up on the door on Thanksgiving and you guys can have your dinner together in peace" Whitney interjected, "sure, some people like Scoots or Mr. Grouse might not like being shut out...but they'll get over it." No sooner had she said all of this, the two aforementioned seniors suddenly shouted "WE'RE RIGHT HERE, MISSY" while waving their fists in mild irritation...but everybody just laughed. All in all, the Louds were quite surprised by everything they've been shown and told about.

"Gosh...this is just...this is amazing, everybody" Lynn Sr. gasped, "I...I can't tell you how grateful I am." Following his lead, the rest of the Louds extended their own thanks unto the group; many of whom proclaimed they wouldn't know how to repay their kindness. Ironically, just as soon as this was all said; the Babes in Blue and Donna all looked at one another with coy grins upon their faces.

"If it's repayment you're asking for...I think we've got a few ideas" Officer Simmons murmured slyly, "don't worry, our terms are pretty fair." The instant this was said, Lincoln soon started to presume the worst; thinking the officers might want to use the place as a spot for stakeout missions or...Heaven only knew what else. Coincidentally, his parents seemed to be thinking the same thing and they wasted no time in telling the police trio they wouldn't have Lynn's Table be a place of smut.

"Mr. Loud...how dare you" cried Dana, "these ladies would never consider such a thing and neither would any of us; right, ladies?" Straightaway, every one of the Gal Pals cheered loudly in agreement; while the Babes in Blue simply glared at Lynn Sr. for his earlier words. One quick apology and makeup session later and everybody was finally ready to get to back to business.

"First of all, we did all this because you were in need of help and as Linky's emotional support group; us Gal Pals are always ready to help him out whenever danger arises" Carol stated, "not to mention that you guys had already been put through the wringer enough already." Not long after this was said; several of the Gals showed off "heart sign" hand gestures towards the Loud Children; which they happily welcomed.

"If you really want to repay us for the work we did, our terms are fair" announced Girl Jordan, "to start with...could you save a table for us to use every other Saturday; we'd like to have a backup hangout to go to, if we aren't in the mood for Gus' at the time." After letting out a sigh of relief at this request, Lynn Sr. happily accepted it; proclaiming that he would do whatever he could to work something out. He also offered the honor of having a dish or dessert be named after them, which is something everyone knew he had a fondness for.

"We'll think about that, Lynn" Officer Simmons said firmly, "but right now...the rest of us have our own kind of conditions to present." Upon saying this, she gave a signal for someone to approach them; someone whom the Louds never expected to see again...Mayor Davis. Their first instinct was thinking they were in some sort of trouble...but the Babes in Blue assured everyone that this wasn't that kind of visit.

"Next, we're gonna need the youngins to come up here; including ours" Officer Higgins stated, "so...you can take five on them orders there for a bit, Omar." Not needing to be told twice, the young man handed off the last of the dishes he made to Kotaro and presented himself before the group. The whole time this was going on, everyone wondered why they needed to all be together in the same spot.

It was here that Mayor Theresa Davis presented two clipboards, each one having a separate set of legal documents attached to them. The first one had a series of forms regarding the restaurant, which made Lynn Sr. feel just a bit...nervous. "No need to fret, Mr. Loud; this isn't what you're thinking" the mayor assured, "these papers are to help ensure that your establishment is ready to reopen to the public once more."

The moment she heard this, Leni couldn't help but question the meaning behind Davis' words; stating that the restaurant was already open to the public right now. "You...are half right on that thought, sug" Officer Higgins stated, "but this was more like...a practice run, a way to show the mayor and the people how this place can function properly." At first, Lynn Sr. thought this was a jab at his ability to run the place his way...until he remembered how many times things got too overwhelmed in the past.

"I guess you have a point there, Ma'am" he said humbly, "so, Madam Mayor...what'cha think of the new and improved Lynn's Table?" At first, the official in question offered no response or reply; she simply looked about the room with a thoughtful look upon her face. Then, after taking a mental note of everything; she faced the Louds once more...and smiled.

"After seeing all of these changes for myself and getting the chance to try some of the...delicious food you have here, I can say without a doubt that this town has missed coming to the Table" Mayor Davis announced, "so, I hereby announce that Lynn's Table can now fully reopen for business once again...after you sign the paperwork here." At first, the family was prepared to do just that without so much as a second thought. But then, Lisa revealed that it was imperative to read all parts of the paperwork before signing.

"You have a point there, short stack" Lynn Sr. chuckled, "okay...let's see what we've got to work here?" As he and the family started reading over the text, everything appeared to be on the up-and-up; just the standard safety agreements, hygiene conditions, matters involving taxes and so on. But as they got to the end of one of the pages, Lynn saw something that made his eyes pop...new management.

"I think I know what part you're at, Lynn...so, let me explain" Officer Simmons interjected, "originally, it was mine and my partners' kids who inspired us to do all of this; not to mention that you owe a bit of this success to my gumbo recipe." There was no denying that everything the officer said was true but...the Loud Kids still felt unsure of where this was going. As if sensing these feelings from them, Omar and Tonya decided to help explain things a little.

"To cut to the chase, Mama Gail wants to help manage this place for you guys" the afro-haired preteen stated, "in addition...my bro here wants to ask a favor from you, Mr. Loud." While still feeling nervous from earlier, Lynn Sr. asked Omar what it was he needed from him; hoping it wouldn't be anything...extreme. "I never told anyone this before but...you ain't the only one who loves to cook, Sir" the boy said matter-of-factly, "after my sister and I got adopted, I always loved watchin' Mama Gail cook in the kitchen."

Not only did this reveal surprise Lynn Sr. but the Loud Siblings also felt amazed by this, particularly Lincoln. From this point in the story, Omar confessed how he loved the smells and the sounds that were made in his home's kitchen when Officer Simmons cooked. He loved it all so much; he thought about helping her with it, one day.

"Sadly...at that time, I told Big O he was much too young to help me cook" Officer Simmons said with a light smile, "but once he first started Middle School, I felt he was old enough to help me." After that; Omar confessed how from that point on, he and Gail would always have their fondest memories cooking together at home. But in the end, the Louds still wondered what the story had to do with Lynn.

"Here's my proposal...after today, you all can get back to your usual business here in Lynn's table and anywhere else you all work" Officer Simmons began, "on the condition...that you allow me to help manage things, allow some of the oldest members of the Gal Pals Crew to help assist you here and you help give my Omar a few lessons on cookin' new foods...is it a deal?" At first, no one in the family said a word; truthfully...they all thought this was some kind of dream. Then, after seeing the hopeful look in Omar's eyes; Lincoln looked to his father and said "Dad...I think they mean it."

"So...you guys really wanna work here with us" questioned Lynn Sr., earning a few nods from the group; "in that case...you're all hired!" Everyone cheered loudly at this with glee, while the Loud Parents went about signing the restaurant paperwork. Meanwhile, Leni and Lori embraced the eldest Gal Pals members; gushing over how exciting it will be to work alongside their "besties."

"It'll be so awesome to have you here, Omar" Lincoln cried joyously, "maybe you can help teach me a few cooking tricks too...like how to make that delicious gumbo." The burly teen chuckled heartily at his lil' friend and told him the same thing Officer Simmons said when he was that age; wait until you're older, if you wanna cook the special stuff. "However, we may be able to teach you how to make some of our favorite desserts" Tonya suggested, "things like Praline Brownies, Bananas Foster, fresh Pecan Pie or Mama Donna's favorite, Beignets."

The whole time she was saying all this, every dessert she referenced seemed to make the Louds hungrier and hungrier. In the meantime, this was all Lynn needed to seal the officers' deal and he immediately signed the remaining parts of the paperwork. "Don't you worry 'bout a thing, Lynn" Officer Higgins assured, "this'll still be your place, we'll just be here to help manage things." No sooner had this been said, one of the patrons suddenly made a complaint to the newly appointed "manager;" demanding to have some service.

Taking this as a signal, Carol and her crew immediately went to work; one pair went into the kitchen, the other went about taking orders. As the foursome moved about the place, Lynn couldn't help but think they were going to fit right at home in Lynn's Table.

(Line Break)

Eventually, closing time came around and every patron left the restaurant feeling both refreshed and pleasantly satisfied. Meanwhile, the restaurant team was amazed by the amount of money they all earned that day; including the tips. All in all, today was one of the best days Lynn's Table had in a long time.

But once the doors had closed shut, everyone wasted no time in taking a much needed rest. "Man...who knew managing a restaurant would be this much work" sighed Stella as she plopped herself into a booth, "we applaud you and your family for your skills, Mr. Loud." The rest of the Gal Pals crew sounded off in agreement, all while nursing their mildly sore feet from walking around for so many hours.

But as much as Lynn and his family appreciated everyone's help and support, it was they who were thankful for everyone else's involvement. "Seriously, guys; what you did...it means so much to us" Lincoln cried while leaping into the Gals' arms, "I love you all so much...you know that, right?"

Touched by this sudden yet adorable gesture, the Gal Pals all swarmed him in a group hug; all while telling him "we love you too." Naturally, this scene brought a tear to the eyes of all three Babes in Blue as well as the Loud Parents. But before anyone could get too emotional, Mayor Davis reminded them of the second set of documents that needed to be signed.

"Oh, yes...sorry about that, Ma'am" Rita chuckled sheepishly while taking the clipboard, "let's see, are these more forms we need to regarding the restaurant?" Without a moment's hesitation, both the mayor and the officers shook their heads and pointed at the top of the first page; which bore the words "Nomination of Guardianship" in bold lettering. "Wait a second...I've already got legal guardians; Carol, Becky, Whitney and Dana" Lincoln exclaimed, "why do we need to sign another paper?"

In response to these words, Esteban/Mr. Campos ruffled the boy's hair playfully and revealed the truth; the documents weren't meant for the Gals...it was for his wife and her partners. Upon hearing this, Lisa kindly requested to study the paperwork for one moment; which Mayor Davis happily obliged. "Let us see here" the wee genius murmured, "according to these papers, as long as our parents give them their consent and agree to sign their names as well; Officers Higgins, Simmons and Campos...would then legally become...our godmothers."

To say that this reveal left the family shocked would not do it the proper justice it deserved. Truthfully; the Loud Kids were all happy, nervous and excited all at the same time. But in spite of that, they still wanted to make sure this was all legit; not some court appointed service of some kind. "Nope, it's all real" chuckled Ellie, "once your parents and our parents sign those papers, we all gonna be family!"

The first to react to this was Little Lily, who showed her excitement by bouncing on one of the booth seats with joy. After that, Lana confessed that she felt just as excited about the idea...but not before she asked Donna if they could have a ride on her bike sometime. "It's funny you should ask that, kiddo" the biker babe chuckled, "I've had a sidecar sitting in the garage at home for months and haven't found any use for it yet." That did it; with these few words, Lana happily begged her parents to let the officers join the family.

As for the others; admittedly, there were times over the summer where they felt either intimidated or just plain afraid of the Babes in Blue (especially whenever they showed disciplinary action.) But after a while, many of the girls grew close with them; which would explain why the trio wanted to become their godmothers. As for Lincoln, he did everything in his power not to explode with joy; both figuratively and literally speaking.

Over the course of Summer Break, he also bonded pretty well with the officers and they helped him out of some tight spots. Mix this in with the fact he equally loved the company of their children and it was clear, having them as his godmothers would be wonderful. But ultimately, the decision wasn't the children's choice to make; not alone, at least.

"It's literally up to you, Mom and Dad" Lori murmured, "we know having the ladies around might feel like a stronger version of your probation but..." Before she could continue on, Mr. and Mrs. Loud both silenced their daughter and studied the paperwork carefully. Of course, they would cast suspicious glances at the Babes in Blue; every once in a while.

But after about a minute of deliberation, Lynn approached them and asked if they truly wanted this kind of responsibility. "We appreciated the help you gave the two of us over the summer...but once we put the pen to these papers, our families will be in each other's lives forever" he said matter-of-factly, "you really have no problem with this?" In response, Officer Simmons decreed that Lynn already agreed to watch over Omar the minute he chose to work together with him.

"If you have no issue with that, Lynn; looking after Big O and Tonya every now and again shouldn't be an issue" she chuckled, "just remember...no funny stuff; I am a cop...first and foremost." Rather than be intimidated by this, Lynn saw this as her way of making a bit of a joke and chuckled softly. Then, with gusto; he and Rita signed their names on the document.

After the Babes in Blue followed suit with their signatures, Mayor Davis literally sealed the deal by giving her stamp of approval (literally.) There was much cheering and celebration amongst the children but Lincoln, he felt the happiest of them all. Not only were all his family's livelihoods safe now, he also gained some more members into his family.

"This all feels too good to be true" he gasped with shock, "quick, somebody pinch me or something to show me I'm not dreaming!" At first, Ronnie Anne was prepared to answer his request until Dolores butted in with something she thought Lincoln would like better; a kiss. She scooped the boy up in the most powerful bear hug possible and planted a big smooch upon his right cheek, leaving a large mark behind.

"Did that feel real to you, chamaco" she giggled, "or...now that we're technically family, should I call you something more appropriate." After snapping out of his daze from the kiss, Lincoln chuckled happily and said it didn't matter what she chose to call him; he was just happy to have another addition into his family of friends. He was especially happy to have Omar become part of his family; confessing that now, he had two bros to hang with.

"That's me, guys...I'm the other bro" Bobby sniffled with tears in his eyes, "I...I'm sorry, this is just such a heartwarming scene." Everyone giggled softly at the boy and told him he was among friends; if he wanted to cry, he was more than welcome to. "Now...since we're gonna be workin' together, Mr. Loud; I've got some other menu ideas we can add" Omar suggested, "I was thinkin' after Thanksgiving, we get a whole mess of chickens; I've got a notion."

Now, Lynn didn't know what kind of idea the boy had buzzing around in his noggin. But if he was as passionate about culinary creativity as he was, chances are it was going to be something interesting.

(Line Break)

Time passed and thanks to everyone's help, Lynn's Table was back in business. For two weeks, the place was booming with customers and things seemed even busier than they were when the place first opened. But thanks to the new staff members, new seating areas and the capacity warning suggestion the Gal Pals made long ago; it was all a lot more manageable.

As for the newest members of the Gal Pals/Loud Clan, Omar and the girls felt right at home with everybody. Lynn Jr. finally found a confidant who shared in her love for sports, Leni was able to pass on some tips to help Tonya with her afro and Ellie really loved spending time with Lana's pets, whenever she visited the house. As for Omar; he, Lynn and Grant made quite the team in the kitchen.

Soon, they were serving out twice as many dishes to the crowd than Lynn Sr. did on his own. "Hey, order up" cried Omar while ringing the dining bell, "one Devil's Food Cake goin' out to table fifteen!" Mere seconds after this was said, the dessert was soon picked up by Dana; who was wearing her own personal waitress outfit (as were her other friends.) All around the place, the people of Royal Woods were happily stuffing their faces; many of whom felt overjoyed for the return of Lynn's Table.

But, like most things; this merriment soon reached its end and it was time for everyone to leave. Naturally, this news left everyone feeling quite disappointed but they realized that there was always tomorrow. As the grateful customers paid for their food and left the building, Luna and Tonya decided to send them off with a friendly melody; Closing Time by Semisonic (with Tonya playing the tambourine.)

This seemed to please everyone greatly; so much so, several among the patrons started placing dollar bills into Luna's guitar case. When the last of the customers climbed aboard the bus or left the parking lot, the restaurant team immediately went to work inside. "Great work day today, Guys and Gals; I'm so proud of you" Lynn said with joy, "now...let's get things spick and span, the Casagrandes will be here in an hour."

Not needing to be told twice; everybody picked up every plate, cup, used napkin and utensil in sight before storing/disposing of them properly in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Lynn and Omar were checking on some of the Thanksgiving fixings they had pre-prepared a day or so ago. The veggie dishes were still looking good, the potatoes were still nice and warm, the bread was still fluffy...all that was left was the Turgoosen.

"Thanks for suggesting that I cook this beauty at home, Big O" Lynn chuckled, "I want her to taste as fresh and juicy as the day I stuffed her." Omar blushed humbly at his teacher/godfather's words and proclaimed he was happy his advice helped him out so well. Meanwhile, Ellie questioned if they really had enough booths available for everybody; reminding the Louds that it wouldn't just be their families and the Casagrandes eating together.

"Don't worry, brah; Pops has loads of room to fit everyone" Luna assured, "what I'm worried about is if Ronnie Anne's grandma will be willing to let everybody try everyone's food and not just hers. But Officer Higgins and Randolph quickly reminded their daughter that what everyone ate wasn't what made Thanksgiving special. "Agreed, Jenny; this is a time to count our blessings and be thankful for what we have in this world" Donna said wistfully, "and in the Louds' case; they have plenty to be thankful for, this year."

The Louds all chuckled heartily at the biker babe's words, thinking that no truer words had ever been spoken and they soon went about setting up the food. As Lincoln went about setting several plates atop one of the tables, he looked outside and noticed a familiar van pulling in. Then, seconds later; the Gal Pals came pouring out of the vehicle and were laughing merrily.

Soon after that, the work van for the Casagrande Mercado pulled up next to it; followed by Carlota's fancy car and several other vehicles. Of course, Lincoln could already tell that these belonged to each of the Gals' families; which made him all the happier. "Yeah...you're absolutely right, Donna" he sighed blissfully, "I do have a lot to be thankful for."

In time; the doors of Lynn's Kitchen flew open and the sounds of many voices cheering, laughing and wishing one another a happy Thanksgiving echoed through every window. That's when Sergio made an attempt to get inside...only to be stopped by Lana; who was holding a flyer in her hand."

"Sorry, my feathered friend; only service animals allowed in here from now on" she stated, "but don't worry, we'll give Mrs. Casagrande a doggie bag full of good stuff for you to have back home." With that said, Lana closed up the window and rejoined her family in the celebrating; leaving Sergio outside on the windowsill.

As he watched everyone laughing and having fun, the parrot caught a brief glimpse of the food and suddenly felt his small bird stomach growling. With a frustrated squawk, he threw himself up against the window and started banging on it with his wings as hard as he could; desperately trying to get everyone's attention. "BRAWK! C'MON, GUYS...JUST GIVE ME A LITTLE BIT OF THE BREAD STUFFING" Sergio begged, "WITH A GROUP THIS BIG, I DON'T KNOW IF I'LL LAST TILL I GET BACK HOME!"

(First AN: WHOO BOY! This was certainly the longest oneshot I've ever done for this anthology fic; even though it's a bonus installment. But I wanted to make sure everyone involved got their time to shine. Furthermore, I wanted to make sure the resolution for the whole restaurant conflict ended in the most believable way possible.

In any case, I hope you'll like this bonus oneshot; just one more and A Day in the Life of the Gal Pals is officially finished)

(Second AN: In case nobody will notice, this oneshot was my way of redoing the two Loud House specials; Cooked and Loudest Thanksgiving. Make no mistake, both of them were very entertaining in their own rights. But one can't deny that they had their fair share of flaws *be they minor or heavy.*

In the case of Loudest Thanksgiving, I believed that Flip's whole "alternate each year" plan sounded okay...but who knows if either family would still fight over where Bobby and Lori celebrated Thanksgiving or any holiday with family. That's when I thought "Lynn has his restaurant, why not use that place to have a family dinner?" As for Cooked; that special, while also good, had one glaring and fundamental flaw...the siblings' behavior.

While all the kids had awesome ideas, they went too far by trying to have their dad implement them all at once. This is why in my story, I made it so that the ideas could still be used...but it would only be done in a certain way or on a specific date. I think I did pretty well in that regard but what do you all think?)

(Third AN: For those wondering, this oneshot takes place within the main Fall Arc of this anthology; sometime after the Halloween Hilarity three-parter. I couldn't quite fit it in there; so, like the other two, I've made this Thanksgiving-themed story a bonus oneshot as well)

(Forth AN: Speaking of stories, Omar and Tonya's tale about how Officer Simmons and Donna adopted them is a sample of another Gal Pals themed fanfic I plan on doing someday. It will be about the Babes in Blue; how they met, what were their old lives like and how did they end up in Royal Woods. This is but one of three other side ideas I have in mind...but we'll cross that bridge, when the time comes)

(Fifth AN: The waitress character Carol spoke to, Lonnie, is the same woman from the original Gal Pals; the one who sent out a call to Bobby in the chapter To The Rescue. Although she was relatively unnamed in the original series, many fans have chosen to dub her "Waitress QT;" a slight reference to the Thicc QT character. As for me, I've decided to call her Lonnie because...it just sounded cute)

(Final AN: This oneshot was made to help provide some backstory as to how Lincoln, Omar and the girls all became God-Siblings. This was first mentioned in Part One of The Play's The Thing with the Gal Pals and a second time in Part One of A Love Labor Lost with the Gal Pals. Just thought I'd clear that up, in case anybody felt confused; thank you)