In this chapter, we'll get more to the story of what happened twenty years ago. Fair warning, there's 'drunk talk' ahead, so I apologize if it's hard to understand. I don't own The Loud House, I just think it's really cool.

"Rita? Honey?," the voice of an elderly man prodded. All the while, the woman in question was off in another land, so to speak.

How am I going to explain to him about Lincoln?

"Sweetie? Are you still there?"

Let's just hope he doesn't know where Avery lives.

"I can hear your breathing, are you hiding something from me?"

Finally, Rita answered her father in a rushed voice. "Of course not daddy! Look, I have to go. Lily is crying. We'll see you tomorrow." She hung up before Albert could respond. Leaning back in her chair, she stretched her spine and let out a groan.

What was I thinking, letting Lincoln leave before checking to see if we had family plans. Dad isn't going to be happy that Lincoln's with somebody he considers a pervert. He's a sweet man and all, but can be scary when angered.

Her thoughts about how to handle the situation were invaded by a jarring pounding on the bedroom door.

"Mom, it's Lana," a young, husky voice yelled from behind the door. It opened just wide enough to show half of the little girl's face. "Skippy's mom is here to get me, I'll see you later."

"Oh, right. OK honey, you have a good time with your friend."

The door shut seconds later and rapid footsteps could be heard, followed by the front door closing.

Now I just need to come up with a good excuse for why Lincoln won't be at dad's party.

Rita stood up from her chair, rubbing her head as a slight bout of dizziness hit her.

"Ugh, I guess I should take a break and eat something," she told herself, resigned.

She opened the bedroom door to find her youngest five daughters, sans Lana, gathered around the television, watching cartoons.

"Hey girls, what would you like for lunch?" she asked, alerting the small group.

"Hey mom!" everybody but Lily replied collectively. Her youngest, instead, toddled over to her mothers legs, asking to be picked up.

"Food, foooood mama," she babbled.

"Okay sweet girl," she cooed to the infant before taking her into her arms. "Let's see if daddy left you any of that peach mush you love so much."

At that moment, her two performer daughters, Luan and Luna, along with Sam, descended from the upstairs. Luan was carrying a large suitcase that had a noticeable gap in its opening, indicating that it was stuffed over capacity.

"Hey Mom, I'll see you later," she greeted her mother hurriedly. "I gotta get to Benny's to practice for a party on Wednesday."

"Oh, Ok honey, do you want something to eat before you leave?"

Luan was about to reach for the knob to the front door when she heard her mother.

"Nah, his mom is preparing lunch for the both of us. We're having something called 'spanakopita' I think?"

"Ooh, that sounds yummy," Sam spoke up. "I just love spinach, I mean, unless it's being spat onto me," she added while glaring at Luna with a smirk.

"Hey, in my defense, it was the fish oil that did it," the short haired teen replied. "And wasn't that technically kale?"

"They're both green veggies, I doubt the munchkins here would know the difference," she argued while motioning to the younger occupants.

"Wait!," Lola pleaded loudly. "What exactly is 'span-uh-co-pee-uh?"

"Span-uh-coe-pid-uh...," Sam sounded for Lola. "Is spinach stuffed into pastry dough with cheese. It's a Greek dish."

"Thanks Sam," Luan said as she opened the front door. "It's now no longer 'greek' to me. Get it?" she laughed with her signature line. "Well, better get going, I'll see you later mom," the comedian informed her mother as she stepped onto the porch, grabbed her unicycle, and took off down the street, balancing the suitcase in her lap.

"Sam! Luna!" Rita alerted the two. "Could the two of you make lunch for everybody while I feed this messy little mouse?" she asked with a playful 'boop' on Lily's nose.

"I don't mind, as long as it's nothing too complicated," Sam agreed.

"Yeah, so no cake Lola," Luna added with a smirk.

The little girl in question just pouted with a mix of hurt and irritation.

"Wait, is Lynn still upstairs?" the matriarch inquired.

Luna walked over to the bottom of the stairs and called to her sister.

"Hey dude! We're making grub, better come down if you want a say in things."

There was silence from upstairs, until a soft groan was heard and the bedroom door adjacent to the stairs opened up, revealing a messy haired Lynn. The tomboy was wearing her typical sleeping garb of a slightly oversized jersey with knee high socks. She yawned and stretched her arms out before scratching her 'basement.' She slowly descended the stairs, unusual for the normally active girl.

"Woah dude, did you just get up from a nap?" the skirted rocker prodded. "Shouldn't you be playing basketball or something outside?"

"I didn't feel like it, OK?" she snapped, making the occupants of the house flinch. "Besides, I can't risk getting into more trouble with mom until she tells me where things stand."

"You mean with regards to your punishment, sweetie?" Rita asked with a large glass bowl of what looked like orange jello in her hands. "Well, I talked things over with your father, and… you're no longer grounded."

The news did little to put 'umph' in the young teen's soul.

"Hooray," she replied unenthusiastically.

"Just to be clear though, it's only because Lincoln technically assaulted you first," the older woman clarified.

"OK Lunes, now I have to know what happened." Sam insisted, perhaps a bit too eagerly. Luna sighed, defeated.

"OK, imagine getting pied in the face and then attacking the person who pied you?" Luna tried to explain.

"Yeah, but it was cake instead of pie," Lucy added.

Sam remained silent, scratching her chin in confusion.

"Sooo… just so I understand," she began. "Lincoln threw cake at Lynn?"

Luna nodded slowly with her eyes closed.

"I'm kinda scared to ask why," she said while looking at Lynn.

"Because he's a wimp," Lynn complained. "He knows he couldn't lay any punches on me so he resorted to playing dirty.

Luna scoffed. "Like you're the queen of decency, Lynn."

Rita stopped supervising Lily to scold her two daughters.

"Girls, please!" she begged. "What did I tell you about fighting in front of a guest?"

"But?" they both uttered at the same time, only to be silenced with a single look from their mother.

"But nothing. Now get into the kitchen and start making every-bodies lunch orders," she ordered. "Sam dear, as a guest in our home, you shouldn't have to help with today's meal. You already did enough yesterday with dinner," she insisted.

Sam didn't argue with the homeowner, and took a seat at the table next to Lucy.

"Why don't I make thing's easy for you girls?" Rita spoke. "Just boil pasta for everybody, and let them pick what kind of sauce they want."

Glaring at each other, both teens entered the kitchen and got into each others personal space while they washed their hands.

AVERY'S FARM

With the tour of the farmland complete, Avery and Lincoln returned to the villa, kicked off their shoes, and Lincoln settled in on a white couch in the living room while Avery grabbed a couple flavored waters from the fridge. He joined his nephew and offered one of the bottles to him, which Lincoln gladly took.

"So, what's Uncle Maurice doing in Germany anyway?" the boy asked after downing about a quarter of the entire bottle.

"Oh, he wanted to learn how to grow beer hops, and I figured, what better place to do that then one of the best countries for beer. It was an anniversary present I gave him."

"And you didn't go with him because…?"

"I told him I had to work, but..." he paused. "I figured some time apart might do us some good, every healthy relationship is built on trust, the trust that two people can be apart and not crumble without the other one being there"

Lincoln only nodded, not completely sure where his uncle was coming from.

"Hey Uncle Avery? Can I go get my phone to check for messages?"

"Of course Lincoln, hurry back."

Lincoln rushed out of the living room, past the main office, and up the stairs towards the room with the door slightly ajar. He spotted his phone charging on his pillow, and swiped it up before the screen illuminated to reveal a wall of texts dating back the last couple hours.

"Huh? Are they all from Clyde."

Remembering the words of his uncle, Lincoln exited his temporary bedroom, making sure to leave the door slightly open as to not forget where he slept.

While heading back downstairs, Lincoln eyed the oldest messages from his best friend, with some missed calls thrown in.

Clyde: Hey Link, sorry about last night, maybe we could hang out later today.

Clyde: C'mon Lincoln, Chloe and her parents were coming over for a small dinner party and if you were still there it would've been awkward.

Clyde: Missed Call 5x

Yikes, I should let Clyde know where I am.

Lincoln scrolled down to the bottom of his text chat with his best friend before noting the most recent text.

Clyde: Never mind. Luan told me everything over the walkie talkie. I hope you get better buddy. :-(

Lincoln put his phone into his pocket, and rubbed the sides of his face.

Luan went into my room? Clyde must've sounded hysterical for somebody to invade my space.

"Then again, it's not like there was anything of value in there anymore," he admitted to himself.

By this point, he was already back in the living room and his host caught sight of the boys irritation.

"Everything alright, Lincoln?" he inquired.

"Oh... yeah, everything is fine," he answered, unconvincingly.

"Lincoln," he said in a voice that challenged his honesty.

"OK, maybe things aren't perfect. I just get the feeling that my best friend Clyde relies on me too much. I think I understand now what you meant by a healthy relationship being built on trust."

"Rely on, huh?" the doctor pondered aloud. "I would need more specifics to know for sure, but I won't press you if you don't want to talk about it right now."

"Thanks," the boy replied with a smile. "So can I see the rest of the villa now?" he followed up with.

"If you want, though there's not much else to see really," he confessed. "But first, are you hungry? I know we had a late breakfast, but you can rummage through the cabinets for a quick snack."

Lincoln pondered the offer for a moment.

"Yeah, I could eat a sandwich or something," he finally said.

"Cool, what kind? We've got plenty of lunch meat and cheese to choose from."

Cheese to choose from! Cheese! Choose!

Lincoln laughed to himself, but it didn't go unnoticed by Avery, who had already walked into the kitchen to take stock of the fridge contents.

"Something funny, Lincoln?" he looked behind himself to ask.

"Maybe, was that wordplay intentional?"

"What, cheese and choose? I mean, I guess that could be funny," he admitted. "Sounds like something your dad would enjoy."

"Yeah and Lu-," he stopped himself before uttering another sister's name.

"Anyway, back to the sandwich," Avery reminded his nephew. "There's turkey, ham, roast beef, steak trimmings," he informed the boy as he rifled through the fridge drawer.

"You could also try another jam or jelly with some peanut butter," he added.

Peanut Butter!

"Hey, Uncle Avery," the boy alerted his host.

"Yes, Lincoln?"

"I know this is going to sound like an odd question but… do you have any sauerkraut?"

"I'm… not sure, Lincoln," he confessed with a confused look. "I could check. Why do you ask?"

Lincoln pondered whether to reveal one of his biggest guilty pleasures to a man he'd only known for less than a day.

"How do you feel about peanut butter and sauerkraut together?"

The look on the face of the doctor could be described as intrigued at best, and frightened at worst.

"Well… It's definitely an odd combination, but then again, there are countries with weirder eating habits, so… if that's what you want... and you can find any sauerkraut, you can make it yourself."

Lincoln leapt off the couch seconds later, bolting to the kitchen. As the smaller form passed his uncle as the latter returned to the living room, Avery couldn't help but ponder the little information Lincoln gave him about his friend as he sat down and sipped his flavored water.

I know somebody who felt that way once, though. What a burden I must have been!

20 Years Ago

Avery Loud is walking through the streets of downtown, trying to get to a payphone. He's dressed for a wedding… his brother's wedding. He's still drunk, having stopped once to vomit from the anxiety building up from what he just did. His necktie is around his forehead, and his white dress shirt is torn and has visible scuff marks. It's already getting dark, so pedestrians are few and far between. Finally, he spots a convenience store with a payphone outside, and fumbles in his back pocket for change.

"Cahmon gah-dammid," he slurs after pulling his hand out and watching the coins tumble through his unsteady hand. "Ah fuggit, I juss nee two carters, tha groun can haf da rez."

Indeed, he slowly lowers himself to the ground, picks up two large, silver looking coins, and hopes for the best. "Nah ta reech Shhhara." He steadies himself on the payphone, and removes the receiver from the hook, then slowly pushes the coins into the slot, struggling all the while.

"Ahkay, here weego," he told himself. Sarah Carlyle's number was one that Avery had memorized to a tee, even when intoxicated. Slowly and surely, he gets the number right, and waits for somebody to pick up. It took only three rings before the voice of a young woman answered.

"Hello, who is this?" she asked nervously, skeptical about being called from a foreign phone.

"Shhara, iz me, Aifree!" he forced himself to say. "Whah wern ya dare? Uh neated yuh and sumpin bat habbint."

"Avery? I can't understand you, I think the phone connection is bad. Could you maybe speak up?"

"THA FUN CUNECKSHUN ISS FFFEYEN, SHARER!" the med student screamed, causing the clerk inside to raise his head.

"Avery, have you been drinking? What happened at the wedding? Is somebody else there that I can..."

"Day kigged mee owt," he cut her off. "Iee dinn wanna dooit, buh thay kep assing wear 'hic' ya waz. Avery stopped to catch his breath, let out a painful belch, and continued his rant into the phone.

"SHOW AI STAWTED TAH DRING, AN DEN…

By this point, the man at the register had just come outside to investigate the noise.

"Hey bud, you can't be screaming like that. I could have you arrested for disturbing the peace," he informed the well dressed man smelling like a brewery.

"Avery, where are you now? I can come get you," she said with urgency.

The clerk swiped the phone from Avery, having barely heard the previous sentence.

"Listen Miss, I'm the employee on duty at the Charlies store on Main and 12th in Ann Arbor. You'd better get here quick or I'm gonna have to hand him over to the police."

"Alright fine," the women sighed with irritation. "If you can hold onto him for another 30 minutes, I'll be there."

"Thirty minutes, or it's the drunk tank." The worker handed the phone back to Avery, who was struggling to stay awake.

"Talk to your lady friend, then hang up," the man demanded before returning to his job.

"Owkey dohkee mizter," he shouted back at the clerk.

"Avery?" Sarah barked over the phone. "I'm going to my car now, try to stay awake, or at least lean up against the wall of the building with your chin tucked so you don't choke."

"Thhancoo Saraa, I luf you show-" by this point the line went dead, but Avery didn't realize it immediately. "-mudge." After finally noticing the dial tone in his ear, Avery hung up the phone. He leaned up against the wall, and blacked out a short time later.

The next day

He woke up on a familiar couch in a familiar apartment, his head aching and stomach on fire. He had a quilt draped over him, with a small pillow providing support. Both of which had seen better days. He peeked under the covers to find himself bare with the exception of his underpants.

Through his sensitive eyes, he could barely make out a slim figure standing in the kitchen. Avery coughed harshly, irritating his stomach even more. The noise made the figure turn around to face him, revealing the face of a young woman in her mid-20's with dark brown hair in a green hairband.

"Good afternoon," the figure spoke in a bitter singsong way, walking over to the couch.

Afternoon?

"How long… Ow," Avery asked before rubbing the side of his head.

"You were fast asleep by the time I showed up, dummy." Sarah was holding a small glass filled with what looked like tomato juice. She sat Avery up and pushed the glass to his face.

"Drink this, fast," she ordered. Avery complied. What he got tasted like a Bloody Mary that was already drunk, then regurgitated.

"It's a prairie oyster, with extra vinegar and hot sauce," she informed him with irritation in her voice, once he'd downed the entire contents. Avery gave a face like he was about to vomit, but Sarah stopped him. "Oh no you don't," she dared him, reaching out of his sight and placing the straps of a brown paper bag over his face and ears like a donkey. Luckily, she made it in time and could feel the weight of the bag increase as a torrent of wet, putrid mess filled it.

When Avery could form words again, he asked (quite pathetically), "Are you punishing me?"

"Now what gave you that feeling?" she replied dryly.

"You sound mad, and you gave me a vinegar and hot sauce cocktail."

Sarah only smirked.

"I called your brother and sister by the way," she informed him before pausing a moment. "Let's just say you shouldn't bother trying to reach them."

The last nights events replayed in the med student's mind like an old slide projection presentation. Each subsequent memory seemed to get dimmer and dimmer.

"Ohhhh shit," he moaned before curling up into a smaller ball and shielding his face and turning away from his friend.

"Just be happy you don't have class today, or work for that matter," Sarah assured him in an un-assuring tone. "You can stay until dinner, I'll drive you home afterwards. Oh and Avery, you should probably start finding a new 'beard,' since I'm clearly no longer 'reliable,'" she said that last part with air quotes.

She turned away from her guest when a timer dinged in another room.

"That would be your change of clothes, consider this the last selfless act I do for you," she informed him with an angry tone. "You're on your own getting your car back from the reception center in Ann Arbor."

Avery was close to tears as he watched his only ally left in the world, walk away.

Present Day

While Avery was busy reflecting on the unhappy memory, his nephew had re-entered the living room with a sandwich and plate.

"Boy, did I luck out," he informed the older man. "The sauerkraut was only one day away from expiring, and it still smells pleasant."

Avery glanced towards the kitchen to find a jar settled on the countertop.

"I left it out in case you wanted to toss it,"

"That's nice of you Lincoln."

"You're welcome to try half of my sandwich," the domed boy offered.

Avery placed both hands up in polite rejection.

"Maybe some other time Lincoln, whatever you don't eat, feel free to wrap it up in a sandwich bag. They're in the top drawer next to the fridge."

Lincoln just nodded before digging into his concoction. Meanwhile, Avery stared at Lincoln, contemplating whether it would be appropriate to bring somebody like Lincoln further into his dark past.

Lincoln has definitely seen how awful life can be. I think it's time for my first bit of good advice. I'd better be careful not to bring him too deep, though.

"I want to show you something Lincoln, wait here," he ordered lightly. He rose from the couch and briskly walked to his office, returning about a minute later with what looked like a brass poker chip in his hand.

"Do you know what this is Lincoln?" he asked, letting the young man hold the small object. He eyed it very closely, taking note of the number '15' at its center.

"I've seen this somewhere before," he replied, staring closer at the object.

The coin said, "To thine own self be true."

"I've got fourteen more like them in my office, all with different numbers," the doctor responded, pointing with his thumb in the direction of the double doors. "This one is the most recent."

"Sooo… What do they mean?" Lincoln asked, before returning the coin to his uncle's outstretched hand. Avery thought for a moment how to explain further.

"Are you familiar with the 'serenity prayer' Lincoln?"

"I've heard of it, but not exactly what it is."

"Put simply, it's a motto that I live by everyday, and inspire others to do the same."

"What does it say?"

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference.

"What exactly does that mean?"

"I take it to mean that we are all just one person, and one person alone cannot control every little aspect of our lives, including people, both strangers and family."

"That would explain why always having a plan doesn't mean I'm always going to be successful."

"Would you want to change anything about your family, including your sisters?"

"I've tried getting them more into the things that I like, but they can be so stubborn. I already participate in their hobbies with no complaint most of the time, but it took the chance to be in a movie to get them to go to a convention with me. And now..." he paused, rubbing his bald head all the while. "I just hope that the whole experience will make our bond stronger, no matter how long it takes."

By this point, Lincoln had only taken a few small bites of one half of his sandwich, and he no longer seemed interested in the rest.

"I don't know what else to do Uncle Avery," the boy said with a sigh. Avery quickly changed the subject.

"Anyway, as far as dinner goes, why don't we go to the Hazeltucky Steakhouse and Saloon? They should be good enough to satiate your hunger for steak at a great price.

"That sounds good. But… could I get a hat or maybe a wig? No offense to a cancer doctor like yourself, but I don't want to be stared at by strangers."

Avery rubbed his own bald head in mock offense.

"Well, you're a grown man, so it works for you," the tween quickly defended himself.

"It's alright Lincoln," he assured the boy with a smile. "Tell you what, after we see the entertainment center room, we can swing by the master bedroom and find you a hat?"

"Great! Let's go then."

AT THE ROYAL WOODS MALL

Lori's shift at the restaurant had ended about thirty minutes earlier, and Carol, true to her word, was right outside the entrance waiting in her parents SUV to take her shopping.

Carol and Lori entered the mall, and immediately headed to Rheinegers Department Store to shop.

"You got your list with you, Lori?" Carol inquired.

"Yep," she responded simply. "It's on my phone."

"Do you think your sister can get us a discount?"

Lori thought for a moment. "I doubt it. She might not be very bright, but just because I'm her roommate doesn't mean she'll exploit her gift," she explained. "Plus, I think her employee discount only works towards clothes, since that's her department."

"Ahhh, that's a shame. So where to first?"

Lori scrolled through her list before making a decision.

"Bedding first, definitely."

Being all too familiar with Rheinegers, the two teens didn't need to make use of the in-store map layout. Once they reached the second floor where the home goods were, the duo were quick to note how bare the area was, even though it was slightly after 3 PM on a weekend.

"Huh, do you think we're the first college-bound to shop here so far?" Carol wondered aloud. "I mean, I know that was kind of our intention from the start but still..."

"Maybe they'd prefer to shop online for everything, that's where all the deals are nowadays," Lori insisted.

"Good point," her friend conceded.

"Anyway Carol, tell me about your extended family. You don't have any siblings like I do, so who can I expect to see at your party next week?"

"Well… other than my mom and dad, and my dog Brutus. Both of my grandparents will be there, along with most of my aunts and uncles, and their kids. You know, it might be easier if I just introduce you to them as we go along."

"Sounds fine."

"Now how have things been with your family? Staying sane in all that chaos I hope?"

Lori gave a downcast look, hesitant to let her best friend in on recent events.

"Well… the biggest change happened yesterday, let's just say that things are going to be a lot more quiet around the house."

Carol gave a confused look at her friend.

"Are… your parents having another baby, and that's why everybody is-"

"No, believe me Carol, mom and dad are finished making babies. I was talking about my brother Lincoln needing serious help."

Carol gasped.

"Serious help? Is he sick?"

"Not in the way you might think," Lori said with a sigh. "Before you ask… no, he's not in the hospital or anything, but he is going to be away from home for a while."

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked her friend in a comforting voice.

"Not really, it's somewhat complicated. I don't even know where to start."

"Lori?" Carol insisted with pleading eyes. "I know we're best friends now and everything, but if you don't want to talk about-"

"Carol, it's… fine. I just hope that when he comes back, things will go back to normal, if not be better between us."

Satisfied, Carol gave a warm smile and took Lori's free hand.

"C'mon now, you don't me to get the last cute bedding pattern, do you?"

Lori returned that smile, her competitive spirit showing itself.

The two young women spent the rest of the afternoon looking at bedding and other things they didn't already have, but needed.

LATER

The two women stopped at the Burpin Burger for a quick supper after finishing their shopping.

Carol dropped Lori off at home, where Leni was waiting for her on the front porch.

"What's Leni doing outside this late?" Carol asked her friend. Lori gave a silent, downcast look in response.

"I think the worst has happened, after all," she responded cryptically. Carol knew better than to ask what that meant.

"Oh, well, I'll see you next Saturday, if not sooner."

Lori nodded and exited the car. The girls agreed to keep all of their college stuff at Carol's place since it was bigger and had more space, which is why Lori didn't move to the trunk to retrieve her items. With a final wave, Carol drove away, disappearing around the corner.

Lori looked to her right and saw that an old red convertible was sitting in the driveway of her neighbor Bud Grouse. He had promised her that car once the summer was over, as long as she was willing to drive him places he needed to be in the meantime.

Only two more months Lori, and Liza will be all yours.

Leni didn't notice her sister return home, as she was too busy looking at her flip-flopped feet.

"Leni, what happened?" she asked her ashen faced sister.

Leni sighed, her drooping face seeming to melt in her supporting hand.

"Chaz and I are 'on a break.'"

Lori gasped softly, her suspicions confirmed.

"Oh Leni," she said in a comforting voice, sitting down next to her roommate. "I'm sorry. What exactly did he say to you?"

Leni sighed again, deeper.

"He told me there was another girl who caught his eye, and that he didn't want to cheat on me so..."

"Let me guess," Lori interrupted. "He felt 'tortured' that he was feeling this way?"

Leni's eyes grew wide at the spot on imitation.

"That's right!"

Lori was secretly fuming at the ruse, but knew there was little she could do about it. After all, Leni still had her family. With no warning, Lori wrapped her arms around her sister, hoping to absorb any remaining sadness that she had.

"C'mon Leni, let's go inside. Has everybody else already eaten?"

Leni nodded. "Sam is still here if you want to say hi," she informed her in a depressed voice.

INSIDE THE HOUSE

Rita was seated on the couch watching the news, while the rest of the family was in their rooms.

Luan and Lana were absent from the house, but Sam was still cleaning the dishes.

"Hey Lori, welcome home," Sam greeted.

"Hey Sam, what did you guys end up having tonight?"

"Leftovers from everyones respective cubbies in the fridge," Sam responded. "Luna shared some of her Shepherd's Pie with me."

Such a 'romantic' gesture in the eyes of many was received with a suppressed cheer from Lori, but a weak squeal from Leni, who just walked over to the couch and sat down next to her mother.

"I suppose I'd best be leaving now," Sam informed the room. She walked over to the base of the stairs and yelled up… "Hey Lunes, I'm taking off, I'll see you when I do."

"OK, rock on dude," was all Luna called back. With that, Sam waved goodbye to Rita and the two eldest Loud daughters and walked out into the warm summer evening.

"Lana and Luan had dinner at their friends place tonight, they should be getting dropped off any time now," Rita informed her eldest daughter.

"When they return, we're going to have a long discussion about tomorrow with Pop Pop."

"Why? What's so special about tomorro-" she asked before it dawned on her. "It's his birthday isn't it?"

Rita just nodded, knowing what the next question was likely to be.

"And I'm guessing..."

"Yes!" Rita confirmed to her eldest daughter before she was even finished with that thought. "He isn't going to be happy that his only grandson isn't present, let alone with an 'enemy.' Please Lori, I think it's best that we wait for Luan and Lana to get home so everybody is on the same page.

"OK mom."

BACK IN HAZELTUCKY

Inside the crowded 'Hazeltucky Steakhouse and Saloon,' Lincoln and Avery waited to be seated. An advertisement for tonight's kids special was written on a black sandwich board.

"They have chicken tenders here? Cool! That's pretty much chicken nuggets, but bigger!"

"Yeah, I think your most difficult decision will be choice of sauce. I also recommend the fried green beans."

"Oh, good evening Dr. Loud-Coleman," a middle aged man with a name tag reading 'Cal' greeted. "Will your husband be joining us tonight?"

"Not tonight, but it's still going to be a party of two," he informed the host, motioning to Lincoln. The young man was appropriately wearing a cowboy hat to hide his bald head, earning a thumbs up from the host.

"Then follow me gentlemen," Cal said in a gruff, but gleeful voice. The trio found their way to a small booth in the back of the restaurant with a glazed wooden table separating the two cushioned seats.

Here you two 'pardners' go," he said as he placed the two menus down on the table and walked back to the front. Avery and Lincoln slid into the booth seats opposite each other. They both then picked up their respective menus and rifled through its contents.

"Kids menu is on the back, in case you didn't know," Avery informed his nephew.

Lincoln stared at his uncle with a look of annoyance, something the man realized right away.

"Sorry, did I say something wrong? It says very clearly 'ages 11 and under,'" he said matter of factly.

"No, it's OK," Lincoln insisted. "It's not like it's a law or something that I have to order off the kids menu, right?"

"Of course not. Now if you still want chicken tenders, they offer an adult sized portion with even more sauce options."

"That sounds like a good idea," Lincoln said with a smile. "As you might have guessed, I'm not used to ordering off the adult menu on the rare occasions me and my family go out."

"Is it because of the prices?"

"Mostly, though my older sisters sometimes have to agree to split a meal, too."

Unbeknownst to the duo, a college aged girl in boots and a frilly tan outfit stepped up to the table with a smile.

"Howdy boys, I'm Kelly and I'll be looking after you tonight. Can I get you started with drinks?"

"I'll have an Arnold Palmer," Avery said almost immediately. Lincoln pondered over the menu before deciding.

"I guess I'll have a root beer, please."

"Well aren't you a polite young cowboy," Kelly said with a grin. "Alright boys, I'll be back in a flash." With that, Kelly sauntered off.

"What's an Arnold Palmer?" Lincoln asked. Avery gave a confused look.

"I'm surprised you don't know, given your oldest sister, Lori, plays golf. Although, you might know it as a 'half and half.' That being half iced tea and half lemonade," the good doctor explained.

Lincoln shook his head.

"Nope, still confused. Was the drink named after a golfer?"

"That's right," Avery said simply.

Lincoln had debated whether to ask his next question, given the subject matter.

"That would explain it then," he chose to say.

"Explain what?"

"I did some research on that phrase from the coin you showed me..." Lincoln admitted before looking towards the bar area of the restaurant. "Should you really be in a place like this?"

The older gentleman gave a soft smile.

"It gets easier Lincoln the more you stick to it. The same goes with just about anything," he said with a chuckle. "When I first met your Uncle Maurice, he didn't know about my past, obviously. So this was one of the first places he took me, and it was tempting I'll admit."

"That guy at the front seemed to know you and Uncle Maurice by name, right?"

"Yeah, me and him come to this place every now and then, but I don't miss drinking like I once did."

Kelly arrived seconds later with the drinks, and then took their orders.

"You know, I could get you that girls number," Avery said with a smile and a wink. Lincoln was at a loss for words, was he serious?

"Sorry, I'm not used to teasing, but I heard it's what uncles do to their nephews.

The duo were soon digging into their appetizer of fried green beans and 'dynamite' dipping sauce.

Lincoln ended up ordering a couple beef medallions with a side of chicken tenders and the establishments 'cowboy sauce.'

Lincoln was having such a good time that he didn't notice his phone vibrating.

IN ANOTHER STATE

Meanwhile, in the city of Great Lakes City, a twelve year old hispanic girl was sitting on her bed alone, pondering what her best male friend Lincoln Loud was doing.

"I haven't seen him face to face in a while," she said to herself. "I know it's late, but maybe I should try Facecalling him," she decided before grabbing her phone and scrolling to the app in question. Lincoln's number was near the top of the list, and starred. She tapped the number, and waited for a response, which after ten rings, ended. Ronnie Anne sighed, "I guess I'll go see what Sid is up to."

With that, she opened her bedroom window, and ventured to the next floor up, to the room of her best female friend Sidney Chang.

RETURN TO THE LOUD HOUSE

Lana and Luan returned home around the same time, as their respective hosts for the day had dropped them off. After Luan set her unicycle back on the porch, they entered the house to find everybody except Lily seated in another circle, they both thought the same thing.

Whoah, Deja vu.

Welcome home, girls," Lynn Sr. said.

"What's with the circle? Are we going to share our feelings, again?" Lana asked.

The parents shook their heads.

"Kids, we might have a problem. Tomorrow is your Pop Pop's birthday, and he doesn't know about Lincoln."

Luan nearly dropped her suitcase full of props.

"Maybe we should just be honest with him, tell him that he's with Uncle Avery. I'm sure if we explain that he's gay, everything will be fine," Lola figured.

"Are you sure?" Rita felt silly at not considering such a simple solution.

"Yeah, Pop Pop was very supportive of me when I came out to the family as bi, so he should totally be understanding that twenty years ago was just a big mistake on Uncle Avery's part," Luna added.

Rita and Lynn Sr. looked around room at their daughters, waiting for anybody to disagree.

Nobody did.

"Alright then, it's settled. Let's get to bed kids, and tomorrow we'll go over how to break the news, gently," the mother said before letting out a yawn.

"Well, Monday is the start of job interviews," Lynn Sr announced to the family unsolicited. "Maybe I'll read over some applications to help me fall asleep." He followed his wife into the master bedroom, pulled out his laptop and scrolled over to the 'applications received' folder under his admin.

Huh, lots of interest. I think Lynn's Table will be saved after all.

The Loud sisters all dispersed to their respective rooms, some secretly nervous about how things were going to play out.

"Leni?" Lori startled her roommate. Before she could fully turn around, She was swept up into the arms of her big sister into a tight hug.

"Whuh? What was that for?" the fashionista asked after Lori's grip loosened.

"Because Leni, just because I love you!"

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and aren't too hungry from all the mentions of food. I have a couple questions for you readers. I noticed that there's already a fanfic on this site called "Summer of Change," which sounds remarkably similar to the title of this story. I've already got an alternate title in mind, but I wanted to know if you felt I was worth changing to begin with. Let me know.

Also, I'm curious to know whether I should be upping the rating of the fic to an M. I really don't want to since that could hurt my viewership, and since I don't intend to include any graphic violence or sexual situations that (in my mind at least) would warrant such a labeling. But at the same time, alcoholism can be pretty scary (and Mature), so I want to play it safe and not irritate the people in charge.

Until next time!