Through Their Eyes


End Year: five years later

Lori

She sat there on the couch that afternoon at 1216 Franklin Ave, a slight chuckle in her throat as her two sons almost seem to literally saw logs against either of her shoulders after playing so hard in the snow earlier while her three year old niece laid curled up like the cats she was always mimicking on her aunt's lap.

"She getting too heavy for ya, Sis?" the big man asked with a chuckle of his own as he walked out of the dining room, a grin with a touch of something else very familiar to the blonde plastered on his face.

Lori laughed quietly, then shook her head. "Nah, she's okay, Chunk. Honestly, she's literally like a space heater."

He nodded. "Imagine waking up to find she snuck into the bed with ya. Nowadays, I can't tell if she had an accident or I just sweat half my body weight out!" his face fell slightly then. "Don't tell Luna I told ya that. Please. I'll never hear the end of it."

Lori tried not to laugh.

After some small talk, Chunk managed to relieve Lori of one of the children, taking his daughter to go see Luna as the woman came back inside alongside Leni and a trove of presents.

Geez, Leni. Overdoing it much on the spoiling? Lori couldn't help to think that. Leni always spoiled the kids on Christmas, it was as much tradition as anything else since the woman had no family of her own. Not that she didn't want one, but that pretty much every guy she'd tried dating didn't.

Then the sound of another car door shutting rang out, and Leni squealed as quietly as she could, "Lynn! You're back!"

Hearing that, Lori grinned a bit wider.

But as nearly the entire Loud family began congregating and her husband arrived back with more groceries Lori couldn't help but notice the absence of the final two people in her life.

Another Christmas without Lincoln or Luan, huh? she wanted to be used to it, she really did. Five years had gone by with not so much as a word from them and Lori couldn't help but think it was a hint, a clue to just stop already with the waiting.

But Lori, like the rest of her family, never stopped waiting. Nor did their friends. Never thought I'd pine to play a stupid video game or hear a lame pun…

When are you two gonna come back, already? she looked down at her two boys who were coming to from their nap, told them to go say hello to aunt Leni already and, as both boys dashed off to do just that, turned to look out the front window. The boys so want to meet you both, and their cousin! Luna's and Chunk's daughter does, too! Not to mention Ronnie-Anne and Clyde are still waiting for your butts to get back before holding the wedding, and there's so much more to tell you guys besides all of that!

"Hey, Lori!" Luna shook her from her thoughts, smiled as she pushed some hot chocolate on her eldest sister. "Figured you could use the drink, you look a little cold, Sis."

Lori smirked, but took the cup gratefully. "Just thinking, that's all."

A sad smile crept up upon Luna's face. "Me too, Sis." Then, with a shake of her head, Luna put on a happier face and said, "But hey, I heard from Bobby just now about the classes! Glad to hear you're getting back in the saddle, Lori."

Lori chuckled. "They're just a few classes here and there, but he makes a pretty big deal of it."

"A big deal?" Luna eyed her sister. "You know it's a big deal! I still can't believe you decided to try that distance learning thing to be a doctor," she grinned now, looking vaguely like the only sister missing from the house that eve. "You do know I'm gonna wait to see how you handle a few patients before trusting you to work on me, right?"

"Okay, first off," Lori began, trying hard not to laugh as she hooked her arm playfully around her younger sister's neck. "I can't attend to family, remember? Second, I still have to do my clinical rotations, if I even get there, they'll just be done locally. Third and final?" she eyed her sister now, took swig of her hot chocolate before speaking again. "It's called a physician's assistant, dear sister. Not a doctor."

"That's what you get hung up on? Terminology?" Luna chuckled as she pretended to struggle with her sister.

Lori shrugged, which was impressive given how full each arm was. "Hey, I literally was gonna go for business or law, so there!" she grinned a bit then, "But Mama Santiago kinda just rubbed off on me, I guess."

The two played around a moment longer before Luna escaped her sister's gasp. That done, Luna turned to go talk with Lana and Lola as the two sat before her now lone daughter at the dining room table and tried valiantly to convince the girl to choose either make-up or tools while groaning each time she tried applying the lip gloss to a ratchet.

But while Lori enjoyed hearing the ensuing discussion, she couldn't help but look back out the window and take back up her silent vigil once again.

Where are you two? I literally have so much to tell you, you guys. Please come back already.

"Hey, Babe," her husband called out, stirring her from her thoughts. Knowing exactly what she was doing and why, he smiled, took her around the waist, leaned in close to her ear and looked out the window as he said, "See them yet?"

All she did was shake her head before he gently, yet firmly led her away, a look of pain crossing his face as he too gave one last glance to the street and the twilight beyond.


Luna

As Luna drove her and Chunk's new car over to Leni's to help haul the gifts, she couldn't help but recall those days following her siblings' disappearance. It wasn't hard, she and Chunk spent days and weeks traveling about the nearby states looking for any sign of Lincoln and Luan, had even traveled to California and Florida in search of the two rather than go to school like her parents wanted her to.

It was about that time that she and Chunk became drop dead serious about their new relationship.

The only reason they stopped was due to the pregnancy and the need to settle down.

And the reason they never started back up, too. Well, that and the music tutoring business she and Chunk both started.

She was a pretty good teacher, after all!

"Oh, shit!" she swore, swerving in the nick of time out of the way of a car merging into her lane. Thankfully no one was in her path, but her heart pounded against her chest as her hand hovered over the horn, a whispered chastisement on her lips. "Dammit, Luna, pay attention to the goddamned road!"

After all, it'd been her fault, technically.

Well, maybe… she thought as she pulled onto the road Leni lived on. I mean, maybe it was, I wasn't paying attention. But he could have been the one who really messed up, so why should I beat myself up?

It felt good thinking that even if she didn't actually believe it.

This done, she kept her mind on the road until she finally pulled into Leni's driveway, the woman popping out of her home like some festive jack-in-the-box all wrapped up in Christmas-themed clothes and what seemed like dozens of presents all themselves wrapped in stylish seafoam green gift paper in her arms.

"Luna!" Leni cheered as her sister laughed at the sight, the sounds of boots crunching in the freshly fallen snow muting their laughter. "Thanks so much for coming over! I totes needed help hauling everything to Mom and Dad's!"

Luna laughed as she reached out to help her sister. "Seriously, Leni? How much stuff did you buy, anyways?"

As her load was lightened and she hurried over to the back of Luna's and Chunk's truck, Leni arched an eyebrow and said, "Only about three presents each. Why?"

It took a moment for Luna to do the mental arithmetic, but when she finally finished her eyes went wide and she looked over to see that, yes, Leni's car was practically stuffed to the gills as well. "Sure you shouldn't have rented a moving truck, Sis?"

Not paying the slightest attention, Leni then added, "Oh, and Lincy and Luan's presents, too! Just in case!"

Leni didn't mean to, Luna knew it, but hearing her siblings' names was like a knife in the heart. "Maybe you could keep those here, you know?" Luna offered, then tried explaining when she saw her sister's face scrunch in concern and incomprehension, "I mean, if all you have are their presents, what about their kid? Or kids?"

The thought made Luna smile ever so slightly.

But Leni wasn't paying attention, instead looking back at the presents in thought. Then, after a minute, she said in the voice of dawning comprehension, "You're right, Luna! What if they have more babies? They'd feel left out and omigosh, I didn't even think of that! You are so smart, Sis!"

After they secreted the presents meant for their absent siblings and their family away, Luna and Leni found everything slightly more manageable afterward.

"Well, at least we can fit everything inside both cars now," Luna said with a hint of mirth in her voice, her hands tucked inside her jacket as the cold nipped at the two ladies.

"Want me to follow you, or the other way around?"

Luna nudged her sister. "I'll follow you. I don't trust that little thing you've got now to not get stuck, Sis."

"Aw," Leni pouted as she hugged the little green Lexus sedan she'd just bought. "Don't make fun of the poor guy, you'll hurt his feelings!"

With her lips clenched firmly between her upper teeth, Luna had to force the giggle down as she said, "I'm sorry for calling him small."

Leni gave her a look. "No, you called him a little thing, Luna!"

Luna didn't bother to argue; Leni was technically correct.

The drive back to their parents' house was calm, though Luna kept her mind squarely on Leni and the road. She didn't want a repeat of what happened earlier, after all.

And when they walked through that door only a little later with all those gifts, a hero's welcome awaited them.

"Hey, Luv," Chunk wrapped his wife up in a hug, their daughter's arms releasing Chunk to wrap firmly around her mother. "Hope the drive wasn't too rough on ya."

"Nah," Luna gave him a quick kiss on the lips before pecking her daughter on the forehead. "I was, however, wrong," when he gave her a look, she smiled, "we were able to fit everything inside both cars." Then, after remembering what she'd convinced Leni to leave behind, she frowned. "Barely."

Chunk decided to see for himself, taking a quick inventory of the presents already inside before going out, looking, then coming back in and saying, "The woman's a mite obsessive about Christmas, eh?"

Luna nodded rapidly.

The arrival of Lynn and the return of Bobby with more food only increased the cheer in the household. As Pop-Pop came out of the kitchen where he was talking with their parents and helped Chunk and Bobby bring things in, Luna made sure to give her brother-in-law a hug in passing.

"Hey, did you hear?" he said as she let him go, her daughter curling into her and making Luna regret the sweater she was wearing without anything else under it.

"About what?"

"Lori," he grinned widely now, the two briefly looking said woman's way as she watched out the window and down the street. "She's taking classes!"

"Really?" this excited Luna. "You're not yanking my chain, now, are ya, Bobby?" she was so excited her accent began coming back.

He shook his head. "And you're not gonna believe what she's studying, Sis!"

When Luna heard him say it, she could barely hold her excitement in.

Finally, some good news! Something was finally getting back to normal, at least!

As Chunk came out of the kitchen after depositing the last of the bags, he held two cups of hot chocolate in his hands and an equally warm look on his face. "Here ya go, Luv. Why not hand the lil' poop off to me and go have a chat with your Sis?"

"Thanks, Honey!" Luna whispered, standing on her toes and kissing her husband before handing their daughter off to him, taking the mugs, and sneaking on over to her sister while Lynn, Lucy and Lola did something in the background that apparently warranted a squeal.

But Luna wasn't paying attention.

Yet after talking with Lori and helping her daughter escape the twins' attempts to assimilate the poor girl into their respective ways, Luna couldn't help but suffer a moment of depression as the lack of two familiar faces hit her after she'd said hello to each of her other siblings.

Where are you guys? she thought as she caressed her daughter's cheek with her finger, lulling the girl into a calm while she looked over the mountain of presents they had to shove into the basement to keep things from getting cluttered upstairs. Chunk and I are gonna have our actual wedding in April, and Lori's going to school again. We don't want back presents, if that's what you're afraid of.

We just want you all back!

It took everything in her not to cry, but Luna managed if only for the girl in her arms. But she couldn't help whispering, "Would you two just get your butts home already? Please?" to no one in particular as she began marching upstairs.

It only hit her as she reached the second to last stair that the house was quieter than it usually was.

"Huh, I wonder what's up?"


Albert

Albert looked himself over once more in his mirror, checked his outfit while he waited for his ride. With a sigh he ran his comb once more through his hair, impressed he still had it given everything that had happened over his life.

Desert Storm was a cakewalk compared to all this, which was true; at least there he could shoot his problems to make them go away. And being an aviator he wasn't exactly close to said problems, anyways.

At least, not normally. There had been that one time, but that'd been accidental.

Damned AWACS.

He tried to chuckle as he remembered that day, but it came out forced.

What's it been now? he thought as he spared the calendar a glance. Almost nine years since that day, has it? Lincoln's got to be, let's see. When was he born, again? he thought it over, scrunched his features up in thought as he argued with himself for a few minutes, then finally shook his head before realizing he'd sent stray strands of hair flying and hurried to fix his mistake. And ol' Luan's about four years older, right? So she's coming on up to about twenty three or twenty four, thereabouts, I'd reckon.

A ringing caught his attention then.

Realizing it wasn't his ears, he reached for his phone and answered it. "Luna?"

"Hey, Pop-Pop!" Luna rasped. "I'm about two blocks away, just caught at a light for the second time now."

"Well, good to know I didn't keep you waiting!" the man chuckled to himself. "Guess I'll hurry up and get finished here then meet you out front?"

The woman was obviously smiling as she said, "Sounds great! I'll chat with you when I get there, then!"

"See you when you get here!" and with that, Albert hung up and hurried to finish getting ready.

As he did though, he noticed an old family photo he'd sat next to his bed and couldn't help but bite his lip.

It'd been taken two years after that incident, when all of this first started. Looking at you two now, I can't believe we didn't see it sooner, he thought as he picked it up and looked it over for a minute. Though all the kids were smiling as they sat there on the couch of their home for the family photo, he could see that the smiles on Luan's and Lincoln's faces were so very different when compared to their siblings'.

More like childhood loves than family, he had to admit then.

Though I guess that's true, come to think of it. It really was a childhood love, he thought on that, let it hang as he replaced the picture, grabbed his coat and turned to leave. I hope, he grimaced slightly, made sure he'd remembered everything as he patted his coat pocket, felt what he was searching for, then left his room behind and began strolling down the hall, you both are doing well. Better, actually! And that you're still together, given everything that's happened. Sure would be a heck of a thing to walk away from after all you've been through, kiddos.

When he'd finally reached the front of the old folks' home, Luna was just pulling in. He smiled and waved as she stopped and leaned over to open the passenger door and, as he hopped inside, said, "Great to see you, Pop-Pop!"

"And it's wonderful to see you too, Luna!" he laughed as he gave the woman a hug and held her firm. "Though I notice a distinct lack of cacophony about you."

She smirked. "I left the kiddo and Chunk at Mom and Dad's."

"Ah," he nodded sagely as he released her and buckled himself in. "That explains part of it."

She arched an eyebrow. "Part of it?"

He smiled as he looked at her. "I don't hear any music playing, do I?"

"Ha ha, very funny," she chuckled as she began to pull out once more. "Trust me, with how my tutoring business is going, I never thought I'd see the day I'd enjoy a break from music."

Albert faux-gasped. "Luna!" then he started to laugh. "Say it ain't so!"

"I know, right?"

But all of the small talk started dying away as they began making for 1216 Franklin Ave.

It was as she looked over and saw her Pop-Pop glancing forlornly at the landscape that she dared to ask, "Think we'll see them this year?"

He chuckled, equal parts sad and soft. "I sure hope so. It'd be nice to see all my grand kids before I die."

Luna tried to hide it, but she bristled at his remark. With a forced smile, she waved his words off. "I'm sure you will, Pop-Pop. Besides," she gave a playful punch to his shoulder then, "you've still got a lot of time left!"

He sighed. "After that June two years back, I wonder."

Neither said a word, though his face instantly showed regret for mentioning that time. If the elopement of Lincoln and Luan had been a big shock, that June two years ago had almost been an equally, if not bigger shock.

At least to one member of the family in particular.

"Speaking of that, got your meds?" Luna asked as she tried to break the oppressive silence that had fallen upon them.

He laughed at that. "Yep. Never go anywhere without 'em," he then sighed again. "Sorry. Didn't mean to kill the mood."

But Luna just shook her head and laughed. "Nah, don't worry, Pop-Pop. Trust me," she slowed the car to a halt as they came up to a light, leaned on the steering wheel a moment as she thought about what to say. Then, finally, the light changed and, as they pulled out she said, "Honestly? Chunk and I were thinking we might try and go looking again this year." Then, after a moment's thought she looked at her grandfather, "Wanna come along if we do?"

Albert thought on that a moment. Then he said, "You know, I really would like that, Kiddo."

The two shared a smile, talked about where they might try, noticed that they weren't exactly choosing likeliest places the missing members of their family might be when talk of visiting an amusement park or two came up, then laughed about how they'd gotten sidetracked before catching up on everything the other had done that year.

"See you when you get back," the two hugged as Luna readied to take off once more, Leni's house next on the list. "Drive safe and don't hurry, okay?"

"Okay, okay. I get it, Pops," Luna jokingly groused, then laughed. "Be back in a bit, Pop-Pop."

He gave her a stern look then. "You better be. You're my ride back!"

They laughed as they parted ways and, as Luna went for her car Pop-Pop hurried inside and out of the cold, assailed the moment he stepped foot inside the house by all the grandchildren present.

"Lori!" he chuckled as the woman wrapped him in a hug. "Didn't see your car here! Bobby have to work today?" his face fell at the thought; the young man always took the week of Christmas off nowadays to spend with his family and Albert had grown to love seeing him whenever he'd had the chance.

It helped the two shared the same views on what they'd do if someone tried anything with their families again.

But the woman laughed. "No, Dad literally wrapped him into running to the store for more groceries. Guess the old man miscalculated or something."

"Ah, so I'm not the only one getting old, then! Marvelous!"

After that, Albert walked about the place, visiting his grandchildren and great grands, talking with his daughter and one of his grandsons-in-law before finally catching a break on his own in the kitchen while Rita went to check on something in the basement.

It was then that he palmed the bottle of pills in his hand, thought back to the car ride and then to the picture in his room. Thought over the missing pieces to the family puzzle he'd not been able to greet that night.

You know, kiddos, he felt his eyes misting up somewhat then and hurried to wipe them before anyone saw and began to worry, if it meant having to suffer five heart attacks in a row just to see you, to hear you two? I'd do it. Happily, too.

Just one more time, he bit his lip, held himself together. I just want to see you kids one last time before I go. Make that my Christmas present if you would, okay?

I love you two so much. I hope you know that.


Lynn Sr.

For a moment, Lynn thought it was all a dream. He'd had one like this so many times now where he'd be standing in the front doorway (although sometimes it was his bedroom doorway and he never could understand why) staring into the eyes of his two runaway kids finally returned home, their own kid tightly wrapped in their arms as they, adults now, stared back into his.

Of course, things were different compared to his dreams.

For one thing, there was far less screaming. No fights or arguments ending in tears.

The second thing was that he never truly felt the cold in those dreams like he did now.

The third was that, try as he might, he never quite expected them to have four kids.

"It's…" he finally said after a few of the Loud siblings began to notice something was wrong and began steadily looking around their dad, their eyes going wide with shock as they did. "It's really you?"

As an older Luan ducked her head ever so slightly and nodded, all the somewhat taller than her Lincoln got out was a, "Yeah, Dad, it's us," before all six were swept up in their father and grandfather's arms and dragged inside.

The screams of joy echoed throughout the house so long after that everyone swore they'd be deaf come morning.

"That's not how it works-" Lisa managed to get out before squealing with joy once more as she was herself pulled into a hug by Luan.

As the sound of the door opening and closing once more briefly registered, Lincoln and Luan began introducing their children to the family, the four almost immediately dashing off to play with their new cousins like they'd not just met a few minutes before.

Lynn Sr. laughed along with Rita and Albert as Luan called out after them, "Hey you four, you haven't met everyone yet!"

Luna just chuckled as she swept into a hug her two returned siblings as well as Lori and Leni, both of whom hadn't let go of the two since they arrived. "Don't worry, dudes! Chunk'n'Bobby will be back!"

"Chunk?" Lincoln looked at Luna, then slowly let his jaw drop a bit when she grinned at him and it registered. "You and Chunk?"

"What? You couldn't tell?" Luna played it off smoothly. "I always say that kid takes more after me than him, thanks for the support!"

"Hey," Luan cut in with a jab to the waist when she recovered. "Jokes are my thing."

Then the door opened and both men returned, shook off the snow and eyed both Luan and Lincoln calmly yet firmly.

"What's up?" Lori asked her husband after a moment.

He broke into a small smile. "Nothin' babe. Chunk and I just figured we'd, you know, do something important."

"Important?" both men's wives asked at the same time.

Chunk nodded, then held up his phone as a little grin crossed his face. "Yep, Luv. Important like took down their license plates, put a mark on their car to identify it in case they try a runner, that sort of thing."

Embarrassed, Luan still managed to ask as Lincoln cringed, "How'd you know which one was ours?"

It was Bobby's turn as he looked his sister-in-law right in the eye, then broke into a wide grin, "You kidding me, Sis? A SUV that drives four kids around ain't something you can easily hide!"

"That's true," Rita and Lynn both agreed as everyone started laughing. Then Lynn piped up with, "Of course, try a van that drives eleven. That's unmistakable!"

The whole family began reconnecting after that and though Lynn Sr. made mad dashes to and from the kitchen at points to check on dinner, he rarely let either of his two formerly missing children out of his sight or reach of a hug.

"You have to tell us," Lynn Jr. said after Luan finished taking pictures of Leni with all four of their kids, "what the heck all happened after you left!"

"Yes, please do!" Rita agreed as she returned a hug from Lincoln and Luan's only son and kissed him on the top of his head.

Lincoln and Luan, flanked on either side by their parents and siblings on the newer couch, exchanged looks then began recounting the tale from the beginning.

"I knew you'd try for California!" Lynn pumped her fist in victory as Lori, Lola and Lana rolled their eyes.

Luan laughed, then shook her head. "Yeah, but when Lincoln started looking on-line at apartments? Yech!"

"Yech is right," he mimicked Luan. "We'd have been broke in a week at those prices!"

Lynn Sr. arched an eyebrow. "So you didn't go to California? Then where did you go?"

"Well," Lincoln started up again. "After California was a bust, we thought Florida, but it was pretty much the same thing."

"Plus," Luan added with a bit of reservation, "we figured you all might try to look for us there. You know, stupid kids trying for a romantic place or something?"

Again, Lynn Jr. pumped her fists in the air. "I told you guys they weren't that dumb!"

Lincoln appeared to want to clarify, but he instead shook his head and laughed. "But by then we were already on the way there, so we turned around and figured we'd go to Nebraska and live in Lincoln."

"My idea, I'll cop to it," Luan added while her family started laughing. "I figured nobody would believe it!"

"You've been living in Nebraska!" Lynn Sr. was surprised; it never would have occurred to him to look there! Luan was right about that!

But his children shook their heads. It was Lincoln who spoke up first. "We were going to, but then our car broke down outside of Knoxville, Tennessee.

"At first we tried pushing it, but Luan had to stay inside so only I could do that. Figured once we turned the bend we'd hit a hill and I could stop pushing. And I was right," he nodded sagely. "Only, the hill went up rather than down."

Luan picked up the story now. "So we stayed there, on a little back road overnight. Thankfully we had a cooler of food and toilet paper, but that car was heck on the back."

"I'll say," Lincoln shrugged. "Of course, you were sleeping for four, so-"

"For four!" their family practically freaked at that moment. Finally, Rita asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

The sudden change in Luan and Lincoln's behavior didn't go unnoticed by anyone, but it was Lynn Sr. who finally braved to break the silence with, "What's that about?"

After sharing a look, Lincoln pulled Luan close as he explained, "You guys know how it was decided not to get so many ultrasounds?"

"Right," Rita nodded, not following. "Because it could damage the baby's hearing."

"Well," Lincoln rubbed Luan's shoulder, comforted her as he explained, "turns out that if you don't get multiples done, you're more likely to miss things. Things like twins," he sighed then. "Or triplets."

"Triplets!" it was a shock, but then Lynn Sr. did a mental recount of his grandchildren and said, "But-" before it occurred to him.

He chided himself. To see Luan's face, not to mention Lincoln's?

Like things needed to be said?

"Anyways," Lincoln waved that off, tried to lift the pall that had fallen upon everyone then. "So, we broke down, slept the night away, and the next morning we figured we'd try to walk to Knoxville and get help."

"Why not use your phone?" Lola asked then, leaning over the couch to hug her older sister tightly.

But Luan started laughing at that. "Yes, Lincoln, what about your phone?"

"Hey," Lincoln pulled away and looked Luan in the eye now with a smile on his face as he said, "for the record, I wasn't the one who dropped their phone face first on the asphalt."

"No you weren't, I agree," Luan smirked as she held his gaze with her own. "If I recall, that's because you threw your phone at another car."

'You what!" several siblings as well as Lynn Sr. and Rita squawked.

Lincoln held his hands up and looked between the speakers. "In my defense, the asshole had it coming! He nearly sent Luan and I off the road and into a river when he cut us off!"

Lynn Jr. smirked as she teased, "And you just thought you'd show your anger by throwing your phone at him?"

"I didn't mean to do that," Lincoln groaned.

Luan laughed. "He'd meant to grab something else, didn't realize he'd grabbed his phone, and the rest is history. Including his phone," she chortled now.

"Can we, maybe, get back to the main story?" Lincoln asked now that he was thoroughly embarrassed. When everyone had gotten through laughing and snickering at his expense, he sighed. "Thank you. Means so much to me, honest.

"So, there we were, stuck on the road and thinking of walking when all of a sudden a priest pulls up."

Lynn Jr. interrupted then. "Wow, talk about a come to Jesus moment, huh?"

Luan looked her younger sister right in the eye and, with a smile, said, "I said almost that exact same thing. More like a Jesus comes to you moment."

"Anyways," Lincoln rolled his eyes with a smirk. "So, the priest helps us get the car running again, and when we started talking we, well," Lincoln twiddled his fingers for a moment before saying, "kind of let a bit of our situation drop. Nothing too damning, of course, but enough that we got our first big break."

Luan took up the story at that point. "Next thing we knew, the priest let us stay at the church until we could find a place of our own, get on our feet. Lincoln helped out around there while doing odd jobs and I looked for apartments and work myself.

"And eventually," Luan started blushing now as the memory caught up to her, "the priest kind of figured out it wasn't just the age gap that was the problem."

Lori's jaw dropped. "So what happened? He literally called the cops, didn't he?"

It brought a smile to both Lincoln's and Luan's faces to hear their sister hadn't changed as much as they'd feared in their absence. But Luan's smile grew warmer and she shook her head. "The opposite, actually."

Lincoln nodded his head in agreement. "Rather than call the cops, he helped get us new identities."

This caused everyone a moment of pure shock. "He what?" Luna asked first.

Luan swallowed, then smiled at her sister. "He did. He got us new identities, the works. He said he figured it was in the better interests of the children, and he'd said that he should commit at least one sin to see how it felt, not to mention he was already so old that if anyone came for him it didn't matter much." Luan's mood fell again as she thought back on those days. "I guess when his own daughter ran away, it kind of hit him hard. He always said I reminded him so much of her."

"We tried looking for her, to repay him," Lincoln added then. "But he ended up dying before we could learn anything."

Lola was joined by Lana now, both girls hugging Luan tightly as Lincoln took the reins once more. "But after that, we got an apartment under our new names and since by then the kids were born Luan started up her party business under a new name while I stayed with the kids and did tech repair and tutoring jobs from home."

Lynn Sr. couldn't help but be proud. "You two really stepped up, I'll certainly give you that."

Both his kids were obviously embarrassed by the praise. But it didn't matter.

To him, anyways.

"It was a little bit later, about a year or so that I ended up getting a really big break," Lincoln continued after taking a drink of some soda he'd been handed by Lucy when she returned from the kitchen. "In fact, I have you to thank, Lucy."

"You do?" now all eyes were on her, confusion evident in everyone save Luan and Lincoln.

He chuckled. "Yeah. All those times I helped you with your poetry? Didn't realize just how good of an editor I'd become," he said as he brought her into a hug which she happily returned. When through, he let her go and looked at his dad, "Someone I knew asked me to edit something for them, a story they'd written. I did so well that they mentioned my name to a few others, and then they mentioned my name to their friends.

"Next thing I knew," Lincoln grinned wide now, "I was editing all sorts of things. Fiction, non-fiction, you name it. Heck, even advertisements! Then Luan and I got the idea thanks to a neighbor of ours to start investing in locals and start-ups so we might make more of a profit."

"And boy did we make a profit," Luan now sported a similar grin. "Next thing we knew, fourth year rolls around and despite some bad investments we could actually relax, between our good investments in others and Linc's repair business he started up with someone we know, we were making enough income by then that I could stay at home with the kids."

Lynn Jr. smacked her little brother's shoulder playfully. "Dang, Stinkoln! We should have put you to work sooner!"

He snorted and quipped, "Thanks a lot for that, Lynn!"

The two started wrestling before she wrapped him up in a hug from over the back of the couch.

"So, anyways," Lynn Sr. laughed a moment at his kids' antics, shook his head, then looked at Luan, "one thing I've been wondering."

"What's up?" Luan asked.

Her father leaned forward, looked at her from where he sat next to Lincoln and said, "How'd you end up with so many kids? The oldest girl and that little boy, that is."

Luan flicked her little sister's ear, making her laugh as Lincoln struggled and failed to break free from Lynn's grasp before saying, "Our next-door neighbor, she'd been a friend of ours and when she ended up in rehab we took her daughter and her son in.

"Only," Lincoln added as he finally escaped Lynn. Of course, she denied his skill, instead declaring she'd released him on purpose. "She didn't end up leaving rehab. Well," he corrected himself, "not the good way, anyways."

Her ponytail swaying, Luan sighed before smiling softly. "We ended up adopting both kids after that. Next thing we knew it was like they'd always been a part of our family.

"Now our oldest helps me out with teaching comedy and entertainment to the underprivileged and at-risk youths in our spare time," Luan finished, obviously proud of her eldest child's behavior.

Lynn Sr.'s heart practically exploded with pride in his two children then. To hell with everything else, they'd stepped up, took responsibility and did so much more than he could ever have hoped for. Sure, it hurt to have them missing for so long. But they'd used that time wisely, just as their father and mother had taught them.

"And since one of the first businesses we invested in was bought up a month back, it looks like we'll be getting even more money to put to work," Lincoln added.

"Okay, Lincoln?" Lynn leaned in now, put her elbow on her little brother's head, "In case it doesn't work out with Luan, I'm just gonna make myself permanently available."

"What!" Luan wasn't the only one who shrieked, but she was the loudest of them.

Of course, Lynn Sr. wasn't far behind.

And Lynn Jr. couldn't help but laugh her butt off. When she calmed down, she shrugged, "Hey, I'm just saying, Sis."

"He's permanently taken, thank you very much!" Luan took Lincoln's arm and blew a raspberry at Lynn, who returned it as both girls devolved into a war of immaturity.

Lincoln just watched Luan's behavior unamused. "The love of my life right here, ladies and gentlemen."

Trying to regain some control, Lynn Sr. spoke up, "I still can't believe you actually managed to make so much of yourselves, kids. I honestly cannot believe it!" he then smiled happily. "Not that I'm complaining!"

Lincoln laughed, but his father could see it wasn't entirely genuine. "Well, figured we had to since the twins will probably need the money."

Lola thought back to the kids, but wrinkled her brow. "I didn't see anything wrong with them."

He exhaled, then inhaled a moment later as he explained, "Well, not yet. But from what Luan and I learned things could show up by their forties if anything is wrong, so we both kind of figured a nest egg would be useful."

"Yeah," Luan said as she finally stopped being immature with her younger sister. "Although, that isn't the only thing we're saving up for, right Honey?" she elbowed Lincoln softly then, everyone giving the two an odd look.

He smiled at that, looked up at everyone. "No, it's not."

"What's up, you two?" Leni asked then as she sat eagerly on the arm rest of the chair next to her Pop-Pop.

Lincoln and Luan exchanged looks before Luan grinned wide, turned to her family and said, "Well, Linc and I were talking late last year and all this year, and we don't want to keep renting forever."

It didn't take long for what they were saying to sink in for anyone, but before Lynn Sr. could speak, Leni jumped up and squealed, "You're moving back!"

"Good!" Bobby added as Lori practically jumped her two siblings with a hug.

Chunk nodded as he brought Luna in for a hug, "When do you want to move, huh? I'll make sure I'm free."

It was Luan who managed to squeak out from Lori's near Leni-like hug, "We haven't found a place yet, but maybe next year."

"Next summer then," Chunk was firm. "Make damn sure I'm free then, that we're both free, right Luv?"

"You got that right!" Luna added through tears.

But Lincoln added after a moment, "But we don't have a place in mind yet."

"Don't matter," Chunk and Bobby exchanged nods before Chunk added, "we'll move ya back up here, you can rent an apartment or something. You're coming back home, though."

"Chunk's right," Lori said into her siblings' necks. "You don't get a choice now. We'll drag your butts back here if we have to, we have your plates now, remember?"

"And you already have a place, don't you even think of lying you two," their parents spoke up as they looked Luan and Lincoln in the face. "This is your home, and don't you ever forget it."

"Besides," Bobby added, grinning as everyone looked to him, "because of you, Clyde and Ronnie-Anne haven't been able to hold their wedding. Now they can!"

Everyone started laughing at that even as Lori playfully smacked her husband and explained Clyde and Ronnie-Anne had a civil ceremony at the least, but now they also had to attend Chunk and Luna's wedding ceremony this April as well.

Yet Lynn Sr. couldn't help the tears that were now streaming down his face at his children's announcement.

Home.

They were finally coming home.

That night, when everyone had finally left with a promise to meet back up the next day, Lynn Sr. sat there and looked out the front window to where Lincoln and Luan's SUV had been parked earlier.

He couldn't get it out of his head, the image of his two missing children, their family, an eldest raven-haired daughter, two twin little mops of brown-haired Lola-approved girly dressed politeness, all rounded off with an adorably shy little blond boy. How Lincoln had grown so much even if he only stood a little taller than Luan did now, had become a man worthy of his father's little girl. How Luan had grown, had changed and matured not just into a woman but a mother.

And as it did earlier, so it brought him to tears now as well.

I am going to donate the hell out of that church, and I don't care how much of a pun that was just now! he told himself as, once again, he felt a shudder run through his body, of more tears threatening to spill forth. This really is the best Christmas present ever; not many get a chance to start over, start anew. I don't know what the heck I did to get this chance, not after everything I didn't do to earn it. But I'm not gonna screw this one up. Lincoln, Luan, both of them are back. I'll take what I can get, God, trust me! The only thing I'd ever ask for after this is my family's health, you can count on it! Thank you so much for looking out for them, for that priest and what he did! And tomorrow, I'm gonna hold all six of them and not let them go for anything! Guaranteed! Bathroom visits are going to be awkward, and I don't care! I have my kids back, that's all that matters. Them and my four new grandchildren.

He stood there a moment longer, then his face fell before a small smile once again graced his stress worn features. "It's gonna be a heck of a story though, telling those kids how their parents met, isn't it?"

'We ended up changing our names back around the end of the second year,' Luan had explained quietly that night over dinner as the kids ate with their fellows at the reestablished kids table. 'Figured that way we wouldn't slip up and mention our old names to the kids or someone else.'

'We'd already had a few close encounters,' Lincoln added.

Lola spoke up then with, 'So it wasn't a coincidence!' Lynn Sr. still couldn't believe what she'd said next. 'I tried searching for you two on a search engine and your names came back, but the dates didn't add up and you were in Tennessee so I figured it was a really weird coincidence!'

'Really, Lols?' Lynn Jr. looked at the young blonde over her plate as Lana did the same. 'Appalachian adjacent, geographically speaking at the least, and you still thought that was a coincidence? Hey!' he started laughing as he recalled Luan flicking some mashed potatoes at her for the comment.

He'd missed those sorts of exchanges, he realized then and now.

Then his mind refocused onto more difficult things.

God, he could feel the old heartburn start to act up then. The story of how their parents fell in love really is gonna be an interesting one for those kids no matter how they hear it.

Oh well, he groaned and shrugged as he turned and started for bed, that's for later. For now?

For now, I'm gonna do what I should have all those years ago.

End


A/N: At the close of this story, I have to say it received a much better reception than I honestly expected. I do kind of wish I'd published it earlier, it's been sitting on my computer for about a year now, though I have other LH Fictions that have been sitting there for three years. It probably would have received even more attention than it has if I did, but I couldn't help but growl over it. It just felt too... average, in my honest opinion. Still, we are our own worst critics, so maybe I was being a tad harsh? Also, while I considered writing more chapters, ultimately this story is about the family and friends viewing the relationship between Lincoln and Luan, so including the years where they were missing, or including Lincoln or Luan's view points, was completely out of the question.

And yes, you CAN actually study to be a physician's assistant via distance learning through the North Dakota State University. Heck, through Arizona State University you can study to be an electrical engineer among other engineering specialties, too. In fact, all the jobs and methods of earning money here are real. I just couldn't help but add that into the story, and I figured Lori would be inspired to go that direction with exposure to Mama Santiago. I'll admit that part of me wishes I'd extended the amount of time the two were gone, though, to give a bit more leeway. But since actual numbers weren't mentioned, well...

My apologies this last chapter took so long to come out. Fell ill and my joints were so badly inflamed I could barely type anything at all, so I had to put it off. I'm feeling well enough now though so I figured I'd get this done.

As always, thank you for reading, and may it not have been a waste of your time doing so. Take care!