It wasn't long before everyone arrived at Luna's house, everyone still feeling a bit awkward about what happened earlier. Despite Lincoln's best attempts to resolve things, a fight still broke out, the Loud Family being unable to break out of that type of habit.
"Make yourselves comfortable everyone, if you can," Luna said, understanding the underlying tension.
Sam took a look around the house she and Luna shared with Benny and Luan, it had been quite sometime since she's been here. Last time she was here the two had a really bad argument which resulted in Sam needing to leave for a bit.
Lola had kept to herself, feeling a bit awkward among everyone. Despite cooling down from their prior anger, she could feel the occasional glare or dirty eye from at least one of her relatives.
Lana herself felt a little silly after the stunt she pulled earlier, and the consequence of that stunt, basically resulting in a fight among the sisters and an argument for Sid and Ronnie Anne. Needless to say, Adelaide at the very least found some enjoyment out of that moment.
Ronnie Anne had checked her phone, contemplating on calling Sid to make sure she's doing alright, or at least texting her. But after all that had been happening, she seemed to have some second thoughts on the matter.
"You alright there, sis?" Bobby asked, getting Ronnie Anne's attention.
"I'm fine, I just have a lot on my mind right now," Ronnie Anne said.
"Not surprised, sounds like you and Sid have a lot to talk about," Bobby said.
"I want to forgive her, and I want to move on but, I just need to be sure that she only loves me," Ronnie Anne said. "Maybe I should have said something sooner, I don't know."
"Hey, you're a smart girl sis, you can figure it out," Bobby said. "And hey, it's safe to say that we all have something to try and figure out here."
"I miss they days life was simple," Ronnie Anne said. "Or at least simpler than this."
"Eh, if life stayed simple, we wouldn't grow as much," Bobby said. "Sometimes, you need a bit of toughness to overcome, it's what builds our character."
"Wise words big bro," Ronnie Anne said. "Even if the truth sucks to hear."
Sam was sitting on the couch, having grabbed her guitar. She was not in the mood to play it, but she did feel some comfort in holding it. An instrument that reminded her of her best days, and the good times she had with her friends and her now wife.
"Hey Sam," Luna said, sitting next to the other woman.
"Hey Luna, busy day, huh?" Sam said.
"Typical Loud Saturday," Luna said. "It's weird, something about the chaos tonight felt nostalgic."
"It is a strange feeling, isn't it?" Lori said. "On one hand, it feels familiar, but deep down, it's not a good familiar. It just reminds me that more often than not, we just end up disagreeing and fighting even more, physically too. I mean we're literally adults, we should know better."
"Yeah, you're right about that," Luna said. "And poor Lincoln too, dude just wanted to help us and we got into a fight in his house. I mean, our kids probably feel so ashamed of us."
"We're not," Lina said, making her way in with Luca, Tony and Roberta. "We're just confused, I mean, don't you want things to be better?"
"We do, but...it's complicated," Luna said. "Sometimes we fight, not something we always choose to do, but it's something that happens regardless."
"Is there a way to stop the fighting?" Luca asked.
"Probably not, sometimes families just fight," Luna said.
"But they also love each other," Bobby said. "You gotta prove to Lincoln that you do love each other, more than that, you need to remind yourselves."
"Bobby's right, for years it's seemed like we've been taking constant shots at each other, like is there hidden jealousy?" Luan asked.
"There shouldn't be, we're all doing what we love," Luna said. "I don't feel jealous of any of you."
"Same, I'm happy where I am," Luan said.
"Well yeah, you're the only one that isn't dealing with family drama," Lori said. "Meanwhile the rest of us do have something to worry about."
"Alright, babe, that's part of the issue," Bobby said. "Just because Luan isn't arguing with her husband or worried about making her child miserable doesn't mean this isn't affecting her too. She's your sister and she feels for your pain."
Lori's eyes widened in realization, "I guess I do compare and contrast too much. It shouldn't be a competition after all, but I just can't help it. I actually do get jealous sometimes, like Lincoln has so many kids and they all love him. He gets along so well with his wife, and they had kids really young too. I mean, how did the seventeen year old parents grow into better adults than those of us who became parents after college?"
"Or at least those of us who finished college," Lola said, gesturing to Luna.
"Hey!" Luna shouted in annoyance. "You serious right now Lola!?"
"And again!" Bobby said. "Lola, that's not nice! Just because Luna dropped out doesn't mean she needs to be ashamed. Maybe she's better off not being in college, honestly I went to college and I'm not exactly the most successful guy."
"You're not defined by college success," Luan said.
"Oh, does this mean I don't have to go to college?" Roberta asked.
"No, you're going, because I'm sending you to a good college," Lori said, much to Roberta's annoyance.
"That should be up to her, babe," Bobby said. "But Bobbie, just because I had no success, don't think you can't."
"Yes daddy," Roberta said.
"Also, is my abuela really bothering you about not knowing Spanish? Because that's not right," Bobby said.
"She mentions it sometimes, but it's still kind of annoying, I mean, shouldn't it be up to me if I want to learn Spanish?" Roberta asked.
"Of course, above all, you're American, you have a choice to create your own culture," Bobby said.
"But not stumble too far away from ours," Ronnie Anne said, earning a glare from her brother. "What? I'm just saying that a little culture is good."
"Nini, you can barely speak Spanish, you started learning then gave up," Bobby said.
Ronnie Anne wanted to retort, but she realized she had nothing, "Eh, second languages are overrated anyway."
"I don't mind acknowledging my family culture, but I kind of want to focus on mom's culture," Roberta said. "Because above else, I want to learn to play the bag pipes."
"I can teach you, I know the bag pipes," Luna said. "I know pretty much every instrument."
"Oh, can you teach me the drums?" Tony asked.
"Tony, you're not playing drums, I am not dealing with that noise in our house," Ronnie Anne said.
"Come on mama, drums are cool!" Tony said.
"Yeah, have some fun Ronnie Anne," Lana said.
"Did I ask for your input?" Ronnie Anne said.
"Come on, can't we go five minutes without getting all tense with each other?" Sam said, getting everyone's attention. "How did you even survive living at your parents' house all these years?"
"How did you survive with that horrid fashion sense?" Lola asked.
Sam raised her eyebrow, "Are you like, programmed to be rude to people?"
"Is it a self defense mechanism?" Benny asked. "If it is, then you should know that you don't have to worry about being vulnerable with us, we're your family and we love you."
"Honestly I'd like to know too," Luan said.
Lola turned away in annoyance, "I have nothing to say to any of you."
"Lola, come on," Lana said. "You gotta put on an effort, or do you want to upset Lincoln and Stella again."
"H-hey, don't play my big brother and my favorite sister in law against me," Lola said.
"Uh, ouch!" Sam said.
"Fine, my sister in law who married a guy in my family," Lola said.
"That's an odd way to put it, but better than before, I guess," Sam said.
"I'm with Lana on this, Lola," Adelaide said. "I do worry about you sometimes, it always feels like you have a chip on your shoulder."
"Don't be afraid to be honest with us, little sis," Luna said.
Lola crossed her arms, trying to ignore this situation, "It's nothing, really!"
"Lola, this is for Lincoln, we want to go back and tell him we resolved everything," Luna said. "That's what we're going to do tonight. So I suggest everyone start spilling."
"Fine, you go first then if you're so interested!" Lola said.
"Alright, I will," Luna said. "I messed up. I couldn't get gigs for a while, the ones I did get were total shit, and I got angry at Sam, for NO reason! All because she tried talking sense to me. I nearly threw my marriage away because of my stupid pride! There! How's that for an intro!?"
"Luna, the blame falls on me too, I might have been too hard on you," Sam said.
"No babe, you were in the right, I just didn't want to admit it," Luna said. "Money's tight for us, and while I appreciate Luan and Benny helping out, I still want to pull my share. If I need to drop the band for some regular employment, I will. The Burpin' Burger's usually hiring, at the very least we'd get some discounts."
"Luna, I can get you a job at my company, it doesn't have to be high level, just basic clerk stuff," Lori said. "We'd be able to train you too, it should be better than working at some greasy restaurant. At least until your music picks up again."
"I'll consider that," Luna said. "Anyone else?"
"I'll go next," Lori said. "I am a workaholic. I focus too much on my career and not enough on my family. I mean, even now I'm here and not at home with my other kids. Thankfully Carol was available to babysit."
"Do you need the money?" Luan asked.
"Actually, I get paid so well, I can work part time and still make a decent salary," Lori said. "But...I just can't turn away from my work. I gotta fix that, and I will, that's my promise."
"Anyone else?" Luna asked. "Lola?"
Despite reluctance, Lola gave in and spoke her mind, "Alright fine. I'm Lola, and underneath this confidence is a lack of self-esteem because I don't think I'm going to make it far in life! I feel like my skills peaked at a young age and it's easier to take shots at everyone to direct attention away from me. You happy!?"
"Lola, aren't you graduating from college?" Bobby asked.
"Like that's going to help, I don't know where to go from here!" Lola said. "I went to school for fashion like Leni, but I don't have her talent for it! I can't go back to pageants because of that stupid age limit! What the hell am I supposed to do now!?"
"Lola, you have time to figure it out, I mean maybe you can be a coach for other pageant girls," Luna said.
"I'm not good at motivating people though," Lola said.
"Yes you are, you're very good at getting the best out of others," Luan said. "You have the charisma, you just need the confidence."
"We'll help you with that too," Lana said. "Look, let's just brainstorm together, we'll be able to face Lincoln again by tomorrow."
In her room at Lincoln's house, Lily was seen reading through her math book, trying to figure out some of the equations, though she had little to no luck.
"When am I ever going to use this in life?" Lily wondered out loud. "Ugh, this is pointless, I'm no academic. I should just drop out of school and find a job."
"That would take ambition," came a voice on the other side of the door. Coming through was her older brother. "Hey Lils, how's it going?"
"Hi Linky, just trying to get some studying done," Lily said.
"I can see that, good for you," Lincoln said, making his way inside.
"It's pretty tough though, I don't get this formula," Lily said.
"Let me see," Lincoln took a look at the problem in question, trying to recall from his early days in school. "Oh, I see what you're doing wrong. You're multiplying the wrong section. This is a bit tricky, I'm surprised you're doing it in the class you're in."
"It's a high level class, mom wanted me to take the big stuff because she wants me to be successful," Lily said. "That's one reason I haven't been doing well, it's just too hard and it feels pointless. Why do I need to know this stuff? It's not going to help me be successful in life."
"This specifically won't help you, but the concept will," Lincoln said. "In life, you're going to need to use your brain to figure things out. Think of this math equation as something to exercise your brain."
"There could be better ways to do so," Lily said. "But it can't be helped I guess. I'm just lucky mom didn't ask me to do the advanced science class either, that stuff I'll leave to Lisa."
"You know mom's just looking out for you," Lincoln said. "She wants you to have a good life."
"I know, and I appreciate that, but sometimes, it feels like there's just so much pressure," Lily said. "All our sisters are really talented at something. Luan is a comedic genius, Leni is a designer who's on her way to success, Lori is a pro golfer and a CEO, Luna is a successful Rockstar."
"Luna isn't that successful, the Moon Goats are popular, but they're not exactly SMOOCH level," Lincoln said.
"Still, she's doing well, and she didn't even go to college," Lily said. "I don't think I want to go to college either."
"That's fine, you don't have to, just try to finish High School at least," Lincoln said. "You're almost there, just a bit longer."
"A bit feels like forever," Lily said.
Lincoln took a seat next to his sister, "You know, you're so much smarter than you think you are. When you were only a year old, you had such an awareness of your surroundings. You knew how to communicate with us when you needed to, you knew how to use devices like phones, you even tried making elaborate plans, at least I think you did. You were even my special little magic assistant. It was amazing what you could do at that age."
"So what, I was some type of super baby?" Lily asked.
"I mean, you had your baby moments," Lincoln said. "For starters, you used to take off your diaper and run around naked."
Lily blushed upon hearing that, "Yeah, I've heard that a lot. Sadly I still feel a bit 'free' when I'm naked, never in public though."
"And as smart as you were, you still needed your diaper changed, something I handled, a lot," Lincoln said, Lily feeling a bit awkward. "It got quite messy at the time."
"Sorry I put you through that, but thanks for keeping my butt cleaned back then," Lily said.
"Hey, I'm your big brother, it was my job to look after you, and it still is," Lincoln said.
"Yeah, you're great like that," Lily said. "It's one of the reasons I miss having you around. I really wish you and Stella hadn't moved, out of all my siblings, I always felt the most comfortable around you. I mean, you taught me so much. How to play video games, what comics are cool, you even showed me how to draw so well, and it's fun. I actually like drawing in my spare time, usually just doodles of cars and trees, or just try to draw cool characters."
"Oh, so you're interested in developing your artistic skills?" Lincoln asked.
"Sort of," Lily said. "I don't expect to be anything like you but I'd like to still try."
"Hey, don't worry about comparing yourself to me, but if you want, I can help you get better, and maybe you can help me with my own comics," Lincoln said. "Having a second illustrator helps."
"That'd be great, I'd love to work alongside you," Lily said.
"Yeah, that would be pretty amazing, huh?" Lincoln said. "Working with one of my sisters, that's the dream."
"Well, at least now I have something to look forward to," Lily said, then kissed Lincoln on the cheek. "Thanks Linky, you're the best big brother."
"I try," Lincoln slightly boasted. "Anyway I should go check on Stella, she got caught right in the middle of that fight."
"Holy shit, isn't she pregnant!?" Lily asked. "Gee...I hope I didn't hurt her."
"She says she's fine...but yeah, that pregnancy thing is nothing to sneeze at, I gotta really make sure she's fine," Lincoln said, making his leave.
"Also, Lincoln," Lily said, getting his attention. "Is it bad if I try to call Skippy for a date?"
"Lily, you're still in High School, I think you should wait before being with an older guy," Lincoln said.
"He's only a few years older than me, and I wouldn't mind having a slightly older boyfriend, at least he has a job," Lily said.
"It's your choice, but promise me one thing Lily, one very important thing," Lincoln said.
"Sure, what is it?" Lily asked.
"If you ever do date a guy, and one day you and that guy get intimate...promise that you'll make sure you're protected," Lincoln said. "Preferably from his end, I mean you can take a that pregnancy prevention pill if you want but make sure he's also covered up where he needs to me."
"Of course, I promise I will be careful when I have sex," Lily said.
"...It's still weird hearing you say stuff like that, but you are growing up, and I can't stop that," Lincoln said. "I mean, I was actually a year younger than you when Stella and I first got intimate."
"How did you know when you two were ready?" Lily asked. "Like, how did it come about?"
"Randomly," Lincoln said. "A couple of days prior, we were talking, one thing led to another and she expressed interest in sex. We were initially nervous but, well, we really loved each other a lot, and we wanted to do more. It had been five years since we started dating and we wanted to take that relationship to the next level."
"So it took you some time to process it then?" Lily asked.
"Basically, we did talk about it a lot, we had to make sure we really wanted it," Lincoln said. "I've often overheard Lori, Luna and Luan talk about this stuff, and they all said they were so nervous the first time and they had to really prepare for it. Sex is a very serious thing Lily, especially when it comes to someone you love. It's the physical way of expressing that love. Stella and I had to do a lot of preparing before we decided on a day, because we wanted our first time to really be something more than average."
"Wow, didn't think it was that much of a head scratcher," Lily said.
"It is, then of course on the day we decided, I went to a pharmacy, grabbed my...material, which I ended up losing anyway, and...well you know the rest," Lincoln said.
"Yeah, you got her pregnant," Lily said.
"It was so scary at first, but then it got exciting," Lincoln said. "I'm still grateful that Stella and I not only got through that, but we were only stronger as a couple for it. That's what I want for you. If you're dating a guy, make sure you two know what you're getting into. I just want you avoid my mistakes. Not to say I regret having Lyra, but it still was something Stella and I had to adjust to."
"I'll be careful," Lily said.
"I know you will..." Lincoln sighed in sadness. "You're finally all grown up and ready to talk and prepare about stuff like this. Sex is not bad, it's just a way of showing love to someone, it exists for a reason after all. It's just so worrying that the sister who I babysat, who I helped bathe, who I changed, and all that, is going through something this big."
"Linky, I'll always be your little sister, so don't feel too weird about it," Lily said. "I'll do my best to make sure that when I do finally get intimate, it will be out of love, like you and Stella. I want to follow your example. Not the getting pregnant while in High School part, but the love part at least."
"I'll always be here if you need me," Lincoln said, making his leave. "That's what family's all about after all."
"Wait up a second," Lily said, running over to Lincoln and catching him in a surprise kiss. "I love you."
"I love you too," Lincoln said, rubbing Lily's head. "And I will always be proud of you."
Lily was satisfied with that, and as Lincoln left, she went back to studying on her bed, but not before finding Sid near her door.
"You have a nice big brother, Lily," Sid complimented.
"Thanks Sid...how are things with you and Ronnie Anne?" Lily asked.
"I gotta figure this out, sorry you got wrapped up in this too," Sid said. "I probably should not have given you that toy. I'm all for perverted fun, but you don't need to go down that route with me."
"I won't," Lily said.
"Gotta say, you have a nice body, make sure if you find a guy that he appreciates it," Sid said. "Otherwise I'll kick the shit out of him."
"I'll pick wisely," Lily said.
"That's my girl," Sid said, making her leave.
That night in Stella's room, the woman is seen reading in bed while Lincoln crawled in next to her. "Hey Stella."
"Hey Linky, how's Lily and Sid?" Stella asked.
"They're fine. Sid's sleeping on the couch downstairs while Lily's in her room," Lincoln said.
"How are the kids? Are they handling all this well too?" Stella asked.
"Aside from Lyra missing Bobbie, everything's fine," Lincoln said, kissing his wife on the cheek. "At least you're normal."
"I do my best," Stella said, placing her book aside and pulling Lincoln in for a kiss. "Feeling up to it?"
"I'm always up to it," Lincoln said, pulling his shirt off. "But let's try not to be loud, not just for the kids, I also don't want Lily and Sid to overhear."
"Imagine either of them wants to join," Stella teased, pulling her own sleepwear off.
"I'd...rather not have my sister here, or even Sid," Lincoln said, fully undressing. "Plus that stuff was fun when we were young, but weird when we're married."
"That's not what you said when Girl Jordan came over that one time," Stella said. "Remember?"
Lincoln recalled the time their old school friend stopped by, she had a nice, round butt that he and Stella liked playing with, Lincoln using his rod and Stella rubbing her body against it.
"Yeah, that was fun, weird though," Lincoln said. "I do remember worrying about getting her pregnant."
"Well we hadn't seen her for a while after that, who knows?" Stella said.
"Please don't joke about that," Lincoln said, positioning his wife. "Sex is for love only, and I only love you, so I only do it with you. It'd be bad if I told Lily one thing and then did the opposite."
"So responsible," Stella said, then felt Lincoln thrust into her. "Oh Linky..."
Lincoln gently moved his hips, feeling his wife's chemistry, "I hope my family's gonna be alright though."
"They will be, they're tough," Stella said. "But if you are worried, that's why we're doing this, don't be afraid to get a little rough to get it out of your system."
"Your call," Lincoln said, immediately picking up the pace, Stella arching her back as Lincoln really gave it to her. He did it a bit too fast and it didn't take long for either of them to climax, leaving them out of breath.
"Damn...that was...something," Stella said, trying to catch her breath.
"That...might have been...a record," Lincoln said, also trying to catch his breath. "You tired?"
"I can go more, just give me a minute," Stella said. "Maybe we should take it slow."
"Yeah, sounds good to me," Lincoln said. After a minute, the two were ready to resume, taking it at a more moderate pace, though Lincoln had to admit, he felt a bit better after that last one.
The next day, the family returned to Lincoln's house, right at his front door, the boy answering to find the lot of them there.
"Oh, you're all back," Lincoln said. "That's surprising."
"Hey bro, we wanted to apologize for all the chaos yesterday, and we wanted to let you know that, we're going to try and get better," Luna said.
"You do a lot for us, and we know you work hard so we can be happy," Luan said. "The least we can do is make things easier so we can all co-exist."
"And we're going to be better for the sake of our family, our big, ginormous family," Lori said.
Lincoln was surprised, seems like they did work out some issues, and genuinely wanted to improve their situation. From the look and sound of things, at least their time was used well. "So...you made progress on that?"
"Yeah, I mean, we still have a long way to go, but we're off to a nice start," Lana said, holding Adelaide close to her. "Because we want to make it to the end."
"For you Lincoln, because you're family loves you, even if doesn't always seem that way," Adelaide said.
"We just want to be close to each other, and you," Lola said. "So, what do you say Linky?"
"Hey, all I want is my family to be close, and I just need your best on that," Lincoln said. "I don't expect perfection."
"Good, because we can't give you that," Sam said. "Not yet."
"Why don't you come in, I'll make you all some coffee," Lincoln said.
"Uh, how about some hot coco?" Lola asked.
"It's not even cold," Lana said.
"So? Coffee's hot too and we were offered that," Lola said.
"I'll make whatever you prefer," Lincoln said, letting his family inside.
"Bobbie!" Lyra called, running to hug her cousin. "You're back!"
"Sure am cuz!" Roberta said. "Nothing can keep us apart."
Just that display meant the world to Lori, she would not want to do anything to pry that apart. She would do better for her daughter's sake.
"Hey, Adelaide," Lana said. "How long before we go back to Great Lakes?"
"Soon, why?" Adelaide asked, and was then presented a video of Carl.
"Join me tomorrow night as I unveil my latest video, a sexy blond plumber with her brunette lover, in a messy situation of love and sex," Carl said. "That's right, sweet girl and girl sex, only on my channel. Tune in."
"…We'll kick his ass tomorrow morning," Adelaide said. "Let's party for now."
"Sounds good to me," Lana said, putting her phone away.
"Sid!" Ronnie Anne called. "Sid! Are you here!?"
"Ronnie!" Sid ran over and embraced her wife in a kiss. Tearfully she pulled apart. "I'm so sorry for how dumb I've been, please give me a chance to be better!"
"Sid, I want to, I don't want us to fall apart," Ronnie Anne said. "Just promise you'll prove to me that you want things to be better."
"I will, I swear on it," Sid said, the two locked back into a kiss.
"That's so nice," Lincoln said as the rest started coming in. "Is that everyone?"
"We have some surprises actually," Luan said.
"Lincoln!" Lynn called, the girl making her way over with Liam. "The boyfriend and I were wondering if you'd be cool for a hangout, and it looks like you're about to start something big!"
"Uh, yeah, sure," Lincoln said. "Say, since you're with child, shouldn't you two eventually tie the knot?"
"One day," Liam said.
"Till then, we're fine how we are," Lynn said, going inside.
"Lincoln!" Lucy called, the girl making her way over with Lisa. "Good, we made it."
"Oh, you're here too?" Lincoln asked.
"The sisters invited us, they insisted you wouldn't mind but we'd like to hear it from you," Lisa said.
"I don't, I'm happy to have you girls," Lincoln said.
"Much obliged," Lisa said.
"You're too kind, my very handsome big brother," Lucy said, smirking at the boy.
Lola shook her head at the two as they entered, overhearing what was just heard, "Sorry Lucy, if Lincoln ever does cross that line, it will be with me. He's my very handsome big brother."
Next up was Lincoln's childhood best friend, "Clyde!?"
"Lincoln, been a while buddy," Clyde said, high fiving his friend.
"Where's Penelope?" Lincoln asked.
"She and our little guys are at the park, she sends her regards," Clyde said. "Seems like a big party is on the way."
"Yeah, my sisters set it up, and just about everyone is here," Lincoln said. "Except Leni."
"You called Linky?" Came Leni's voice, the pregnant Loud girl making her way over with Scott. "Surprise!"
"Leni! You're back!" Lincoln said, running to hug his sister. "When! How?"
"I wanted to stay and give birth before I came back, but it didn't feel the same without my family here," Leni said. "Scott and I agreed to take the first flight back to Royal Woods."
"It was well worth it, for Leni to be with her family," Scott said.
"Our family Scott, you're part of it too now," Lincoln said. "Come on in."
With that, the last member of the Loud siblings had entered. This was pleasing to Lincoln, to have his friends and siblings under one roof, to remind them of their bond with each other.
"Heh, maybe I'll call mom and dad over later, assuming they're not too busy enjoying the peace and quiet for a day," Lincoln said, closing the door behind him.
Chaotic as they are, Lincoln loved his family, and wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.
That's all for this story. I hope it was entertaining enough, even if it felt a bit different. I tried using more of the OCs, but it is not my specialty. But at this point, not many more stories can be told in this timeline, unless I get creative and go back to the middle during teen years. I am not sure, I might leave this alone. Thank you all for reading.