Within a few months, it was time for Summer Vacation, that meant school was out and the kids were free to do what they wanted until fall. For the Loud Family, it also meant a big homecoming for Leni, who finally finished college, to the surprise of a few sisters.
By this point Stella was starting to show, a lump being visible on her belly, and the girl felt really excited. To have further proof of life growing inside her uterus filled her with much joy.
With school out, Stella had more time to spend at home with the sisters, that included more chances of bonding with them, especially the more troublesome sister, Lana.
Even in the span of three months, Lana still had barely given Stella the time of day, a big source of frustration for the older girl. She really just wanted a good relationship with Lana, and she had one years prior. There was a time she and Lana hung out regularly, but then Lana suddenly started shutting her out, and it did bother Stella a bit, she'd do anything to make sure the girl liked her again.
One day, things started to take a strange turn. Stella was sitting in the living room with Lisa right beside her, the two looking over some notes regarding the robot system they have gone over in the past.
"So far everything is up to code, I just need a few more inputs here and there, hopefully Sid can get back to us soon regarding her half," Lisa said.
"I can't believe we might actually pull this off, imagine us creating helper robots," Stella said.
"Indeed, with cooking, laundry, and other every day products, it's a wonder why no one has thought of this before," Lisa said. "That's what happens when three genius girls get together."
"Oh I'm no genius, I just like working with tech," Stella said. "It's like a puzzle, putting the pieces together is part of the fun."
"Well you're quite gifted at it," Lisa complimented. "You may not have an IQ like mine but you shouldn't underestimate your own smarts. Lincoln does that sometimes as well, it's a bit frustrating, he's much smarter than he gives himself credit for. Honestly if not for me, he'd be the genius of the family."
"Such high praises coming from you," Stella said.
"I always have respect for my elder brother, foolish as he is at times," Lisa said. "He's a quick thinker and is excellent at forming plans, he's definitely got the street smarts to go with the intelligence. Plus he still makes a pretty mean Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich."
"Yeah, your absolute favorite," Stella said. "I love how good of an older brother he is, it's gonna transition well into fatherhood. He's even got a great role model of a father in Mr. Loud, that helps me feel less worried about being a parent since I'll have a boy like him as my partner."
"While having a child together is a good form of bonding, don't forget there's still one more thing the two of you should do," Lisa said. "You want to officially be a Loud family member right? Make sure you make those vows."
Stella blushed at the thought of marriage, though given that she's carrying Lincoln's baby, it should be expected that they would tie the knot and she could be Stella Zhau-Loud. Of course as she imagined the scenario, the two were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"I got it!" Lana called, quickly running down the stairs. Stella was tempted to tell her not to run but she knew she'd get sassed.
Upon opening the door, Lana was greeted by a certain boy she had been waiting for. "Hey Lana."
"Sup Skippy?" Lana greeted, quickly hugging the boy. "Come on inside!"
"Skippy's here?" Stella said, peering above the couch. It was about a month ago that Lana worked up the nerve to talk to Skippy again, especially after some encouragement from Adelaide. Something about this boy didn't sit right with Stella, given his greasy exterior and his habit of rough playing.
The two quickly made their way upstairs, Stella sitting back down and thinking this whole thing over as Lisa continued her research, but not unaware of Skippy's presence. "So Lana's little friend returned, I have yet to discover if their relationship remains platonic or if they've delved into personal feelings for one another."
"Uh-huh..." Stella said, glancing back toward the stairs.
"You seem bothered, is it the presence of Lana's new friend?" Lisa asked.
"Sort of, I mean, I don't mean to judge but something about him doesn't feel right," Stella said. "He's dirtier than Lana, not very well mannered, has terrible body odor, I'm just not sure about him."
"Well to each point, Lana isn't one to care about physical hygiene or behavioral manners," Lisa said. "But I do understand your concerns, while not rude by nature, he is very oblivious to proper social etiquette."
"I hope he's not being a bad influence on Lana," Stella said.
"Can't be any worse than she is already," Lisa said. "You have nothing to worry about, if any of us really thought he'd be a problem then we'd take immediate action, especially Lola."
Speaking of which, the girl had come downstairs not even a minute later, somewhat in a bad mood, "That boy's gotta go!"
"Lola, what happened?" Stella asked.
"Oh I'll tell you what happened," Lola said, marching over. "He takes one step in our room and already he gets dirt all over our clean carpet! Then he tossed his grimey hat onto my newly washed dress! I was gonna wear that to my pageant tonight and now it's ruined!"
"Well, there's still time right? I can wash your dress if you'd like," Stella said.
"You shouldn't have to, he should be more careful!" Lola said, getting frustrated. "Why Adelaide had to encourage Lana to ask that boy into our home I'll never know! That dopey sister of mine should have just given up on that idea years ago like I did with Winston!"
"Did you give up on him before or after he turned you down?" Lisa sassed.
"Gee I don't know, maybe around the time that David kid turned you down!" Lola said.
"At least I'm still friends with him, better than nothing," Lisa said.
"Oh yeah, one more person to perform your tacky science experiments on!" Lola sassed back.
Lisa became infuriated, but before she could retort, Stella had stepped in, "Come on Lola, don't say stuff like that to Lisa, it's not polite."
"She started it," Lola said.
Stella approached Lola, kneeling before the girl, "You should still know better, a girl as beautiful as you shouldn't be stooping to petty insults, I know you're better than that."
Lola started blushing from Stella's kind words, "Alright, I'm sorry Lisa, I didn't mean what I said."
"Apology accepted, and I do apologize myself if I had offended you as well," Lisa said.
"That's more I like it," Stella said, then focused back on Lola. "Also I really don't mind washing your dress for your show, though I doubt you'd need it to win. You're pretty enough to make anything work."
"Yeah you're right, I can made due any style," Lola said. "I mean technically I made Lana's style work."
"Lana's style?" Stella asked.
"Lincoln told you the story of the time he made Lana pretend to be me to get Dairy Land tickets," Lola said, Stella nodding in confirmation. "Even at the end when Lana acted like herself the judges still loved it, so that means they would love me even if I dressed like Lana!"
"So, are you going to dress like Lana?" Stella asked.
"Ew, no way, I am not wearing those overalls, but maybe I can find something else," Lola said, then made her way to the stairs. "I'll check the attic, there's usually a bunch of old clothes up there."
"Old clothes in the attic?" Stella asked.
"It's the same box Lincoln used back when he tried adapting a new style to be less predictable, I trust you remember that little adventure," Lisa said.
"Oh yeah, kind of wish he would go back to some of those styles," Stella said. "He actually makes a cute goth, just like Lucy."
"Honestly I do feel somewhat to blame for pointing out that he used the bathroom at the same time everyday," Lisa said.
"Not like it was a big deal, after all it's not like you wanted to upset him," Stella said.
"In this house, you can say anything in the most harmless way, and someone will get offended, some of us sisters gets way too touchy," Lisa said. "Me I try not to think about what my sisters or anyone else says, I seem to recall some kids telling me that I wasn't pretty."
"Who would tell you that!?" Stella asked, somewhat unhappy. "You're very pretty Lisa."
"I appreciate the compliment, but I really couldn't care less," Lisa said. "I want to be liked for who I am, not what I look like, and I don't want to change my personality, again, for the sake of social acceptance. It's worked out of course, after all I still have Darcy as my best friend."
"Darcy is a sweet girl, I'm glad she's over her crush on Lincoln," Stella said. "She is over it right?"
"If she weren't, her response to your pregnancy would have been quite catastrophic," Lisa said.
"Oh, that reminds me, is she wondering how it happened?" Stella asked.
"I just told her you two loved each other a lot which is how you got pregnant," Lisa said. "Fortunately it seemed to work, her response being that God blessed you both with a child."
"That's adorable, and she's technically not wrong, I do feel blessed with a child," Stella said, rubbing her belly. "It's growing more each day."
"Yes, I am quite excited to see your baby," Lisa said, resisting the urge to use the plural option as well.
"Still though, who would say you weren't pretty? That's someone I would give an earful to," Stella said.
"Please don't worry about it, it was bad enough when Lincoln found out," Lisa said.
Flashback to a year ago.
"Lynn!" Lincoln said, coming into their shared room. "I need to borrow your baseball bat!"
"For what?" Lynn asked, tossing a ball against the wall. "Going for tryouts?"
"No, something more important," Lincoln said.
"Pfft, what's more important than tryouts?" Lynn asked.
"Someone called Lisa 'ugly'," Lincoln replied.
Lynn immediately handed over a bat, "This is titanium, make it hurt like hell!"
Back to the present.
"That has to be an exaggeration," Stella said.
"I wouldn't be surprised if it weren't," Lisa said. "I'm going off what Lynn told me, but according to her, Lincoln was furious, he gets very protective of us and if he thinks someone's bothering us he gets pretty mad. Ironic considering he hates when we meddle in his troubles, but when we're the ones in trouble, he's unstoppable. Of course it shouldn't be a surprise, it's a boy's natural instinct to protect a girl, and, aside from you of course, there are no girls that Lincoln loves more than his sisters. Personally for me, I kind of find it endearing that he loves us that much, and it's why I personally admire him so much. It may be kiddy of me to say but, I feel safer when I know that my big brother is always ready to protect me."
"Wow, that's adorable," Stella said. "I can believe Lincoln wanting to protect you, I've seen how much he treasures you, but I still can't see him being that willing to stoop to fighting."
At that moment, they could hear some talking coming from the kitchen.
"Sweet! Last yogurt!" came Lincoln's voice.
"Hey! Drop the snack Stinkin, I called it!" Lynn said.
"No way! It was in my side of the fridge!" Lincoln said.
"Uh no, that's my side, I saw you take it out of there!" Lynn said.
"No I didn't! Now buzz off!" Lincoln said.
"Not until you give me my yogurt!" Lynn shouted, now the sounds of her struggling to take the yogurt taking over.
"Hey! Stop fighting you two!" That's so not cool!" Luna said, trying to be the voice of reason. "Besides that's my yogurt! I called it last night!"
"No you didn't!" Lynn said.
"Yeah it's mine!" Lincoln said.
Suddenly a fight broke out in the kitchen, Stella peering overhead to see her boyfriend fighting off two of his older sisters. "Are they serious right now!?"
"Lincoln may love us more than anything, but that won't stop him from a few petty fights with us," Lincoln said. "But that's life in the Loud House."
"I don't think something like this should be brushed off so easily," Stella said, just as the yogurt landed nearby. "Looks like they dropped it, and it rolled here somehow. How long before-"
"I got it!" Lynn jumped to grab it, with Lincoln jumping on top of her, and Luna landing on Lincoln, the three fighting for the yogurt.
"Nothing compared to that fight over the last slice of pizza a few weeks ago, wouldn't you agree Stella?" Lisa asked.
"Got it!" Lincoln said, standing tall with the yogurt, only for Lynn to jump on him again, trying to grab it from her brother.
"Excuse me, but isn't there a better way to figure this out?" Stella said. "How about one of you gets the yogurt this time, then the next time someone else can have the yogurt."
"Great idea Stella," Lynn said. "So I'll take this yogurt and-"
"Fat chance, I called it first!" Lincoln said.
"Don't make me hurt you in front of your baby's mama!" Lynn warned.
"Or maybe you can share the yogurt you have now?" Stella suggested.
"Stella we can't share this itty-bitty little yogurt," Lincoln said, trying to push Lynn away. "Besides I called it so I really shouldn't have to!"
Stella face palmed a moment, "Alright, you figure it out then." Stella got off the couch and made her way upstairs. "Try not to break anything, be it furniture or any part of your body."
"It won't happen if he just gives me the dang yogurt!" Lynn said.
"No, he's giving it to me!" Luna said.
Stella ignored this and went upstairs as Lincoln found himself surrounded by both sisters. In a surprising move he put his hands up in surrender, "Fine, you got me, here, you two figure it out."
Lincoln placed the yogurt down and walked away, both Lynn and Luna eyeing the treat.
"It's mine!" Lynn jumped in but Luna blocked her way.
"Hell no! It's mine!" Luna shouted, pulling Lynn away.
As the two fought, the yogurt fell to the side and Lincoln quickly picked it up and left, "Way too easy."
Lisa took note of her brother leaving as she turned back to her two figthing sisters, "How long before they realize they got duped? Also I hope for Lincoln's sake he stays far away from them when that moment happens."
Upstairs Stella made her way toward the twins' room to wash Lola's dress as promised. Before knocking she heard some giggling in the room.
"Wait, it was how bad?" Lana asked.
"An absolute wreck," Skippy answered. "The oil capsule was busted, the engine looked like it had gone a thousand miles in one night, so much fume, the car was a giant tea kettle."
"Wow, sounds almost as bad as Vanzilla," Lana joked.
"Hey that car would be worse, but not with a genius mechanic like you around," Skippy said, getting a giggle from Lana.
"Come on, you're just teasing," Lana said.
"I would never tease, especially such a pretty girl," Skippy said.
Stella furrowed her brow, not taking too kindly to this boy's smooth charm. Her lady intuition told her that this boy was up to something. Acting quickly she poked her head into the room, knocking to get their attention. "Hey Lana!"
"Ah!" Lana turned around. "Stella! Ever hear of privacy!?"
"Hey I technically knocked," Stella said. "But Lola wanted me to come up here, her pageant dress needed washing."
"Didn't she already wash that stupid thing?" Lana said.
"She did...then it got ruined," Stella said, somewhat glancing at Skippy. "So I'm going to wash it for her."
"Well that's really nice of you Stella," Skippy said. "You're one considerate house guest."
"House guest?" Stella looked a bit bothered by that term. "I'm not a guest, I live here."
"Oh yeah, guess it makes sense since you and Lana's brother are going to have a baby together," Skippy chuckled to himself a bit. "Maybe I should get Lana pregnant so I could live with her."
Stella's eye twitched slightly, "Skippy, that isn't an appropriate thing to say."
"Oh chill Stella, he's only joking, he probably doesn't even know how to get a girl pregnant," Lana said.
"Hey I know a thing or two," Skippy insisted.
"Not that it matters since you're far from anything like that!" Stella said, getting a bit irritated.
"Don't you have a dress to wash?" Lana asked, getting tired of Stella being in her room.
Stella turned her attention to Lola's dress, truthfully it didn't look too bad, aside from a brief smudge. Skippy likely leaned against Lola's bed and smeared some grease. He really could stand to wash up before coming over.
After grabbing the dress, she began to leave, but not without one final word, "Don't do anything you two shouldn't do."
"No promises," Lana said.
"Lana!" Stella scolded. "I'm not messing around."
The young mechanic looked almost outraged that Stella was even taking that tone with her, "Look Stella-"
"Hey easy now," Skippy said. "Sorry to interrupt you Lana, but maybe you should cut Stella a break here, she's just looking out for you."
Stella almost looked surprised, "So you do have manners, that's good to know. I'll trust you not to do anything you'll regret then."
"You got it," Skippy said, happily saluting as Stella left the room.
"I swear she bugs me so much!" Lana said.
"Come on, she doesn't seem so bad, just a bit protective," Skippy said.
"That's the thing, she treats me like a child!" Lana said.
"Well, you are technically," Skippy said.
"But that doesn't mean I need to be tended to 24/7," Lana said. "Just a few years ago she was begging me to watch over her pet, now all of a sudden she thinks I'm incapable of taking care of myself!"
"Boy you seem mad, did you ever tell that friend of yours any of this?" Skippy asked. "Did she give you any advice?"
"If you mean Adelaide, then yes I tell her this regularly," Lana said. "She just tells me to hang in there, but Adelaide is also very fond of Stella. I mean her sister is more fond of Stella to the point of it being kind of creepy, but Adelaide still holds a soft spot for Stella and my brother."
"Right, and you said you're the only one of your siblings that doesn't seem to like her much?" Skippy said.
"I mean, I don't want to say I don't like her, I just don't like how bossy she is," Lana said. "But yeah, I'm the only one who feels at odds with her, even Lynn warmed up to her, and Stella used to hate her."
"Maybe you should try letting her know how you feel," Skippy said. "Gotta be with a shot, right?"
"I've tried to, but she's too insistant on doing thing the proper way," Lana said. "I don't think we'll ever be friends."
"But, wouldn't you like to be?" Skippy asked.
"Well...sorta," Lana said. "I'll figure it out."
"Alright, I wish you luck on that," Skippy said.
"Thanks for wanting to help," Lana said, kissing Skippy on the cheek.
"No trouble at all Lana," Skippy said, blushing from the affection.
Later on as promised, Stella had washed the stain off Lola's dress in the backyard using some old washer materials, and dri the clothing item looking good as new. "This should make Lola happy."
"Did I hear my name mentioned?" Lola said, making her way outside.
"I finished your dress," Stella said, presenting it to the girl. "Good as new."
"Aw, thank you so much!" Lola said, grabbing the dress and observing it. "So pretty!"
"I'm glad you like it," Stella said, then found herself being hugged by Lola.
"I love it! This was really nice of you to do for me," Lola said. "I gotta go wash up for the pageant, I would love it if you joined me."
"Wash up?" Stella asked. "As in bathe?"
"Sure, I can help scrub you," Lola said. "I mean I imagine it may get hard to properly wash yourself considering you're pregnant."
"It really isn't that hard, I'm only three months in anyway," Stella said, rubbing the lump on her belly. "It's not that noticable or inconvenient yet."
"Even so, having an extra hand in the shower can't hurt," Lola said. "Plus it's fun with company, and I know the perfect blend of shampoo and conditioner to use."
"That could work, but would it really be alright for us to bathe together?" Stella asked.
"Hey I wouldn't offer if it was a bad idea, I mean you're like an older sister and I already trust you to see me naked," Lola said. "Also it's a good place for us to really talk in private."
"I guess," Stella said. "Alright, if you insist."
"Great, you are going to look so nice and refreshed after our shower, Linky's gonna be all over you," Lola said. "More so than usual."
"Speaking of Lincoln, I haven't seen him around," Stella said.
"Oh he's probably hiding since he really ticked off Lynn and Luna," Lola said. "I mean at least Luna's not home, she left with Sam for band practice, but Lynn, she's gonna hunt him down."
"All over a silly yogurt?" Stella asked.
"It's more the principle than the actual yogurt," Lola said. "Don't worry about it, you know Lynn wouldn't hurt Linky too bad, none of us would ever set out to really hurt one of our siblings, we just need to rough them up a bit sometimes."
"I want to say that's weird but I've been around you long enough to know that's how this family rolls, you show your love with pushing and shoving," Stella said.
"That's pretty accurate, now come on," Lola took Stella's hand. "It's shower time."
As the two girls went inside, Lincoln was seen peeking his head out from behind a shed, "No sign of Lynn, yet. She thinks she can use brute strength to get her way around, but I got the brains. It'll take more than just a bit of-"
"GOT YOU!" Lynn tackled Lincoln down from behind, pinning him down. "Thought you could outsmart me? Well I'm going to out muscle you!"
"I don't think so," Lincoln maneuvered around and slid down from under Lynn's legs. He quickly stood up and kicked her over. "Muscle means nothing if you don't have the speed to back it up!"
"You want speed?" Lynn plopped up. "Get ready to face the Wrath of a Thousand Soccer Games!"
She charged in to attack but Lincoln vaulted over her shoulders at the last second to land behind her and took off. "Can't catch me!"
"I'll take that challenge!" Lynn said, givng her brother the chase.
In the bathroom, Lola and Stella were sitting and relaxing a tub full of warm water, Lola taking note of how soft Stella's skin looked, "You must have been using my body wash a lot, you look so shiny."
"Yeah, it's felt so nice on my skin," Stella said, washing her arm.
"Consider yourself lucky, I don't let anyone else use this, but you're special so you get to try it," Lola said.
"I'm surprised you like me this much, I mean you've always been friendly but it doesn't seem that long ago when you are all mad at me kissing Luan," Stella said.
"Mistakes happen, you've been loyal to Linky ever since, if anything you've been more dedicated, almost like you realized what you could have lost and treasured it," Lola said. "I don't say it much, but Lincoln means everything to me, same with my sisters, so I do love that you treat him well."
"So you're not mad anymore? Are any of the sisters still mad?" Stella asked. "I've always been too nervous to ask."
"None of us are mad Stella, I know we can hold a grudge but you're such a nice girl that we can't stay mad at you," Lola said. "I'm sorry you felt that way."
"It's fine, I know how much Lincoln means to you all," Stella said.
"Yeah, he means everything to us, I don't know why but most of us feel closer to Lincoln than each other," Lola said. "Maybe because he's the only boy so we kind of give him special treatment."
"Well, what does Lincoln mean to you?" Stella asked.
Lola looked around to make sure they were truly alone, "This never leaves the bathroom. But Lincoln, I see him as this Knight, no, a Handsome Prince, the type that always saves the Princess in Fairy Tales. As a Princess myself, I feel a special type of connection to my Prince, I always feel like no matter what, Lincoln would always come to my rescue if I need him. He never lets me down, and if he feels like he has, then he is always quick to make up for it."
"That's adorable," Stella said. "You love him so much."
"Well like I said, keep it under wraps, especially to my sisters," Lola said. "They're gonna get the wrong idea, like if I'm into him the way you are."
"Does that happen?" Stella asked. "Like does anyone think that one of you do like him that way?"
"Well there were rumors about Lucy, and sometimes Lynn," Lola said. "Plus Lori was at one point paranoid that Lincoln was sneaking peaks at us while we were underdressed. I mean Lincoln is a boy surrounded by girls, that moral line of us being his sisters might blur, especially in his hormonal years."
"Lincoln does get that from his friends, they think he has a thing for one or all of you as well," Stella said.
"Well I wouldn't blame Lincoln, we're attractive girls," Lola said. "I don't like him that way, but I probably would if he weren't related to me. I could honestly say the same about our other sisters."
"Such high praises," Stella said, turning to face Lola. "Lincoln must be everything you want in a boy."
"Well yeah, he's the perfect gentleman, which is why we're so happy he found a girl, everything we taught him about girls helped him nab a great girlfriend," Lola said.
"I'm happy I can stay at your expectations," Stella said. "Though, speaking of dating. Lana is dating Skippy, correct?"
"Yeah, she is," Lola confirmed. "I mean they aren't doing too much, they just hang out a lot."
"What are your thoughts? Is Lana making the right choice or should I be worried?" Stella asked. "I know you were unhappy with him before, but is he the type of boy that you'd sacrifice your dislike for to keep your sister happy?"
"Well, while I want Lana to do better, I don't know if she can," Lola said. "Not many boys would appreciate her dirty lifestyle, so if anything it's good that this boy really seems to like her, even if I personally find him to be a pain."
"So you trust her judgement though?" Stella asked.
"For the most part, yeah," Lola said.
"Oh, alright, so I shouldn't worry?" Stella asked.
"Well you could worry a little bit, but in the end this is Lana's choice, and as long as he's not doing anything stupid then we should accept her decision to date him," Lola said. "Any reason you're asking?"
"N-none really, just wanted to make sure she would be happy with her choice of boyfriend," Stella said.
"Even if we're not, if there's one thing we figured out over the years, this isn't something any of us can control," Lola said. "Twice we tried helping our siblings and twice we made it worse. You know the story about Lucy's crush on Rocky right?"
"Yeah, mostly," Stella said.
"That may have been one of our worst days as sisters," Lola said. "We were so desperate to help Lucy that one, we completely disregarded Lincoln when he tried telling us something we should have already known, Lucy needed to be herself. On top of that, we were kind of mean to him, and we even broke his science project to make Rusty and Rocky come back."
"What would have stopped Lincoln from just finishing it at Rusty's house?" Stella asked.
"Uh...well you know how violent we can get right?" Lola sheepishly asked.
Stella of course wasn't surprised, and didn't even feel the need to inquire, "Never mind, just continue."
"Well basically, the date failed and we came to the realization that it's important to be ourselves, like Linky tried telling us before," Lola said. "Of course we would never have admitted he was right, especially Lori, who basically took credit for the realization."
"Lori didn't push for it more?" Stella asked.
"Lori only pushes if she has personal investment, hence why she tried setting up our brother with her boyfriend's sister," Lola said. "Which was still weird because if she cared, she wouldn't have told Lincoln to be himself when he first met you."
"Lori told me that Carlota kind of influenced her actions, otherwise she wouldn't have cared," Stella said.
"Well she should have known better than to let someone else influence her like that," Lola said. "Besides Carlota or not, Lori would have always preferred Ronnie Anne, so it was better that she went through it then rather than going through it sometime after you and Linky got together. If you thought we were mad at her trying to set Linky up with a girl against his will, imagine how mad we would have been if she tried breaking you two up."
"Ironic that in the end, Ronnie Anne is the one who encouraged me to ask Lincoln out," Stella said.
"That surprised us all quite a bit honestly," Lola said. "We were under the impression that she might have really liked Lincoln, I mean I'm talking about after she punched him in the eye. He did win her over with his charm, and he hung out with her a lot. Even Clyde said it looked like they had something, though Ronnie Anne was very reluctant to commit. Which is fine, she ended up moving, and I don't know if Lincoln could have handled long distance. But it doesn't matter, because I still believe you were the better choice."
"You don't think Ronnie Anne is mean do you?" Stella asked.
"It's not that, I just think you're more open," Lola said. "Lincoln seems to cuddle you a lot, and he's openly affectioante. Ronnie Anne seems like the girl who would be embarrassed to do that, at least in public, which could make Linky feel like she doesn't really like him. You don't have that problem, you let Linky be himself and you've never been ashamed of him."
"That's not true, I used to be ashamed of his love for magic, I thought it was embarrassing to be around," Stella admitted.
"Well you came to your senses, so kudos for that," Lola said. "You don't have to like every little thing about Lincoln, mom doesn't like every little thing about daddy, like his obsession with ties, yet they make it work, because they love each other enough to not let this be too much of a problem between them."
"I hope Lincoln and I end up like your parents, it's amazing how much they love and care for each other, like if they keep falling in love every day," Stella said.
"True love never dies Stella," Lola said. "That's why it works for mommy and daddy."
"Well, I hope you find your true love someday too Lola," Stella said.
"I have," Lola said. "It's not a boyfriend but True Love isn't always romantic. I love my brother so much, he's like my True Love. Like I said, he's my charming Prince, as long as I have him then I feel content. At least until you two move away, after all, you're gonna have your own family to start."
"Even if Lincoln and I ever move, it won't mean you won't see us again," Stella said. "Ideally we'd want to stay in Royal Woods, I mean, I wouldn't keep my baby away from the greatest ten aunts I could think of."
"You're so sweet Stella," Lola said, hugging her brother's girlfriend. "I love you so much!" Lola planted a few kisses on her cheek.
"Easy now, I love your kisses but it feels weird that we're naked in a bath together," Stella said.
"Right, sorry," Lola backed off. She took a moment to glance over Stella's body, she had such a nice figure, Lola was a bit jealous. "I know you told me once, that I shouldn't worry about having your assets, but I feel jealous sometimes. You started developing just fine, yet I'm still..." Lola gestured to her own body. "This. You wouldn't believe how long it takes for some of us to develop too, Luna and Luan were late bloomers in the boobie department, it took Lynn forever to get tall, even Lucy's getting impatient."
"Hey my only 'developed' asset was my butt, which you already have, not that it should define you," Stella said. "Don't worry so much about size, I bet any boy who loves you couldn't care less. I mean, you mentioned a boy earlier, you think he would care?"
"I've never thought about it, most boys our age don't understand the concept as well as girls do," Lola said.
"I don't know about Winston, but Lincoln picked that up pretty fast," Stella said. "But he didn't care, because he saw me for me, not my butt."
"You're right, I guess it's just my vanity talking," Lola said. "I want to be as pretty as Lori and Leni are, so I'm trying to start as early as possible."
"Don't turn it into a contest, it's all subjective," Stella said. "You're already pretty enough anyway."
Lola started blushing, "You're making me wanna kiss you again."
"Let's finish up then, then I'll let you pepper my face with kisses, as long as I can pepper yours because you're just so pretty," Stella said.
"Speaking of kissing, let's say I want to practice kissing," Lola began.
Stella turned away, "Where are you going with this?"
"Not with you! I'm not Luan," Lola said. "I'm just wondering if there was a way to, so if I ever want to kiss a boy I like."
"We'll figure that out later," Stella said.
Meanwhile in the first floor of the Loud House, Lynn had finally captured Lincoln, having the boy pinned down on the floor as she pressed her knee on his back. "You're not escaping this time!"
"Yeah, I am," Lincoln began pushing himself up off the floor
"Seriously, how did you get so strong!?" Lynn asked, trying to push him back down, but Lincoln got in enough to elbow Lynn in the gut a couple of times, then rolled away from her weight. "You're gotten good."
"Face it, as I got older, my dominant male genes began to take over, meaning you're not as tough as you think you are," Lincoln boasted.
"Oh you're getting a HUGE ass kicking for that comment!" Lynn raised her leg. "HI-YA!"
Lincoln jumped to the side as Lynn kicked the wall, causing a minor crack. She turned around for another kick but Lincoln rolled to the side, avoiding it. Lynn would not give up, she continued on, gong for a kick that knocked the hinge off the door leading to the shared room of Lisa and Lily.
Lynn turned to that Lincoln had rolled again, so she threw a punch that he narrowly dodged, creating another hole in the room of Lola and Lana, the older twin shouting in surprise. "What in the world!?"
"What just happened!?" Skippy asked.
"I don't know!" Lana said.
Lincoln scurried down the hall, dodging a bunch of Lynn's attacks, years of seeing her kick-boxing really up close, along with her many other martial arts moves really gave Lincoln and idea of her pattern.
Lynn kicked again, this time knocking Lincoln against the door leading into the shared room of Luna and Luan, the latter opening up after hearing noise. "Hey what's going-"
Lynn threw another punch, Lincoln ducking, unintentionally letting Luan take the blow, knocking the girl back and unconscious.
"Luan, are you-" Lincoln's concern was interrupted when Lynn grabbed him and tossed him against the door leading to old shared room of Lori and Leni room. Lynn went for a diving kick but Lincoln dodged, the athlete then kicking a hole through the door, surprising the girl in the room.
"Hey! You're suppose to knock with your hands!" Leni said.
Lynn pulled away and noticed Lincoln scurrying off, "For someone who's suppose to be all tough and manly, you sure are evading me a lot."
"It's called strategy!" Lincoln said. "I'm not foolish enough to take a bull head on."
"A bull huh? Couldn't think of a better comparison!" Lynn said, going in to attack, trying for a few punches and kicks, at one point getting Lincoln in the ribs with a knee. She went for an elbow but Lincoln blocked and kicked her aside.
Bad move, it nearly resulted in Lynn falling down the stairs, fortunately Lincoln caught her in time, "That was close!"
"Hey thanks," Lynn said, then tackled Lincoln through the door leading into their shared room. Lynn had Lincoln in a headlock, but Lincoln stepped on her foot, causing her to release, but Lynn shoved Lincoln back against his bed.
She tried to jump at him but he dodged, completely missing and bonking her head against the wall.
"You alright Lynn?" Lincoln asked, concerned for his sister.
"Focus loser!" Lynn pulled back and kicked Lincoln in the stomach. She went for a punch but Lincoln grabbed her and flipped her over, landing hard on the floor. "Ow!"
"You done!?" Lincoln asked. Lynn pulled him down and and wrapped her legs around his head, squeezing rightly.
"No, how about you!?" Lynn asked. Lincoln started to pry her legs apart and yanked himself away. Lynn jumped to attack again but Lincoln hit a back kick to her stomach. She tried to attack again, but Lincoln held her off, the two struggling for control.
Lynn tried pinning Lincoln down against his bed but the boy reversed it and pushed back against Lucy's bed, leading her pinned down. Lynn quickly inched back and kicked Lincoln back with both legs, knocking him back on his bed.
Not wanting to make the same mistake twice, she quickly jumped on him before he had time to recover but he still managed to stop her from completely pinning him down and flipped over so he was on top.
Lynn wouldn't let her brother over power her, so she tried hard to push back, but Lincoln applied more pressure, and was hovering over her, glaring down at the girl. With one final umph, Lynn pushed Lincoln off her.
"Gonna knock you out Stinkin!" Lynn said, readying a fist.
"Not if I floor you first Loser Lynn!" Lincoln said, readying his own fist.
The two each threw a punch that connected with each other, knocking one another back as both their jaws met each other's fists.
Lynn got knocked back onto Lucy's bed as Lincoln fell on his own. The two rubbed their faces as they intently glared at one another.
"You know, thinking about it," Lynn winced a bit from the pain. "We might have gotten carried away."
"Yeah, we never let it get this bad, usually," Lincoln said.
"But I had fun, you've gotten tougher Linc," Lynn said.
"Thanks to you," Lincoln said. "Sorry about the yogurt."
"It's good, I would have totally done the same," Lynn said. "You've got brains behind that power, I think I've taught you well. Just in time too, I mean, you're gonna be a father soon, and I may never get this chance again."
"Yeah, of course," Lincoln lamented. "With your scholarship, you might get into a high profile university."
"Hey I don't have to go, I can stay here," Lynn said.
"You know you shouldn't pass this up, you can get a great education," Lincoln said.
"Dude, I barely pass school, I need Lisa to tutor me just to stay in sports," Lynn said. "I don't need to go to some fancy, schmancy school, I can do sports in Royal Woods, that's all I care about. I might not even go to college, it's pointless."
"Hey come on, it's not pointless, plus you know mom wouldn't want you to not go," Lincoln said.
"It really should be my choice, since I'm eighteen, but whatever, I'll just go local," Lynn said. "It's all good bro, besides you and Stella need someone to help you with your kid."
"Lynn, we have other sisters, and Stella wouldn't want you to drop everything for us," Lincoln said. "Going away, it's not just the education, don't you want a life outside this family?"
"This family's all I've known, for better or worse I feel happier here than away from all of you," Lynn said. "I've seen how much it bugged Lori and Leni, I mean that's why Luna and Luan ended up going to the local college."
"Lynn, I won't tell you what you should do, but I really hope you put a lot of thought into this," Lincoln said. "I just want what's best for you."
"Yeah, that's your whole thing, no one's looked out for me more than you have," Lynn said. "I am really grateful for that, you stuck by me when no one else would. Even when I was a total bitch to you, that never stopped you from being my best pal."
"Well in a way, you are," Lincoln said. "You're the closest to my age, I feel more like a peer than I do with our other sisters, except maybe Lucy. But still, you're special to me Lynn."
"Like a favorite?" Lynn asked, sounding hopeful.
Lincoln groaned in annoyance, she was never gonna give up on this. He hoped he wouldn't regret what he was about to say. "Yes Lynn, you're my favorite sister."
Lynn started to squeal in excitement, hearing the words she's been waiting years to hear was a massive excitement to her. "Linky! You just made me the happiest girl!" She leaned in to hug her brother, very tightly as she began to crush him.
"Lynn...need air..." Lincoln said.
"Sorry," Lynn said, letting Lincoln go. "Still, that meant so much to me, I love you so much Lincoln."
"I love you too," Lincoln said. "Just promise you won't tell anyone I said this."
"Of course, don't want to deal with that drama, it'll be our little secret," Lynn said, stroking Lincoln's head. "Thank you."
Lincoln blushed a bit from Lynn's affection, "You're welcome Lynn."
Lynn carefully observed Lincoln's face, "You know, I never realized just how handsome you were. I mean I've always thought you looked great, as a big sister at least. But I can definitely see you through the eyes of another girl and damn you look good. I almost wish you weren't my brother, because I kind of want to kiss you."
"Let's not," Lincoln said, taking a step back. "I love you, just not that way. Besides I have a girlfriend, a pregnant one."
"Yeah, you do, and she's too damn lucky," Lynn said. "Remember Lincoln, I can cross a line if I feel motivated enough to, keep an eye out." With a wink, Lynn left the room, leaving Lincoln feeling a bit disturbed
"Why do my sisters always find a way to be weird?" Lincoln wondered.
Meanwhile at the bathroom door.
"What the heck happened out here!?" Lola shouted in surprise. She and Stella beheld all the damage done on the top floor.
"Hello, can someone let me out!" Lisa shouted, trying to open her door.
Stella noticed Luan on the floor, the girl unconscious from Lynn's kick. "Luan!" She quickly helped her off the floor.
Lola groaned in annoyance, "This has Lynn written all over it! I'm telling daddy!" She stomped off to find her father, leaving behind all the damaged caused.
Lana and Skippy peaked their heads out, getting a look at all the chaos.
"This was definitely Lynn's work," Lana said.
"Wow, your sister's tough," Skippy said, then noticed Stella from across the hall. "Hi Stella!" One glare from the girl caused Skippy to reel back, "Never mind."
Lana didn't appreciate that of course, but she still had other things to worry about, such as freeing her sister who was calling out for help.
A couple of weeks passed by, a very special visit underway. Lori, Bobby and Carlota were driving in from Great Lakes, and not alone. While Ronnie Anne, Sid and Adelaide were present on the ride, but also heading into town was Maria Santiago, the woman wanted to check on Stella and make sure everything was good with the young girl.
The two cars parked outside the Loud House, Lori immediately noticing something cute, yet gross. "I'm glad Lana has a boy she likes, but why did he have to be equally as dirty as her?"
Bobby looked to see the two kids working on a muffler, completely full of grease. "Hey at least they have somethng in common, it's nice seeing Lana with a boy."
"Not a bad looking boy either," Adelaide pointed out.
"Don't get any funny ideas," Sid said.
"Please, I'm not you," Adelaide said, exiting the car with the rest of the traveling company. "Yo Lana!"
As Adelaide went to greet her friend, Sid huffed in annoyance, "She's not me? What the hell is that suppose to mean?"
"You know exactly what she means," Ronnie Anne said.
Sid playfully glared at Ronnie Anne, "You're lucky I love you."
"Oh I know I'm lucky," Ronnie Anne said, placing her arm around Sid. "Wait til we tell Lincoln and Stella about us."
The group made their way inside, finding Lily in the living room, watching a fashion show with Leni.
"Hey! We're here!" Lori said.
"Oh Lori! You're home!" Leni said, waving to her sister.
"Hi Lori!" Lily greeted, getting up to hug her sister.
"Hey Lily, how's it going?" Lori asked, welcoming the hug.
"Great! So many things happened!" Lily said. "Including the time Lisa and I got locked in our room and Lana had to knock the door down."
"Yeah, Lincoln told me about that, dad was not happy from what I heard," Lori said. "Speaking of Lincoln, where is the little brother at?"
"He's upstairs with Stella, I think Lisa got some weird song gram thing working," Lily said.
"Wait, song gram?" Lori asked. "You mean a Sonogram?"
"I think so," Lily said.
"I don't know much of what it is, but Lisa told us it's to check on the baby," Leni said.
"I see, and is it safe?" Lori asked.
"It is, we made sure of it," Leni said. "No way we were gonna let Stella use something if we thought it could hurt her."
"That's good to know," Lori said. "Still, I'm not too comfortable with Lisa performing a sonogram on her."
"I can check it if you'd like," Maria said. "Checking on Stella is a big reason why I'm here after all."
"Let's go upstairs then," Lori said, leading her party upstairs to Lisa's room.
Inside the room of science, Stella was hooked onto a sonogram that Lisa had built, the girl looking highly nervous. "And you're sure-"
"For the thousandth time, it's safe!" Lisa shouted, losing her patience. "My sisters have asked, my parental units have asked, even your doting boyfriend over there has asked!"
"Hey I have a right to know if this is safe for my girlfriend and my baby, little sister!" Lincoln said.
"Sure, play the older brother card," Lisa said. "Sometimes you act just like Lori."
"Hey I have not once called you a 'twerp', so don't go comparing me to Lori," Lincoln warned.
Lisa groaned in annoyance, but she understood her brother's reaction, he was rightfully worried for the safety of his girlfriend and baby. "Remember Lincoln, Stella is the mother of the child who will call me 'auntie', I want her to be just as safe as you do."
"Yeah, I know," Lincoln said. "Sorry if I got a little nervous."
"Don't be, it's your right as a soon to be father, but I do ask that you trust your sister," Lisa said, placing the sonogram on Stella. "I trust that you have faith Stella?"
"I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't trust in you, and you're the smartest girl I know," Stella said.
"Yeah, I know," Lisa said, her pride seeping in.
As this went on, Lori had knocked, "Lisa, it's me Lori. I brought guests from Great Lakes!"
"Come in!" Lisa said/
Lori came into the room with Bobby, Carlota, Maria, Ronnie Anne, Sid and Lily. "Hey everyone."
"Hi Lori, hi Great Lakes gang," Lincoln said.
"Is that what we are now?" Ronnie Anne joked. "Anyway, sup Lincoln?"
"Hi everyone," Stella said, waving from the machine, surprising the group.
"Wow, you actually built a sonogram," Lori pointed out.
"Yes, I did, and before you ask, it's safe," Lisa said, hoping to avoid that issue again. "This should allow us to check on the baby, even find out it's gender."
Bobby turned to his mother, "Well mom, what do you think? Does it look good?"
"Yeah, it seems like one you'd find at the hospital," Maria said. "Not as fancy but it looks like it'll work."
"Great job on this Lisa," Sid said.
"Thanks, why pay to use a space at the hospital when you have it for free at home?" Lisa said.
"Well some places do it free," Ronnie Anne said, much to Lisa's annoyance.
"At least this is always at home," Lisa said, turning it on. Within seconds, an imagine of a baby was seen on a screen.
"There it is! That's our baby!" Lincoln said, getting very excited. "Holy smokes! It's actually there! I can see it!"
"Technically it's an..." Lisa shook her head, not wanting to rain on his excitement by point out it was merely an xray of sorts. "I mean, yes Lincoln, that is your baby. And from my readings, she's growing in there nice and healthy."
"She?" Lincoln's eyes widened. "It's a girl!
"Yes, you're going to be a father to a lovely daughter big brother," Lisa said.
"That's so exciting! I'm having a girl!" Stella said. "We're going to have a daughter!"
"Wow, I'm getting a niece!" Lori said.
"That's so amazing!" Lily said.
"Adorable," Carlota commented, the others agreeing with her statement.
Lincoln began to squeal in excitement, "I'm getting a little girl!"
"Wow, you seem really happy Lincoln, must be nice knowing the gender," Sid said.
"Yeah, now we know what to shop for," Stella said. "Might need some help though."
"Leave it to me and Leni, we're the most fashion savvy," Lori said.
"Can I help?" Lily asked.
Lori rubbed the youngest girl's head, "Of course, it'd be nice if you learned about this as well. I've had nothing but disappointments with my sisters after Leni."
"What about Lola?" Stella asked.
"Even Lola is hard to shop with because she has such a one track mind," Lori said. "Leni's more flexible."
"Pardon me for not wanting to fall into this archetype of 'feminine fashion'," Lisa said. "The function of clothing is to keep our bodies warm, looking good is an option, one I find little point in."
"Gonna be hard to attract a boy with that logic," Lori said.
"Pfft, a real man values smarts," Lisa said.
"We can just ask Lincoln what drew him to Stella," Sid said.
"After he stops geeking out over the announcement about his child's gender," Ronnie Anne said, noticing that Lincoln was now hugging Stella's waist.
"I bet she's gonna be so beautiful when she's born," Lincoln said.
"Well given who her mother is, she has a high possibility," Carlota said.
"Might need to fight away the boys there Lincoln," Sid said.
Something aout that comment changed Lincoln's peppy nature right into a more serious, protective one. "I forgot about that worry."
"Lincoln, the baby is not even born yet, way too early to worry about this stuff," Lori said.
"Still, it's gonna happen, and I dread it," Lincoln said.
"Try not to get carried away with that Lincoln," Maria said. "I know how easy it is for a father to get overprotective of his daughter, my dad was like that and Auturo is like that with Ronnie Anne."
"Oh yeah, Dad literally didn't even trust Bobby for weeks," Lori said.
"You said he liked me!" Bobby hurtfully pointed out.
"Uh right, I just said that so you wouldn't worry," Lori said. "But he likes you now so it's all good."
"Wait, so does that mean he also didn't like Benny?" Stella asked.
"No, he didn't even like Sam, anyone who tried taking his daughters away is the enemy," Lori said.
Stella began to worry, "I never have to worry about Lincoln's dad right?"
"Oh no, if anything he was proud of Lincoln for getting a girlfriend," Lori said. "My mom was a bit nervous but she has more common sense than my dad does."
"Mothers can be extra worried for their sons, it's a unique concept," Maria said. "I know from experience obviously."
"You definitely needed to be worried about Bobby," Ronnie Anne joked.
"Gee thanks sis," Bobby lamented.
"You know I love you bro, but that comes with brutal honesty," Ronnie Anne said.
"Well now that this has been addressed, lets unhook Stella from this machine, and she can go on with her day," Lisa said. "I still want to check on some data here."
"Now that we know the gender, that can narrow down some names," Sid said. "Unless you still wanna name the kid after me."
"Hey if they're gonna name it after one of their friends, it should be me!" Lisa said.
"You both have nice names but I might go a different route," Lincoln said.
"We can name her after your mom, or my mom," Stella said. "Actually we can even name her after your dad, just like Lynn was."
"If we do that, we're gonna give Lynn an even bigger ego," Lincoln said.
Lisa had fully unhooked Stella, "You're free now."
"Thanks Lisa," Stella said, hugging the little scientist. "You're the best."
"It's nothing," Lisa said, modestly adjusting her glasses.
"Come on, let's tell everyone about this!" Stella said, leading the rest of the party out, aside from Maria.
"This is really impressive equipment though, and you built it?" Maria asked. "How old are you again?"
"Nine ma'am, still in Elementary School though, mostly out of preference," Lisa said.
"That's nice to know dear, it was a really good thing you did for Stella," Maria said.
"Well she's family, and I do love my family, even more than science," Lisa said, then grabbed something. "I even have a chart to prove it."
"Oh I see...wait you like rap?" Maria asked.
"Why does everyone ask me that? Just because I'm a genius doesn't mean I only listen to opera, I need another outlet," Lisa said.
"Yeah, guess you're right, everyone has that one thing they like that most wouldn't expect," Maria said. "I mean Ronnie Anne started watching Novellas, and even I never expected that."
"Huh, interesting, life is always full of surprises," Lisa said.
Downstairs, Lincoln had hit some pans together, trying to get the attention of the house residents. "Everyone in the living room! I got something to say!"
"What is it Lincoln!?" Lola shouted, annoyed the noise her brother was making. "It better not be about some stupid hobby of yours!"
"Lola, be nice!" Rita scolded, with Lynn Sr., Lynn Jr., Leni and Lucy coming over as well. "But seriously Lincoln, what's all the commotion?"
"We should wait for Lana," Lincoln said "Wait where is she?"
"Outside with that Skippy boy and Adelaide," Lori said. "I'll go get them."
"Where are Luna and Luan?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Luna's out of town doing a gig with her band," Lincoln explained. "Luan went to Benny's house to rehearse a play or something."
"I hate that they're not here, but that's fine, we can tell them later," Stella said.
Lori came inside with the three kids, all of them looking dirty and greasy.
"Adelaide! Why the heck are you so dirty!?" Sid asked.
"I got in close to what Lana and Skippy were doing," Adelaide explained.
"She knew a thing or two about what we were doing, probably because she sees Sid working on her Breakfast Robot," Lana said.
"Speaking of which, expect your own one day," Sid said. "You'll be getting high quality breakfast every morning."
"Excuse me but that's kind of my thing," Lynn Sr. said. "I'm the cook after all, and no one, not even a robot, can cook better for my family than me."
"Lynn, off your pedestal," Rita said, Lynn Sr pouting a bit.
"So why'd you call us in here?" Lana asked.
"For starters, we know the gender of our baby," Lincoln said. "It's gonna be a girl!"
"A girl!?" Lola excitedly shouted. "I'm gonna dress her up like a Princess!"
"Oh yeah, girl shopping!" Leni said.
"I'm definitely gonna need to toughen her up then," Lynn Jr. said.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa now!" Lincoln said, trying to calm his sisters. "Do not get carried away. I'd rather no one force their hobby onto my kid."
"Weren't you gonna teach her about video games and comics?" Lynn Jr. asked.
"Well she's my kid so that's my right," Lincoln said.
"Ugh, Stella please take over and don't let Lincoln turn your daughter into a nerd," Lynn Jr. said.
"Hey! Don't call my daughter a nerd!" Lincoln warned.
"Settle down!" Rita shouted, trying to get their attention. "Look, I get everyone's excited, I am too, but remember this is still Lincoln's child, so he does have a say in how she's raised."
"Thanks mom," Lincoln said. "I'm not opposed to any of you shopping for her or doing your activities, just dial it back a notch, alright?"
"Sure thing Linky," Leni said. "I'm so excited though, I'm gonna have a niece!"
"That's so cool," Adelaide said. "Isn't it Lana?"
"Yeah, pretty cool," Lana said, barely interested. "So can we go back outside now?"
"I think you should go take a shower young lady, give that engine a rest," Rita said.
"But mom, we're having fun!" Lana said.
"Listen to your mother young lady," Lynn Sr. said. "Skippy, it'd be best if you went home right now."
"Sure thing Mr. Loud," Skippy said, grabbing a phone. "I'll call my mom to pick me up."
"Aw, so much for that," Lana said.
"Aynway, this sounds like a cause for celebration, we're going to have any dinner of Stella's choice," Lynn Sr. said.
"Any dinner?" Stella asked. "So can we have some of you Lynn-sagne?"
"Ah, a classic, coming right up!" Lynn Sr. said, heading into the kitchen.
"Thanks dad!" Stella said.
"You call him 'dad'?" Sid asked.
"More of a nickname, but he and Rita treat me like their daughter, so I call them 'mom' and 'dad'," Stella said. "Speaking of mom and dad, I should call my parents and let them know."
Stella want to grab her phone to make the call, giving Rita an idea. "I should let Pop-Pop know as well."
"Hey, how did your grandfather react when he found out you were gonna be dad?" Sid asked.
"Surprised at first, but strangely proud, mostly since now he can call himself a Great-Grandpa, and put an emphasis on the 'Great' part," Lincoln said. "Also he likes Stella, said I picked out a good one."
"Our Gran-Gran Myrtle was also super happy, she said it's exciting expecting a new family member, she hadn't experienced that excitement before," Leni said.
"Seems like all your friends and relatives know, and now that it's summer, we should do something nice for Lincoln and Stella," Ronnie Anne said
"Oh right! We can do a Baby Shower!" Lori said.
"I hadn't thought of that," Lincoln said. "That's gonna be fun! We can invite everyone we know."
"Maybe I can invite my friends from the city," Ronnie Anne suggested.
"Oh that'd be great," Lincoln said. "I gotta make a list."
"We'll brainstorm," Lori said. "Lucy, Lynn, Lola, you can come too."
"Sweet, let's make this shit happen!" Lynn said.
"Also you better learn better language if our niece is gonna be born," Lori said.
"Hey Lily handles it fine," Lynn said.
"Until I repeat a word and get you into deep poo-poo," Lily teased.
Lana turned to Adelaide, "I should get showering, then let you take one."
"We can go in together if you want, save time," Adelaide said.
"Oh, a shower buddy?" Lana asked. "Haven't had one since Lola stopped taking baths with me! Let's go!"
The two rushed upstairs, Skippy having overheard their conversation. His mother would be here soon but he had time for a little peek. "Hehe."
As the kids were settling into the kitchen, Lori couldn't help but revel in the idea of having a niece. "This is amazing, isn't it Bobby?"
"Totally babe, Lincoln and Stella are gonna have one adorable niece," Bobby said.
"When do you want to try for a baby?" Lori asked. "I know we talk about it a lot but I really am getting more and more interested by the day."
"It'll happen, one day we'll tie the knot and have those eleven kids you want," Bobby said. "Speaking of which, are Lincoln and Stella gonna make it official too?"
"Might be harder since they're both sixteen," Lori said.
"They'll find a way, soon we might have two Loud weddings to set up, four if Benny and Sam ever get bold," Bobby said.
"Oh that would be nice if they could tie the knot too," Lori said. "Anyway let's hurry into the kitchen, I have ideas to share."
"Right behind you," Bobby said, following his girlfriend into the kitchen.
Meanwhile with Skippy, boy snuck upstairs where Lana and Adelaide were in the bathroom, both getting undressed.
"Man I feel so sticky from this gunk," Adelaide said, tossing her shirt away.
"You get used to it," Lana said, dropping her overalls.
"All over my clothes too, gonna be a pain to wash," Adelaide said, kicking her pants off.
"I got some soap that takes on the grease really dang well," Lana said, tossing off her shirt and hat.
Skippy slowly ducked down, looking under the crack in the door. He could barely see anything, aside from their lower bodies.
"Uh, so you're cool if I see you naked then?" Lana asked. "I don't think we've done that before."
"We're friends aren't we?" Adelaide said. "Plus it's nothing we haven't seen before. Think of it as me being one of your sisters."
"Yeah, good point," Lana said, hooking her panties. "Down they go then."
Adelaide did the same, "Down they go!"
Skippy could see the two girls pulling down, getting a nice view in the process, "Sweet."
"What the hell are you doing!?" Stella shouted, startling Skippy.
Adelaide turned to the door, "Did you hear something?"
"Probably nothing," Lana said, heading to the tub. "Let's get in."
"Hold on," Adelaide said, grabbing a towel to wrap around herself as she creaked the door open to peek outside. She could see Stella grabbing Skippy by the collar, she seemed mad.
"You just crossed the line! I can't believe you were peeping on them!" Stella shouted.
"Don't tell my mom!" Skippy pleaded.
"If you don't want me to tell your mom, I suggest you don't come back here!" Stella said. "Lana doesn't need a sleezy kid like you, she deserves so much better!"
"R-right," Skippy said as Lana let go, the boy running downstairs in fear.
Stella scoffed this off, "Stupid brat." She turned to the door, Adelaide having just closed it before getting caught. "I hope this doesn't upset her too much."
Adelaide had made her way to the tub full of warm water, a little bothered by what she heard. Seems like Skippy is really developing quite an interest in girls. She took her towel off and climbed into the bathtub with Lana.
"Anything happen?" Lana asked. "Water was running so I couldn't hear much, you did seem a bit distracted."
"It..." Adelaide wanted to tell Lana, but she didn't have the heart at the moment. "It's nothing, don't worry about it. Just some random squabble."
"Common in this house," Lana said. "Want me to scrub your back? We can talk about a bunch of stuff that's happened."
"Sure, as long as it's not about all about Skippy," Adelaide said.
"Huh? Why?" Lana asked.
"No reason, I just want to hear about you, I miss you when I'm home after all," Adelaide said.
"Aw, you know you're my best bud Adelaide," Lana said, placing her hand on her friend's back.
"Thanks you're sweet," Adelaide said, blushing a bit from Lana's kindness.
"So...I'm having a niece," Lana said.
"Are you excited?" Adelaide asked.
"A little..." Lana said. "Do you think I hate Stella?"
"Do you?" Adelaide asked.
"I don't, I really don't, I just think she's annoying, but that doesn't mean I hate her, I would just appreciate it if she backed off a little," Lana said. "Or at least she would stop treating me like a kid!"
"She loves you too much," Adelaide said.
"And I really appreciate that, I care about her too, but we're too different from each other, it's better for us if she weren't so in my business," Lana said. "I'm just trying to explain that to her, but she still sees me as this little girl who needs help. Think you can help me?"
"Of course, I think I can figure something out," Adelaide said.
"I hope so," Lana said, still thinking this over.
That evening, outside of town at a hotel room, Luna was seen talking on the phone, the girl in nothing but her underwear. "That's so cool bro, I'm happy to know it's a girl. Gonna be so exciting huh?"
"Yeah, I hope I can be a good father to her," Lincoln said, calling from outside Lori's room. "December can't come soon enough."
"Yeah, gonna be an awesome Christmas, just like you and Stella have been saying," Luna said.
"When are you coming home?" Lincoln asked.
"Give it a week," Luna said. "See you soon, love you bro."
"Love you too Luna," Lincoln said as the two hung up.
Luna smiled to herself, "A niece huh? Hope Linc won't mind me teaching her some jams."
"Luna, you coming?" Sam called.
"Yeah," Luna said, making her way into the bedroom where her girlfriend was waiting, the two eager for their moment of passion.
Back in the Loud House, Lincoln went to check on Stella, spotting her outside in the backyard with Sid and Ronnie Anne. "Enjoying the summer sunset?"
"Sure am, it's nice seeing in out in the suburbs?" Sid said.
"Plus Stella needed to blow off some steam, she seemed upset before," Ronnie Anne said.
"Huh? What about?" Lincoln asked.
"Tell you later, if I talk now I'm gonna really go off," Stella said, then noticed how concerned Lincoln looked. "It's fine, really. I'm not gonna let myself get that upset, the problem is mostly solved, but we may need to address it later."
"Alright, if you say so," Lincoln said, kissing Stella on the cheek. "Remember, I'm here for you."
"I know you are, because you're a good boyfriend, who knows how to respect a girl," Stella said.
"Until then, there's something we want to tell you both," Ronnie Anne said.
"It's big, really big!" Sid said.
"Uh, alright, what is it?" Lincoln asked.
Ronnie Anne pulled side into a side hug just to emphasize what she was about to say, "Sid and I are dating."
"Yeah, Ronnie Anne is my girlfriend now!" Sid said.
Lincoln's eyes widened, "Wait really!?"
"How!? When!?" Stella asked.
"Sit back and we'll give you a quick story," Ronnie Anne said.
"The return of the flashbacks," Sid dramatically stated.
Lincoln and Stella were in for an interesting story.