It was the last week of summer, and the Loud Family wanted to do something special before fall started to kick in. By this point, Stella reached the fine month milestone in her pregnancy. With her past the halfway point, knew they were that much closer to a new member being added to their family.
The idea came to them one day, when the four teens, Lincoln, Stella, Ronnie Anne and Sid were just relaxing near the TV and playing video games.
"I swear this controller's busted," Sid said as she struggled to play. "I know I dodged that."
"Don't blame the controller for your trash skills," Lincoln taunted.
"Hey I'm serious, I'm usually so much better at this game!" Sid insisted, still struggling.
"Maybe you're just having an off day," Stella said, looking a bit frustrated. "Looks like I'm having one as well."
"Well I'm having a great day," Lincoln confidently stated. "Nothing like kicking all three of your butts in a race, then shaking my butt right afterwards as I bestow you all to my victory dance."
"Who wants to triple team Lincoln?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"I'm in," Sid said.
"Yeah same," Stella agreed.
"Excuse me, but what!?" Lincoln said as he found himself on the receiving end of a triple team from the three girls. "Hey come on! This isn't fair!"
"That's what you get for talking shit," Ronnie Anne taunted. "Let's go girls!"
As the game continued, Lincoln found himself in last place while the girls all vied for first, with Stella picking up the win.
"Oh hell yeah!" Stella said, standing up to dance, specifically mocking Lincoln's style. "Go Stella, go Stella!"
Within seconds, Ronnie Anne and Sid joined in on the dance, if to just annoy Lincoln more. "Go Stella! Go Stella!"
"Hey! It's a pretty low move to take a guy's dance moves!" Lincoln said.
"Yeah, but we do them way better," Sid said, suggestively shaking her rear, as did the other two girls.
"At least you get a nice show out of this," Stella teased.
"Well yeah, but I would have rather been a performer than a spectator," Lincoln said.
"Aw, my poor Linky," Stella said, walking over to her boyfriend and plopping herself on his lap. "You're a winner in my eyes."
"And you're better than any trophy," Lincoln said, pulling his girlfriend in for a kiss.
"Aw, how sweet," Sid said, then turned to Ronnie Anne. "Why don't you ever call me a trophy?"
"He didn't call her a trophy, he said she's better than one," Ronnie Anne pointed out.
"Well...am I better than one too?" Sid asked.
Ronnie Anne playfully rolled her eyes, "Come on Sid, you know you're a million times better than some cheap piece of metal."
Sid brought Ronnie Anne into a strong, crushing hug, "You're the best Ronnie!"
"Don't you forget that," Ronnie Anne playfully stated.
As this occurred, Lana and Adelaide were seen walking out the house together, though this did not go unnoticed by Lincoln, "Hey girls, going somewhere?"
"Lana and I are going to the park to play for a bit," Adelaide said.
"We'll be back in a couple of hours," Lana said.
"Sounds good, just be careful out there, call us if you need anything," Stella said.
"Yeah, sure thing Stella," Lana said.
"Want us to bring anything back for you?" Adelaide asked.
"I'm good, thanks though," Stella said,, rubbing her belly. "This baby is quite a picky eater anyway, right now I'm just sticking to whatever food won't make her want to send it right back, and a lot of outside food can really make her upset."
"Dad's cooking should be enough anyway," Lana said, then called to Stella. "Oh, let me know if you barf on the rug again, I'll swing by and take care of it!"
Stella blushed in shame, "Thanks...I mean it only happened once but it's nice to know you're still prepared for that outcome, I think."
"Sorry, didn't mean to make you feel awkward, but it's only natural, so don't worry about it," Lana said, making her way out. "See ya!"
"Bye!" Adelaide said.
Stella got off of Lincoln's lap, rubbing her belly in the process, "Just four more months of this."
"Say how prepared for this are you?" Ronnie Anne asked. "Got any cribs? Or clothes? Or food?"
"What about toys?" Sid asked.
"Well as far as cribs go, we were planning to use Lily's old crib," Lincoln said. "We can even use some old baby clothes that me and the sisters had growing up, same with the toys."
"So it's going to be some old hand-me downs?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Yeah, I mean that's how things work in this family, we pass down old stuff," Lincoln said. "I got a lot of things from my older sisters and I passed a few things down to my younger sisters, like my stuffed toy Bun-Bun."
"The baby is going to live here after all, so it makes sense that she'd get a lot this family's old accessories," Stella said. "Helps that she's going to be a girl since a lot of the accessories would be from Lincoln's sisters, especially clothes."
"Hey she could use some of my stuff too," Lincoln said. "I used to wear some of my sisters' old shirts, I mean that's how I got through my predictability phase."
"Maybe you should try to invest in more clothes though, don't want her having too many old things," Sid said. "And try some variety, don't get her ten of the same shirts like you have. I mean having a bunch of orange polo shirts was a bit strange."
"Hey you used to wear that same blue shirt everyday, it even looked stretched out given how often it kept sliding down your shoulders," Lincoln said.
"That was intentional, plus it was sexy," Sid said.
Lincoln face palmed at the explanation, "Well I'd love to get our daughter some brand new stuff but I have not had a lot of financial success, dad doesn't need much help at the restaurant and every place else has been a bust, even the time I tried working at Gus's Game and Grubs."
"Then there was the time we both tried working at Flip's Gas Station," Stella said. "That was not a suitable environment for a pregnant girl, too much gasoline fume."
"Plus Flip is a really cheap boss, and he kept coming up with fees to justify our mediocre checks," Lincoln said.
"Like what the hell is a 'standing around fee'?" Stella said. "I was at the register, what else was I suppose to do?"
"Flip gave me a fee for once incorrectly stacking some chips, saying they were not in 'Flavor Order'," Lincoln said.
"To be fair, Lori did warn you about working for that guy," Ronnie Anne said.
"Hey I was desperate, I need money to support my girlfriend and daughter," Lincoln said.
"I'm surprised you're trying to work Stella, I figured you'd let Lincoln handle it," Sid said.
"I didn't want him to shoulder this burden alone, even I've taken some shifts at dad's resteraunt, even if he doesn't like when I do," Stella said. "I mean I know I'm pregnant but I can still move, for now at least."
"Most places wouldn't be too thrilled hiring a pregnant girl I guess," Ronnie Anne said. "But that doesn't stop a lot of moms. Still, it is admirable that you two are working so hard, hopefully you have better luck elsewhere."
"But maybe you two don't need to work so much to get this stuff," Sid said.
"What are you taking about Sid?" Lincoln asked.
"Well, what is one way for a pregnant girl to get free stuff?" Sid asked, confusing the others. "Give up? The answer is, A Baby Shower!"
"A baby shower?" Lincoln asked, then having a realization. "Of course! Baby showers usually helped mom out, or so I'm told."
"So you're told? What does that mean?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Well mom had so many babies that I guess her friends and neighbors just ran out of things to get her," Lincoln said. "But for me and Stella, this is our first baby, so maybe it will work out better for us!"
"You're such a genius Sid!" Stella said.
"I know I am," Sid boasted. "After all, only a genius can make a super effective robot that serves high quality breakfast."
"Alright, don't go getting a big head over it," Ronnie Anne teased. "But to her point, a Baby Shower is a great idea, you should ask your parents if they're down with it."
"Great idea, I'll ask them right now," Lincoln said, hopping off the couch and looking for either of his parents.
"I hope they say 'yes'," Stella said. "Not just for the party, or the free stuff, but maybe just to have one final get together before the end of summer. Maybe Lincoln will be able to invite some relatives of his too."
"Have you met any of them?" Sid asked. "Do they know about you being pregnant with his kid?"
"Well he told his Pop-Pop, and he's seen me a couple of times," Stella said. "I think he was surprised that he was gonna be a Great Grandfather soon, at least through Lincoln. If anything he thought it'd be Lori."
"You know, I think everyone expected Lori to be first," Ronnie Anne said. "I mean it makes sense, she and my brother have been dating since like midway through High School, and they're older."
"Plus compared to the other dating relationships, you and Lincoln were the last," Sid said. "Unless Leni did try getting with that one guy who reminds me of Lucy."
"Leni's been too busy trying to get re-accustomed to Royal Woods and hoping to find an opportunity to show off what she's picked up at Fashion School to really look," Stella said. "But I wouldn't be surprised if she eventually tried dating again."
"Well back to the Baby Shower, think it'd be cool if I invite my folks?" Sid asked.
"Of course, and Ronnie Anne could invite her family too," Stella said. "I want to invite over as many people as possible, especially Lincoln's relatives."
"Wonder how many relatives he actually has, I mean is his dad the only one with eleven kids?" Ronnie Anne wondered.
"Well he does have siblings but I don't think he has as many as Lincoln does," Stella said. "He just wanted a big family so he and his wife went to work on that as early as possible."
"Are you and Lincoln gonna try for eleven kids?" Sid asked.
"I..." Stella thought about it a moment. "Well, it's possible. I mean I don't want anymore kids right now but in the future, I would definitely consider it. Living here these past few months was way more exciting than living in my old house, I always thought Lincoln was lucky to have so many sisters and I would like my baby to have that same fortune. I can't say I'll have exactly eleven, but I wouldn't mind about 3-4 more kids, at least."
"Guess it comes down to how you handle this one kid," Ronnie Anne said. "I mean my mom works hard enough just trying to feed two, that and she's a nurse, so that also keeps her busy."
"Well Lincoln's parents have good paying jobs themselves, since his dad once worked as an IT guy, and his mom is a Dental Assistant," Stella said.
"Didn't she also write a novel?" Sid asked. "Does she still write?"
"When she has time, novel writing is more of a hobby for her and it's not exactly something she's made a career out of," Stella said. "She is a very creative woman though, easy to see where Lincoln gets it with his comics."
"Oh yeah, if Lincoln continues his comic path, that's easy money right there," Sid said. "He won't even need an actual job."
"Well he is trying to find a way to not have to go to college," Stella said. "Normally he wouldn't mind but he wants to put all his focus on raising our baby."
"What about you? Gonna try to skip out?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"No, I do want to go to a tech school, I'd love to learn more about technology," Stella said. "Since Lincoln's dad was an IT guy, I figured he could help me get started on that path."
"Hey if you get a job then Lincoln won't have to worry, he can be a stay at home dad, keeping the house neat, taking care of your daughter and working on a breakthrough comic," Ronnie Anne said.
"Well keep in mind, his mom really wants him to be more than that," Stella said. "But I think they can work something out, Lincoln's mom is way more lenient than my mom after all."
"Hey you two are gonna be parents, you're practically adults, so you need to do what's good for the both of you," Ronnie Anne said.
"Even if it goes against what both sets of parents wants," Sid said. "I already decided on my future, and it's robots. Remember our plan Stella, you, me and Lisa can start our own robot making business, we'll bring in so much money that none of us will have to worry about work, we can retire before we hit thirty."
"That's very ambitious Sid, and a bit risky," Stella said.
"Life is full of risk, but for three geniuses, I'd say the reward is worth it," Sid said. "That way when me and Ronnie Anne tie the knot, she'll be well off too."
"Oh so I don't have to work for a living to support your lazy ass?" Ronnie Anne teased.
"Hey you can find other ways to take care of me Ronnie Anne, just because I have ambitions won't make you any less of the Alpha in our relationship," Sid said.
"Uh-huh...well I have my own ambitions, making it as a Pro Skater," Ronnie Anne said. "You're going to see this face of T-Shirts, Coffee Mugs, I might even get an action figure, or a video game!"
"What if we make a video game, all four of us!" Sid said. "We got the minds for it."
"That'd be neat, what type though?" Stella asked. "A fighting game? Or maybe an RPG! Or a simple platformer."
"Let's make it...all three," Sid said.
"All three? How are we gonna pull that off?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"With grit and determination!" Sid declared.
Ronnie Anne and Stella were a bit confused by what Sid meant, but their questions would have to wait as Lincoln had returned.
"My parents gave the ok," Lincoln revealed. "We'll have the shower in three days, just to give everyone some time to prepare."
"That's great, let's send out some invites," Stella said. "We should at least bring our friends from school."
"I can call up Nikki, Casey, Sameer and Laird to see if they want to come too," Ronnie Anne said.
"You think your parents would be cool with zoo animals coming?" Sid asked.
"I'd rather they didn't," Lincoln said.
"Yeah, plus if Lana sees them she's not going to want them to leave and that might stir up some unneeded drama," Stella said.
"Oh well, my parents can still come on their own," Sid said.
"I should invite my parents too, and my family," Ronnie Anne said. "Assuming that's on the table as well."
"As long as our backyard doesn't get too crowded, dad's cool with whoever wants to come," Lincoln said.
"More people means more presents," Sid said. "I'll make sure my folks get you something nice."
"You don't need to go to any trouble Sid, gifts aren't mandatory," Stella said. "Though they are highly preferred."
"My grandparents will probably spoil you, especially my grandma," Ronnie Anne said. "Though my aunt Frieda might give you more of a homemade gift."
"She's an artist right?" Stella asked. "I actually wouldn't mind getting something she made."
"I'll be sure to let her know then," Ronnie Anne said.
"Alright, let's get this party mapped out," Lincoln said.
It was a busy few days for the Loud Family, everyone sending out their invites for the Baby Shower to all their friends and family, as well as any neighbor that wished to come.
Three days had passed, the Loud Siblings were setting up the final touches in the backyard. The twins set out the catering, Lincoln went over the guest list, Leni and Lucy placed up the decorations and balloons, Lisa and Lily setting up the plates, Luna set up the music while Luan brought out some props.
"Uh, Luan, what are you planning to do with those?" Lincoln asked.
"Just in case people need a little comedy, nothing brings out a laugh like some practical jokes," Luan said.
"Yeah well make sure those don't cause a problem for Stella," Lincoln warned. "I don't want you spooking her with some lame prank."
"Hey come on Linc, I wouldn't do that to a pregnant girl," Luan said.
"You've tried pranking mom when she was pregnant," Luan said.
"With who?" Lola asked, looking a bit suspicious.
"That was one time, and it was a harmless one," Luan said. "I wouldn't have endangered Li...I mean our baby sister."
"I heard that slip!" Lisa said.
"Just be on your best behavior Luan," Lincoln said.
"Pfft, you know that's asking for too much when it comes to us Linc," Lynn joked.
"You mean it's asking too much from you, the rest of us are capable of being civilized," Lola said, then took a look around. "Alright maybe not all of us, but definitely me."
"Hey your doofy crown does not make you more civilized than the rest of us!" Lana said.
"You're right, my lady-like manners make me more civilized, and quite frankly better than all of you," Lola said.
"Just try to remember, this party isn't about you," Lucy said. "The only one who matters is Stella."
"And me, my baby too," Lincoln said.
"Yeah but you're not the one carrying it, Stella's doing all the work," Lola said.
"I'm the one who got her pregnant!" Lincoln said.
"Still not the one carrying the baby though," Lisa chimed in. "Stella's the one who's going to have to push it out in approximately four months."
Lincoln groaned in annoyance, "Just get back to work, all of you, right now!"
"Don't order us around Stinkin!" Lynn said.
"Yeah, we're not your servants," Lana said.
"Exactly, if anything they're my servants," Lola said.
"Bullshit, we ain't listening to you either!" Lana said.
"If anything, you should all be listening to me since I'm the oldest sister still living here," Leni pointed out.
"Wow, did you figure that out all by yourself? Good for you Leni," Lynn said in an almost condescending tone.
"Can we all take a chill pill here? You're all messing with the good vibes," Luna said.
"Yeah, stop being dummies!" Lily said.
"Call us dummies again Lily, see what happens!" Lola warned.
"...Dummy!" Lily said, glaring right at Lola. "Dummy! Dummy! Dummy!"
"I will stick my hand so far up your butt that you'll look like MY dummy!" Lola said. "I'll personally make you my own Mr. Coconuts! Actually you already are like him, just without the brain!"
"Hey! There's no reason to drag Mr. Coconuts into this!" Luan said.
"It's a freaking doll Luan, when are you gonna get over this stupid obsession?" Lynn asked. "Even Lincoln gave up his dumbass bunny."
"Talk trash about Bun-Bun again and see what happens!" Lincoln warned.
"Alright, enough, you're all being really stupid right now," Luna said.
"Hey you're the one who's planning to play hard rock music at a Baby Shower, like her unborn baby needs a headache from all that screeching," Lola said.
"Music is good for babies dudette, and my niece totally digs my vibes, even from Stella's womb," Luna said.
"You mean 'our' niece!" Lola corrected. "And Stella's ringing ears say otherwise, poor girl is going to go deaf from your so-called jams!"
"I'll hit you so hard, you'll go blind if you don't watch it!" Luna warned.
"Ugh, you girls are so impossible!" Lincoln said. "Just once can you put aside your weird, quirky nature and act normal!?"
"Who are you calling weird!?" Lily asked.
"And quirky!?" Lola asked.
"You! All of you!" Lincoln said. "I swear I'm this close to letting our pets take over, at least they listen to the most basic of commands!"
Meanwhile inside the house, Lori was seen bringing some drinks with assistance from Stella, Ronnie Anne, Sid and Adelaide. "I think this should satisfy everyone."
"Yeah, we got everything from water, to juice to soda," Stella said.
"All in many different flavors," Sid said. "Kind of wish we got some beer though."
"Sorry, dad does not allow beer in our house," Lori said. "You shouldn't be drinking it anyway, it's really not good."
"Your parents barely like you drinking soda," Ronnie Anne said. "You don't need another drink that's gonna make you hyper."
"Well at least we got the good soda, like that lemony flavored one," Sid said.
"I might just stick to water," Stella said, rubbing her stomach. "Better for my daughter."
"You never picked out a name right?" Lori asked.
"We narrowed it down to a few but no, not yet," Stella said. "I'd like to decide on a name soon though."
"It'll come to you," Sid said. "For now let's hurry and place this stuff outside, hope the others are done."
"Not likely, knowing my brother and my sisters, they're either goofing off or making things worse," Lori said.
"Oh come on Lori, give them some credit," Stella said, opening the door to find that her boyfriend and nine of his sisters were all involved in a huge scuffle. "Never mind."
Lori grabbed a whistle and blew really loudly, enough to not only hurt the ears of those beside her, but also her ten misbehaving siblings.
"What the heck Lori!?" Lola shouted in annoyance.
"Nearly blew our ear drums out!" Lynn said.
"Oh spare me your whining, quite frankly I'd like to know why you bunch of knuckleheads were fighting!" Lori said.
"Oh you know how crude our siblings can be Lori, too bad little old me had to get caught up in it," Lola said.
"Hey you were the one ticking everyone off," Luna said.
"Hey if anything Lincoln started it by bossing us around," Lola said.
"I wouldn't have to boss anyone around if everyone focused!" Lincoln said.
"We were focusing, you were just overreacting!" Lynn said.
Lori blew her whistle again, annoying her siblings, "Do not get back into another squabble. Seriously today is very important, need I remind you that it's Stella's baby shower!?"
"Mine too technically," Lincoln pointed out.
"Like we said earlier Lincoln, Baby Showers are more for the mom than the dad," Lola said.
"Even so Lola, this is important to Lincoln, so try not to be so self-centered," Lori said. "And Lincoln, I know this is a big deal for you but you need to handle yourself better."
"Hey I tried but it's hard getting the sisters to listen for ten seconds sometimes," Lincoln said.
"Harsh bro," Luna said. "You can be stubborn too you know. Getting upset at Luan made sense but then you went on your controlling tirade, sometimes you really can be like Lori."
"You know I'm right here Luna, so watch your step," Lori warned.
"Don't get sucked into it babe," Bobby said. "We need to keep the peace here."
"Yeah, you're right," Lori said. "Look, can you all just get back to work? If not for each other, then at least do it for Stella."
"Or wait for me to get a video camera, if you're gonna fight we'll at least get it trending," Sid suggested.
"Sid..." Stella said, somewhat annoyed. "Put a lid on it."
Lincoln spoke up again, "Please listen to Lori, I just want something nice for Stella, she deserves it after all."
"Yeah, you right bro," Luna said. "Alright fam, let's try this again."
"And we're here to help too," Ronnie Anne said.
"I just hope it's not too much work," Sid said.
Ronnie Anne glared at her girlfriend, "Sid..."
"Just kidding," Sid nervously replied, though Ronnie Anne's gaze still left her worried. Even Adelaide was giving her sister strange looks.
"Weirdo," Adelaide disregarded Sid and made her way over to her best friend. "Anyway I can help Lana?"
"You can help me lay out the drinks," Lana said. "Then later, we taste test everything."
"Including dessert?" Adelaide asked.
"You bet Addy," Lana said. "Let's get to it."
The siblings and friends continued to put work into the Baby Shower until afternoon rolled by, marking the arrival of the guests. The first among them was of course Lincoln's best friend since early childhood, Clyde McBride and his dads.
"Hey Linc!" Clyde said, getting his best friend with a high five, then turned to the lady of honor. "Hey Stella."
"Good to see you Clyde," Stella said, then turned to his dad. "Hi Mr. McBride, hi Mr. McBride."
"Hello Stella," Harold and Howard greeted, both presenting a gift.
"Oh, for me?" Stella said, taking the present.
"Its something Howie and I decided on, go on, open it up," Harold said.
Stella unwrapped and found what looked like a walkie talkie set, "Wow, this looks nice!"
"It's a baby monitor, Harold and I used something like this all the time when Clyde was in diapers," Howard explained. "This way you'll be able to know if your baby woke up from her nap for example, even when you're not in the room."
"Oh wow, this is really handy, thank you sirs," Stella said.
"Oh don't be so formal sweetie," Howard said, giggling a bit. "It's just one set of parents looking out for another set."
"So, theoretically, we could even use them as walkies talkies right?" Lincoln asked.
"Lincoln you already have a set of walkie talkies, this is for our baby," Stella reminded. "Not sure why you need walkie talkies when you have a cell phone."
"Walkie talkies are cooler," Lincoln insisted. "Right Clyde?"
"You got it Linc," Clyde said.
"Well don't let me catch you using these as back-ups, or if you decide you want to drag Rusty, Liam or Zach into your nonsense," Stella said.
"Hey someone mention me?" came the voice of Zach along with his parents, the two suspiciously eyeing the party.
"Hey Zach, hi Mr. and Mrs. McGurdle," Lincoln greeted.
"Yeah hi..." both parents greeted back. Lincoln is pretty used to how weird his parents are but it doesn't make it any less strange when they act the way they do.
"Hey Stella, thanks for inviting us, sorry we don't really have a gift for you," Zach said.
"That's fine, your presence is enough," Stella said. "And it's nice of your parents to come as well."
"Just make sure that when your baby is born, it doesn't get switched out for an alien baby," Mr. McGurdle said. "It can happen."
"...Right, will do," Stella said. "My baby will stay human, right Lincoln?
"Right...though is an alien baby really that bad? Maybe it will grow up to have super powers or something," Lincoln said. "Or it could be like Starship Cruisers and master a glowing sword to-"
"Ok, let's move on..." Stella said, not wanting any more alien talk as she began gesturing into the backyard. "Help yourselves everyone."
"Psst, honey, did you bring the tin hats?" Mrs. McGurdle asked.
"Of course, and the alien scanner," Mr. McGurdle replied.
Stella turned to Zach, "Make sure your parents stay on their best behavior."
"I'll do my best," Zach said, leading his parents into the party, Clyde doing the same.
Stella groaned in annoyance, "Zach's parents can be really weird sometimes."
"They're not so bad," Lincoln said.
"Of course you'd say that, you're the one who wants our baby to grow up as Ace Savvy," Stella sarcastically remarked.
"That...would actually be kind of neat," Lincoln said. "Besides you like Ace too."
"Well let's keep that weirdness in the comics," Stella said.
More started to pour in, such as Rusty's family, Liam's family, Girl Jordan, Mollie, Paige, Emma, Chloe, Penelope, Joy, even Taylor came, much to the surprise of Lincoln and Stella. Of course the tough girl had lightened up over the last few months, showing a softer side to Stella in light of her pregnancy.
Eventually a nice surprise came for Lincoln in the form of a well beloved family member, "Hey, how's my lookalike doing?"
"Pop-Pop!?" Lincoln said, turning to see his grandfather Albert alongside his Gran-Gran Myrtle.
"Hey kiddo," Albert said, walking over to rub Lincoln's head. "How's it going?"
"Going great Pop-Pop," Lincoln said, then turned to Myrtle. "Hey Gran-Gran, how's it going?"
"Oh the usual, living life to it's fullest," Myrtle said, then took note of Stella. "There's the girl of honor."
"Hi Myrtle, hi Albert," Stella greeted.
"Come on, call me Pop-Pop," Albert said, making his way to his grandson's girlfriend. "You're family now Stella, like it or not."
"Oh I like it very much Pop-Pop," Stella said, the old man playfully rubbing her hair.
"That's my girl, how's the baby coming along?" Albert asked.
"Growing more each day," Stella said, rubbing her stomach. "Cant wait for it to be born."
"I know that feeling, I remember counting down the days for my Rita to be born," Albert said. "I'm so glad you're both handling this so well, being parents at your age is a tough task." Albert turned to his grandson, "But if I know you Lincoln, you have a plan."
"Of course, I am well ready to care for my girlfriend and daughter," Lincoln said. "No matter how tough it may be."
"Lincoln already has a headstart, he's been so great to me since I moved in," Stella said.
"Yeah, and it sounds like my granddaughters have taken quite a liking to you as well," Albert said. "Been like that for years now."
"Living here has let me bond with them even more," Stella said. "They've all been so kind to me as well, and I love spending time with them."
"That's great to know, nothing like a tight knit family, greatest treasure in the world," Albert said. "Oh by the way, I have a little something for you."
"You mean 'we' silly," Myrtle playfully corrected as she brought out a rather gift box. "Go on, open it."
Stella tore through it and was surprised by the contents, "A crib!?"
"We figured your baby could use a nice new crib, comes with a fancy mobile too," Albert said.
"Wow that's great, we were just gonna use Lily's crib but this works better!" Lincoln said, then hugged his grandparents. "Thanks Pop-Pop, and you Gran-Gran."
"Yes, thank you both," Stella said, joining in on the hug.
"Think nothing of it," Albert said. "Anything to help out my grandkids."
"Why don't you go help yourself to the catering," Stella suggested. "And see your other grandkids."
"Don't mind if we do," Albert said. "Let's go Myrtle."
As the elderly couple left, Lincoln took time to look over the crib, "This Baby Shower was a great idea, can't believe Sid thought of it, we're already getting some neat stuff."
"Remember Lincoln, it's not about getting free stuff, it's about spending some time with friends and family," Stella reminded.
"I know, and I'm happy to see my friends and grandparents of course," Lincoln said. "But getting neat things for our baby is a great plus."
"Yeah, it is but..." Stella noticed another newcomer. "Oh, this is a nice surprise."
Lincoln also turned to face the new party entrant, "Mr. Grouse? You're here too?"
"Don't act that surprised," Grouse sarcastically remarked. "Your parents gave me an invite, and I had nothing better to do so here I am."
"We're happy to have you Mr. Grouse," Stella said. "Thanks for coming."
"Think nothing of it," Grouse said, then brought something out. "Oh, got you something too."
"Aw, you didn't have to Mr. Grouse," Stella said, taking the box.
"Don't worry, I didn't go and spend a fortune or anything, just an old knick-knack I had lying around the house," Grouse said. "Figured a couple of young parents needed it more than I did."
Stella opened the gift, revealing an old lamp, "Aw, how pretty."
"This is really nice Mr. Grouse, thanks," Lincoln said.
"Again think nothing of it, like I said I got no use for it," Grouse said. "Least this way you don't have to worry about spending any extra money, you'd be surprised how much little things like that can add up."
"We can put in in the baby's room," Stella said. "Along with our new crib."
"Well glad you like it, I guess," Grouse said. "You two have a big journey ahead of you, I hope you both know what you're getting into."
"Don't worry, I have a plan," Lincoln said.
"Who said I was worried, it's your kid, not mine," Grouse said as he made his way into the backyard. "Gonna get some grub."
Stella rubbed her chin in curiosity, "Despite how long I've been coming here, and the last five months I've lived here, I don't think I really got to know Mr. Grouse that well."
"He's really nice, even if he hides it behind a grumpy exterior," Lincoln said.
"Sounds like my parents in a way," Stella said. "He has a big family too doesn't he?"
"Yeah, almost as big as ours, but they live really far away so he doesn't get to see them too often," Lincoln said. "I'm hoping to avoid something like that happening to me."
"Don't worry, if we ever get a house, we'll make sure it's close to your family," Stella said.
"You mean 'our' family," Lincoln reminded.
"Right, our family," Stella said.
Lincoln turned to see the next guest, and this surprised him as well, "Flip?"
"Hey kid, heard your family was having a party, and you know my policy, I never show up to a party empty handed," Flip said.
"Hope you have something better than spoiled milk," Lincoln said.
"Better, I got some fruits," Flip said, and of course, they looked a bit rotten.
"Ugh, who's gonna eat this?" Lincoln asked.
"Eh, give them to your kid," Flip said. "Where is that kid anyway? Heard a lot about it."
"Because 'she', hasn't been born yet," Lincoln said. "Stella's only been pregnant for five months."
"Still got the lump," Stella said, pointing to her pregnant belly.
"Eh, couldn't tell if you were just getting fat, I mean you do like to buy a lot of candy from my store," Flip said.
"Excuse me!?" Stella shouted, clearly offended.
"Hey you're the one sneaking around and shoving chocolate bars down your mouth," Flip said, then made his way to the catering. "Now to check out the grub, hope it's good."
Lincoln grew frustrated and tossed the fruit aside, "The nerve of that guy."
"Can't believe he thought I was fat," Stella bitterly said.
"Also, what was that about you sneaking in candy?" Lincoln asked. "Is that where you go some afternoons?"
"Give me a break, I get cravings, plus after years of not eating sweets, I was relishing in them," Stella said. "I still can't believe even your parents don't let me have many sweets."
"It was a request from your mom," Lincoln reminded. "Speaking of which, she should be here soon."
"Lincoln! Stella!" Came the voice of Rosa Casagrande, the grandmother of six quickly making her way over beside her husband Hector.
"Hola Mrs. Casagrande, thanks for coming," Lincoln said.
"Of course dear, and not empty handed," Rosa said, pulling out a huge pot of her casserole. "I made this especially for you Stella, I know your baby will love it too."
"I bet she will, thank you Mrs. Casagrande," Stella said.
"Carl got something for you too," Hector added. "Well more for your baby, when she's born."
As if on cue, the young boy made his way over to the duo, "Presenting the greatest hero of all time," he pulled out an action figure. "El Falcon! Your kid will be lucky enough to be in the grace of the best heroes the world has to offer."
"That's really nice of you Carl, thanks," Stella said, taking the figure. "I don't think this is the best toy for a newborn baby but I'll definitely hold onto it until she's old enough to play with it."
"Yeah, I mean we already have an Ace Savvy Figure we can give to our little girl but El Falcon is a decent second," Lincoln said.
"Uh, what do you mean 'second'?" Carl asked. "El Falcon is clearly the best."
"I think that title goes to Ace Savvy, I mean he's the King when it comes to Superheroes," Lincoln said.
"He's just a guy who plays with cards, El Falcon is the best!" Carl insisted.
"Het without Ace Savvy, El Falcon probably wouldn't exist, he paved the way for other heroes to gain popularity!" Lincoln stated.
"Oh yeah well-" Carl was about to refute when his grandmother interrupted.
"Ay Carl, give it a rest mijo," Rosa said.
"You too Lincoln, just agree to disagree," Stella said.
Lincoln groaned in annoyance, "Oh fine."
Stella turned back to Carl, "Thank you for your gift, our daughter would love both superheroes."
"No problem Stella," Carl said, making his way further into the party.
Stella turned to the Casagrande grandparents, "And thank you both for the casserole."
"Your welcome sweetie," Rosa said. "Come on Hector, let's see what Lynn cooked up."
"Sounds good to me," Hector said, following his wife inside.
"That was nice of Mrs. Casagrande," Lincoln said. "Their whole family is really nice though."
"Speaking of them, here come Carlos and Frieda," Stella said, gesturing to the parents of four.
"Good day to you Stella, what a nice party you have here," Carlos said.
"Thank you sir, glad you could make it," Stella said. "You too Frieda."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Frieda said as she pulled out a gift, "I made something for you."
"Oh boy, let me see," Stella said. As expected, it was a painting, and Stella was amazed by the detail. It was a portrait of her and sitting on a star. "This is amazing!"
"Thank you, Carlos gave me the idea," Frieda said.
"Yes, your name Stella can also be translated as the Latin word for Star, which I would guess is the reason your clothing usually has a star shape on them," Carlos said.
"Yeah I learned that as I got older and started studying other languages," Stella said.
"So it made sense that my lovely wife here would make this picture, perfectly capturing your name and it's meaning," Carlos said.
"You'll always be a star in our eyes Stella, and I hope you feel the same about your baby too," Freida said.
"Of course," Stella said, rubbing her stomach. "She already means so much to me."
Frieda took note of something in the distance, "Carl! Don't put so much on your plate!" She presented the gift to Stella, "Here you are amore." She quickly made her way toward her son. "Carl that's too much, you're gonna topple!"
"Better help the wife," Carlos said. "But Stella, you seem to be quite an intelligent girl, what with your knowledge of cultures and your love of technology, I can probably recommend you to a good University once you graduate High School."
"Anything that can help me into a tech career would be amazing," Stella said.
"I think I can help with that," Carlos said, then saw his wife trying to help his son with his food. "Looks like I'm needed, as a pen pal of mine would say, sayonara for now."
"Have fun!" Stella said, marveling her picture. "I'm definitely hanging this up in my room, as long ad Luna and Luan are fine with it."
"Clever using your name meaning as a subject, wish my name meant something cool," Lincoln said.
"Hey it has a meaning," Stella said. "Lincoln, sounds like 'linking', as in you are always linking people together. You're the 'Linc' in your family's relationship."
"That sounds more like a pun from Luan," Lincoln said.
"Well it holds meaning, maybe that's why your parents picked that name for you," Stella said.
"You mean besides it starting with the letter 'L'?" Lincoln asked. "Speaking of names and stuff, we still need to give our daughter a name."
"I still like Darna, but I'm open to other names," Stella said.
"I'm leaning towards Lyra, or maybe Lila," Lincoln said. "Both are great names."
"Well we still have time," Stella said. "It'll come to us."
"Naming can be hard," came Maria Santiago's voice, the woman making her way over.
"Hello Mrs. Santiago, thanks for coming," Stella said.
"Of course, anything for my daughter's best friends," Maria said, kneeling down to check on Stella. "How are you feeling?"
"Great, aside from the occasional vomiting," Stella said. "Something I have to endure for four more months."
"Babies can be picky, even in the womb," Maria said. "Happened a lot when I was pregnant with Bobby, and even more when I was pregnant with Ronalda. You'll be fine though, just make sure to eat properly, and try to avoid too many sweets."
"Well as of earlier, that might be tough," Lincoln joked.
"Can it," Stella warned, then focused on Maria. "I'll do my best."
"Remember to call me if you need anything," Maria said, then saw her youngest nephew playing in the dirt. "Carlitos is getting messy, I better get him cleaned up before Frieda freaks out."
"See you later," Stella said as Maria went to her nephew. "Good to be friends with a doctor."
"Hey, the expecting parents!" Came the voice of Stanley Chang, who was making his way over with his wife Becca.
"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Chang," Stella said.
"Hi Stella, we each got you something," Becky said, pulling out her gift, which was a giant stuffed toy of an elephant. "Here you go, I bet your baby would love this."
"Wow thank you," Stella said, taking the toy in her arms.
"And here's something for you," Stanley said, presenting a train set. "I got one of these when I was a kid and it changed my life, it could change your daughter's too."
"I would suggest waiting til she's a bit older though, but you probably already knew that," Becca said.
"It should be a fun activity in the future, great quality fun time," Stanley said.
"Try to stop by the zoo with your baby one day, I bet she'll love it," Becca suggested.
"That sounds fun, we'll make plans next time we go to Great Lakes City," Stella said.
Stanley brought out a pot, "I also made some nice dumplings, you should try them, an old Chang Family recipe."
"I look forward to it," Stella said as the two went to the catering table. "Everyone's been so nice and friendly, we're so lucky to have such a supportive group of friends and family."
"Yeah, it's nice seeing old faces, including..." Lincoln's eyes widened. "Principal Wilbur!?"
Indeed the Principal of Royal Woods Elementary was making his way over, "Lincoln, Stella, good to see you both."
"What are you doing here?" Lincoln asked, then realized how rude the question sounded. "I mean you're welcome of course but I'm just surprised."
"I've been meaning to check on you the moment I got word that you and Stella were expecting a child," Wilbur said. "To think that you two would be parents soon despite being children yourself."
"Took us by surprise too sir," Stella said. "But thanks to the assistance from Lincoln's family, my own, and some friends and family, we've been making it work."
"I'm happy to hear that, and I commend you both for taking this situation so responsibly," Wilbur said. "I know you've always been a model student Stella, your grades still remain among the highest and I know you'll be a success."
"Thank you sir, I already have someone who might refer me to a great college when I graduate High School," Stella said.
"I am pleased to hear that," Wilbur said, then turned to Lincoln. "As for you young man, you've always been a bit of a wild one, what with your frog shenanigans and that comic book incident, which is mostly my fault I'll admit, but despite that you've always shown such cleverness and resourcefulness. Mrs. Johnson to this day says you were one of her favorite students, she probably would have come today but she needs to get ready for the new school year."
"If you can, give her our regards," Stella said.
"Of course," Wilbur said. "Well I should be going, I just wanted to confirm your well being, and I have, I will see you later."
"Bye Principal Wilbur," Lincoln said.
"Yes, bye, and thank you," Stella said as her former principal left. "What a nice surprise."
"Yeah, he's always been kind of cool, plus he's an Ace Savvy fan too," Lincoln said. "Makes him something of a Kindred Spirit to us."
"Speaking of Ace Savvy fans," Stella said, she then gestured to some of Lori' and Leni's school friends, that being Becky, Chaz, Joey and the non-fan Dana.
"This party is getting more and more livelier," Lincoln said.
As this continued, more sibling friends began to roll in, such as Lisa's friend Darcy, Lori's other friends Carol Pringey and Whitney, Leni's other friends Mandee, Jackie, Miguel and Fiona, Lola's pageant friends, Lucy's school friends, Lynn's friends Margo, Polly and Paula, Benny of course and Luna's band, Sam presenting three Rock 'n' Roll t-shirts to them, one for Lincoln, one for Stella and one for the baby. Lynn Sr's friend Kotaro had also come, same with their neighbors, the Yates family, who offered some baby clothes for Lincoln and Stella.
More relatives came too, including Aunt Ruth and Lincoln's grandpa Leonard. Of course Stella's parents and grandmother also finally arrived, her family happy to see her so nice and healthy still, even when living away from home. Many of the relatives brought more basic items from diapers to bottles and other essentials for their baby.
The backyard was packed, so many different guests arriving, though at the front were two unwanted guests, those being Chandler and Christina.
"All this over some little baby, like what's the big deal?" Christina said. "What are they looking forward to messy breakfasts, diaper changing and waking up in the middle of the night because the baby's in a bad mood?"
"I can't believe so many kids from school showed up too," Chandler said, gesturing to some boys. "I mean there's still kids coming! Only I should be getting this attention!"
"Let's crash this party," Christina said.
"Yeah, let's do that!" Chandler said, the two making their way inside the party. However they were immediately thrown out the moment Sid and Ronnie Anne spotted them.
"Invite only, bitches!" Sid shouted in a taunting way.
"Don't let me catch you two punks here again!" Ronnie Anne warned as she and Sid returned to the party.
"Now what?" Christina asked.
"We don't give up, come on!" Chandler said going to the other side of the gate with Christina, hoping to sneak in. This time they were caught by Margo and Polly, the two tossing them out in similar fashion.
"Buzz off!" Margo warned. "Or next time we'll get Lynn!"
"She won't be as nice as us!" Polly said as she and Margo went back to the party.
Chandler stood up, dusting himself off, "Though the house!"
"But what if the door's locked?" Christina asked.
"We go through the window!" Chandler said. The two approached the window, attempting to lift it. Upon doing so they found themselves faced to face with Taylor.
"You!?" Chandler asked. "How did you even-"
Taylor pulled him inside, roughed him up a bit and tossed him back out, Christina not even bothing going inside herself. "Should we just go home?"
"No, just let me think for a second..." Chandler said. "The Louds won't make fools of us."
In the backyard the party continued on with Luna's roadie Chunk playing DJ to some tunes.
"Yo! You got a Twelve is Midnight record!?" Sid asked.
"Sure do, got their greatest hits right here!" Chunk said, placing it in.
"Hell yeah! Let's dance!" Sid said as she and Ronnie Anne accurately danced to the beat of the song.
"They're good, but not as good as Boyz will be Boyz," Lori said.
"Got that right," Carol said, toasting to Lori's statement.
"I would agree, but Twelve is Midnight has really grown on me, mainly since Ronnie Anne plays their songs quite often," Bobby said.
"I know that feeling, it's like how Lincoln enjoys Smooch," Lori said. "Leave it to Luna to get Lincoln into rock music."
"They're pretty good though," Carol said. "He's got good taste in music, and girls. His girlfriend is so pretty, their baby is probably going to be really adorable."
"Of course," Carlota chimed in, making her way over with some pizza. "Lincoln's a super cute boy and Stella's so pretty, that combination is going to make one beautiful baby."
"He's a great dancer too, I mean check him out," Carol said, gesturing to the way Lincoln and Stella were dancing next to each other. The boy was really light on his feet, Stella trying to keep up with her own rhythm. The boy did grab his girlfriend in for a quick dip before sending her back on her feet.
"They're so cute together, Lincoln found a great girlfriend in Stella, all on his own too," Lori said.
"With a little push from Ronnie Anne," Bobby said. "Now nini has a girl all her own."
"I'm glad it worked out well for them, it's always risky dating a friend but they have such good chemistry together that I can see them being together for a long time," Bobby said.
"We'll make sure of that," Carlota said. "Those two belong together."
"I'm just happy everything worked out," Lori said. "And thankfully none of us messed it up for either of them."
"I hear that," Carlota said.
"Totally," Bobby said.
"Wait, messed it up?" Carol asked.
"I've told you this story, how I wanted Lincoln to date Ronnie Anne, and how we got too crazy about it," Lori said.
"And my family used to not like Stella until they came to accept it," Carlota said. "Like they just had a 180, probably because Lori showed them some pictures of Lincoln and Stella and they saw how happy they were together. They just want family to be happy, and Lincoln is like family so if he's happy, they're happy."
"Truthfully I'm fine with Lincoln not dating Ronnie Anne, I mean he's like a little brother to me, and when Lori and I get married he's going to be my brother-in-law, it would have been too awkward for me if they did start dating," Bobby said.
"So I take it it would be awkward if Adelaide dated one of my brothers since Sid's with Ronnie Anne?" Carlota asked in a playful, teasing tone.
"Probably, but she doesn't like any of them that way," Bobby said.
"Well a cutie like her won't have a problem with the boys," Carlota said, then saw Adelaide playing leap frog with Lana. "Or girls."
"Huh?" Lori looked over and saw Adelaide playing with her sister. "Carlota, she and Lana are just friends, besides Lana's getting over a break-up."
"Wasn't that a month ago?" Carlota asked.
"Even so, they're just friends, it'd be like if I started dating Carol," Lori said.
"Which would be great," Carol said.
"Huh?"
"What?"
Carol acted like she hadn't said anything, confusing Lori as she awkwardly turned back to Carlota, "Anyway like I said, they're just friends. Of all my sisters only Luna and Luan have someone in their lives."
"Yeah, Luna has Sam," Bobby said, gesturing to the two doing air keyboards to the music playing. "And Luan has Benny." Bobby gestured to the two, both having pied each other and were now licking the remains off their faces.
"What about Leni?" Carlota asked. "Has she found anyone yet?"
"Not yet," Lori said, then noticed that while Leni was talking some friends, she and Joey both looked a bit awkward near each other. "Though I do wonder if she attempted to."
"They have time, it takes people a while, I mean your parents got together after college didn't they?" Bobby asked.
"Something like that," Lori said. "But yeah, they do have plenty of time."
As the party continued on, Lisa brought some attention to herself, "If I may speak a moment!" Once all eyes were on her, she unveiled what appeared to be a robot. "Feast your eyes on my ultimate gift to Stella and Lincoln, a babysitter robot!"
"You actually made a robot!?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Of course, with this robot, it can be their personal caretaker, I have programed it to do many things, including diaper changing and bottle feeding, so they days that Lincoln and Stella are unable to care for the infant, likely school or work related issues, this robot can do so in their place," Lisa said.
"Uh, Lisa, this is a really nice, but are you sure it's a good idea for that robot to take care of my baby?" Lincoln asked.
"You should know not to doubt me dear brother," Lisa said. "This is going to make your life easier, you can work and make all the money you need without worry of a hiring babysitter."
"But Lisa, he already has babysitters who would do it for free," Lori said. "Us."
"I was looking forward to babysitting," Leni said.
"Me too!" Lola and Lana added.
"Well you all have school yourselves, and our parents have work, so the best solution is a robot," Lisa said.
"Kind of a weird solution," Lynn said.
"I'll show you all how good this robot is," Lisa said, grabbing a fake baby. "Robot, nurture."
The robot did as told, rocking the fake baby as it fed the baby a bottle, impressing everyone present.
"That's pretty neat," Sid said. "Robots really can do anything."
"Glad a fellow robot lover agrees," Lisa said. "Lincoln and Stella, you two have nothing to worry about. I'll even show you how it handles the baby when it's crying."
As Lisa activated the baby cries, the robot started freaking out and fired off lasers, everyone ducking for safety and Lisa struggled to turn the robot off.
"What the heck is happening!?" Lori asked in worry.
"I don't know!" Lisa said, struggling to turn the robot off until she successfully calmed it down. "Sorry about that, guess it has some bugs to work out."
"Why did that robot have lasers!?" Lincoln asked, clearly displeased.
"Defense mechanism," Lisa casually explained.
Stella stood up, dusting herself off as she glared at the metallic being. "I do NOT want that thing near my baby!"
The robot again turned on and focused it's laser sight on Stella, the girl standing in surprise. Before anything could happen though, Lincoln rushed over and punched the robot so hard it's head came off.
"Ow..." Lincoln shook his head, he may have broken a knuckle doing that, but it was worth it to keep his girlfriend safe.
"Alright, maybe a robot isn't such a great idea," Lisa said.
"Ya think?" Lincoln replied, nursing his injured hand.
Stella went to check on her boyfriend, "You alright? Need first aid?"
"Just a scratch," Lincoln insisted.
"I'll be the judge of that," Maria said, kneeling beside Lincoln. "You're definitely bruised but there's no sign of a fracture."
"Guess I'm no Ace Savvy," Lincoln joked. "He would have punched that robot into outer space."
"You're no Ace, but you're still my hero," Stella said, kissing his cheek. "It takes a brave boyfriend to fight a robot, especially to protect the girl he loves."
"Yeah, both of them," Lincoln said, rubbing her belly.
"That's so sweet," Sid said, then turned to Ronnie Anne. "Would you ever fight a robot for me?"
"I had to fight your robot, remember?" Ronnie Anne said. "Almost everyone back home did."
"Oh, right..." Sid sheepishly said.
Up on the roof, Chandler was seen climbing up a pipe to reach the top, trying to help Christina up in the process.
"I'm starting to have second thoughts," Christina said.
"Hey you're the one who wanted to help!" Chandler replied, struggling a bit. "Now get your ass up-"
He pulled hard and nearly send the girl flying off the roof, but she did lose her balance and slowly toppled toward the edge. "Chandler help!"
The boy hesitated, not wanting to get hurt himself, but that hesitation caused Christina to lose her balance and roll off the roof. Fortunately she had a soft landing, mainly since Lincoln had caught her at the last second, having bolted from the care of Maria.
"Are you alright Christina?" The boy asked, feeling some pain in his hand due to the extra weight.
"Lincoln!?" Christina leapt off, looking surprised. "Did...did you just-"
"Didn't I warn you not to come back!?" Ronnie Anne asked, making her way over with Sid, both with the intent to hurt this girl.
"I just threw her out not too long ago as well!" Margo said, also making her way over with Polly.
"You trying to sneak into our party!?" Lola asked in a threatening tone, both Lana and Adelaide right by her side.
"Not cool brah," Luna said, her band mates agreeing.
"This is very serious young lady, I hope you have a good explanation," Rita said, the other adults agreeing.
"Get talking before we cream ya," Lynn warned.
Things were getting a bit hostile, but fortunately Lincoln spoke up, "Hey easy, I know she crashed the party but she nearly got seriously injured. Let's take it down a notch."
"Isn't she the girl who's been giving you and Stella a hard time though?" Sid asked.
"She's the one who told the whole school about Stella being pregnant," Polly said.
"I'm willing to place a curse on her if you wish," Lucy said.
"I say we send her flying," Sam said.
"Come on, I want to settle this rationally," Lincoln said. "No fighting, no curses, none of that."
"If that's what you want Lincoln," Lynn said. "Not sure why though, after all she's put you and Stella through."
"I just want to be the bigger person," Lincoln said, then focused on the party crasher. "Christina, I know we don't get along, but why are you so adamant on this grudge you have on myself and Stella."
"You know why Lincoln, you the shame and humiliation you put my through made school life hard for me, everyone ragged on me because of that stupid video you posted!" Christina said.
"It wasn't even that bad," Lynn said. "You got off easy compared to the rest of us."
"It was that bad for me!" Christina said, then focused on Lincoln. "You acted like a total creep, and now all of a sudden you're Mr. Popular because you got a cute girlfriend!? And now everyone likes you more because you're going to be a dad, even though you haven't even finished High School!? Why should you get away with having a better social standing than me after the stunt you pulled!?"
"Is this girl serious?" Sam said.
"Talk about making a big deal out of something stupid," Carl said.
"Drama queen," Mandee said.
"Can you believe this nonsense Emma?" Chloe asked her friend.
"I'm so disapponted in her," Emma replied.
"Kid, this is party to celebrate life, why don't you figure yours out before you come soiling on our fun," Carol said.
"Yeah, take a hike," Sid said, gesturing to the gate.
Everyone kept ragging on Christina, the girl for the first time in a while feeling self conscious and worried. Bad enough Lincoln's more popular, now everyone's going to hate her for what she pulled.
Fortunately for her, Lincoln spoke up again, "Hey come on, lay off everyone. I know you're upset because of what she's done and how badly she's treated me and Stella, and I appreciate your concern. But you're all being too mean to her, and I know you're all better than that."
"You're being too nice Lincoln," Margo said.
"Well maybe that's a good thing," Lincoln said. He turned to Christina, "Look, I'm really sorry for embarrassing you that day and how humiliating it was, I probably should have left you out. I did that to make myself look bad because I was kissing a picture of a girl that was way out of my league."
"You're out of her League Lincy!" Lola said.
"Thanks Lola, but not needed right now," Lincoln said, then turned back to Christina. "I know it might take more than an apology but I really want to make things better between us, think we can give it a try?"
Christina turned her head away in annoyance, "Eh...I guess."
"It's a start," Lincoln said. "You're welcome to stay if you want, and I hope you do and I hope you have fun. It's the last week of summer, how about creating a good memory rather than sulking in the bad ones."
Christina thought a moment, feeling unsure, "I doubt everyone would want me to."
Lincoln turned to the crowd, "Hey I know she did something stupid but can we give her a chance? It's the right thing to do."
As unsure everyone was, Clyde was the first to speak up, "Treat someone else with kindness, they'll begin to learn it themselves. What do you all say? Let's try being better."
Stella also spoke up, "I'm ok with this, just so you all know." She walked over to Lincoln and Christina, standing beside her boyfriend. "I want to make things right as well."
"We put this behind us, and that's one less trouble we have to deal with," Lincoln said. "So I ask again, will you-"
Suddenly Chandler fell on Lincoln, knocking him into Stella and Christina. "Whoa, lucky me, got a good landing."
"Stella!" Lynn and the other Loud sisters rushed to check on her, same with Ronnie Anne and Sid. "Hey you alright!?"
"How's the baby?" Leni asked.
"Are you hurt?" Lily asked.
Lincoln stood up, glaring right at Chandler. He wasn't really mad that Chandler fell on him, rather he was furious that his girlfriend got hurt. "You knocked over my pregnant girlfriend!"
"And me too," Christina said, dusting herself off.
"I'm fine, I didn't land on my stomach," Stella said.
Lincoln faced Chandler, "Apologize."
"For what?" Chandler asked.
"For knocking over Stella!" Christina chimed in.
"Uh, since when are you on their side?" Chandler asked. "Did you really buy into his crappy speech?"
"Dude, you better apologize before you regret it," Lynn warned.
Before things got tense, Lincoln put his hand up, "I got this." He focused on Chandler, "We can put this aside Chandler, just apologize to my girlfriend and all is forgiven."
"You serious, that's all?" Chandler asked, getting a nod from Lincoln. He looked around, everyone glaring right at him, waiting on what he's going to do next. "Alright, I'm sorry..."
Lincoln nodded his head, "Thank you, now-"
"That your girlfriend isn't fat enough to make a decent cushion to land on!" Chandler finished.
Lincoln's eye twitched and in an instant, delivered a strong punch that immediately knocked Chandler out. "Apology not accepted." Lincoln turned to the others, "Alright now you can throw his bitch ass out of here."
"Heh, I always knew you had it in you Lincoln," Lynn said. "That's my little bro."
As Lynn and her friends tossed Chandler out, mainly into a garbage can, Lincoln turned to the others, "Sorry you had to see that."
"It's cool, I would have done the same thing," Bobby said.
"Same here," Benny added.
"Totally," Sam added.
"I would have broken his arm," Albert bluntly said.
"Dad!" Rita scolded.
"Hey you know me, I'm not one to let a guy talk that way to my girl," Albert said.
"Yeah same here Pop-Pop," Lynn Sr. said, then flexed his arms. "Anyone messing with my wife would get load of my pistons!"
Many of the other fathers also agreed on how they would have done the same as Lincoln in defense of their wives, then went on to say they would have done the same for their kids, especially any of their daughters.
"Let's keep partying!" Lynn said as she came back.
Everyone resumed their dancing and celebrating, feeling even more fired up after all that just happened.
"Hey, Lincoln," Christina said, getting the boy's attention. "Thanks, for giving me a chance. I'm really sorry for being so mean to you and Stella."
"It's all good, I'm just glad we can start over," Lincoln said.
Christina looked to the gate, "Too bad about Chandler though, really disappointed in him."
"Hey, he might come around someday," Lincoln said. "For now, I'm glad you did."
"You really are too nice, but at least you're tough enough to make up for that," Christina said. "I know this is years too late, but..."
Christina leaned in to kiss Lincoln on the cheek, surprising the boy. "Wow, uh, not sure what to say about that."
"Just my way of forgiving you," Christina said. "Well I'm off to dance, I love Boyz will be Boyz."
As Christina went to enjoy herself, Lincoln went to find the girl he loved the most. Of course Stella had caught a glimpse of that little kiss, but she didn't care too much, it just reminded her that she got lucky with Lincoln and after seeing him punch not just a robot, but also a jerk in her honor, that reassured Stella that she was number one in his heart. It wasn't long before they would welcome a child to further solidify their bond together.