I don't own the Loud House.

Sorry for the delay, things are getting a little hectic on my end. I'm actually about to move soon so update from me will be sparse until I can get settled in my new place with some new internet. But other than that I've been fine. I'm still waiting on the commission for DLA so I think that I will be splitting the next chapter into two parts so that I can still debut the new cover art with the depiction that it portrays. Thank you all to those who have read and left reviews, I appreciate each and every one of them.

I'll try to update What She didn't know sometime next week, probably on Saturday, and I'll be returning to this one the week after so that it's balanced. But other than that, enjoy.

Terms of A Dress

Chapter 7

Nikki felt like the whole house knew what she had done the night before with Lincoln with the exception of the parents. They all gave her a knowing look, some of them even winked at her. After she had showered and gotten ready with Leni's and Lola's help, she came down to breakfast and all eyes were on her but for a different reason this time.

"Morning, dear, how did you sleep?" Rita said as she fed Lily her breakfast. She looked up at Nikki and she stopped.

Her eyes widened slightly just as Nikki's did the same. Nikki knew, oh man, she knew that Rita knew what had happened last night just by looking at her. She could see it in the older woman's eyes as Rita seemed to wrestle with herself to remain calm.

"You're glowing, dear..." She said, sounding a little forced.

All of the Loud girls, the older ones at least, stopped what they were doing in order to watch. They were prepared to intervene if necessary. They watched as Rita sighed before she continued to feed Lily.

"That must've been some sleep, please sit down and have breakfast. I'm sure that you're hungry." Rita finally said.

Luan couldn't help it. "I'm sure she worked up an appetite!"

"Luan!" Rita scolded.

Nikki blushed but she couldn't help but join in on Luan's laughter. It was pretty funny when you thought about it. And once the other girls saw that Nikki was okay with laughing, they joined in too.

"Are you hungry for sausage linc's or have you had enough?" Luan asked Nikki as she thought of another joke.

"Luan, that's going too far!" Rita said but Nikki ignored her.

"There's no such thing as having too much sausage." Nikki replied, making the girls laugh even harder. "Especially not one that good."

The room was full of howling laughter as Rita sighed, giving up trying to reign them in. Within a couple of minutes Lincoln walked into the dining room and he barely noticed that all eyes were on him. He only noticed when Nikki looked at him and he made a beeline towards her.

Everyone noticed his smile, the way it seemed to reach his eyes as he said good morning to Nikki as if he hadn't seen her since last night. They noticed the way he laughed at what she said, finding it funny perhaps because it was her who said it. And they were all glad that they had finally done something right for him after doing so much wrong.

After breakfast, Lincoln, Nikki, Lynn, and Luna went out to the backyard to watch the twins play outside. Nikki, wearing a yellow and white sundress that stopped just above her knees, sat on the steps of the back porch. This morning Leni and Lola had done her hair up in a long single braid that she had draped over her right shoulder and it was tied with a yellow bow that matched her dress. She also had on a yellow sun hat that she was sure Sid had added to make the dress complete.

Luna was sitting on top of the wooden handrail to her left while Lynn and Lincoln went out to join the twins. Nikki was sure that the older girl was going to ask her about her feelings for Lincoln but to her surprise, Luna just talked to her about the kinds of music she liked. It was a nice conversation and Nikki could see why they called her the rocker Loud but she kept expecting that conversation to come up.

Then an hour or so later around 9 am there was a shout from around the corner coming from the driveway and Luna perked up. She jumped off the handrail and landed on the grass below and ran towards the driveway. Lincoln, who was currently in a headlock courtesy of Lana while Lynn held his arm behind his back, noticed this.

"Hey guys, time out. I think she's here." He said.

Nikki noticed the sour look on Lynn's face and the way Lana looked disappointed. "What's going on?" Nikki asked them from the porch.

It was Lynn that answered. "You're about to meet the unofficial 12th Loud sister." She said sarcastically.

"Lynn, be nice. She's dating Luna, she very well might be one day." Lincoln said as he dusted himself off.

"Lincoln, do Lola and I have to be here for this?" Lana asked her big brother as she tugged at his jeans.

"No, you two can go and play out in the front if you want." Lincoln said.

"You heard him, step on it, sister!" Lana said as she jumped into Lola's pink jeep and they sped off.

Nikki was wondering what was going on when all of a sudden she heard someone shout Lincoln's name and when she turned to look, she watched as another blonde girl had wrapped her arms around Lincoln and began to smother his face with kisses. She immediately saw red and she was about to pounce on the older girl when she noticed that Lynn stopped her.

"Oh my little Ace, how have these mean girls been treating you? Have then finally learned their lesson or do you need me to remind them that no one messes with my Lincy?" The teal streaked blonde asked.

The girl was older than Nikki, probably about Luna's age considering that they were dating apparently. She wore a teal leather jacket with a white shirt underneath and a pair of burgundy jeans. She was definitely Luna's girlfriend considering that they had the same tastes. But as the older girl finally set Lincoln down, Nikki was able to see that the while shirt had a picture of her and Lincoln on it with the words 'SamxLincoln' Forever' underneath.

"Sam, I've asked you not to wear that shirt anymore, dude." Luna sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You're dating me, not my brother."

"Hush, Luna, I'm speaking with my otouto." Sam said as she pressed Lincoln's face to her chest, making the boy who was already blushing even more red.

"He's not your brother, Sam!" Lynn said, glaring at the older girl.

"Who is she?" Nikki asked Luna. She was standing beside Lynn and when she spoke, Sam turned to look at her.

She dropped Lincoln, letting him fall almost comically to the ground. She walked over to Nikki and stood a few inches away from the younger blonde. Crossing her arms underneath her bust and sticking out her chest, she looked down at Nikki. "So you're her, huh?"

Nikki wasn't sure what was going but she knew a challenge when she saw one. She stood up straight and crossed her arms as well, though sadly her own chest wasn't comparable to Sam's. "What if I am?" She asked.

They stared each other down for a moment and Nikki was seriously wondering if she would have to fight this weird girl that had shown up. Both Lincoln and Lynn looked ready to intervene if necessary but before they could do or say anything, Luna walked over to her girlfriend and yanked on her ear.

"Will you cut it out, love? That's my bro's new bird!" Luna said in her british accent.

Sam yelped in pain as Luna dragged her ear towards her knee. "Ow! Ow! Ow! You're tearing my freaking ear off, Luna!"

"What's happening right now?" Nikki asked, clearly confused.

"Don't mind them." Lincoln said as he walked over to stand next to her. "Sam tends to act without thinking sometimes and Luna has to reign her in."

"And what's the shirt all about? Isn't she dating Luna?" Nikki asked, pointing at the white shirt that she could still see.

Lincoln sighed. "Sam likes to tease me a lot." He explained. "She tells me that I'm cute, she'll randomly hug me when I'm not expecting it, she'll insist on reading comics with me."

"What's wrong with that last one?" Nikki asked.

"Lincoln reads comics in his underwear." Lynn explained as she crossed her arms. "And Sam insists on doing the same when she wants to join him." The glare that the sporty Loud was sending Sam could curdle dairy.

"Dude, she totally wants to fuck you." Nikki said.

"I totally do. Ow!" they heard Sam say before Luna yanked on her ear again. "I was freaking kidding, geeze!" She then looked up at Lincoln from her bent angle and gave him a wink. "Unless you want to, Ace."

Lincoln sighed as he heard Sam yelp again as her other ear was yanked on by Luna. "Sam...I'd like you to meet Nikki, my friend from the city. She's staying with us for a week."

"Nice to meet ya, I'm Sam-soon-to-be-Loud Sharp." Sam said with a wave as she looked up at Nikki.

"Hi..." She said flatly as she stared at the teal streaked blonde.

"I heard that Ace might have a new girlfriend and I rushed over because I wanted to meet you." Sam explained, still in her bent position. She crossed her arms, as comical as it looked, and she glared at the younger blonde. "Now tell me, what are your intentions with my future husband?"

"Sam." Luna called her name in warning.

"I mean, with my future brother in law/husband. Ow!" Sam corrected(?).

"Sam, Nikki and I still need to talk. Do you think that you can give her the third degree after I have a chance to at least ask her out first?" Lincoln asked her.

Then in a rare show of seriousness, Sam looked up at Lincoln. "Linc, I just want to make sure that you don't end up hurt again." Luna released her ear as she said this and Sam righted herself. "I wasn't there to protect you that day and I hate myself for it. I don't want to fail you again." She reached out and placed her hands on his shoulders. "I love you...more than you could ever know..."

The teal streaked blonde had tears in her eyes by the end of her speech. And Lincoln was touched by how much she meant her words. When Sam heard about what had happened, she almost broke up with Luna on the spot. And she almost broke Luna's nose as well if it hadn't been for Lincoln. As angry and hurt as he had been, he knew that they weren't entirely at fault. Things were still a little rocky between Luna and Sam but they were working through it and things were better than they once were. It also helped that Lincoln would let her join his comic reading sessions so long as she wore clothes.

With his own teary expression, Lincoln wrapped his arms around the older blonde and he buried his head in her chest. Sam liked to call herself the unofficial 12th Loud sister and Lincoln always corrected her and said that she was his sister. He considered her family the same as he did the others and he cared deeply for her as well.

Watching this, Nikki wondered just how many girls there were that she would have to compete for his attention and maybe his dick?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After that touching moment, Nikki got to hang out with Sam and she found that she liked the older blonde a lot. Sam had actually brought her a gift which was one of her old teal jackets that no longer fit her. She had planned to give it to Lincoln but she gave it to Nikki instead.

Sam had also promised to show Nikki around the next time she came to visit, just the two of them. Though judging from the matching grins, Lincoln was sure that they would come up with something that would probably involve him.

After that, Lincoln helped Leni make lunch and they enjoyed a nice meal which Sam decided to sing a very 'special' song in which she serenaded Lincoln with a sea shanty type song. By the end of it, half of the louds were singing along as Luna and Sam played their guitars. Needless to say, Nikki had never had such a lively lunch.

After that, Luna and Sam left because they had to go to their band practice. Sam left with a quick peck on Lincoln's cheek and a promise to come see Nikki again soon before she left.

After that, the Loud girls went to do their own thing and Lincoln was left alone with Nikki once more. And seeing as how there was still plenty of daylight out, Lincoln took Nikki out another walk.

They chatted pleasantly for a while, simply enjoying their time together. And as they reached the same park as before, they found a shaded park bench to sit down and get out of the sun for a bit. There was a gentle breeze passing over the park and Nikki felt strangely peaceful. It was a rare feeling for her since the only time she ever felt that calm was during her post nut clarity. But right now, she felt like she could take a breath and simply take in that moment in time.

"So...we need to talk, huh?" Lincoln stated though it sounded like a question.

And just like that, her peaceful moment was ruined. She honestly did want to talk with him about them but another part of her just wanted to kiss him and never stop kissing him. She also kind of wanted to fuck him and last night she very well almost did.

"I don't know, do we, cottontop?" She asked, pretending that she didn't know what he was talking about.

But it didn't work as he took a hold of her hand and brought it up to his mouth so that he could kiss it. She could feel his smile against the back of her hand and she cursed herself for blushing.

"I would like to think so." He said. "There was a certain question that I wanted to ask you."

"Well I'm an open book." She stated as she looked into his blue eyes. "Ask me anything that you like."

"Why do you like me?" Lincoln asked her.

"Huh?" She had been so lost in his mesmerizing blue eyes that she almost missed the question. "Why do I like you?"

"Yea, I mean, don't get me wrong, I like you a lot, honestly I do. But I just can't figure out why you would ever like someone like me." Lincoln said, expanding on his previous question. "I mean, I only met you like 4 or five times when I went to visit Ronnie Anne. And we did get to hang out but I don't remember doing anything special to get your attention."

"You know, for someone who appears to be so smart you can be pretty dense sometimes." Nikki chuckled. She took his right hand and she placed it above her chest where her heart was at. She let him feel her heartbeat for several moments before she spoke. "I like you because you make my heart beat like that."

"But why does it beat like that?" Lincoln asked. He was looking for deeper meaning it seemed and Nikki wasn't sure what to tell him.

"Honestly I have no fucking clue. When I first saw you, I legit thought you looked cute. A bit dorky maybe but adorable as fuck. But I thought that maybe you and Santiago were still a thing so I never said anything." Nikki tried to explain. "I eventually learned that she wasn't into you like that anymore and my dumbass told her and Chang that I had sorta had a crush on you."

"What does telling her have to do with anything?" Lincoln asked, confused.

"Well, I haven't told you this but the real reason I'm here is because I lost a bet to Santaiago." Nikki confessed. "I'm not having a fight with my parents and I don't want to be a singer or whatever buillshit she came up with. Fuck, these aren't even my normal clothes! Do I honestly look like the type who wears this kind of shit?"

"I think you look great in them, they suit you." Lincoln told her honestly.

Nikki blushed at the compliment but she wasn't done. "Thanks but I would rather be wearing my normal duds. Plus, I'm kind of worried that a strong breeze is gonna blow my dress up and that you'll see my panties." When Lincoln gave her a questioning look, she hastily added. "Well, I was. But you've seen me practically naked so I guess seeing my panties now wouldn't be that big of a deal."

"Did Ronnie Anne have a reason for sending you here for a week?" Lincoln asked, wanted to know the truth behind Nikki's stay.

"That little shit! Of course she had a reason!" Nikki said, her tone sounding a little heated. "Like I said before, my dumbass was dumb enough to tell her that I was crushing on you so she tricked me into a bet and then added the humiliation clause which is why I'm here wearing a fucking dress!" She then pulled at her dress a bit. "I don't even like dresses!"

"So Ronnie Anne tricked you into a bet and the loser had to stay with my family for a week? And she only did that because you told her that you had a crush on me. And the reason she did, I'm assuming, is so that we could grow closer together and possibly grow to like one another. Am I right?" Lincoln asked.

Nikki shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. Neither of those little shits has answered any of my calls or texts so I don't know. But it sure looks that way."

Lincoln was quiet for a moment before he looked up at Nikki and smiled. "Well, I'm glad that you lost the bet. Otherwise I probably never would've had such a wonderful time these last few days."

Despite her mild irritation at her friends, Nikki couldn't help but return the smile. "I'm kind of glad too. Hanging around you has been a blast and last night was pretty good too."

"Nikki?" Lincoln began. He took her hand once more as he looked up into her blue eyes. "Will...will you go out with me?"

As Nikki listened to him say those magical words, she hated what she was about to do. "Dude, Linc, I would love to go out with you, I really would."

Lincoln's expression dropped a little bit. "But?" He asked, sensing that there was a but.

"But," Nikki continued. "I need to talk to Stella first."

This confused the white haired boy. "Stella? Why do you want to talk to her?"

"Well, I get the feeling that she still loves you." Nikki said honestly. She took note of his expression and she could see a little bit of hope mixed in with his disbelief. "And I know that you still have feelings for her, right?" When he nodded with a bit of hesitation, she continued. "Well I have feelings for you, Lincoln. Strong feelings." She squeezed his hand and gave him a shy smile. "I like you...alot. But I would feel like a total shit if I didn't talk to her first. I feel like I'm walking in on her turf and planting my flag while she's still there."

"But we're not together anymore." Lincoln reminded her.

"I know that but..." Nikki sighed. "I would feel a lot better about kissing you if I knew that Stella was okay with it. For me, it kind of feels like I'm stealing her man."

Lincoln slowly nodded. "I guess I can understand where you're coming from." Lincoln then stood up and helped Nikki up to her feet. "Well, let's go talk to her right now."

"R-Right now?" Nikki asked, slightly caught off guard.

"Yea. You don't have much time left and I would rather get this over with sooner rather than later." He glanced over his shoulder and he gave her a playful wink. "Plus, I really want to kiss you again."

Nikki blushed as she followed Lincoln towards Stella's house.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Stella sighed as she laid down on her bed. She had been trying to read a book that she recently bought but she couldn't concentrate on it. Her thoughts kept going back to the blonde girl that was living with Lincoln. Nikki was a very pretty girl and she really seemed to like Lincoln and if she was honest, Stella couldn't blame her. Lincoln was a great guy and he still was, breaking up with him had been the hardest thing that she had done so far in her young life.

The last month, Stella had fallen in a state of gloom that she had yet to recover from. At times she felt like going back to Lincoln and begging him to take her back. And at times she felt like she did herself a favor leaving him because of his family. And at other times, during her low points, she would wonder if perhaps Lincoln's family hated her because of the color of her skin?

And those thoughts seemed to gain strength within her as she thought about Nikki, a pretty blonde, blue eyed, white girl, living at the Loud House and no one treating Nikki like they did her. Tears began to sting her eyes as she thought about Nikki kissing Lincoln while his family watched on in approval and praise. Why couldn't they have been happy when she was dating him? Was she really that ugly that they didn't want him to be with her?

Burying her face in her pillow, Stella wondered if perhaps they, Lincoln's family, would have liked her more if she had been born like Girl Jordan. And as she fell in a self deprecating spiral, there was a knock on her door.

"Stella, you have a friend who came to visit you." Her older sister announced through the door. "She says her name is Nikki."

Stella's eyes snapped open as she registered what her sister had said. Why would Nikki come to see her? Had she come to rub it in her face that Lincoln's family liked and accepted her and not Stella? But as soon as those thoughts emerged she dismissed them. Stella didn't think that Nikki was the type of girl who would do that.

Wiping her eyes and blowing her nose, Stella went to open her door to see what the blonde girl wanted. As she opened the door, she was surprised to see Nikki already waiting for her. Stella took in the taller girl's appearance and a part of her was jealous at how pretty she looked seemingly without trying. Her hair was done in a lovely braid with a yellow ribbon tied at the end. And the yellow and white sundress hugged her developing form and showed off her feminine features. In comparison, Steall felt flat and plain.

"Hey, Beanstalk, I-Whoa, have you been crying?" Nikki asked once she saw the state that Stella was in. When the philipina girl's face fell, Nikki muttered to herself. "I knew I should've come here sooner!"

"What do you mean?" Stella asked, overhearing her.

"Look, Stella," Nikki began as she walked into Stella's room. Stella closed the door behind her and turned to see Nikki pacing back and forth. "I gotta be honest with ya, I almost fucked Lincoln last night." This made Stella gasp, both in surprise and a little anger. "Yea, trust me, girl, I know. I had to force myself to not ride that log that he carries between his legs. I mean, for fucks sake, how does he walk with that thing?"

Stella couldn't help but find herself blushing and nodding in agreement. She had seen what Lincoln was packing and she honestly couldn't call it small by any means.

"Anyways, the reason I'm bringing this up is because last night, Lincoln and I were having a talk and during it, I told him to stop being so selfless. I mean for fucks sake, he's like the fucking pope with how good he acts." Nikki stopped and turned to look at Stella. "Not that I'm saying that's a bad thing, I love him because he's such a good guy. But I just wanted him to be a little selfish. And that's when he let his walls break and he kissed me."

"He kissed you?" Stella repeated in disbelief.

"You bet your sweet asscheeks that he kissed me, sister. And man, was he a good fucking kisser. I mean, he was my first kiss so I'm sure that I wasn't very good but I could tell that he was good. And he didn't stop at just kissing, not that I tried to stop him. I mean, I was gonna fuck him last night, girl. Believe you me, I was gonna fuck him hard." Nikki then sighed before she sat down on Stella's bed. "But I realized as I was sucking him off that he wasn't there with me...he didn't see me..." Nikki then looked up at Stella. "It wasn't my name that he moaned out last night..."

"Oh my god...no..." Stella placed her hands over her mouth, her heart going out to the girl before her. As much as she wanted to hate Nikki, Stella wasn't that kind of person.

"Yea...he called your name the first time..." Nikki chuckled. "I pretended not to hear and he quickly corrected himself but it still hurt."

"B-But why would he do that?" Stella asked.

"Isn't it obvious? He still has feelings for you." Nikki told her. "I was just there for him, a warm body to make him feel something other than lonely. And I did it gladly because I'm fucking in love with that dork."

"Why are you telling me this?" Stella asked, wondering what the point of all this was.
"I'm telling you this because not an hour ago, Lincoln asked me to be his girlfriend." Nikki noticed the look that passed through Stella's eyes and she quickly pressed on. "And I told him that I had to talk to you first before I gave him an answer."

Stella sniffed. She tried to smile, she really did but she only managed a pale imitation of one. "C-Congratulations." She managed to say.

"Will you stop? I didn't come here to gloat." Nikki said, almost snapping at the poor girl. "I wanted to ask you, how do you feel about him?"

"W-What do you mean?" Stella asked, wiping her eyes with a tissue.

"What I mean is, do you still love him? I mean, truly love him?" Nikki asked, pressing the philipina girl for answers.

Stella felt like Nikki was setting her up for something, something that would either make or break her. Feeling that now was the time to be honest, she gathered her courage and looked at the blonde girl in front of her.

"I love him." She said, her face brimming with determination and certainty that made the blonde girl smile. "I love him with all of my heart."

"Stella...I have a plan..." Nikki said with a large smile.

End of chapter.