(A/N: sorry for the reupload, but I think there was a problem with uploading this earlier that meant it wasn't seen properly. I won't upload this again, so if you've already read this chapter, my apologies.

Honestly, you guys are incredible! Thanks to your immense support, this story has become my most followed story yet, and is my second most favourited! I cannot thank you guys enough, you have no idea how happy this makes me! This means a lot to me, so I'll make sure not to disappoint. Thank you so much, and enjoy!)

It was currently five past six, ten minutes before they were scheduled to leave. While his sisters and parents were down stairs waiting, ready to go, Lincoln was still in his room. "What's taking him so long?" Lola complained.

"Relax, kids," Lynn Sr. assured, "we've still got time."

"Honey, do you think one of us should go see if he's ready?" Rita asked her husband.

"Perhaps."

"I got it, Pop Star," Luna spoke up, before heading up the stairs, turning and walking towards Lincoln's room. "Yo, Link!" Luna called into the room, knocking on the door. "Pops wants to know if you're good to go!"

"Just… give me a minute, Luna," he called back, his voice sounding uncertain.

'Something's up with him,' she thought, her brow furrowed. Opening the door, she stepped in and saw that he was sat on the bed, fully dressed, looking at his hands which were held together on his lap. "Hey, bro, you okay?" He nodded, but she wasn't convinced, so she sat down next to him, giving a little nudge to his shoulder. "Come on, Link, I can tell something's troubling you. What's up?"

He sighed, not shifting his gaze. "I don't know," he began. "I'm just…"

"Nervous?" He nodded. "Dude, that's natural. I was when I had my first concert, just like Luan was at her first comedy gig, or Lynn at her first basketball game, or Lola at her first pageant." She pulled him closer, wrapping her arm over his shoulder. "Look, this is how I see it- the painting is already on display, right?" Slowly, he nodded. "And you're nervous about how people will react, right?" She got the same reaction. "Well, how will you know if you don't see for yourself? Lincoln, you've already took a huge step by letting it be out in the gallery. All that's left is the easy part." She twisted his body slightly so he could look her in the eye, and see her reassuring smile. "Let me tell you what's gonna happen. You're gonna go down there, you're gonna check out the other works on display, and you're gonna chat with your friends, who are gonna tell you just how awesome your work is, just like we are."

"You mean it?"

"Would I lie to you?"

He finally smiled at her. "Thanks, Luna. I'm glad you guys are gonna be there with me."

"Bring it in, bro!" She gave him a big hug, before they stood up, the rocker looking at her brother's appearance, with his hair slicked back. "Y'know, you clean up pretty good, bro!"

He blushed at the compliment. "Thanks, but it's all thanks to Leni and Lori." He then took note of her appearance- her usual purple shirt underneath a black0 leather jacket, purple skinny jeans with her usual boots, and her regular paperclip earrings. "You know, you look pretty good too."

"Gotta look good for my bro's big night! So, you ready?"

"I'll be just a minute, I'm gonna see if Clyde's ready."

"You got it, dude."

Once his older sister was out of the room, Lincoln grabbed his walker from the table. "Clyde? Are you there?"

It was a few seconds before he heard a reply. "Lincoln?" He heard Clyde answer. "What's up?"

"Hey, Clyde. I was just calling to… Well, talk I guess."

"You're nervous, aren't you?"

"Yep. That much has been established."

Lincoln heard Clyde chuckle on the other end. "Lincoln, you're going to be fine. I'm gonna be there with you, I'm sure the others will, and you've got your whole family with you. If there's one thing Dr Lopez told me that could help you right now, it's that 'if you keep thinking about what could be, you won't realise what really is'."

This just confused Lincoln. "What does that mean?"

"Stop worrying about what people could think, and enjoy the opportunity."

"Yeah… yeah, you're right. Thanks, Clyde."

"Anytime, buddy. I better go, my dad says we need to get going."

"Alright. I'll see you there, Clyde."

With that, Lincoln put down the walkie. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he took a deep breath and smiled. "I can do this," he told himself, before walking out of his room. He walked across the landing and down the stairs. When he looked into the living room, he saw all of his family stood waiting for him. Looking at his parents, Lola and Lily, he saw that they were dressed as the usually were, but looking at his sisters, he was surprised at how well they (other than Luna) were dressed- Lori in the outfit Bobby's cousin Carlota picked out for her when she first visited the Casagrande's, with a matching clutch bag; Leni in a shirt dress in the same shade of green as her usual dress, with her regular sunglasses on her head; Luan in the yellow dress she wore to see Lucy perform at the Royal Woods Theatre; Lynn in a white shirt and red skirt, with a red windbreaker over a white t-shirt, and red sneakers; Lucy in the dress she wore to perform at the Royal Woods Theatre; Lana in a teal shirt and grey skirt, with grey shoes and her hair down, but still wearing her cap; and Lisa in the emerald dress she wore to the opera. "Wow, guys! You look great!"

"Don't I always?" Lola boasted, prompting everyone else to roll their eyes and groan, except for Lincoln, who just chuckled.

"Seriously, you didn't need to go to this much trouble just for some gallery."

"Not true, elder brother," Lisa refuted. "While you are correct that the concept of a gallery is not new, there is significance in this particular showcase of one of the fine arts, in that it is the first that we shall attend which we have any emotional attachment to." She adjusted her glasses and gave an honest smile. "To put it more simply, it is not the gallery which matters to us, but you. As our brother, it is both our duty and our privilege to provide support and see your work on display."

"Aww!" Her sisters cooed, while Lincoln smiled, trying not to cry.

"Lisa… thank you." He looked at the rest of his sisters. "Thank you all, really. I know I originally tried to hide it from you, and I'm sorry I did that, but… I'm really glad you're gonna be there tonight." It was his sisters' turn to resist the temptation to cry, so he opened up his arms. "Come here."

They all rushed together to have a big group hug, Lincoln feeling a warmth in his heart. They held the hug for a few seconds, before releasing it, so Lincoln could walk up to his smiling parents. "Lincoln, you look so handsome," Rita complimented, holding a hand against her heart.

"Thanks, mom," he replied.

"Lincoln, just know that we are so proud of you," Lynn Sr. added.

"I know. Thanks, dad."

"Uh, mom? Dad?" Lori spoke up. "It's almost quarter past."

"Oh! Right!" Lynn cleared his throat, before turning to the girls. "Alright, everyone. Remember that tonight is a big night, and we will be in a public place, so be on your best behaviour. That means no fighting, no shouting, no pranks," he looked specifically at Luan, "and, since this is an art gallery, it should go without saying that there will be absolutely NO touching the art. Are we clear?"

"Yes, dad!" They all responded, making their father smile.

"In that case, let's go!" The family filed out of the house and into the car, with the girls allowing Lincoln to have the sweet spot. Once the house door was locked, Rita and Lynn got in the front seats, with the former securing Lily in her booster seat. Once he and his wife were buckled in, the Loud patriarch turned around in his seat. "Is everyone strapped in?"

"YES!" They all called out.

"Alright! Here we go!"

With that, he began to drive. As the car began to go down the road, Lincoln looked at the viewer, ignoring the antics his sisters got up to. "Well, I guess this is it," he told the viewer. "Normally, people would say something like 'it felt like only yesterday that I found out'. Of course, in my case, it actually WAS yesterday." He chuckled to himself. "Still, it feels… weird. Almost like this is a dream, and that I'm going to wake up any second and none of this will have mattered. Yet, at the same time, I can tell it's real. I'm just trying to wrap my head around it."

"So, lil' bro," he heard Luna ask from next to him, "you excited?"

"Kind of. Honestly, I'm still trying to realise that this is happening."

"Well, you literally better believe it," Lori advised. "This is a big night for you, so enjoy it."

"I know, I know it is. Still, it's pretty incredible. I never would have expected this to happen."

"Why not?" Leni asked.

"Yeah, don't you remember when you won that comic book contest?" Lana pointed out.

"While I don't understand the attraction to the medium, it was definitely worthy of being the winner," Lisa added.

"Yeah, Lincoln! And they call me a comic!" Luan quipped, her signature laugh following while her siblings groaned. "Get it? Seriously, though, I'm really excited to see your work, little bro!"

"Hey," Lynn Jr. spoke up, realising something. "You haven't told us what your piece actually is!"

The other sisters all blinked at the sudden realisation, before they all began to bombard him with questions about his work. The white-haired boy shrunk in his seat, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. "Well, uh… I mean… uh…"

"Alright, kids, that's enough!" Rita called out, silencing their questioning. "Let's not overwhelm him. Besides, won't it be better if it's a surprise?" They all grumbled but reluctantly agreed, some of them apologising for pressuring Lincoln. "That's better. Now, we'll be there in about ten to fifteen minutes, so sit tight."

For the rest of the journey, Lincoln returned to looking out the window. The closer they got to the school, the more he realised that it was actually real, and as he became more accustomed with that fact, he felt a small, uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach, which slowly grew. He wasn't sure if it was nerves or if he needed to be sick, but by the time they arrived at the school, he could barely focus on anything else. He looked paler, and his forehead felt sweaty.

"Alright, kids! We're here!" Lynn Sr. announced, as he pulled up in front of the school. "You guys get out here, and I'll go park Vanzilla."

Everyone quickly filed out of the car. After everyone was out and they watched him drive away, Rita turned to the girls. "Alright, everyone. Let's go inside."

The girls all quickly followed their mother inside. Lori, however, looked back and saw Lincoln stood still, looking upwards. She nudged Luna and Leni, both of them looking back and seeing the same thing. "Mom, we'll be back in a second," the eldest daughter explained, before the three of them walked over to the boy. They stood next to him, following his gaze to the banner that read 'Royal Woods Elementary School Art Gallery'. "It's a lot to take in, huh, Lincoln?" She told him gently.

"Yeah," he replied, not shifting his gaze. "I feel… funny."

"Actually, Linky, you do look a bit pale," Leni told him, looking concerned. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pack of tissues. "Here."

She handed him the pack. "Thanks." He took one tissue out of the pack to wipe the sweat from his brow, placing the rest in his trouser pocket for later.

"Feel like there's something in your stomach that's tryna fight its way out?" Luna asked. He nodded with an audible gulp. "Don't worry about it, bro. Once you're in there, and you see all your friends and talk with them, you'll realise it's just like any other day."

"I know, but… it's kind of scary, you know?"

The three sisters couldn't help but find it cute, so they crouched down to his height. "What is it that's scaring you so much?" Lori asked.

"Well… I don't know if I can say."

"Please, Linky?" Leni begged. He looked at her and saw she was pulling the 'puppy dog eyes' trick, and just like always, he buckled to it.

"Okay, okay." He took a deep breath. "I'm scared that… well…"

His sisters looked at him patiently. "Yeah?"

"It's just that… I'm worried that I'm just gonna… mess up."

Lori looked at him sceptically. "That's literally ridiculous, Lincoln. First of, how could you possibly mess up at an art gallery? And second, why would you think that?"

"Well… okay, I don't know about the how, but… it feels like every time I try and do something, y'know, well, I guess… I either end up saying something to make me look stupid, or doing something, or… plus, this is the first time that you've all come to see something I've done, rather than the other way round."

"What are you talking about?" Leni asked. "We came for your big football match, remember?"

"Uh, Leni?" Luna interrupted, tapping her on the shoulder. "It was Lynn we saw playing, remember?"

"Leni's got a point," Lori argued on her sister's behalf. "It might have been Lynn that was playing on his behalf- even if we didn't realise it at first- we went there to see Lincoln." She looked down at her little brother. "Because you literally mean the world to us."

"Yeah, dude," Luna put her hand on his shoulder to reassure him. "If not for you, then none of us would be here. We'd be at home, doing the same thing we always do." She leaned in a bit, looking him in the eyes with a warm, caring smile. "And you don't have to worry about embarrassing yourself tonight. Sure, it happens to people from time to time, but that's just part of life. And once everyone sees your painting, and you hear how much they love it, all your nerves will just float away."

"But… what if they don't?"

Luna chuckled. "You say that like it's a possibility. But, knowing how great you are, I don't think that's a possibility."

He blushed a little from the compliment. "Thanks, Luna."

"So, Lincoln… you ready to take that first step?" Lori asked. He nodded. "Alright, let's go."