Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay on this one! Stuff happened and life got in the way so to make amends here's a VERY early Xmas chapter for you guys, I know the setting is not exactly well timed, but yeah, plot relevant stuff happens here so please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own The Loud House, the brand, as well as all of its characters and settings belong to Chris Savino and Nickelodeon, all rights reserved.

Chapter 55: An almost Loud Christmas.

*Knock* *Knock*

- Linky? Are you up? - The voice of a certain ditzy blonde echoes through the door that would lead to the room of the only male child in the house.

- Uhh? Hi Leni, yes i am, what for? - The barely audible voice of the "man with the plan" is heard from the other side.

- Well like, just so you know, mom and dad made breakfast for everyone, would you come down? - The distracted fashionista asks softly, not wanting to get on the bad side of her little brother.

- What? But I am not allowed to come down, remember Leni? I am grounded - The annoyed albino felt the need to remind his not so bright sister.

- Yes I totes know, but like mom said that this was a, uhh, extension! - Leni remained insistent.

- You mean "exception"? - Lincoln had to clarify.

- Yeah! That, mom told me that you can come no problem! - The energy behind her voice made it seem genuine.

So Lincoln decided to take her word for it, after all, if there was a day to make an exception, it most likely had to be the 24th of December, Christmas Eve, also the day where the supposed "ban" was going to be lifted.

He was already aware of the kind of consequences that could come out of his past actions, confessing to the heinous crime that he committed was not going to go unpunished, but his mind wouldn't give him a rest, his conversation with Lola was an eye-opener.

He felt bad for Fernando, for what he did to him, he knew that even after clearing his name, the man's life was still potentially ruined, he publicly apologized on live TV, but of course, that wasn't enough, his credentials already tainted forever with a "sex offender" notice, no matter how quickly his family retired the charges.

In fact, at this point, they were all now under the nearby threat of the guy potentially pressing charges for defamation, as well as the company involved asking for "remuneration" for brand damage, this definitely wasn't like the time were he and Clyde fooled the entirety of Royal Woods citizens with a "Sharkodile" to stop his family from going somewhere else, this was a big deal, one that no Christmas miracle is just going to fix, not for his "good intentions" either.

That said… His family did react a tiny, little, bitty worse than he expected, and so did the people outside.

Who would have known that Fernando had a rabid fangirl following?

Who would have know that his house was so easy to find?

Oh, and who would have known that Lynn Jr. would disappear without contact the moment she left the door despite Lori's protests, although, that's what they told him…

She was already gone by the time he was home…

Oh, and maybe that's also why his punishment was also a little worse than he expected, his family did not ask him for an explanation, no, they didn't seem to want an explanation, they just wanted the Loud family back to how it was, and he was a threat to that, apparently.

He was told to not leave his room for a month, high-school be disregarded, he didn't really have much to lose anyways, he still has to clean up the tomatoes that splash on his window at times, he still has to hear the rage of social media towards him and his family, he knew that only going out, even for a moment, could result in a violent attack, so he just kindly accepted his fate.

He just feels bad for the vandalism and physical damage done to his house, apparently, people can't keep it in themselves to not destroy the entire family for just one individual.

So yeah, welcome to the Loud house, this is Lincoln Loud, the boy who ruined Christmas, for everyone, again.

But well… at least today he'll finally be able to see her.

- Is he coming? - The patriarch of the family, sitting at his usual spot in the table near the window, asked cautiously in a soft voice to his second eldest daughter.

- Yeah dad, he told me he's coming, he's just… getting ready! - Leni replied excitedly, but still, with slight doubt in her voice.

- …thanks kiddo - He wasn't convinced, but he remained waiting regardless.

The entire family were now all sitting in the table, without making a sound, they were now just waiting for their only son/brother to come downstairs so that they could begin the first actual family breakfast for this entire year, the man that was leading the reunion was desperately hoping for his dear family to be united once again, even though his heart knew that was not going to be the case.

Not without his like-named daughter…

- Hi guys… how's it going? - The silence was interrupted as the voice of the last expected invitee echoed through the 1st floor, he was now shyly approaching the table, where the rest of his sisters were now impatiently waiting for him to sit down so that the meal could begin.

- Hey Bruh, long time no see, how's it been! - Luna, for once, tried to be energetic, the silence was driving her insane, plus, she actually wanted to talk to her little brother, now that there was a chance to do so.

- Why if it's my little brother, come sit with me, you're not a bother! ("I will not let it be sit by another") - Luan (and mr. Coconuts), tried her best to cheer up the situation, she knew that with a mood this low, simple puns were not going to do the trick, so she had to be a little more "sensitive" on the matter.

Conveniently, the last empty seat was between the rockstar and the comedian, Lincoln just took the hint and sat besides them.

- Thanks guys… I'll be fine - Lincoln briefly exchanged looks with the sisters by his side, fortunately, giving that they had just been for about two days in this meek house, they still were not irreversibly contaminated by this aura of gloom, in fact, it was really a miracle, having a noisy sister like Luna and a happy-go-lucky sister like Luan around was exactly the kind of remedy that was needed to counter the sorrow.

Regardless, he had to remember his position, he was after all, the culprit behind this mess.

- Lincoln, I'm not fully aware of what happened these last months and maybe I don't want to ("She definitely doesn't want to!"), oh quiet Mr. Coconuts! - Said Luan while fighting with her own puppet - But I can tell you something, I still love you, and I don't want to see my little brother so sad! ("Yeah, you're cool enough Lincoln")! -

- Yeah dude, this is not you, what ya did was bloody cursed, but it's in the past, c'mon, cheer up! in fact, I'll let Leni give ya the news! - Luna continued with equal interest.

- So like, yeah, I was not feeling good seeing you in your room all alone Linky, and I like, though that you could use and early Christmas present! Gosh it's so great I can't say it! - Leni followed the enthusiasm, but she didn't say anything else.

Then, out of nowhere, Lori stood up, her face was serious, the sudden movement made everyone look at her, after that, she reached out to the chair where Lincoln was sitting, then touched his shoulder with her hand in a comforting manner, making the boy look up at her.

- I'll finish for Leni - She prefaced - Lincoln, we discussed with our parents, what happened was nothing short of a disaster, we all acknowledge that - She looked briefly to the side - But, I, no, we all believe that what you did in the end was a really brave thing, sure, the house is a little more, uhh… dangerous now-

*Crash*

A brick comes out of the shattered window right in front of Mr. Lynn's seat, making the shards pass really close by, fortunately not resulting in an injury.

- YOU SUCK! - An angry feminine voice of unknown origins is heard coming from the outside, but nobody in the table dares to identify the source, they all are well aware by this point how pointless it is.

Still, not even Christmas Eve is enough to deter them…

- Ahem - Lori continues after the sudden interruptions - What we all wanted to say, is that, Lincoln, you are no longer grounded, we all believe you are an intelligent man and is perfectly aware of his actions, and I believe you've already been punished enough, so let's just relax and enjoy this Christmas Eve like a family! - The eldest sister finishes while standing up to look at everyone as she says her last sentence.

- YEAH! - The older sisters all scream in unison.

The younger ones remain silent, but the excitement manages to make Lola, Lucy, Lisa and Lily elicit a warm smile, Lana remains eerily serious.

Finally, The father and the mother rise up and approach the zone were the gathering of sisters around Lincoln is formed and likewise, reach out to their son, who is now looking at them in a state of shock.

- Lincoln sweetie - The matriarch begins the talk - I know the house hasn't been the same for awhile, and I don't know nor care anymore for why you did what you did - She continued - But I just want to tell you - She lowers her head to her son's level - I forgive you, I forgive you for everything, if someone is trying to hurt you, I as you mother will protect you, you will always have the support of this family and we all trust that you will grow into a handsome, responsible man - Rita finished her speech while giving a soft peck to her son's forehead.

- Champ, i think your mother already said everything I needed to say - The father went next - I miss you son, and I just want us all to enjoy the holidays like how we used to - He finished while warmly staring at the middle child.

- Guys… - Now it was Lincoln's turn, his emotional barrier, that he had begun constructing ever since the obsession over Lola's coach started was now cataclysmically crumbling as droplets after droplets of uncontainable emotion started pouring from his now swollen eyes.

Actually… the waterfalls broke completely.

He was now being crushed under the pressurized hug from his parents and all of his older sisters, he didn't even realize who he was putting his head in for support, but he began uncontrollably crying, unable to even muster any other words.

Then the waterfalls also broke for the older man in the table, then for Lori, then…

Leni, Lucy, Lisa and Lily approached the scene to become a part of the family hug.

Now it was just the twins, sitting at opposite sides of the table, watching the otherwise heartwarming scene in front of them, for once, sharing a mutual feeling on the matter.

They don't belong there.

But of course, the entire cloud formed by the conglomerate of the Loud family was never complete without them, and nobody was quicker on noticing that but the boy at the epicenter of it, Lincoln opened his swollen eyes to lock around what little holes of light were left by all of his sisters enclosing him.

And he noticed her, still sitting on her side of the table, looking at the scene sadly, conveniently, he also noticed Lana at the opposite side, he was about to speak, but his own dad got ahead.

- Hey Girls, come here, let's all celebrate together! - The dad, who was just done with spilling his fragile heart, also noticed their absence, and wanted nothing more than to clear this cloud of negativity once and for all, he would do anything to have both of his girls enjoy the holiday.

- … are you sure dad? - Lola spoke first, she was positive that any approach to Lincoln was still off-limits.

- Of course sweetheart, come here! - Lynn Sr. insisted.

So that she did, Lola slowly crawled over the family hug and hugged her (boyfriend) brother in public, for the first time in a very long while.

Now it was just Lana, who continued watching the ordeal, she still felt angry, she couldn't deal with the hypocrisy of this family…

But she also felt sad, a rush of sorrow was racing through her every nerve, right there, in front of her very eyes, a Christmas miracle was occurring, her family, long though to be unsalvageable, were now all putting aside their differences, letting go of the horrible past and just… trying to find happiness in the middle of conflict.

And here she was… being an outsider, standing aside, unable to let go, unable to overcome her hatred, unable to find forgiveness… but…

- Lana! - From the (surprisingly long) hug, the voice of her eldest sister, the one person she still respects fully, was heard - Come here you dork! . Lori took her eyes apart from the boy in the middle to wave her hand, explicitly inviting her to seal the union.

And with that, though all of her doubts and her resentment, Lana took her one chance and sealed the deal, she approached the commotion and shyly but steadily raised her arms to hug Lori from behind, becoming a part of the overall family, if only for today.

If only for today…

After the uplifting breakfast (and fixing the window…), The family, finally as a nucleus, began working together to place the decoration of the house, arranging the Tree, putting the bells and even cleaning and organizing the living room, though not as loud as in the past, due to an important absence, the Louds were now speaking with each other normally, with the exception of Lana, who still refused to interact with Lola or Lucy, and had little to say to her big brother, still, overall, the environment became good enough for Luan, Mr. Coconuts and Lynn Sr. to exchange some decent puns with each other while on the kitchen, for Luna to arrange the soundtrack, for Leni to direct the decoration, for Lucy to "accidentally" undo some of Leni's decoration to introduce a more "baroque style", for Lisa to wrap up some of the gifts (automated, of course), and for Lily to permanently stay near the tree, trying to find out which gifts belong to her.

Lana was now comfortably watching a truck competition live on the common TV alongside her mother, she was overall relaxed and feeling… at ease, Rita was not a fan of the program, but was still sitting there to watch over her daughter, who she had not been able to communicate with for a while, she wanted to say something, anything, to fix her relationship with her, but for now, she would just remain by her side, watching her demeanor, waiting for Lori to be done so that they could help her together.

Inside of the former room of Lynn, which had been repurposed temporarily to become Lori and Leni's room again, was the eldest sister sitting on her side of the bed, with two special companions that she wanted to talk to in private.

Lincoln and Lola were also sitting at the side of Lori's bed, the little girl was on the edge of the bed, the boy was on the middle, and the older sister was at the base, their expression revealed a LOT of discomfort, and their eyes were both set expectantly at the woman that had gathered the two of them in one place.

- Lincoln, Lola, just so you know, yes, the ban was lifted today - Lori began her speech, at first avoiding direct eye contact - Now, as you may know, mom and dad are still, not like, literally trilled of having you guys unsupervised - She turned her eyes in an attempt to look sympathetically at them - But I managed to convince them to ease up the control, I know that I probably shouldn't be the one to talk as I haven't been here all the time, but - Lori began smiling at them - I trust you guys have grown from the experience these past months and should now be ready to move on from it! -

Both of her younger siblings remain looking at her, their eyes wide open, Lori continued.

- Lola, I know just how hard it is to move on from someone, I literally cannot imagine myself without my Boo-Boo Bear for more than a month - Lori commented shyly - But I trust that these last months have been a learning experience for you to determine the real nature of a brother and sister bond, I'm sure that by now, you must be grown up enough to understand the difference, don't worry, you'll see that one day, there will be another boy, the right one, that will make you feel those butterflies again! - The golfer said encouragingly - and also, everyone has a secret or two that they are afraid to speak up, hey, even Lynn must have a few, as soon as she comes to her senses, I'm sure she'll be back to make things up with you, got it? - Lori confidently finished her speech at her little pageant prodigy.

-…-

- And Lincoln, remember that no matter how complicated things can get, the bond that you share with all of your sisters, including the one right besides you, cannot be broken, we stand strong as a family, remember, we are Louds! - She directed her attention to the boy in the middle - I'm sure you had your reasons to suspect of that man, I myself though that he was probably a little too young to be working on that business, and sure, what you did was a little… over the top - Lori cringed slightly while thinking over her next choice of words - But I'm sure that the intention behind was ultimately to protect you sister, and I'm literally, so, proud of you! - She finished while affectionally touching Lincoln's shoulder with her hand.

-…-

- So, with that said, I made sure that Lisa removed all of her cameras and microphones, and I made everyone else promise that they won't try sticking out to your business again, you guys deserve to have a second chance and do whatever you want again, as brother and sist- Woah! - Lori couldn't even finish her last sentence, as a sudden tackle from her fellow siblings made her lose her balance and fall into her bed, then, she had some issues breathing as she was being almost squished by the strength of the two siblings.

- THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! - Not caring for the whole house to hear the exchange, both Lincoln and Lola screamed their gratitude to the startled sister, who then quickly returned their mutual hug, it had been a while since she had seen either Lincoln or Lola at all, let alone with a genuine smile in their faces.

- Haha, ok, you can get up, you're literally crushing me! - Lori managed to spell out, as relieved as she was at the moment

- Sorry! - Her younger siblings replied In unison while quickly regaining a safe distance.

- Well, what are you waiting for? Get out of my room twerps - Lori then playfully faked her older bossy sister persona, just another blast from the past to refresh their minds.

- Will do, thanks Lori! - Lincoln said quickly, before grabbing Lola's hand to assist her out of the room.

Lori looked at the sudden action, then quickly lifted her head to look at Lincoln's face, he was now looking directly at Lola, then as they were escaping her range of vision, she also tried to get a glimpse at Lola's expression, who was also looking directly at Lincoln's, they had this something, but she quickly averted her attention from them.

She did the right thing… right?