Hello all and welcome to another The Loud House fan fiction. I hope you enjoy it and feel compelled to continue reading as the story continues.

* The Loud House is owned by Nickelodeon.
* I do not claim ownership of it.

Warning: This fan fiction contains strong language as well as possible future references to substance abuse and sexual conduct. This fan fiction will NOT feature any form of pedophilia or underage sex.

Note: I do not mind negative feedback.

Chapter 2: The Packing Begins

The early morning sun filtered through the dusty blinds of the Santiago apartment, casting a warm glow over the cluttered open-concept kitchen-living room. It looked as if a camping store had exploded inside. A half-open tent bag slouched in one corner, sleeping bags still wrapped tightly in plastic lay nearby, and no fewer than three different brands of bug spray were scattered across the kitchen counter — these were just a few of the many things strewn across the room.

Lori Santiago was sitting on the couch, knees pulled to her chest, sipping black coffee and muttering to herself. "I don't want to go. I'm a grown woman. I have a mortgage. I shouldn't have to go camping."

Across the room, Bobby was cheerfully folding cargo pants into a duffle bag. "Come on, babe. It's not that bad. Remember that trip to the lake? You ended up loving it."

"That was literally a hotel by the lake. With hot showers and those little chocolates they leave on the pillows. Not some hole in the woods crawling with poison ivy and who knows what else!"

Bobby held up a bottle of calamine lotion. "One step ahead of you, babe."

From her bedroom Loan emerged in unicorn pajamas, her hair in a messy bun and clutching her phone like a security blanket. "I feel like it's worth mentioning again that my job doesn't work without the internet. If I go into the forest, I will get fired. Do you want your daughter to be homeless or just chronically unemployed?"

"You already work from home in your pajamas." Lori snapped. "You're halfway to feral."

Loan gave her a deadpan look and flopped onto the couch beside her. "I downloaded five seasons of 'Space Maidens Omega' on my tablet, just in case. But if I have to share a tent with some snotty brat, I'm literally going to snap."

Bobby chuckled as he zipped up a supply bag. "It's gonna be fine. We'll make s'mores, play cards, roast marshmallows…"

"Wine."

Bobby paused. "Sure, we can pack some wine."

"No," Lori muttered. "I need wine."

Loan raised her hand without looking up. "Same."

It was 9 a.m. The countdown to chaos was underway.

Across the street, chaos of a different kind was unfolding. The fashionable kind.

Leni Horvitz stood in the middle of her sun-drenched living room surrounded by piles of color-coordinated outfits, some still with tags, others pre-wrinkled for "outdoor authenticity." "This is, like, a total fashion emergency!" She exclaimed, holding up a khaki romper in one hand and a red flannel in the other. "Do I go lumberjack-chic or camping glam?"

Chaz peeked in from the kitchen. "I think most people go for comfy and practical when camping."

"But Chazzy." Leni said with a dramatic flourish, "Comfy is a suggestion. Looking cute is mandatory."

Across the room, Liena carefully folded a stack of T-shirts into her bag. Her short hair was pulled back, hearing aids snug in place, as she watched her mother fuss with a glitter-covered sunhat. With a smile, she signed, "It's the forest, not a runway, Mom."

"Fashion is the runway of life!" Leni signed back proudly, albeit with several grammatical errors Liena politely ignored.

Lyle finally exited his room, furiously flipping through a field guide titled 'Surviving Nature' by Eliza Thornberry. "This is a bad idea." He muttered. "Bugs. Dirt. And what if we get eaten by bears?"

"Bears don't eat kids with good manners." Chaz replied lightly ruffling his son's hair as he passed.

Leni gasped. "Oh my gosh, then we have to practice table etiquette! What if we get invited to a Teddy Bear picnic?!"

Chaz leaned toward Liena with a half-smile. "Do me a favor and make sure your mom doesn't go looking for bears. Again." He whispered.

Liena simply rolled her eyes and gave a knowing nod.

As the Horvitz family prepared their gear Leni kept reorganizing her outfits by mood. By the time noon rolled around most of them would be packed, prepared, and just emotionally disheveled enough to be considered Loud-level ready.

To be continued...