A/N Man, I can't believe I've finally reached this point. After close to 8 months of work, I present the final chapter of Finding A Loud! I thank everyone who's supported me along the way! I hope you enjoy!

R&R!

Chapter Nineteen: Finding A Loud

"Oh how things change…" The lone young boy simply gazes out the passenger-side window of his new family's rental van. He simply watches the sleepy town of Royal Woods pass him by while he feels the soft wind rush through his messy white hair.

For a moment, his mind is filled by the memories he had long-since repressed. Some are of the family that had brought him into the world while others are of the family that had raised him. Though, none truly stand out to him, "Accept the past and let it go." He tells himself, "After all, if you let your past define your future then you'll never be able to change…"

Suddenly, he finds his eyes making their way to the young girls riding along with him. On a typical day they would speak amongst themselves and each other- their conversations so loud that one might think that they were arguing over whom could make the most noise.

And yet, after his departure from the orphanage he had once called his home, he finds his new sisters simply sleeping together- the exhaustion they are so skilled at fighting off finally having caught up them.

A soft smile begins to overtake the young boy. "I'm a Loud now and I wouldn't have it any other way."

One Week later…

"Heh, I still can't believe you guys did all that." Lincoln nonchalantly holds his hands behind his head while he enters his new home.

"What do you mean?" Lynn chuckles, though she can't help, but fight the urge to blush "I thought you had gotten used to, well, everything we do."

The boy shrugs, "I mean yeah, I have." He rubs the back of his head and looks away, embarrassment filling his voice, "I just mean that, yeah, I expected you guys to be killer at laser tag, but I didn't expect you guys to turn the arena into a giant mess!" He then chuckles, "Or get that competitive…"

Luna chuckles, wiping some of Luan's patented pie cream off her favorite guitar as she does so, "That is the last time I bring my guitar into a game of laser tag." It takes her a short moment to finish wiping the milky substance off the instrument, though when she finally does, she speaks with a nonchalant tone as well, "Heh, that's one of the first things you've gotta learn lil' bro, here, everything that can be a game is a game." She glances at her sisters, "And everyone's a player."

"Yeah!" Luan cuts in, raising her finger as she does so, "But don't worry, once you get the hang of it all, everything's gonna be a piece of cake!" She then seems to reach for something held behind her back, only for Rita to grab her arm.

"Now Luan, Lincoln's not used to your pranks yet. Don't cake him ok?" She then lets go of her daughter's hand, before looking at her adoptive son, "Give him some time and only do small pranks, ok?"

The comedian pouts for a moment, before she smiles once more and waves the woman off, "All right fine." She chuckles, "We'll work our way up." She holds her arms out in front of her, "I promise that all of my pranks are harmless." She nudges her adoptive brother; "After all, I'm not a kidder when it comes to this stuff!"

"I guess that mean's I'm gonna need some body armor!" Lincoln gulps in fear, before simply nodding along, "A-all right Luan!"

The young woman playfully hugs him, "Hey, don't worry Linc, I'm not gonna do that to you!" She then pokes his nose, "I'm just here to have a pun time!"

"Well that was a close one." The boy breathes a sigh of relief, before chuckling. As bad as Luan's puns are, he can't help, but find a certain charm to it all. "Just try not to have too much pun. I don't wanna have to call the pambulance!"

After that, the young family starts to laugh, though Lincoln can't tell if it's from the bad puns or from the fun they had just had.

Soon enough, the home begins to fill with the familiar sounds of the young family simply enjoying each other's company, with their newest member standing at the center of it all.

"Heh, I can't believe I've come so far." The boy smiles, "To think… just a few days ago, this place seemed so confusing, and now… I can't help but feel like I belong here…" Lincoln yawns, stretching his arms as he does so.

"Heh, well from the sound of it, someone's tired." Lynn Sr. speaks up, his voice breaking through the chaos caused by his daughters' conversations, "How about you all head to bed? It's getting late ya know."

Immediately, the young women try to argue- after all, it's summer! Who wants to go to sleep early when they don't have to worry about anything?! And yet, despite their best efforts to convince their father, the man does not relent. "Girls, too little sleep isn't healthy. Now go to bed!"

And so, the young girls begrudgingly sigh, before turning and heading upstairs- leaving Lincoln to walk over the couch and grab the blanket resting on top, "It's not like the orphanage bed, but it's better than nothing."

"Goodnight everyone!" Lincoln cheerfully shouts, prompting his sisters to respond along the lines of, "Goodnight Lincoln!" Though they, of course, add their own spins to the phrase.

A few moments after that, Lynn Sr. declares, "Light's out!" Before turning off the lights in the second floor hallway, signaling that it is time for the young girls to return to the slumber that they so take for granted.

"Heh, those girls are awesome." The boy lies down, wrapping his body in the soft blankets as he does so. Thankfully, Leni's ability to create clothing allowed her to also make a beautiful quilt for her younger brother. "And I'm glad to have them."

Soon enough, Rita walks over and takes a seat next to the sleeping boy, "By the way, Lincoln, I'm sorry that we couldn't give you a room yet… our home is just so crowded…"

Lincoln smiles in response, "Don't worry... mom, like I said before, I'll be fine." He can't smiles at the woman, though he still finds it odd to call her mother. "After everything we've been through, I think calling her mom is the least I can do." He continues, "I've had tougher places to sleep before, ya know."

"I know, I know, but someone your age deserves better." She sighs, before standing up and caressing his head, "I'm glad to have you around." She then places a soft kiss on his cheek, "Goodnight, son." Before she turns and walks into her own room. If Lincoln needed to talk to his adoptive parents, he would be able to rush over to their room in an instant.

And with that, a soft hush falls upon the typical chaos that fills the Loud House.

"So much has happened in so little time." The boy takes a moment to think in the uncharacteristic quiet of his new home, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think that this is a dream or something."

"Maybe it is." A familiar voice cuts through his thoughts, "After all, an orphan finding a family like this? Why, they must want something! Why are you-"

"Hey! I thought I shut you up forever back when I saved the Louds from that car crash!" Lincoln quickly thinks in response, forcing his mind's menace back.

"Keep telling yourself that, but you must face facts: I am here and will never leave you."

Slowly, the young boy opens his eyes allowing his gaze to fall upon the small notebook he leaves by his resting place in case he gets a sudden burst of inspiration in the middle of the night, "And what facts are those?"

His heart starts to race once more, "No matter where you go, your past is going to come back to follow you. Why are you choosing to deny where you came from?"

For a moment, the young boy remains silent, his mind abuzz with all the actions he can undertake. And yet, he finds himself pushing his covers off, while sitting up, making sure to take the pad in his hands as he does so.

"Do you not see how futile this foolish endeavor of yours is? You've decided to abandon the orphans whom you swore to protect and your sister- whom you promised never to leave!"

However, rather than simply answer the voice, Lincoln simply smiles and turns on the small lamp that the Louds had given him in case it got too dark in the living room.

"What are you doing?"

With one swift motion, he turns the lamp on, causing its small, simulated flame to illuminate the room- albeit just around the boy- while he makes sure to grab a pencil off the coffee table. "Oh, just a little writing is all. Is that a crime?"

"Why? Do you not see it has no point?"

"Heh." Lincoln chuckles, "Heh, surprising isn't it? You know, a few days ago I would've listened to you. But now, I couldn't care less what you have to say."

His whisper is only met by silence.

"What? Don't have another witty comeback basically telling me that my life is worthless and that no one, but the orphans and the Shermans would be able to love me?" The boy shakes his head, "I shouldn't have expected more."

In the next moment, the young boy puts his pen to the paper and begins to write. Now, of course, he can't see his text that well; though he doesn't mind. "Heh, and since you're here, why don't you show yourself? I mean, you've been pestering me, changing your voice every now and then." He then shoves the pen in his book and hops to his feet, "Why don't you finally give me a face to argue with."

"Very well." The voice responds, before the nearby shadows begin to rise, overtaking the living room in darkness for a moment, before dissipating, leaving a familiar figure in their wake- a young, white-haired boy wearing a set of blue jeans and an orange polo.

"So, what do you have to say for yourself?" Lincoln snickers.

"I say, why do you delude yourself?" the boy shakes his head in disappointment, "Everything you've done, everything you've worked for and you've just thrown it away! I don't get it! Why have you decided to live with people whom will never love you like their own flesh and blood?!"

"Oh really now?" The young boy does his best to hold off a laugh, before raising his notebook again.

"What are you-"

"Simple." Lincoln cuts him off, "You're me, that means you can see and feel everything I do." With a few strokes of the pen he begins to write. Suddenly, the world begins to melt- while the young boy simply paints a picture of something that had happened only a few days prior.

"So, uhh… where are we goin' Lori?" Lincoln looks at his adoptive older sister with concern filling his eyes."

Lori does her best to control Vanzilla; after the car crash Lynn Sr. had the old thing repaired to its former 'glory'… and then when he wasn't looking Lana and Lisa took the time to perform some 'minor' upgrades on it- no doubt guaranteeing that there would be a better chance of survival in case the incident repeats itself, "We're heading to the mall Linc." She turns and smiles at the boy, "You know, to get you stuff."

The boy tilts his head in confusion, "But… I don't have a room."

"That doesn't matter right now." She turns back to the road and chuckles, "Mom and dad are working on place for you to sleep, but in the meantime, since you'll be living with us, we need to get you stuff to preoccupy your free time."

"But, I write in my free time, you know." The young Loud raises an eyebrow in interest.

"True, but remember, no one can write forever. You need to take a break every now and then or else you risk author burnout. And I doubt you'd ever wanna have that problem, right?"

For a moment, Lincoln hesitates his answer. Yeah, he had heard about some of the best of the best suffering from burnout, but… he had never felt stressed out while writing nor felt like he had ever lacked the inspiration to write. "But… I don't have the orphans to preoccupy myself anymore… it might be better if I do take a break or something…" And so, with a sigh, he nods, "All right sis, all right."

"Great." Lori chuckles, before pulling into the mall parking lot and stopping the newly-repaired van in its place, "Let's go."

And soon enough, the duo walks into the massive mall, causing Lincoln's eyes to go wide in surprise, "Wow!"

"You like?" Lori chuckles, "My sisters and I love to come here on the weekends." She runs her hand through the young boy's soft, white hair, "But, since I don't wanna deal with the chaos they bring along with them, I've decided to come here early." She then squats down to his height, "Well that, and that this trip is all for you."

"Heh, awesome." Lincoln smiles, "Thanks Lori."

"Haha." Lori laughs, before standing up straight and grabbing onto his hand, "No problem. Have you ever been here before?"

"Yeah, Luna and Leni took me here a few weeks ago…." Lincoln begins to rub the back of his head with his free hand, "And Mr. Sherman would take us here for Christmas… he wouldn't be able to get us much, but he was able to save enough money in the budget to give us a fifteen dollar spending limit on what we wanted."

"That was nice of him." The young woman answers, "Maybe one day you can give enough my to the orphanage so that you can give them a sixteen dollar spending limit."

"If my writing ever gets famous." The boy chuckles, "So, where do you wanna go?"

"First, the comic book store." She quickly answers, before pulling the boy over to small storefront. Inside is a small, brick-walled space with rows upon rows of shelves displaying comics of all kinds, though Lori already knows what she has come for.

"Wow!" Lincoln looks on in amazement, "This place looks amazing!"

The young woman shrugs, "I guess so, I don't come here that often so I wouldn't know."

"Hey Lori!" One of the works walks over, "How are you today?"

Lincoln promptly gives his adoptive older sister a prodding look.

Lori's face goes red in embarrassment, "Oh… all right." She rubs the back of her head, "I'm a regular customer here." She playfully noggies him, "But don't tell anyone twerp." She then turns to face the worker, "Do you have an Ace Savvy issue one here?"

The young man rubs his chin for a moment, before walking over to nearby shelf and grabbing one of the books off it, "Yep, you're in luck today."

"Awesome." The young woman takes it in her hands, before handing it over to her adoptive brother, "Check this out."

"Uhh… what's this?" he quickly skims through it. From what he can see, it follows the story of a strange, card-based crime fighter as he tries to protect the city of Cardsville from the forces of evil.

"So, I asked around the nerds I know and they told me that this comic is perfect for people your age." She squats down to his height and looks into his eyes, "Why don't you give it a read? Let's see if you like it."

The young boy takes the moment to feel the book between his fingers. The pages feel strange- and yet, they feel so strong that he doesn't think he would be able to rip it apart if he so wanted. With the speed of a perpetual reader, he goes through the book from front to back, while his eyes begin to go wide in surprise. "Wow."

"Heh, like it?" Lori chuckles.

"I love it." Lincoln responds."

The young woman then smiles at the boy, before standing up straight, "I'm gonna need the whole series!"

"Y-you mean it?" The young boy's eyes begin to go wide in shock, before he looks down at the comic in his hands, "I mean, you don't-"

Yet, Lori simply raises her hand, motioning for him to stop, "Don't worry about it bro." She then wraps her arm around him; "I want you to be happy, even if we can't always be there for you."

Lincoln smiles, "Thanks." Before wrapping his arms around her as well, pulling her into a soft hug.

"And that's how I got into Ace Savvy." He chuckles, before glancing at the small comic he had left on the table. Thankfully, due to having such a large family now, he had been unable to complete the whole series, meaning he had plenty left to go through!

His look-a-like stares for a moment, "Yeah, that was one time. Yes, they may give you stuff to help you kill time, but they will take from you, force you to give up your time and energy for various purposes that you don't even care about!"

Yet, undeterred, Lincoln simply smiles, "Because that's what families do." He then begins to write once more, creating a new scene for them to see.

"Hey Lincoln! Can you come up here for a second?!" Leni calls out.

"I wonder what's goin' on." Lincoln drops his pen and paper, before hopping to his feet, "Coming!" He then reels back, before pushing forward, allowing him to rush up the stairs at a near-breakneck pace. Within second he is standing in front of Leni and Lori's room, eagerly waiting for his older sister to answer.

"Oh good!" She greets, before grabbing his arm and pulling him into the room, slamming the door behind her as she does so, "I like, totes need you for something!"

"Uhh… what?" Lincoln lands in his sister's room, before hopping to his feet and dusting himself off.

Leni then turns and shows off a line of dresses, "I've been working on some designs and I really need you to try them on, if you don't mind."

For a moment, the young boy considers the idea… before promptly shaking his head and pinching the bridge of his nose, "Leni… I'm sorry, but I can't."

"Aww, why not?" Leni pouts, before looking in the young boy's eyes.

Lincoln responds by looking away and rubbing the back of his head, "I know I'm the only one who can properly fit into your clothes, but I… well I don't like dresses…"

For a moment, the young woman pouts, before looking into the young boy's eyes with a begging gaze, "Please Lincy? Please, I really need you to do this, this is, like, really important to me!"

Lincoln begins to mentally kick himself, "I could never say no to those eyes." He takes a deep breath, "Fine, I'll try them on."

"Yay!" Leni cheers, before grabbing his arm and pulling him over to nearby changing barrier and beginning to use Lincoln as a model for them all.

"See!" The voice declares, a successful cheer filling its tone, "She took from you and didn't bother repaying!"

Lincoln snickers in response, "Oh really? Let me finish the story." And with that, he continues writing.

"Thanks for the help Lincoln!" Leni hugs the young boy- whom had changed back into the clothes she had given him all those days ago.

"Heh, no problem sis." He rubs the back of his head, "But, if you don't mind, mind holding off on the dresses a bit? I really don't like them that much."

Leni waves him off, "Like, I totes understand." She then turns, "Anyways, since you've been such a helpful model, I've got something for you!"

The young boy raises an eyebrow in curiosity, before the young girl pulls out a small set of clothes, "Since it's, like, not awesome to keep wearing the same thing every day, I've gotten some other clothes for you wear!"

Lincoln takes the pile in his hands, and simply smiles, "Thanks Leni, you're the best!"

Leni responds by hugging him, "Thanks Lincy!"

The voice narrows his eyes at Lincoln, before turning around and waving him off, "Whatever! They don't really care!"

"You don't seem to understand, do you?" Lincoln shakes his head in disappointment, "These girls, this family has done more for me in a single week then you have my whole life."

"No they haven't! Lori has given you something to distract yourself! You, you haven't had a true creative boom since you've gotten here, since you left them behind to live with this false family!"

Lincoln furrows his eyebrows, "Oh haven't I?" He then moves pen to paper once more, continuing his onslaught as he does so.

"Dangit..." Lincoln takes a deep breath, "I have absolutely no idea of what to write!" He taps his chin, trying desperately to come up with something to write. For the next moment, he hesitates, before looking back at the paper he is supposed to be writing his latest story on… only to find it completely devoid of writing.

He sighs in defeat, before slamming his head against the paper. "Dangit…"

"Hey Lincoln." A familiar voice suddenly goes, though Lincoln doesn't jump up in surprise. Rather, he simply raises his head to meet the source, "Hey Lucy, what's up?"

Lucy holds her small notebook close to her chest for a moment, before looking away from him, "I… well…"

Lincoln raises an eyebrow in curiosity, "Yeah?"

"Well…" she then turns back to face him, though she continues to look at the floor, "I was wondering…" She then pushes the book forward, allowing Lincoln to take it in his hands, "If you could look over my work for me… I'm having problems trying to get a grip on everything and well…"

Yet, wordlessly, the young boy places a soft finger over her mouth, prompting her to silence herself. "Don't worry, I'll help you out." He then begins to flip through the pages, "Hey, maybe it'll help me get out of my creative rut too."

"Ok…" Lucy comes over and sits down at the boy's side, "it's on the last page."

"All right." Lincoln quickly flips through, allowing his gaze to fall upon the poem. He looks it over for a moment, before reading aloud, "My heart aches. What pain I feel when I remember I love thee / though, you do not think the same of me. / And yet, if the sky fell down to take you away / I would fight to have my say."

For a moment, the young boy reads the poem again, seemingly trying to come up with a simple answer to it all, "I forgot that Lucy had a crush on me…" He sighs, before turning and placing a soft hand on the young girl's shoulders, "Lucy…"

The young Goth takes the notepad from him, "I'm sorry…"

And yet, rather than rebuke her, as she had believed he would do, the young boy turns her to face him, "Lucy, listen."

The young girl looks up at him in surprise, though she doesn't speak.

Lincoln takes a deep breath, "Lucy I do love you, but as a sibling." He looks into her eyes, "I would do more, but right now I'm ad-libing." He then chuckles, before pushing the young girl's chin up, allowing her to look into his own eyes, "But don't worry. Like I told Lynn, if you feel this way in a few years…" He rubs the back of his head, "Then I'll be all ears."

Lucy's eyes begin to go wide in surprise, "Y-you mean it?"

The boy nods and hugs his little sister, "Yeah." He then ribs his chin, "Now that I think of it, I think I know what to write!"

"What?" The Gothic girl tilts her head in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"You caught me when I was having a severe case of writer's block." The young boy begins to write, "And I can't thank you enough for helping me get through it."

She begins to smile, while blushing, "No problem… Lincoln." And with that, she disappears once more, allowing her adoptive brother to return to the hobby he holds so dear.

"These girls are giving me more than I'll ever be able to repay." Lincoln grabs the form the voice had taken, forcing him to face him once more.

"Grr." The voice growls, before forcing Lincoln's hands off him, "Whatever! Their love is all fake! It'll fade as soon as they get bored of having you around! Then they'll drag you back to the orphanage!"

Lincoln can't help, but chuckle at the notion, "Oh really?" He throws his head back in laughter, "Haha! Maybe telling you about Lynn might help!" He then raises his pen again, and begins to show off the next memory.

"Haha!" Lynn laughs, while she chases Lincoln around the park, trying desperately to get the ball back from him. "Get back here!"

"I'm winning right now Lynn!" The white-haired boy cheerfully declares, before looking back at her. Despite what the other girls had said about Lynn, she is pretty calm, cool and collected while they play their game. "You gotta catch me!"

The young woman steels herself, before forcing her body to catch up to the boy, "You've got it!" And with that, she jumps up to pounce on the boy… causing them both to roll on the grass for a moment.

When they finally come to a stop, Lincoln ends up on top of Lynn, with the ball rolling off to the side.

"Heh… this is awkward, isn't it?" The young boy jokingly asks.

Lynn's face begins to go red, before she looks away from the boy, "Y-yeah…"

With a soft push, he forces himself to his feet, before offering his hand to the young woman, helping her up as well.

"I'm gonna have to get used to this." Lincoln shakes his head, "Hey Lynn, you ok?"

For a moment, the young woman hesitates her answer- after all, despite it all; she still has feelings for the young boy that is now her adoptive brother, "Yeah… I think I'm gonna be fine."

"No, she needs me to make sure that she is." Lincoln doesn't hesitate to place a soft hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry Lynn."

"What?" The young woman turns to him with a begging gaze. "I'm not worried about anything!

Without warning, the young boy warps his arms around her, "I know it's going to be hard, and I know that it's awkward having feelings for a boy who you're supposed to see as your new brother, but we'll get through this together, ok?"

For a moment, Lynn simply looks on in surprise, before returning the affection, "All right… thanks Lincoln."

"No problem, sis." Lincoln doesn't hesitate to answer, while he thinks, "Yeah, adjusting to my new life as a Loud is going to be hard, but I'm just glad to have someone like Lynn as my new sister."

And with that, they break the embrace, before turning and running after the ball, continuing the game.

"Love like theirs doesn't break." He looks into the voice's eyes- his own eyes and sees pain. He sees what seems to be year's worth of suffering and anxiety, and yet, he himself feels no remorse, "And I know that no matter what happens, everything is going to be all right."

"You lie!" It frantically steps back, loosing ground against the young boy.

"I listened to you for far too long." He stares straight into the voice's soul, his own soul, and shakes his head, "And yeah, before you argue that not everything is going to be sugar and spice…" He places his fist over his heart, "I know!"

"L-Luan! She's part of the fact! Why do you accept the fact that she's going to make your life miserable by constantly pranking and telling you bad puns?!"

Lincoln simply smiles, "Because, I know that she means no harm by it all." He then grabs the pencil again, "Now how about I tell you about this one."

All the voice can do is grimace, while Lincoln begins to recreate the scene once more."

"Heh, hey Lincoln, where ya goin'?" Luan asks while he heads up the stairs, "You don't have to Banana Split on me!" She throws her head back in laughter, while making sure to throw a few banana peels around.

"Heh, nice pun, Luan." Lincoln chuckles, "I'm just heading to the bathroom." He looks back at her, "No biggie."

Luan can barely contain herself as the young boy opens the door, causing a bucket of water to fall on his head, "Dangit."

The young woman rushes up the stairs to laugh at the now-soaked boy. "Haha! I got you Lincoln!"

"Yeah, yeah, I give you that, you did." He chuckles, only for a bucket to fall on the comedian's head as well. He begins to rub his chin, "Unless I, perhaps saw you plant that and planned accordingly."

"You're good." She chuckles, while walking over to the boy, making sure to keep the bucket on top of her head, making sure to seem as goofy as possible.

Lincoln shrugs, "What can I say? I had to make sure that an entire army of kids behaved! Finding pranks like that is second nature to me!"

"I guess that means I just have to step up my game!" Luan jokes, before trying to hug the boy… only for the buckets on their heads to smash into each other, causing the duo to stand by for a moment, while the ringing in their ears dies down, "Well I guess we're all wet and shaken up now!"

Now, despite what most of their siblings would do when she made as bad a pun as those, the white-haired boy simply starts to laugh, "Heh good one Luan!"

"Heh you're the best brother ever." The comedian throws the bucket at off, with Lincoln doing the same soon after. And with that, they hug as well.

"You- what? No! That doesn't make sense." The voice stumbles back in disbelief.

"Yeah, it does." Lincoln then steps forward, writing the next scene as he does so, "I help them and they help me. That's what a relationship is and I will never betray that." He then starts to write again, "After all, these girls are as talented as I am and need all the help I can give them too!"

"Hello new older sibling." Lisa approaches Lincoln, the young boy simply writing on the couch just as he had done several times since the Louds adopted him.

"Hey Lisa." Lincoln breaks his focus, turning to the soon-to-be four-year-old as he does so, "What's up?"

"I have a new ex-" *Yawn* She goes, before turning a breath and finishing, "Experiment I want to finish and I was hoping that you would be able to accompany me in finishing it."

Lincoln shivers, his adoptive sisters' warnings about Lisa's experiments ringing through his mind as he does so. Without hesitation, he shakes his head, "As much as I'd love to Lisa, I'll have to pass."

For a moment, the young scientist remains silent, before sighing in defeat and turning, heading upstairs immediately after.

"Strange… I wonder why she seemed so tired…" He returns to his work, "A three-year-old should be-"

"Ow!" a cry resonates through the home.

Immediately, Lincoln rushes to his feet and heads up to the source: Lisa's room. And when he finally arrives, he finds Lisa, holding up her cut thumb, soft tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Lisa! What happened?!" Lincoln quickly rushes to her side and grabs her thumb.

"I-I…." She looks at her workbench, her now blood-covered tools coming into view, "I was working on cutting some samples and I hurt myself!"

"No matter how smart she thinks she is, she's still a toddler at heart." Lincoln takes a deep breath, "Lisa, you have to be careful with your lab equipment." He takes a glance round the room, allowing his gaze to fall upon a small first-aid kit hanging on the wall, "Now let's get some help for you."

Through her pained tears, Lisa simply nods, "Ok…" before the boy guides her over to her bed and makes her take a seat.

Without hesitation, he grabs the kit and drops it on the pad, before opening it up, revealing a seemingly random set up of medical equipment, "Heh, it's been so long since I've seen one of these full." He can't help, but smile, before pulling out a small spray bottle, "Ok Lisa, show me your thumb."

The young girl slowly complies.

"This'll hurt a bit." He takes hold of her hand and sprays, causing her to wince for a moment, before the boy covers her wound with a Band-Aid decorated with a strange sponge and starfish. "There, that better?" He speaks with a soothing tone.

Lisa nods, "T-thank you, Lincoln."

"No problem." He packs up the kit, before taking a seat next to her, "Lisa, you have to be careful."

"I am…" She tries to argue, though Lincoln simply shakes his head.

"Lisa, you're still young." He continues, before taking hold of her uninjured hand and prodding her to open it, which she does, "Your hands aren't developed well enough yet."

"But… I have to do science!" She fights back, "The world needs me!"

"It does, huh?" Lincoln chuckles, before hopping to his feet and walking over to the desk; without hesitation he goes into the desk and pulls out a set of safety sisters, and before the young girl knows it, he replaces the safety razor with the scalpel blade, "There ya go! One safety scalpel."

Slowly, Lisa hops to her feet and takes the tool in her hand, "Thank you, Lincoln."

"No problem." He then swoops her off her feet, "Now then, lets go do something else for once."

"W-what?!" Lisa's eyes go wide in shock.

"You've been doing science for too long, you need to take a break." He then turns and begins to carry her out the door.

"But Lincoln!" She tries to argue, though she is powerless to stop the boy from taking her away.

And within a few minutes, the duo is at the park, the young girl still held firmly in the boy's arms.

"I still do not see why I needed to come here!" She protests.

Lincoln simply smiles, before bringing her over to one of the toddler swings and dropping her in it, "Simple really." He grabs a hold of the device, "You need to loosen up." Then, he pulls her back.

"Wait, what?!" She goes in confusion, before Lincoln pushes her forward. Now, Lisa of course, hates acting her age- after all, why would a three-year-old genius enjoy being at an age that doesn't allow them that much freedom?! And yet, at the moment she can feel her heart race, not from fear, but excitement.

"How do you like that?!" The white-haired boy jokingly asks, though he already knows what the toddler would answer.

Lisa responds by doing something she typically fought off: she smiles, before shouting, "Higher! Higher!"

"Music to my ears." He chuckles, before catching her and pushing her higher.

"But! There have been bad times!" The voice falls back against the living room window, while Lincoln slowly approaches it. It is as trapped as a mouse in a maze, and Lincoln knows it.

"So what?" The boy chuckles, "Yeah, there are bad times, but there are always good and bad times." He chuckles, "Bad times make the good times all the more meaningful, and the good times make the bad times worth getting through."

"No they don't! No one wants to suffer! You're just pro-"

"Shut it, I've got more stories to remember." Lincoln smiles, before tapping his chin, allowing the next memory to come into view.

"Lincoln!" A shrill voice echoes through the small home, "Where are you?!"

"I'm in the kitchen!" Lincoln turns to answer, before turning back to continue the task at hand- opening a jar of peanut butter, "Now, I just have to make sure I don't set anything on fire and I will be finally able to get the sandwich I want!"

"I need you!" Lola storms into the kitchen, her arms held firmly at her sides, while she raises her head to the boy, doing her best to seem as threatening as possible.

The boy glances at his little sister, "She's preparing to throw a temper tantrum. I'm surprised that she didn't learn her lesson from the last time she tried that on me."

"No one wants to play with me!" She points at the young boy, "So I want you to play with me!"

"And here I thought she had learned." Lincoln simply shakes his head, before walking over to her, towering over the young girl, "No."

"But-" Suddenly, Lola reels back. "But…"

"Just because I'm your brother now doesn't mean I'm gonna give in to your every demand." Lincoln points at a nearby wall, "Go to the corner and think about what you've done."

In response, Lola simply complies.

"Well, at least she remembered that."

A Few Minutes Later…

"Well this sucks…" Lola pretends to pour some tea for her stuffed animals, though she can't help, but find their inability to respond quite creepy. "I wish someone would join me…"

"Hey Lola." Lincoln steps into the young girl's shared room.

For a moment, the young girl considers snapping at the boy, though stops herself when she remembers what had happened the last time she tried to snap at him.

The young boy calmly walks over to the table and places his hands on an empty seat, "Is this taken?"

"N-no…" Lola stammers, "Y-you can have it…"

"All right, time for the discipline." He does so, before he looking into the younger girl's eyes, "Lola, you need to get control of your temper." He sighs, "I don't like punishing you, but I do it because you need someone to knock you down a peg."

"Oh…" She looks away in shame, "I'm sorry…"

"Good." Lincoln smiles, before grabbing the teacup, "Now, wanna have a tea party?"

The young girl smiles, "You… you mean it?"

The boy nods, "Yeah, you're my sister now. I don't mind having fun with my family."

Now, of course, Lola loves to hide the affection she has for her family- after all, if it doesn't look like you care, no one can truly exploit you. And yet, in that moment, she finds herself hugging her adoptive brother, "Thanks Lincoln."

Lincoln simply responds by returning the hug, "No problem." Before reeling back and grabbing the teapot, "After you, my dear."

"Why thank you, sir Lincoln!"

And with that, they get to the party.

"These girls are the best things to have happened to me." Lincoln continues, "They've given me so much." He then pokes the copy, forcing it to reel back in pain, "And I don't care what you are or what you're supposed to be, I will stay here!" He then looks at the small Pitbull sleeping at the opposite end of the couch, "And they've given me more reasons to stay.

"L-lies!" The voice finds its back held firmly against the wall. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, it is trapped with the boy whom it had tormented for years.

*Slam!* The front door swings open, with Lana following soon after, "Mom! Dad! Look at what I found!"

Slowly, Lincoln opens his eyes, "What the?"

Quickly, the young girl rushes into her parent's room, though sadly, Lincoln is unable to see what she is trying to show off.

Lincoln's curiosity peaks, allowing him to turn and hop to his feet, walking over to the room behind is resting place.

Inside the room, Lincoln finds Lana holding a small puppy, her eyes wide while she holds him up, "Come on, please?!"

"No Lana, we have three pets already." Lynn Sr. motions towards the frog hiding in her overalls, "And that's not mentioning the pets you take care of on your own!"

Rita then shakes her head as well, "I'm sorry Lana, but we have to give him away-"

"Uhh… hey." Lincoln sticks his head into the room, "What's going on?"

"Nothing sweetie." Rita looks at the young boy with a soft gaze, "We're just trying to explain why we can't take care of another pet."

Instinctually, Lana turns to face the boy; the young pup resting in her hands doing the same.

Now, of course Lincoln isn't immune to the cute gaze that his siblings would give him, and yet, he finds himself drawn to the young dog. It's like he can feel a little piece of himself in the pup. Wordlessly, he walks over to the dog and takes it from the girl, cradling it in his arms for a moment.

"Uhh Lincoln?" Lana tilts her head in confusion.

The pup looks at him in worry for a short moment, before nestling into his arms. "Yeah… you feel it too." Lincoln takes a breath, before looking up at his adoptive parents, "May, I take care of him?"

Lynn Sr. raises an eyebrow in confusion, "Why?"

He looks back at the Pitbull, "It looks scared and lost… just like how I was… I think it needs a home too."

Slowly, Lynn Sr. and Rita look at each other, before simply sighing in defeat.

"All right." The man relents, "We'll let you take care of it."

"What will you name it?" Lana cheerfully asks.

"Charles." Lincoln smiles, "After my first Original Character."

"But-" The voice tries to speak up, though Lincoln doesn't give it the chance.

"You're my past, and I'm ready to let you go." He shakes his head, allowing determination to fill the air. The young boy can feel the soft heat of his home overtake him, while the soft stories and cheers his sisters had given him begin to fill his mind.

Lincoln stands before the shared room of the comedian and the musician, his heart racing and his mind abuzz in anticipation, "Calm down Lincoln, this is gonna be easy. She's your sister now, there's nothing to hide." He then takes a deep breath, before pushing into the room, "Hey Luna."

The young woman looks up from her post, she is playing a familiar tune on her favorite guitar. "Oh hey bro, what's up?"

"Just stay calm." Lincoln takes a deep breath, before hugging the young woman, "Thank you."

"Heh." Luna returns the affection, before she asks, "For what?" Though she makes sure to ask with a joking tone.

"For that talk we had when we first met. Thank you for it all." The young boy answers, soft tears beginning to flow from his eyes, "If it hadn't been for you, then I probably would've never wanted to come back."

Luna smiles, "No problem, it's what I do."

"And thanks for the pudding. I never thanked you for it all." The boy continues a chuckle entering his voice.

"No problem for that either." She answers with a smile, before the boy breaks the hug.

"Anyways… Luna, can you help me write a song?" Lincoln looks away and rubs the back of his head. "I… I don't know how."

"Sure Linc." Luna shrugs, "But if you don't mind me asking, why?"

"Simple really." He sighs, "A Monody is for the past. I wanna move on."

"Wow… he really has gotten passed everything that's happened to him." The young woman finds herself smiling at the idea, "Heh, all right then, I can dig it." She turns to face the small desk she used to focus her thoughts, before grabbing one of the pens, "So where do you wanna start?"

Lincoln takes a seat on Luna's bed, next to the desk, while rubbing his chin in thought, "Hmm… well, how about we start off with active?"

"Oh?" Luna raises an eyebrow in interest, "That's a strange way to put it. Mind explaining bro?"

He leans back and taps his chin with his own pencil, "I want this song to tell a story is all." He then pulls back and focuses his attention on Luna once more, "Remember, you girls are my inspiration and my family. I want something that can describe that all."

"Heh, then I think I know what to do." Luna can't help, but chuckle at her brother's sentiment. "Ready to tell a story?"

The boy nods, "Yeah." And with that, they get to writing.

A Few Minutes Later…

"All right, I think this is ready." Lincoln takes his post at Luna's guitar set, making sure to grab the set of drumsticks as he does so, "What do you think, Luna?"

Luna hops to her feet and readies her guitar in response, "Hmm, I think so too. Wanna play it?"

The boy smiles, "Of course." Before he hits the sticks together and begins to drum the beat. Quickly, his adoptive sister adds her electric guitar to the mix.

"Crashing through the crowded halls, dodging girls like Ping-Pong balls, just to reach the bathroom on time!" The girl sings, a soft joy filling her voice.

Yet, not to leave her to do all the singing, Lincoln adds, "Leaping over laundry piles, diapers you can smell for miles, guy's gotta do what he can, to survive!"

And together they sing, "In the Loud House, in the Loud House! Duct dodge push and shove, it's how we show our love! In the Loud House, in the Loud House! One Boy, ten girls, wouldn't trade it for the world!"

After that, the laugh, before falling back onto the young woman's bed.

"Luna…" Lincoln starts.

"Yeah?" The young woman continues.

"Thanks for being my sisters."

"No problem."

Fear begins to overwhelm the voice, the truth of Lincoln's life slowly dawning upon it. "N-no!"

"Goodbye!" Lincoln declares, before pulling back his arm, "This is for everything you've done! I am never going to listen to you again!"

Though, before he finishes, he can't help, but allow one final memory to play, just to seal the deal.

"Heh goodnight!" Lincoln declares, while he caries the young Lily up to her room. "Heh, I can't believe this is my baby sister now." The young boy carefully places the young girl in her crib, doing his best to fight the tears forming in his eyes as he does so. "Goodnight Lily."

And yet, rather than fall asleep, Lily continues to stare at the boy, seemingly asking for him to do something he had only done with the young orphans he had once lived with.

For a moment, Lincoln remains silent, unsure of just what to do, "Lily, is everything all right?"

The infant crosses her arms and continues to stare, "Poo-poo."

"You want me to tell you a bedtime story?" The boy raises an eyebrow in confusion, "I mean… I can, but… are you sure?" He rubs the back of his head, "I haven't really… you know… written much since you girls have had me busy celebrating my adoption and stuff."

Lily loosens up and nods, "Poo-poo." Before following it up with some more, random baby gibberish.

Lincoln sighs, "Heh, ok, fine, I'll tell you a story." He grabs the nearby stool and takes a seat, "Some things just never change." He can't help, but chuckle at the idea, while noticing that the room's second occupant is shifting in her sheets, no doubt she too wants to be comfortable while Lincoln tells a story, "Heh, the genius toddler wants to hear it too."

He smiles, and simply begins to tell a story about a powerful wizard and the hero that vowed to fight him off. When that story alone proves to not be enough to lull Lily to sleep, he tells another- this one of princess being rescued by the queen herself. Though, this too proves to not be enough as well.

"Heh, she's a picky one." Lincoln can't help, but think, before he takes a deep breath, "Third time's the charm." He begins to speak with a gentle voice, "Once upon a time, there was a young boy, whom thought that his life was as good as it could get. Yeah, he didn't have a true family, but he had his sister and the other orphans." He looks out, into the soft, moonlit night, "But, one day, his sister left him, hoping that he would move on. In his grief, the young boy ran out after her, only for a young woman to find him." His voice begins to fill with hope, "And soon, he and the young woman became great friends. After that, they created their own family, and the young boy was never lost again. The end."

And with that, Lily and Lisa's soft snores begin to fill the room, signaling that the final story had done the trick.

"Heh, I gotta get back to writing soon. It's gonna get harder to put them to sleep!" He can't help, but chuckle before hopping to his feet and making his way out of the room. Though, he can swear he notices the girls rush into their rooms as he does so. "They were watching me, huh?" He smiles, "Hey girls, if you want me to tell you stories too, you can just ask!"

And immediately, the twins rush out of their room and pull him inside- no doubt to take him up on that offer.

And with that, Lincoln sends his fist into his doppelgänger, causing it to disappear in cloud of dust.

As soon as that happens, Lincoln can feel a weight lift off his shoulders. It is as if all the pain and misery he had bottled up over the years had finally released, allowing him to finally move on with his life.

For a moment, he considers making a quip about the scene. Maybe mention how it would make a great scene in one of his stories. And yet, he simply finds himself tucking his writing journal under his arm, before he turns and walks back to the couch. With that he simply lies down upon it and sleeps the night away.

A Few Days Later…

"Come on… come on!" the young boy whispers, pulling himself up to a wooden cabinet as he does so, "I need to get to it…" Slowly, he is able reach out and grab onto one of the cabinet shelves. "Jackpot!" A soft smile forms on his face, while he pulls himself to eye-level with the shelf, allowing him to gaze upon its contents, "Found you!" And then, with a single movement, he grabs the jar of jelly, and jumps down to the floor, just as he had done countless times before.

"You know Lincoln," Lori steps into the kitchen, having noticed her foster brother's feat just as he was finishing it up, "you could've just asked one of us to grab it for you."

"Yeah," he puts on a nostalgic smile and awkwardly rubs the back of his head, "I know… but some habits are just hard to break, you know."

"Of course." The young woman runs her hand through the young boy's pure, white hair- his soft locks glimmer in the morning sun, "But next time, just ask us to get you some, we don't want you getting hurt, ok?"

Lincoln sighs, as much as he wanted to argue that he had done that so many times that there is no risk, he knows that his family means well, "Ok, ok." He holds his hands up defensively, "I'll stop it."

"Good." The young woman smiles, before turning and motioning for him to follow her, "Now, come on, there's something I wanna show you."

The young boy raises an eyebrow in curiosity, "Oh? What is it?"

And yet, much to his dismay, she simply shakes her head, "I'm not gonna tell you." She squats down to his height, "You're just gonna have to come with and find out."

"Heh, of course." Lincoln sighs, before chuckling, "Well then I hope this is a great surprise!"

"Awesome." Lori then grabs his hand and leads him over to the backdoor, "Ready for it?"

Suddenly, Lincoln finds his heart starting to race. If the surprise is in the backyard, which can only mean that it is too big to have in the house! "I sure hope Lisa didn't accidentally start the zombie apocalypse!" Though, he is still able to nod, prompting Lori to push open the door and pull him into the backyard, revealing his entire family as well as a table filled with food.

"Surprise!" They shout in unison.

"Wow!" Lincoln takes a moment to look around. There are streamers and balloons littering the soft grass and hanging from the back patio. Above the door rests a sign that reads, "Happy Birthday Lincoln!" The boy speaks with disbelief in his voice, "What is all this?!"

"A surprise party dummy!" Luan jumps in front of the boy, a soft smile on her face.

"I…I don't know what to say!" The young boy responds. "I… I've never had a surprise party before!"

Luna steps in, strumming the song that he and her brother had made, "When we heard what had happened on your birthday, well, we wanted to make it better."

"And since we already missed the actual date…" Lynn rubs the back of her head, before motioning to the event around her, "We all pitched in to make you a party! You know, so that you'd be able to turn your sad memory into a happy one!"

"Heh, my birthday is already a happy memory." Lincoln smiles.

"I even invited that boy you told us about." Lucy nonchalantly adds, before motioning towards the door.

"Hey!" A voice calls out, prompting the young boy to turn to the source. Clyde now stood at the backyard entrance with his fathers at his side.

"You're the boy that robbed us!" Harold shouts, before Howard pulls out his phone, "I have to call-"

"No!" Clyde frantically shouts, "He just did that because he needed to help the orphans!"

"It doesn't look like he's an orphan!" Harold continues.

"That's because we adopted him a few days ago." Lynn Sr. motions for the two men to calm down, "I apologize for any actions that my adoptive son has done." He looks into Harold's eyes, "And I promise, I will reimburse you for…" He turns to his foster child, "Uhh… what did you take from them?"

Lincoln rubs the back of his head, "Some food and stuff… and five dollars from Clyde."

"I see." The man then shoves his hand in his pocket and pulls out a small wallet, "Would a hundred dollars pay for it all?"

Howard stares at the young boy, whom is now rubbing his arm in embarrassment, "I'll accept it, only if he tells us why he did it."

"You know… I've always hated this part of coming clean." Lincoln sighs, "Well… before the Louds came and adopted me, the orphanage was struggling to move along… so in order to supplement our meager food supplies I would…" he rubs his head and looks away, "Go into people's homes and grab some of their food…"

"Well that explains where all the pudding went." Lynn Sr. fights the urge to crack a smile.

Lincoln looks into the men's eyes, "I'm sorry if I hurt and scared you, but please, I did it to help the other orphans. Can you ever forgive me?"

Harold turns to his own adoptive son, "Clyde, do you forgive him?"

The dark-skinned boy nods, "Yeah, I do." He walks over and offers his hand to the boy, "Friends?"

The white-haired boy nods, "Friends."

Howard and Harold turn to each other and nod, before Howard continues, "Then I suppose we can accept payment."

"Thank you." Rita cuts in, "And we promise that he'll never do this again." The woman looks at her son, "Right?"

Lincoln nods, "Right."

"Aww, this is great!" Lori runs over, a plate of snacks in hand, "You've made a friend!"

As soon as Clyde's eyes fall upon Lori, he begins to nosebleed, before shouting, "Error, error, red alert, robot shutting down!" before he falls back.

"Clyde!" His fathers shout in unison, grabbing their son as they do so. "We have to take him to the hospital!" And before anyone knows it, they're out the door with the boy.

"Huh… I wonder what that was about…" Lincoln raises an eyebrow in confusion.

"Haha!" A familiar voice responds, "I did not see that coming!"

The boy's eyes go wide, before he turns and runs at the source. "Hey sis!" He throws his arms around her, the young girl doing the same. "I was wondering when you'd show up!"

"Heh, and here I thought I could go one party without you expecting me to come along and add things." Liberty chuckles in response.

"Well hey, it is our birthday party! We gotta enjoy it!" Lincoln responds, and the duo laughs in unison. He turns to his adoptive family, "Thanks you guys, you're the best!"

"We know." Lynn crosses her arms with a soft smile, "We wanted to make sure this would be the best birthday party we could give you ya know!"

"Present time! Lola shouts, cutting Lincoln's response off, before both she and Lana rush over, a small package in hand.

"I wonder what they got me…" The boy takes the box in his hands, "Thanks you guys, I don't deserve it."

"Yes you do." Lucy smiles at him, "You're our brother, and we want you to be comfortable here."

"Now open it!" Lori commands, "We all pitched in to get you it!"

The boy smiles, "All right." before he tears at the wrapping, and once his eyes fall upon what is hidden inside, he smiles, "You guys didn't?!" He tears through, revealing a small tablet with an accompanying stylus.

"We know how much you love to write, so we got you a tablet so you can save some space you'd use with notebooks." Lori smiles and rubs his head.

"I don't know what to say." Lincoln smiles and looks at his adoptive family, "Thanks you guys."

"That reminds me, where do you sleep, bro?" Liberty nudges his brother's arm, "I'm sure that it's definitely more comfortable than our room at the orphanage!"

In response, Lincoln rubs the back of his head, "Well, actually, I sleep on the couch since-" The boy tries to answer, only for Leni to rush out the backdoor shouting, "I finished Lincoln's room!"

"What?!" His eyes go wide in shock.

"Yeah! I finally converted the linen closet into a small bedroom!" Leni continues, clearly out of breath from all the work she had put in to finish it in time.

And as soon as she finishes saying that, the entire family rushes upstairs to see the room.

They stand in front of the closed door for a moment, all of them eager to see the young woman's handiwork.

"So, we know it's not as big as what you're used to…" Rita rubs the back of her head, "But, it's the best we can do, given our… limited space." and so, she opens up the room, revealing a small bed and dresser crammed into it all, while there is a small, rounded window allowing light to filter through.

Without hesitation, Lincoln smiles, "I love it!" He steps in and gazes around, "My own room… my own space in the Loud house…" He can't help but look around in awe. Yes, it's quite bland, but given how it is new and is his own space, he lets it go, choosing instead to shout, "Thank you!"

And the Louds simply respond in unison.

"Ahh, there you are!" Lisa steps out of her room, "Come in you two, I have something important to show you!"

Liberty and Lincoln look at each other for a moment, before simply shrugging and entering the room.

The young girl walks over to her workbench and motions towards two laptops that rest on it, "My gift to you two are these: a twin set of laptops so you two can keep in touch any time of the day."

"Wow, I… I don't know what to say…" Lincoln's voice trails off, before he simply leans over and hugs the young girl, "Thanks Lisa."

Liberty follows up by wrapping an arm around her and playfully noogying her head, "Thanks for the laptop… and thanks for taking care of my brother."

"It literally is no problem." Lori cuts in with a smile.

"So what's next?" Lincoln breaks the hug and turns to face his family. A soft air begins to overtake them all.

The sisters look at each other, before Lucy declares, "Now is time for cake."

"Awesome!" Lincoln cheers, before Lily brings over a chocolate bar, "Huh? Chocolate?" He drops the box and inspects the bar, "How's this gonna…" He looks up at the sisters, their soft, caring gazes turning to those of starved carnivores, "Oh… you girls love chocolate huh?" determination begins to fill his body.

The girls prepare to pounce on the boy.

"Well then." He rushes passed them, "You're gonna have to come get it!" He quickly banks left and slides down the railing, before back flipping to the front door, "And he makes the jump!"

The girls quickly give chase to the boy, yet, it's of no use, he rushes outside and quickly opens up the wrapper. "All right, here goes!" In full view of the sisters, he scarfs down the bar of sweet chocolate, allowing it's tangy taste to fill his mouth, "Delicious!"

For a moment, the girls look on in shock.

"That… that was the first chocolate bar we didn't get to eat!" Lana flares her arms for emphasis. "How can this be?!"

"Poo-poo!" Lily flails her arms in shock, followed by the girls simply remaining silent, unsure of just how to react to the revelation that their adoptive brother would be able to stand up to their chocoholic tendencies.

Luna, however, is the first to break from the shock, and responds by walking over and patting Lincoln on the back, "Nice job bro! You may not be our brother by mother, but if you're able to get rid of chocolate that quickly, and get a taste of it, then you're definitely a Loud!"

"Heh, thanks Luna!" Lincoln smiles at her, before turning to them all, "Thanks for everything you guys."

After that, they eat the cake, before they go on with their day. The family plays and simply has fun, and when they've had their due; they simply sit around telling stories of the lives that they had enjoyed and their dreams for the future. And when it's all over, Lynn Sr rushes into the home and brings out an old camera.

"All right! Get in everyone!" The man takes the next moment to aim the device. Yes, he knows it's outdated, but sometimes you just can't beat the classics. And so, with the setting sun behind them, the twins up in front and the Louds surrounding them all, they take a single photo to commemorate the day.

Lincoln smiles, "Awesome." he turns to face the setting sun. Hope begins to fill his body, while determination follows suit. Soft words begin to resound, while he turns to his twin. No doubt she can feel the same thing "You'll know when you've found your way."

"You ready, bro?" Liberty asks, smiling at him, "You know, for the future?"

The boy simply smiles, knowing that no words are needed to answer that question.

With that, all eleven of his sisters surround and throw their arms around him, pulling the boy into a massive, claustrophobic hug. Lincoln, of course, does his best to return the favor, though finds himself too constricted… not that he minds of course. And for a moment, he simply lets their warmth overtake him, allowing his mind to wander once more.

"To think, I was lost and I didn't even realize it. But these girls found me and gave me everything they could. They gave me a home and a family I can call my own. I'm their brother and they're my sisters. I am a Loud, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Faded pictures bleached by sun. The tale's told, the summer's done. In memories, the twins still play, on a sunny, summer's day." ~Gravity Falls.

9-'13 19-21-18-16-18-9-19-5-4 14-15 15-14-5 19-8-9-16-16-5-4 12-9-14-3-15-12-14 1-14-4 12-9-2-5-18-20-25

"19-20-15-18-25 9-19 20-8-5 19-15-14-7 12-9-14-5 15-6 1 16-5-18-19-15-14-'19 12-9-6-5. 23-5 14-5-5-4 20-15 19-9-14-7 9-20 1-14-4 23-5 14-5-5-4 19-15-13-5-15-14-5 20-15 8-5-1-18 20-8-5 19-9-14-7-9-14-7. 19-20-15-18-25 20-15-12-4. 19-20-15-18-25 8-5-1-18-4. 19-20-15-18-25 23-18-9-20-20-5-14. 19-20-15-18-25 18-5-1-4 3-18-5-1-20-5-19 20-8-5 23-5-2 15-6 12-9-6-5 9-14 23-15-18-4-19." ~3-18-9-19-20-9-14-1 2-1-12-4-23-9-14

A/N And with that, Finding A Loud is complete! I hope you guys enjoyed everything I did and all the effort I put into completing this story! I really had fun writing this!

Music used: "The Loud House Theme Song" By Chris Savino

Guest Replies (C18):

Just A Reader: While I love the ideas, some things are just too broad to end a story neatly on.

JA32: Thanks! I did my best!

I thank my Beta-Readers/Editors as well as my support network: Wolvenstrom, Sunblast-X and Insane Master Writer Studio. Without you guys, I definitely wouldn't have been able to get as far as I have with this story!"

I thank everyone who has followed, faved and reviewed this story and continued to give their support, you guys are one of the reasons why I kept going, even when school and life was getting in the way! Thanks for taking the time out of your days to encourage me!

Lastly, I thank everyone who's read my work. As I have said, I live by a motto: "No pain, no regret, no remorse and no shame." Which, in layman's terms means: Do your best no matter what. And I can safely say, I did my best! Thank you all!

Anyways, with all that said, time for some trivia!

1) This story was inspired by Anon-Sama's "A Loud To Stay" which got me interested in the concept.

2) The original idea for this story had Lincoln meet Liberty after the latter transferred to his school. Ronnie Anne would've bullied Liberty thinking she were Lincoln in disguise only to apologize after realizing the truth… and then a biology class would've kicked off the main plot of finding their birth parents.

3) The working title for this story was "Meeting A Loud." However, once I settled on "Finding A Loud" I gave the working title to zachor16. Also, Finding A Loud is a pun on a movie title: Finding A Family. I wonder who noticed that.

4) Originally, the story wasn't going to talk about Lincoln's talent, as it isn't mentioned in-series, however, once Sunblast X suggested it, well I just rolled with it all.

5) Interestingly enough, when it came to each chapter, Lincoln's flashbacks were the absolute last thing I added. I found each to be necessary to build the auxiliary characters, but not enough to put them into the into the original drafts

Anyways, unlike S&T, I won't post stats and numbers, since those things change over time... Though I will say at the time of posting this chapter, this story has had 40k views and 270 reviews. Thank you all for this chance!

I thank everyone who helped me and has given this chance to get this far! You're the best and I wish you the same!

And with this, my name is Omega Ultra and I take my leave. Until next time!