A/N: I have realised that with the 'recombining' of certain chapters that those who had previously left reviews for Chapters 3 and 4 would not have been able to make new ones for either half of Lynn's chapter.

Since I already have these 1400 words or so ready of Lynn's aftermath, I see no harm in uploading it so that those who wish to review the previous chapter may do so outside of a PM. From this point forwards any smaller instalments will be left as is until a week after the final chapter is posted, which is when all the chapters shall be combined into their final form.

With that out of the way; please enjoy this first part of Dinner and Discussion.

"Is he coming?" Lori asked the smaller girl.

"I don't know," Lucy replied in her deadpan voice. "His vent was covered with something, so I called out to let him know dinner was ready but he didn't reply."

The family -sans parents and boy twerp- were gathered around the dinner table. At the other end of the table Leni was currently trying to get the twins to agree to an equal share of pizza. Lisa surreptitiously snuck another slice with some stretchy arm contraption, only for Lilly's little arms to sneak forward when the device's arm retracted and she pinched some toppings for herself.

Whatever, the rest of the older girls were with Lori at her end and awaiting the boy twerp to come down for food. Even with Lynn's fuckup he still had to eat, but if he was wallowing in self pity because of Lynn's investigation then he might forget about dinner until the Pizza was gone.

Not that Lori was too fussed about that, but she was supposed to be in charge and making sure that he didn't starve was part of that. Well, making sure within reason anyway.

With that in mind she rolled her eyes and handed Lucy her extra slice, which the smaller girl promptly disappeared with. She dropped down into her own seat and prepared to grab herself a slice, only to find Lynn suddenly grabbed the one she was aiming for.

"Watch it Lynn!" She snapped. "That was my slice!"

"C'mon dude, there's plenty there." Lynn shrugged. " 'Sides, Stincoln doesn't look like he wants his anyway-"

There was a creak from the stairs, and Lori's eye caught the impossible to miss white and orange of Lincoln Loud coming into sight. He expression was utterly neutral as he approached the table, he looked at the lower section where Leni was trying to parcel out the very last slice from their boxes, then passed the older girls without a word to go into the kitchen.

There was a quick clinking of plates behind then, and the sole boy reappeared next to Lori with one of his own. He quickly selected his usual share of slices from the remaining box, placed them on his plate and moved away.

"Hey Linc," Luna waved, "Leni's busy over there so you can sit here if ya wa-"

Lincoln went past her.

"Or not I guess," Luna let her hand fall.

Lincoln continued on his way, pointedly not looking at any older sister until he reached the ongoing chaos of the younger half of the table.

"Looks like he's kinda mad at us," Luna mused.

"Well he be as angry as he likes," Lori snapped. "You heard Lynn; he knew about the rule and he tricked Mom into giving him special treatment anyway. If anyone should be mad it's us."

"Yeah sis, Stincoln's cheating on purpose; ain't no doubt about it now." Lynn fume. "And he's not coming clean willingly either."

"Yeah, he's been 'finding his happy place' for a week while the rest of us get punished!" Luan complained. "It's a double standard, you've got to see it too!"

Luna looked over her sisters, each wore expressions of frustration and almost malice... and she could empathise. But in the hours since she'd had 'together time' had cleared her head a little; and she had to ask herself if putting Lincoln in the same belt they'd suffered in really justice?

He didn't make those rules, and they'd all tried to break them at some point. Hell, she'd broken bigger rules today with Lori's 'blessing'. Was she really in a position to complain if Linc managed to pull one of his scams off well enough to do the same but better?

"I mean, I guess.." Luna reasoned, and turned to each sister; "but we all kinda would do the same. Lori; you did some nasty stuff in Vanzilla. We don't talk about what Luan did that one time and Lynn, you went to Mr Grouse's house. I don't remember any of us welching on each other for any of those times, Linc's just doing that but better so how come we're trying so hard now?"

Luan laughed, "aww c'mon Luna, you can't say that after what you did with Sam!"

"Yeah sis, you went waaay past the goalposts with that one," Lynn flatly countered. "Kinda shitty to change your mind after getting that out of this."

Lori didn't speak up at first, rather chewing her pizza for a moment with an indescribable expression. Luna sweated a bit as she wondered if she was about to get a verbal beating, but when the eldest opened her mouth it was only a calm tone. "I get what you're saying Luna, but you seem to be forgetting something.

We would all be punished for that.

We have been punished for that."

Lori carefully dabbed at some grease with a napkin, and continued her calm assessment; "Lincoln knows that, and he got Dad to lie to Mom so he could do it anyway. Just because he's a boy. He's not 'trying' to get away with anything, he's knowingly enforcing a double standard and not doing anything to help us.

We're just trying to make things fair again, or do you think it's right that we get that belt and he doesn't?

Or is it fair that Lincoln can do whatever he wants and you had to go through whatever it was that made you some Stepford Housegirl for a week?"

The older girls collectively winced, there was an incident where Luna had broken The Bathroom Rule. However she had almost instantly been caught with Blarney in a comprising position, and her parents had inflicted some other punishment in the garage that was apparently far worse than the chastity belt.

Luna never explained what she went through, and she probably never would. But the week after she was a demure, quiet and creepily polite young lady. All her shirts and skirts had been swapped out for conservative counterparts, she wore her short hair in a straight and orderly style and was exceedingly polite and reserved to anyone who spoke to her.

Still very gay though, or Bisexual as Creepy!Luna had still corrected them. Not that the very disturbed Sam had appreciated the difference.

Thankfully she'd snapped out of it within a week, and their parents had never repeated whatever torment had 'straightened out' their daughter. Apparently the extent of Luna's 'reform' was unexpected, and while they never said what it had been either the Loud Parents swore to never repeat it again.

Luan had the theory that Luna was overreacting to whatever it had been just to prevent the parents from pulling the mystery punishment again. But the thousand yard stare that the rocker adopted whenever the week was brought up assured Lynn and Lori that whatever had happened, the week of Creepy!Luna was very real.

And it was that very real trauma being relieved that cause Luna's brow furrow.

Lynn winced again, "dude, why'd you have to go there!?"

"So I don't have to make this point twice," Lori maintained her eye lock with Luna.

Across the table Luna's expression shifted half a dozen ways, then hardened.

"Yeah. Yeah; that a fair point." The Rocker calmly ate the last of her pizza. "No favourites is supposed ta be the rule right? Mom an' Pops don't pick an' choose punishments for one kid an' not for the other.

If Pops doesn't feel like the rule's worth keepin', then it's not worth keepin' for anyone."

Lori relaxed her gaze and let out a little smile. "I couldn't have said it better myself."

Lynn looked between the two, "okay; I'm glad that's over with; but where do we go from here? Linc knows-"

She looked back at Lincoln, but he was eating his Pizza while seemingly listening to Leni babble about her day.

"The background noise is far too high for him to hear us Lynn," Lori reassured her. "Otherwise we would literally be doing this in my room, or the Garage. Continue."

Lynn nodded. "Okay, Linc knows what's going on now. Or least he's got a pretty good idea, so how're we gonna get him now?"

Lori studied Lincoln. He looked mostly like his usual self, a little paler than before thanks to his more indoor lifestyle lately. But he didn't seem to be talking as much, only responding to the younger sisters when directly spoken to and slightly piping up when Leni turned her frazzled attention to him.

"… We talk to him."