86. Ch 86- White Haired Christmas pt 1

(A/N: well, I won't lie. I'm a little disappointed that, after a month of maintaining my upload schedule, I wasn't able to get this one up on time. Still, I think it was better that I made sure I got this chapter right, so I hope you aren't upset about this. This story has been the biggest creative project of my life so far, and I couldn't have gotten this far without all the support you guys have provided, so for all you guys do for me, I'm grateful.

That's all I have to say for now, so thank you all for reading, and enjoy!)

The alarm rang, and Lincoln's eyes gradually opened as a smile spread across his face. Christmas Day had arrived, and Lincoln had decided to set his alarm half an hour early. He knew that the girls would all be eager to get started on opening their gifts and celebrating the day, so the bathroom line would be even more unbearable than usual, but that wasn't his only reason for getting up early. He was quick to get up and shut off his alarm, before putting on some clean clothes, then quietly yet hurriedly heading to the bathroom and locking the door behind him. After using the toilet, washing his hands and face and brushing his teeth, he was going to leave the bathroom, when he noticed the viewer.

"Hey, everyone!" he half spoke, half whispered. "Happy holidays! It's been one heck of a year, huh? A lot has happened for this family, and for me too. I say it every year, but this year in particular was unpredictable. I wouldn't have expected to have found a new hobby like I did. Sure, not everything has been great, but that's just how life is." He continued to speak as he left his bedroom and began to head downstairs. "I think if everything in life was great, it wouldn't be as meaningful, and we wouldn't appreciate all the truly great things that happen in our lives. It's occasions like these that make me realise stuff like this." When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he glanced over to the unlit Christmas tree, the massive pile of presents underneath having grown overnight. A younger Lincoln would have been tempted to try and open one of the many tantalising gifts, but he was more mature than that. A younger him would also have been spooked by the yawn coming from the other side of the door next to it. "Not to mention, the people responsible."

Before either of his parents could emerge from their bedroom, Lincoln went into the kitchen, found an apron and put it on over his clothes. He then washed his hands with soap and warm water, rinsing them after and drying them before taking the kettle and filling it with water. Once he had set the kettle back down and started to boil the water, he turned around and saw his half awake father enter the kitchen. "Happy Christmas, Dad."

"Happy Christmas, Sport," he greeted mid-yawn. "You're up early. You didn't open anything, did you?"

"No, don't worry, I didn't."

"I'm just messing with you." He looked past the boy at the kettle. "Making yourself something coffee there?"

The boy shook his head. "I figured you could use something to help wake you up, so I thought I'd start the kettle for you."

"Ah, you didn't need to do that, Lincoln! How come you're up so early?"

"Well, I just thought about how you always do all the cooking by yourself, especially at Christmas."

"Well, with thirteen mouths to feed, plus your grampa and Lori's boyfriend coming, it needs to be absolutely perfect."

"I get it, so I figured I could at least help you with breakfast, right?"

"You mean it? Man, it's like I'm getting a present early!" Lincoln chuckled at his father's enthusiastic response. "I really appreciate this, Lincoln."

"Hey, I'm happy to do it."

"If you're certain. Once I've had my coffee, we'll get started. For now, can you do me a favour and get a few things out for me?"

"Sure, Dad," he agreed as the man began to wash his hands. "What do we need?"

"Well, we're going to need eggs, milk, butter, bacon, cinnamon and bread, plus four large pans, three bowls, three wooden spoons, a spatula and..." He stopped himself when he saw his son was trying to keep up, making him chuckle as he turned off the taps and dried his hands. "Guess I was talking too fast there. Tell you what, you get the ingredients and I'll grab the rest. First, get the eggs, milk, butter and cinnamon. We'll get to the bread in a second, and the bacon can wait."

"On it." Lincoln started at the fridge, which he saw was full with assorted foods for the Christmas dinner, including the two chickens. Being careful not to disrupt the balanced tower of food, he pulled out a pack of butter, a carton of eggs and a bottle of milk, putting them on the counter before shutting the fridge again. "Which cupboard is the cinnamon in?"

"There should be a spice rack next to the bread bin," the chef explained, pulling a stack of mixing bowls and frying pans out of an overhead cupboard. "The spices are labelled, but you're looking for the golden brown spice."

Following his father's guidance, he looked over towards the bread bin and saw the spice rack hanging above it. He looked at the labels and found the cinnamon hanging third from the left, so he removed it from the rack and took it, along with the other ingredients, over to where Lynn Sr had placed the equipment. "Got it. Should I grab the bread?"

"Bring a bag, but don't pull any out yet." Lincoln nodded before doing just that. The patriarch put some coffee grounds into a mug and waited for the kettle to finish boiling before pouring the water in, stirring the coffee together with a little bit of milk. Giving it a few seconds to cool down, he blew over the liquid before taking a sip. "Ah… that's some good joe." He took another quick gulp before looking to his son and saying, "tell you what. I'll turn a blind eye if you want to open one present quickly."

"Really?" Lincoln asked with surprise, to which his father gave a wink. Lincoln looked towards the living room, the offer tempting him, but he shook his head. "Nah, that's okay. I think it's better if I wait for everyone else to wake up."

"Good man, Lincoln. Christmas is about sharing love and joy with the people closest to you, especially your family."

"Exactly. Plus, if they found out I got to open even one present before them, they would be furious."

This got the man to laugh louder than he intended to, correcting himself by lowering his volume to avoid waking his wife and daughters. "You're not wrong there, Lincoln," he said amidst chuckles, which got his son to chuckle as well. They shared the merriment for roughly ten seconds before they decided to calm down. "Right, enough joking around. We've got thirteen people to prepare breakfast for, and they're going to be waking up soon. It's time we got to work."

When the girls woke up at the start of the next hour, the house was filled with excited cheers. Nine pairs of feet rapidly stomped on the landing as the Loud sisters emerged from their rooms and made a beeline for the stairs, only for their mother to stand in their way. "Hold it!" she declared, halting the incoming stampede. "I know you're excited, but before you go opening anything, your father and your brother are finishing breakfast, so I would like you all to go get changed and washed first." Many of the girls began to complain at the decision, ignorant to the two middle daughters nodding to each other and slipping away. "As a compromise!" Hearing their mother raise her voice, they all went quiet so they could listen to what was being said. "Thank you. As a compromise, I have placed one present for each of you from Santa at the table, and you can open that present while you eat, but only if!"

She needn't finish the condition, as the girls had already rushed back upstairs, making her grin. Satisfied with her work, she went into the kitchen, seeing the two males preparing breakfast at the stove. "Way to lay down the law, honey," Lynn Sr told his wife.

"Well, you two have been working so hard in here, it's only fair that it goes appreciated." She saw a cup of coffee waiting for her, so she took hold of it and took a quick drink. "Do you need any help in here, or shall I start setting the table?"

"I think we're just about set in here, but we do need to get the orange juice out."

"Leave that to me."

Giving her husband a quick kiss on the lips, she grabbed the carton of orange juice from the fridge and a stack of glasses, then took them through to the dining room. "How you doing there, kiddo?"

Lincoln looked to his father and replied, "just finishing the last of the eggs. How's the bacon?"

"It's nice and crispy, ready to be served. Shall we start to serve?"

"Sure, let's do it."

As they began to plate breakfast, the first of the girls emerged from upstairs. Lynn looked around the table, seeing which present was hers, before sitting in front of a red present. As she began to open the present, her mother placed a glass of orange juice in front of her. "Thanks, Mom," she told her, before removing the paper to reveal a pair of shin pads. "Aww, sweet! Right before soccer season, too!"

"Well, guess Santa was watching your games last season."

The thirteen year old chuckled at her mother's joke, just as she saw her raven haired sister appear. "Over here, Luce! You're next to me!"

The goth joined her sister, and one by one, the rest of the girls took their seats at the table and began to open their gifts: a new golf ball polisher for Lori and a new sewing kit for Leni; a new Mick Swagger CD for Luna and a ventriloquist's muzzle for Luan; a crystal ball light projector for Lucy; a new drill set for Lana and a set of earrings for Lola; an anthropology book for Lisa and a new teddy for Lily. Lincoln joined the rest of his sisters, sitting between Leni and Lynn to open his present, which were a pair of Ace Savvy sunglasses that he instantly decided to try out, but put back in their case when their parents joined them, bringing in the food. Each plate— except for Lily's, which was smaller by comparison— had two strips of crispy bacon and an egg cooked in everyone's preferred way, but the main item was the two pieces of French toast. Cut into triangles, each piece was golden brown, crispy and drenched in butter, topped with either whipped cream, cocoa powder, sliced strawberries or bananas, or bunches of berries. It was enough to make their mouths water, the aroma filling their nostrils with its heavenly scent.

The second the plates were placed down in front of them, the kids eagerly took their first bite, and a chorus of "mmm" filled the air. "Pops, this is delicious," Lynn complimented, forgetting to finish her mouthful before she spoke.

"Well, don't just thank me!" he insisted. "This was as much Lincoln's doing as mine. You did great, Champ."

"Thanks, Dad," the boy told him before taking another bite, unable to resist a happy mew at the taste. "Oh, wow, the cinnamon really comes through."

Rita had to roll her eyes at the spurred eating her children were doing. "Slow down, you're going to give yourselves stomach aches!" She leaned towards her husband and whispered, "I didn't even mention their other presents, and they're acting like it's a race."

"Probably for the best," he whispered back as he munched on some of his bacon. "They'll only eat faster."

Their mother's request didn't go completely unfulfilled, as Lucy and all of her older siblings slowed their consumption to a more reasonable pace, along with Lisa. The twins, of course, continued to eat quickly, devouring the breakfast with vigour. When Lana finished her French toast, she noticed the remaining butter on her plate and started to lick it up.

"Eww, Lana!" Lola squealed. "Don't lick your plate!"

"What, I'm not gonna leave the butter!" she argued. "That's what carries the flavour!"

"Well, do it in a more dignified way!"

"How am I supposed to do that? It's butter, not high tea!"

"Here, Lana," Lincoln offered, tearing his second slice of toast in half and offering a triangle to the older of the two twins. "Watch me." He used the bread to mop up the remaining butter, leaving an almost clean plate as he bit into the bread. "See?"

"Ooh! Smart."

Lynn chuckled as the first grader followed her brother's example. "That brotherly knowledge, huh, Lincoln?" she joked, getting a chuckle from him as he went for his orange juice. She would have said something, had Lana not spoken first.

"Done!" she declared. "Can I be excused?"

"No, Lana," Rita firmly denied. "No one leaves the table until everyone is finished."

The jock saw the animal lover sigh and frown, slumping in her seat. "Come on, Grease Monkey, this is a good thing." Lana looked at her, confusion in the younger girl's eyes. "It's a marathon, not a sprint. Plus, half the fun's in opening the presents, so what good is opening yours first if it means you have to sit and watch the rest of us, huh?" Lana couldn't help but look thoughtful as she considered her words. One look to her right told her she wasn't the only one surprised by her words, judging from her brother's bemused grin. "What?"

"Seems you're sharing some knowledge as well," he mused, making her smirk.

"What can I say? We're all growing up."

Lincoln, as well as a few of the other girls, couldn't help but laugh a little at the oddly poignant statement Lynn made. From there, breakfast was short, with everyone finishing their food after a few pleasant, conversation filled minutes. It was Lynn Sr who was last to finish, putting his napkin on his plate after wiping his muzzle clean. "Okay, kids," he announced. "You've all been patient so far, so once these plates are put back in the kitchen, we can open presents." Most of them giving giddy cheers, the kids older than Lily left their chairs and took their plates, cutlery and glasses into the kitchen, making the man chuckle. "Ah, to be young again."

As the girls and their brother all left the kitchen, they began bickering over who could choose their present first, to which Lori pulled a whistle out and blew into it. "That's enough," she affirmed. "We're not going to fight over this."

"Do you always carry a whistle on you?" Lucy asked, though her question went ignored.

"When Mom and Dad get in here, they'll decide who gets to open what first. No buts."

"Ooh! I need to go get something!" Leni stated, the others only able to complain as she bounded upstairs.

"Great, this is gonna take forever!" Lola huffed, throwing her arms up.

"A gross overstatement, female sibling," Lisa pointed out. "Our second eldest sibling, assuming she finds that which she went to retrieve, should take approximately a minute to return."

"Yeah, but we're talking about Leni! She forgets her glasses are on her head!"

Lincoln looked to the pageant princess, a look of disappointment etched in his eyes. "Lola, give her a chance," he scolded. "I know you're getting impatient, but there's no need to be like that."

Hearing the tone he used, Lola couldn't help but feel slightly guilty as she considered what she said. "Yeah, you're… you're right."

"What's going on?" Rita asked as she carried Lily into the room, followed by her husband. "I thought you'd be ripping apart wrapping paper by now."

"Leni had to go get something," Luna explained.

"And we couldn't decide what to open first," Luan added, "so Lori decided we should wait for you."

"Oh. Well, when Leni returns, we'll figure out how to do this, okay?" The kids nodded to their mother, who nodded back before looking up the stairs, just in time to see Leni coming down with a large bag. "What's that you've got there, sweetie?"

"I was finishing these last night," she answered, setting the bag on the couch and pulling out a seafoam green Christmas sweater, with white Christmas patterns sewn into the fabric. "I made us all Christmas sweaters!"

"Oh, how thoughtful!" Lynn Sr commended as a dark green sweater was passed to him. He quickly put it on, finding it fit well as he looked over the design. "This is really sweet of you, Leni!"

"Aww, thanks, Dad! And don't worry, I've made one for each of you!"

So, everyone took their sweater from the fashionista, each one in their respective favourite colour and size with a similar Christmassy design woven in. "Breathable, a non-irritable fabric… commendable effort, elder sibling," Lisa deduced, the others giving similar compliments.

"Aww! That's, like, totes sweet of you guys to say!" Leni beamed.

"We should be thanking you, Leni," Rita told her second oldest daughter. "You didn't have to do this."

"I know, but I wanted to, and it was fun!"

"Well, it was nice of you to do, all the same." She looked at the rest of her kids, noticing how many of them were staring at the Christmas tree. "Alright, no more waiting around. Let's open some presents!"

A resounding cheer could be heard, even from outside the Loud house, as their favourite part of Christmas began. As the two parents began passing out presents to their children, making sure everyone got something to open at the same time, wrapping paper and ribbons scattered all over the floor. The older kids were more reserved in their opening of gifts, while the younger ones were more vigorous. Gasps and shrieks of glee echoed amongst them every few seconds as each new present was opened. From golf clubs and driving gloves, to needle sets and dresses; from drumsticks and albums, to puppet outfits and stand up DVDs; from new weights and a drinks hat, to spell books and tarot cards; from pet outfits and car models, to tea sets and tiaras; from beakers and journals, to teddies and blankies; from rare comics and action figures, to cooking equipment and novels. Everyone received a myriad of different items, each of which they planned to use at some point.

"Hey, bro! Check it out!" Lynn beckoned, holding up a yoga DVD. "Got a new set to work out to!"

Lincoln chuckled at her excitement, replying, "sounds great, Lynn." He then removed the purple paper from a small, DVD box shaped gift and smiled from ear to ear to his rocker big sister. "No way! I didn't even know Smooch had their tours on DVD!"

"Not all of them," Luna explained, "but I managed to spot that at the music store and figured you'd love it."

"I do. Thanks, Luna."

He gave her a quick hug, which she happily returned. When they eventually let go, she felt another hug embrace her on the other side. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that it was Lucy doing the hugging. "Woah! What's up, Spooky?"

"Thank you for my present," she told the brunette, releasing the hug to pick up her Princess Pony book. "I know you don't get why I like it, but—"

"Forget about it, Luce Change." Luna pulled Lucy back into a hug, resting her chin on the goth's black hair. "If it makes you happy, that's what matters." Lucy gave the biggest smile she was known to give as she returned the hug, while Luna looked over to Lincoln and mouthed "thank you."

"You're welcome," he mouthed back, just as he heard a gasp from Leni. Looking to her, he saw that she was looking at her phone, so he asked, "what's wrong?"

She looked back at her brother, a twinkle in her eye. "Jen just showed me what you got Jordan!" she exclaimed, catching everyone's attention.

"Let me see!" Lana was first to say as she and the other girls gathered around her phone, with Lincoln being pulled in by Lynn. They watched as the video showed Jordan, still in her pyjamas and a grey dressing gown, opened her gift from the boy, giving a happy gasp as she pulled out a foot tall plush toy of a yellow mouse like creature with red cheeks in a deerstalker hat. She pulled it right to her chest in a tight hug with the biggest grin on her face, making the Loud sisters coo. "I wish I got that."

"How did you literally know to get her that?" Lori asked, all eyes now on the mildly blushing boy.

"I-I heard that she really liked that movie," he explained, rubbing the back of his wrist nervously.

"I didn't even know you bought it," Lynn realised.

"That's because you went to the bathroom. It was a bit of a gamble… b-but I'm glad she likes it."

"Well, I think it was very sweet of you to get her that, Lincoln, but you know what this means, right?" He gave her a confused shake of his head, so she went over to the tree and pulled out a white box with a red ribbon, the gift that Jordan had dropped off the day before. "Now, you have to find out what she got you."

The other girls instantly agreed with the suggestion, with Leni aiming her phone so she could film it. "Okay, okay, fine!" he relented, holding up his hands to back them off. "Just... don't rush me, okay?" He'd be lying if he wasn't excited to find out what he had received, but that paled in comparison to the giddy energy his sisters gave off. "Alright, here we go."

"Ooh, wait!" Leni interrupted, adjusting her grip on her phone. "My thumb was covering the lens. Okay, now do it."

He rolled his eyes, before gently stripping the box of its ribbon. Lifting the lid, he saw a white envelope addressed to him, sat atop of a red paper wrapped parcel. He first went for the envelope, opening it and pulling out a card with a goofy reindeer cover that made him laugh. He opened the card up and read aloud, "to Lincoln, you're very deer to me! Have a very merry Christmas! L—" His cheeks went beet red as he finished by reading, "love Jordan." The girls gave an excited squeal, to which he quickly insisted, "th-that doesn't mean anything!"

"Yeah, sure, bro," Lynn dismissed. "Now, come on! Open the present!"

The girls all began chanting "open it" at the boy, making their parents chuckle to each other as Lincoln gave a small groan. "Heel, girls, heel!" They giggled at his attempt at regaining order before settling down enough to let the boy take a deep breath. "Thank you." He took the present out of the box, his interest piqued at the feel and weight of the item. 'I have no idea what this could be,' he pondered. 'Guess there's only one way to find out.' Using his finger to undo the sellotape at one end, he opened one tab, then pulled the tape that ran down the middle off. Lifting the two flaps, he got his first peek at what it was, and his eyes went wide as his lips parted.

"Well?" Luan asked. "Gift us a clue!" She gave a Christmassy laugh, before saying, "seriously, what is it?"

He looked to his sisters, the full extent of his surprise painted across his face, before he began to smile. Letting the paper fall to his knees, he revealed the orange lycra item, which had a white diagonal streak across the chest. "She got me my own leotard," he told them, his voice gentle with a tone of amazement to it. The girls all gave happy gasps and coos as the boy showed it off to them. The singlet had no sleeves and short legs, which would reach a third of the way down his thighs, and it had a rounded neck.

"Dude, look back in the box!" Luna insisted. "There's more!"

To his surprise, he saw that she was right. He folded up the leotard and traded it for another red package. Opening it with more speed this time, he removed the paper to reveal a white pair of spandex pants, with a strip at the foot hole of each leg. "These are gymnastic pants," he realised. "She got me a full set!"

"What's with the ends of them?" Lana asked, to which Lola rolled her eyes.

"Have you learnt nothing from watching me perform?" she tutted. "The heel goes out the back of the hole, and the strip goes under the arch of the foot."

"So?" Lynn asked her brother with a grin. "What's the verdict, bro?"

He gave a small laugh at the question, before picking up the leotard again. "I… I love it."

"Try it on!" Leni insisted, but Lincoln shook his head.

"Actually, I think I'm going to save it for Sunday. That way, I can wear it at practice."

"And so Jordan can see how you look in it," Lori teased, getting the boy to blush, even as he nodded.

"Mom, can I go put these somewhere safe?" he asked. When she nodded, he gave a quick "thanks" before taking the box and his present upstairs, leaving the girls to talk amongst themselves.

"That was so cute," Luna cooed.

"Did you see that smile on his face?" Luan added. "I don't think I've ever seen him smile like that!"

"I'm sending this straight to Jen," Leni declared, tapping away at her phone to send the video to her friend. "She's going to love this!"

"I think Jordan's going to love it more," Lola joked, which got everyone nodding.

As they talked, Lynn heard footsteps from upstairs. "Shh! He's coming!"

This got them to end their conversation, looking towards their brother with smiles as he returned. Seeing how they were looking at him, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and ask, "what's going on?"

"Nothing, bro. Just waiting for you, that's all."

"Really? You could have carried on opening presents, I wouldn't have minded."

"Nah, it's fine. Besides, you're here now, so we don't have to wait." Lincoln nodded in agreement, following his sisters' example as they began to open more presents. As they did, Lynn couldn't help but notice the smile on his face, one she was sure would stick with him for the rest of the day.