87. Ch 87- White Haired Christmas Pt 2

(A/N: hey, everyone! Before this chapter starts, I want to point out another milestone, one that is almost impossible to believe… but with this chapter, I have now published over a million words across all my stories on this site! This story alone is more than a quarter of that, and if I had been told when I started that I would reach this point in just over four years, I would think they were joking! Of course, when I started, I didn't imagine you would all be so supportive of my work, so I owe it all to you. You've helped me realise just how much writing means to me.

So, with that said, thank you all for reading, and enjoy!)

After all the presents were opened, the kids helped to remove the snowfall of wrapping paper that had filled the room, before they took their gifts to their room so they could enjoy them. The kids quickly scattered around the house, some playing with their new toys, some were playing outside in the garden, while others were talking with their friends about the gifts they had received. The two parents got a brief moment of peace to themselves, though it wasn't long before Lynn Sr had to return to the kitchen and begin preparations for the big Christmas dinner, while Rita had to take Lily for a changing.

After lunch, things had calmed down a little bit for the family of thirteen, though this eventually changed back when a knock was heard at the door. "I'LL GET IT!" Lori excitedly shouted, stomping down the stairs with a huge grin on her face. Luan had to step out of the way so that she wouldn't get knocked aside when the eldest sister made her way to the front door, and that grin only grew when she opened the door and saw what was waiting for her. "Bobby!"

"Babe!" the Santiago boy greeted, as the high school seniors engulfed each other in a hug, their cheeks pressed together. "It's so good to see you."

"Literally the same, Boo Boo Bear."

They held the hug for a good few seconds before letting go, allowing Bobby to see that some of his girlfriend's siblings had begun to gather. "Hey, everybody. Sorry I'm late."

"Bobby, what are you talking about? You're right on time."

"I am? Phew. I was worried that I was gonna be late, because… I had to pick something up on the way."

Lori looked confused, but that confusion soon cleared when a familiar laughter was heard, and everyone passed by the Latino to see a particular white haired man in a Santa hat and navy coat. "Merry Christmas!"

"POP POP!" the Louds cheered, rushing to hug their grandfather, making the senior chuckle.

"Easy, girls! There's plenty of Pop Pop to go around!"

Lori, the only one who hadn't immediately rushed him, looked to her boyfriend out of shock. "Bobby, you picked up Pop Pop?"

"He called me last night," Rita explained as she came out with Lily. "He offered to pick him up for us, and I gave him the address." She then looked to Bobby and inquired, "I hope everything was okay on the way here."

"Everything was fine, Mrs Loud."

"Yeah, Bobby and I had a good conversation on the way over," Pop Pop added. "He's a good kid."

Having heard all this, Lori's heart was melting. "Boo Boo Bear, you are literally the sweetest."

She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck to lock lips with her boyfriend, making some of her youngest siblings look away in disgust. "Gross," Lana commented, making Lola raise an eyebrow.

"Really? This is where you draw the line?"

"You'll get it when you're older," Luna commented, ruffling the tomboy's cap.

The young couple broke their embrace when they heard someone else emerge from the house. "Hey, little bro!" Bobby greeted to the white haired boy, who smiled back.

"Hey, Bobby," Lincoln greeted, giving the older boy a fist bump. "Merry Christmas."

"You too."

"Hey, where's my greeting, Mini Me?" Pop Pop called putting, alerting the boy to his presence. Lincoln smiled as he jogged over to hug his grandfather, inadvertently driving some of the wind from his lungs. "That dodgeball's really making you into a man, huh, kiddo? You're almost as strong as this old geezer!"

Lincoln chuckled. "It's okay, Pop Pop, the girls know it's not dodgeball now."

"Wait, when did you tell Pop Pop?" Luan asked, forcing Lincoln to adopt a nervous grin.

"Well, uh, he kind of knew it wasn't true when I told him on Thanksgiving, so I ended up telling him then."

"Don't take it too hard on the kid," Pop Pop insisted. "He just—"

"We know," Lori acknowledged, giving Lincoln a comforting smile. "It's all in the past now."

The boy nodded to his sister. "Exactly."

Pop Pop smiled upon hearing this, before remembering why he was there. "Well, I don't know about all of you," Pop Pop cut in, "but it's starting to get cold out here. Why don't we head inside so we can open some… presents?" Many of the kids gave happy gasps as they rushed back inside, making the elderly man laugh again. "They're definitely your kids, Rita."

"I don't think I was ever that bad," she replied.

"You'd be surprised."

"Need a hand there, Pop Pop?" Lynn offered.

"Sure thing, slugger!"

"Hey, Linc, think you could help me, too?" Bobby asked, to which the white haired boy nodded. "Cheers, bro." The four of them went to the back of the mercado van, which Bobby unlocked to reveal five bags of presents. Bobby grabbed the two on the left, giving one to Lincoln and held onto the other, while Pop Pop took the three on the right and gave one to Lynn, holding one in each hand himself. "You got that, sir?"

"Don't worry about me, kid," the elder boasted. "I carried bigger things than this in my navy days, a few presents ain't gonna weigh me down." Bobby chuckled, before closing the rear van doors and following the rest of the Louds into the living room, where everyone was sat with eager faces. "I may not be Santa, but that won't stop me from giving out gifts!" He sat in the arm chair, rummaging through the bags he had brought as he began to hand out the different presents to his daughter, son-in-law and grandkids. When he handed a pair of present to Lincoln, he held him back before he could open it. "I've actually got something else for you, Lincoln."

"You do?" he asked, to which Pop Pop nodded and pulled an envelope out of his pocket. When Lincoln received it, he was confused, as it was addressed to Albert and already opened. "I think you've brought the wrong card, Pop Pop. This one's yours."

"Actually, kiddo, there were two cards in there. One for me… and one for you." The boy's eyes went wide in shock. "Take a look."

Not needing to be told twice, Lincoln set his presents down, so that he could pull out a Christmas card with a traditional robin design. Admiring the design for a second, he opened the card and read what was written inside. "To Lincoln, never hide who you are. Have a Happy Christmas. Sincerely, Jeffrey Johnson." It took him a couple of seconds to understand why he had received this card, but it eventually hit him. "Wait… your friend from the navy?"

"That's right. The day after Thanksgiving, when I got back to the retirement home, I thought about our talk and decided to get back in touch with old Jumpin' J himself. It took me a couple of hours, half of which was trying to figure out that damn computer." He chuckled to himself at the memory. "But, with Myrtle's help, I managed to track him down and get a video call with him. Mind you, he's not really jumping anymore, not with his hips, but he was fascinated to hear about you."

"He was?"

"You bet your tuchus, he was! Once he got over the shock that your parents had eleven kids, we talked for a bit about what you told me about your gymnastics. He said he'd love to meet you someday." He noticed the small smile that graced his grandson's lips, and the boy noticed the look of pride that filled his grandpa's eyes. "You know, Lincoln… I can actually see a bit of Jumpin' J in you. I do hope you get the chance to meet him."

"I'd like that."

Pop Pop nodded, before patting his legs to make a resounding clap sound. "Well, that's enough guy talk. Those presents won't open themselves, you know?"

Lincoln nodded, before joining his sisters on the floor in another session of present opening. The kids opened their presents from their grandparent and his girlfriend and gave him theirs to him, while also opening anything they were given from the Santiagos and the Casagrandes. Lincoln and Lana even received one each from the Chang sisters, which ended up being a Twelve is Midnight CD from Sid to Lincoln, and a frog mask from Adelaide to Lana, which the animal lover put on straight away.

"This is awesome!" she exclaimed. "I feel bad that I don't have anything for her."

"I'm sure she'll understand," Bobby told her. "She was just happy to give you that."

"I guess…" A few seconds passed before her eyes lit up. "I know!" She ran up the stairs, leaving those that hadn't been too engrossed in their presents to wonder what she was up to. She returned a minute later with a red present, one that wasn't particularly neatly done and quite obviously done in the last minute, but still covered its contents. "This is for her!"

Bobby smiled at the thoughtful gesture, accepting it from the girl. "That's really sweet! I'll make sure she gets it."

Her smile beamed as she sat back down next to her brother, who leaned towards her and whispered, "it's not something gross, right?"

"No, it's a book," Lana whispered back. "Santa got me one I already had, but I can't exactly ask Santa to return it, can I?"

Lincoln chuckled at the innocent notion. "No, I guess you can't." He then looked away from Lana and saw his grandfather standing up, giving a slight groan. "You okay, Pop Pop?"

The elderly man chuckled. "Don't worry about me, kiddo," he assured the boy. "Just got to make sure I don't stay sat down for too long, or it'll take me an hour to get up."

"You sure you're okay, Dad?" Rita asked, to which he chuckle again.

"I might be old, but I'm not in need of constant care! I just wanted to stretch my legs."

"Well, why don't we all go for a walk?" Lincoln asked. "It didn't seem too cold out, so it might be nice."

"That's a great idea, Mini Me! We can swing by the park, and some of you can try out your fancy new gifts!" The kids all seemed pleased with idea, giving nods and cheers of agreement. "Then it's settled! Go grab your coats, your hats and whatnot, and we'll go in five minutes."

Not needing to be told twice, everyone rushed off to do that, leaving just Albert, Rita, Lily and Bobby in the living room. "Do you need me to come with you?" the mother asked.

"Rita, we'll be fine. Just take the time to relax, and we'll be back before you know it. Heck, you'll probably wish we had stayed out longer."

He gave boisterous laughs that were echoed by the Santiago teen, making Rita roll her eyes. "Well, don't be gone too long, and call me if anything happens. Bobby, can you promise me you'll look out for them too?"

He nodded to her and replied, "you can count on me, Mrs Loud."

The kids didn't take too long to put on their winter clothes and rejoin their grandfather downstairs. Once they were all there, the elderly man let the younger, more excited kids lead the way, staying close behind them with his grandson and some of his older daughters, while Bobby and Lori brought up the rear. The typically long distance couple were making the most of each other's presence, walking arm in arm with Lori resting her head on Bobby's shoulder. The air was cold enough for their breaths to be seen, but neither of them were bothered by this, as their hearts felt warmed by the tender moment they could share together.

The walk to the park wasn't particularly long, in spite of what the younger of the twins might have said. When they passed through the cast iron gate, Pop Pop instructed his grandkids to stay close to him while they played, before letting them split off into smaller group. Lori and Bobby sat together on a bench overlooking the frozen waters, where some kids were skating; Leni, Luan and Lucy began making snow angels together, though Lucy insisted on calling hers snow spirits; Luna had seen her bandmates hanging out on the other side of the park, so she joined them after getting Pop Pop's permission; Pop Pop and Lisa went up to the frozen water's surface to see if they could spot any life swimming below the frozen surface; and Lynn and Lincoln took part in the twins' snowman building contest, which ended after Lola and Lynn's snow queen crumbled. Rather than tease them, Lana took a chunk of snow from her snowman, not only causing it to topple but sparking a snowball fight that brought in the rest of the family, as well as Luna's bandmates and nearly everyone in the entire park.

After a while, Pop Pop felt the need to catch his breath, so the kids started doing new activities together while he went over to a nearby bench. As he watched his grandkids having fun, he heard footsteps, followed by Lincoln sitting down next to him. "What are you doing, Mini Me?" he asked. "You should be having fun with your sisters, not sat on a bench with an old coot like me."

"I don't mind, Pop Pop," Lincoln told him. "Besides, Lynn was starting to get competitive again, so I thought I'd join you."

"Well, I won't turn down the company. So, what's on your mind, my boy?"

"Nothing, really. What about you?"

"Ah, mainly just glad to enjoy time with you kids… well, that and... another thing."

Lincoln looked to his grandfather, seeing a conflicted frown spread across his face. "What is it?"

Albert looked to his grandkid, seeing that youthful inquisition in his eyes. He thought for a couple of seconds about whether or not to say what was on his mind, but the connection the two had always shared made him decide that he should. "Before we left, your mother… she told me what happened. About how the girls found the truth, and… well, I'm sure you know better than me what I'm talking about."

"Oh… oh, that. Yeah, I know what you mean."

"I know this is probably a bit of a tough thing to touch on, but… I've got to ask you, kiddo. Why didn't you let your mother deal with it? I mean, if it was me, I would have grounded them until Christmas!"

"Well, it wouldn't have been fair if they got punished and I didn't, you know? I was lying to them for two months."

A low hum escaped the old man's lips. "I suppose you have a point there, Lincoln. Maybe it's just me, I've always been more of an 'act first, talk later' kind of guy, especially when I was growing up. I was never the sort of man to leave things to sort themselves out, you know?" He cracked a smirk as he added, "to be fair, there's a chance that's just a generation thing. When I was your age, I'd already had my first drink."

This got the boy's eyes to widen. "You're kidding! Dad would kill me if he thought I had gotten my hands on booze!"

"Well, times change, and so do attitudes towards stuff like that." He shook his head at the memories. "Listen to me, I'm getting off track." He shuffled on the bench, turning towards Lincoln and planting a palm on his shoulder. "Let me tell you something, Lincoln. I'm proud of the choices I made— even if I made more than my fair share of mistakes along the way, it made me who I am today… but if my heart was even half as pure as yours is when I was your age, then I think I might have turned out better."

Lincoln vigorously shook his head at the statement, feeling appalled to hear it. "Pop Pop, you're one of the biggest role models I have! I couldn't imagine you being anything different to who you are now, and definitely not 'better'. You're the best grandpa I could ever ask for."

The navy veteran couldn't resist a smile and a happy sigh, especially as he pulled the boy into a hug. "You really know how to make an old man feel better, kiddo." They helps each other for a few seconds before Lincoln backed out. "Still, Lincoln, I hope you know how proud I am of you. You're making your own decisions and carving your own path. Even if you make a mistake, it's always going to be your choices that get you to where you are, so don't let other people stop that. If you do make a mistake, it's up to you to fix it, and I've got faith in you to do that. Okay, kiddo?"

"Yes, sir." He threw up a salute that was matched by Pop Pop, before they embraced each other once again.

The day passed by from there, with the Louds and Bobby returning to the house after roughly an hour at the park. Once everyone had put their winter coats away, they all gathered in the living room for some festive entertainment on the TV, no one arguing or competing. Just twelve kids, a woman and an old man, sat together and enjoying the peace as they watched the Christmas movies play out.

Of course, it wasn't long before the main event of the Christmas celebrations quickly fell upon them after the credits rolled, the ding of a cowbell catching their attention. "Dinner will be ready in ten minutes!" they heard Lynn Sr declare from the kitchen. "Everyone wash up, and then gather round the table."

"You heard your father, kids. Up and at 'em."

No one dared argue with the matriarch, as everyone instantly got up. Half of them went upstairs to wash their hands in the bathroom sink, while the rest used the kitchen sink to do so, making sure not to interfere with the chef as he finished cooking. When they were done and their hands were clean, they each took a seat at the dining table, which was covered in a festive green cloth. Each plate had a red and gold napkin and a cracker atop of it, the latter of which the kids were quick to pull, cheering whenever they won a mini prize from within and putting on their paper crowns. It wasn't long before food began to pile onto the plates- crispy pigs in blankets, steamed brussel sprouts, sweetcorn and carrots, roasted and mashed potatoes, and crispy Yorkshire puddings. Of course, no one dared start eating until the main item arrived.

"This all looks wonderful!" Bobby admired. "Abuela would definitely argue her food is better, but it would be a close contest."

"I literally couldn't agree more, Boo Boo Bear," Lori agreed with a nod.

Before anyone else could speak, a clinging of glass directed their attention to Pop Pop, now stood with a glass and fork in his hands. "While we wait, I'd like to make a toast," he announced. "Now, I'm not the most religious man, but with every day that passes, I find myself thanking God just that little bit more. I thank him that I'm still able to see my wonderful family grow— my lovely daughter being an inspirational woman, just like her mother; my son-in-law helping to keep you all together; and my amazing grandkids fully realising their potential with every step they take towards their future. For as long as I live, I'll keep thanking God for the most wonderful gift he ever gave me: my family."

The whole table cheered the toast, raising their glasses in solidarity to the statement. "I couldn't agree more, Al," Lynn Sr agreed, carrying a silver platter into the dining room and placing it on the centre of the table. "And we're all grateful that we have you to celebrate with us. We wouldn't be together if it weren't for you." Cheers once again were shared by the table, before the father of eleven lifted the lid from the platter, their mouths watering at the scent of the perfectly cooked and stuffed turkey. "Would you do the honours?"

"It would be an honour, Lynn."

So, Pop Pop carved the turkey and served slices to everyone, allowing them to add gravy and tuck into the delicious Christmas meal. While it wasn't particularly quiet— a statement that was true for most things the Louds did— it was all in all a peaceful meal, with no one complaining about eating the vegetables, no one having to be told they couldn't leave the table early, and no comments made to ruin the wonderful atmosphere that had filled the room. Just food, family and friends, sat at the table together and coming together as one.

Once the main course was over, many of the kids were battling against the food comas that threatened to bring them to sleep. "You've outdone yourself, honey," Rita complimented.

"Thanks, honey," he told his wife, before asking the rest of the family, "what did you think, fam?" What echoed back was a chorus of compliments, some fully awake and some half asleep, but all positive. "Well, then, I guess we'll have to let dinner settle before dessert."

"It's funny," Luan was able to say. "A month ago, we were recovering from Thanksgiving dinner, and here we are, doing it all over again."

"You know what? That is funny," Luna acknowledged, sharing a beaming smile with her sister.

"So, what was your favourite gift this year, kids?" Pop Pop asked.

"Ooh, that's so tough to answer!" Leni answered first. "I, like, got so many great things!"

"Yeah, it would be hard to choose just one," Lynn agreed. "They're all awesome." The rest of the girls all gave a "yeah", but she noticed that her brother only nodded along. "Of course, I think we know someone who can answer that question."

All eyes then fell on Lincoln, who was taken aback by the sudden attention. "What? I couldn't choose one thing over the other."

"Lincoln, we were literally there when you opened it," Lori countered. "We saw how happy you were when you opened her gift, and we've never seen you that happy at a present before."

"What are they talking about, Mini Me?" Pop Pop asked, sat up straight and looking at the white haired boy with intrigue. "Sounds like you got something pretty special."

"Well… y-yeah, I guess you could say that. You remember on Thanksgiving, when you met my friend? Jordan?"

"The girl that got you into gymnastics? Sure, I remember her! She was a nice kid, and she seemed fond of you!" This only brought a flush of red to the boy's cheeks, eliciting giggles from his sisters. "So, what did she get you?"

"Sh-she… she got me my own leotard for practice."

"That sounds great! Have you thanked her for the gift?"

"Yeah, I gave her a call before lunch."

"You were talking to her for half an hour," Lola pointed out, only adding to his blush.

"H-how do you know that?"

"You entered your room at 11:07 AM and reemerged at 11:43 AM," Lisa explained. "Removing one minute either side, that accounts for roughly thirty four minutes."

The boy's blush grew brighter, alerting the mother to his embarrassment. "Alright, girls, if you can't pick just one, why don't you tell Pop Pop about the gifts that you got?"

This got the attention away from the boy, and though he was thankful for his mother's intervention, he couldn't help but think about the gift his friend gave him. If he was being honest with himself…

It was one of the best gifts he had ever gotten.