(A/N: and here we are, the final chapter! Once again, it overwhelms me how supportive you guys have been, so I just want to thank you all for reading, reviewing, favouriting and following this story, along with all my other stories.

Now, here's my current plan for the immediate future- I'm going to be getting through my requests, since some have been waiting for a while. These consist of three TLH one-shots and a multi-chapter Lion Guard piece. At the same time, I need to complete my assignments for University, which may hinder my progress, but once all of those are done, I will be uploading the poll winner I mentioned at the start of chapter one, Lincoln Gets Limber. Fortunately, I got a few chapters done before I started this, so I should be able to upload at a regular pace and not get too caught up in my next semester, but I can't promise it.

That's all I wanted to say, so for the last time this year, thanks for reading, and enjoy!)

After a solid hour, everyone was stuffed to the brim. On top of the mahoosive main course, they each had their share from the selection of desserts available, whether it be a creamy chocolate gateau, a juicy pineapple upside down cake, or a sweet, sweet helping of apple pie, each with a delicious scoop of ice cream. When Luan had asked why there wasn't any Christmas pudding as well, Rosa explained it was due to Carlos having allergies to the dried fruit. Of course, Luan had to make a pun, saying "well, I'm sure he apricots you deciding not to make any. Otherwise, we could currant-ly be headed to the hospital." This, of course, led to her laughing and everyone else groaning. Nonetheless, everyone was sat at the table, trying to keep out of a food coma.

"Best… Christmas dinner… ever," Lincoln was able to utter, using his napkin to wipe sweat off his forehead. There was a little punch left in his glass, so he used it to wash down the food, then turned to Ronnie Anne. "So, do we just sleep here tonight? Because I don't think I could move."

She chuckled, finding his attempt at a joke to be quite amusing. "I thought Luan was meant to the comedian?" She jested back. "Though, I do agree. I'm stuffed!"

Maria glanced at her watch, then looked across the table. "Everyone! Dream Boat is on in five minutes!"

Lincoln and Ronnie Anne looked at each other. "Race you to the couch!" They said at the same time, forgetting their full stomachs and getting up from their seats, just like everyone else. The two fifth-graders were on the side of the table closer to the couch, so they were quick to grab the best spots. The adults were slower in moving across, which meant the kids quickly filled the available seats, those that didn't sitting in the floor. Everyone else just moved the chairs from the dining table into a suitable spot, while Lalo laid down next to Lana, who petted the large dog, and Sergio perched himself on Rosa's chair.

"Carl, you know not to take your abuelo's chair!" Frida scolded. "Vámonos!"

Carl grunted as he obliged, sitting down on the floor in front it. "Lola, you too," Rita warned. "Let Rosa have her chair."

"Fine," Lola said, moving off the chair so the elderly lady could take a seat, and sat down next to the boy in the red hoodie, causing a couple of smirks from her sisters.

"Looks like you two are pretty close," Luna teased, causing giggles from the other Loud girls.

"Yeah, Lola," Lana added, "any closer and you two would be the third couple between these two families."

Lola and Carl both blushed slightly from the embarrassment. "No chance!" Carl quickly refuted. "I'm not about to be mushy with some princess girl." He quickly turned and added, "no offence."

"None taken," she replied, then turned to her siblings. "Yeah, I don't see myself dating Carl either! A, he's not my type, and B, we have enough with Bobby and Lori, and Linky and Ronnie Anne!"

Lincoln shook his head while smirking. "I knew you guys were going to make a joke sooner or later," he told the girls. "Why does the two of us being close always make you do this?"

"Because you're so cute together!" Leni innocently replied. "You literally look like, like, the perfect couple!"

"I think that's overdoing it, Leni," Ronnie Anne replied. "Still, I'm surprised you went so light on the teasing today. Especially given what happened."

"That's because Lincoln made us promise not to," Lucy explained. "So that we didn't make you uncomfortable. Plus, Lori made us."

Both fifth-graders looked at the blonde teen, surprised at the revelation. "Really?"

"When you made us promise, I could see how much it meant to you," Lori explained, draping her arm around Bobby, who placed his over her shoulder. "It showed how serious you were about your friendship, and I didn't want to see you two upset by something ruining it."

"Well, thanks, Lori," Ronnie Anne told her with a smile, then turned to Lincoln. "And thanks for thinking of me, Lame-O."

"No worries." He then turned to his eldest sister. "And thanks, Lori. I appreciate it… though, how come you joined in the teasing when you first found out me and Ronnie Anne were hanging out?"

She smirked. "I don't remember you abstaining from teasing me when I first met Bobby!"

A series of laughs came from everyone in the room, until Frida pointed out, "it's starting!"

Everyone quietened down as the opening credits for Dream Boat began to play. "If Kelly's smart, she'll pick Bam," Ronnie Anne said to the white-haired boy. "That skater dude is perfect for her.

Lincoln raised an eyebrow. "I thought you hated this show?" He replied, to which she shrugged.

"It grew on me."

He shrugged, satisfied by the response. "Yeah, Bam's okay. Just hope she doesn't pick Blaine. When will he learn socks don't go with sandals?!"

She smirked at his reasoning. "You spend too much time with your sisters, Lame-O."

He smirked. "Yeah, well, they're the best sisters I could ask for. Besides, all that time with them saved my life once." She did a double take, staring at him in shock, causing him to chuckle nervously. "Did I not tell you about that?" She silently shook her head at him. "Well, what happened was-"

"Share your stories later! Be quiet while the rest of us watch!" Lisa scolded, causing the fifth-graders to roll their eyes and oblige to the four-year-old PhD's request. What ensued for the next hour was the two families sitting and watching the reality show, occasionally arguing over who they thought was going to be chosen as First Mate. As was usually the case, everyone was on the edge of their seats by the end, as the contestants were all gathered on deck. Rather than a rose, Kelly- the girl who the contestants were attempting to court- held a Christmas present.

"Well," the on-screen woman said, "it's taken a lot of thought. You've all been so sweet in your own way, so it's difficult to compare you."

"Get to the point already!" Rosa complained, a couple of chuckles coming from the two families.

"But… in the end, I can only have one First Mate. So, I've decided that I want my first mate to be…" The camera panned across the different contestants to add tension, before she walked forward, stopping in front of a man with long, brown hair, wearing a plaid shirt over a white tee with a peace logo, khaki shorts, a red beanie and sneakers with white socks. She extended the present to him, causing him to look shocked. "Bam."

Most of the Louds, Casagrande's and Santiago's moaned at the decision, with only Ronnie Anne cheering. "Oh, yeah!" She boasted, pumping her fist in the air. "Told you Bam was the one for her!"

"But, he wasn't nearly romantic enough!" Leni argued, clearly upset by the outcome.

"Exactly! He didn't push it too hard, and she wasn't overwhelmed by him!"

"Taking notes, Stinkoln?" Lynn Jr joked, prompting her and her sisters to laugh, even Lori failing to resist. This just caused Lincoln and Ronnie Anne to roll their eyes.

"That promise went right out the window, didn't it?" He asked, sarcastically.

"Oh, come on, Lincoln!" Luan told the boy. "You've got to admit, that was a good one!"

Lincoln didn't want to, but he couldn't help but smirk. "Alright, it was kind of funny."

"Besides," Lola chimed, "It was you two who were under the mistletoe!"

"Now, that's not fair. I mean, we haven't made fun of you and Carl or forced you to kiss him, yet you've been under the mistletoe for an hour!"

"WHAT!"

As Lincoln had hoped, both her and Carl looked straight up, which made him grin like a Cheshire Cat. "Gotcha!"

Once they realised they had been duped, Lola and Carl crosses their arms and pouted, blushing furiously as everyone laughed.

An hour and a half later, everyone was watching another Christmas film, with mugs of hot cocoa, topped with cream, cinnamon and marshmallows having been finished quickly. Many of the younger ones had fallen asleep due to a combination of the time and the cocoa lulling them to rest. The film was nearing its end, maybe another five to ten minutes to go, when Lincoln felt a weight rest on his shoulder. Turning, he saw that Ronnie Anne has decided to snuggle up next to him. His cheeks heated up, knowing that they weren't alone, but he didn't feel like complaining, instead feeling… comfortable with her next to him.

"You okay?" He whispered to her.

She nodded. "Yeah, just a bit cold," she admitted.

"Well then…" He wrapped his arm around her so he could pull her closer. She blushed at the gesture, but didn't resist taking the opportunity to wrap her arms around him, resting her head against his chest. "Better?"

"Y-Yeah…" She let out a quiet yawn, causing him to quietly chuckle. "S-Sorry… forgot Abuela's cocoa makes me… sleepy…"

When she didn't say anything, he looked down and noticed that she was now asleep, a content smile on her face, her chest rising and falling slowly with each breath. Her rhythmic breathing made him smile, bringing his other arm around her to hold her close. He rested his chin on her head, feeling his own tiredness lure him to sleep. "Goodnight, Ronnie Anne," he whispered, before shutting his own eyes, just as the credits began to roll on screen.

"I always love this movie," Frida commented, wiping away a tear as she turned to Carlos. "We watched this the first time we spent Christmas together."

"Twenty-six years ago today," Carlos clarified. "I believe that was the first time you met my parents as well."

"It was!" Hector spoke up. "When we first heard about you, we were uncertain, but you proved us wrong."

"And we've been glad to have you in our family," Rosa added. "You've brought our son such happiness, and given us four beautiful grandchildren. Honestly, we couldn't have asked for a better daughter-in-law,"

"Don't forget about me," Maria joked, resulting in mild laughter from those still awake.

"Well," Rita spoke, standing from her seat, "this has been great, but it's time we went to bed."

"Of course," Rosa agreed. "Let's get the young ones to bed."

As everyone got up, grabbing their mugs and either waking or lifting those who were asleep, Lori gasped upon seeing Lincoln and Ronnie Anne. "Everyone, be quiet!" She said in a hushed tone. "Look."

Upon seeing the two kids happily asleep together, everyone smiled, the girls having to resist squealing at the cuteness of the sight. "I knew they liked each other," Lynn Jr sighed.

"They look totes adorbs!" Leni gushed, cupping her hands together.

"Should we wake them up?" Carlota asked.

"No way, bruh!" Luna argued. "We should just let them dream, dream, dream!"

"But, honey, they can't be comfortable like that," Rita pointed out.

Lori gave it a moment of thought. "Leave it to me."

"Are you sure, Lori?" The blonde high school senior nodded to her mother. "Alright, honey." She turned to the rest of her children. "The rest of you, brush your teeth and head to bed."

No one argued with her, slowly walking away and carrying those who were too tired. Once they were gone, Lori turned to Bobby. "Could you grab a blanket and a pillow for them?"

"Sure, Babe," he told her, then walked away. While he was gone, she gently took hold of the two kids' legs and lifted them up, removing their shoes before sliding them onto the couch. When Bobby returned, he fluffed the cushion before placing it on the couch, then helped Lori to lower Lincoln's head onto it. "Shouldn't we get one for Ronnie Anne too?"

"I think Lincoln is her cushion," she commented, causing him to chuckle. She couldn't help but sigh at the sight, leaning in to brush Lincoln's hair. "They are literally adorable right now."

"They do look pretty content right now." He wrapped an arm around his girlfriend's shoulder. "Plus, I know that little bro will keep Nie Nie safe tonight."

"So true." She turned to Bobby. "Do you mind if I tuck them in?"

"Not at all." He handed her the blanket, then kissed her on the cheek, allowing her to reciprocate. "Sweet dreams, Babe."

"Sweet dreams, Boo Boo Bear." He removed his arm from around her and began to head to bed, while Lori took the blanket and placed it over the two sleeping eleven-year-olds, tucking them in. She kissed her brother and his girlfriend on the cheek. "Sweet dreams, you two."

So, the two were left to sleep on the couch. When the morning came around, they were among the first to wake up. Lincoln's eyes fluttered open, and he was initially surprised to find that he was on the couch, but his attention was quickly drawn to the weight of the girl sleeping on his chest. His cheeks heated up, but he still smiled, surprisingly enamoured by the situation.

'She looks so… peaceful,' he thought to himself, lifting his hand up to brush her hair. 'It's a shame that I'm heading back to Royal Woods today… I'm really enjoying being around her again, and now that we're… sort of official… I wish I could spend more time with her like this.' He lightly shook his head. 'Still, we aren't going to let that stop us. I love her, and she loves me. That's what matters, and that's why we can make this work.'

He stayed there for a while, still as can be other than stroking her hair, until he heard the Santiago girl begin to stir. She moved her hand to rub her eyes, then froze slightly upon feeling Lincoln's chest. Looking up, she groggily said, "Lincoln?"

"Yeah?" He asked.

Her cheeks were roasting. "Were we… like this the whole night?"

"I think so." Though she was slightly embarrassed, she smiled, snuggling up to his chest, causing him to chuckle. "You're in an odd mood this morning."

"Shut up, Lame-O. I'm not going to be able to do this for a while, I wanna enjoy this while I can."

"That's fair. Though, uh…" His blush turned bright red. "I have to pee." She burst out laughing at this, which didn't help his embarrassment. "I'll be right back."

She allowed him to get up, wiping away the tears in her eyes while he went to the bathroom. He was gone for about five minutes before he returned, seeing her smirking at him. "I hope you washed your hands once you were done."

"Yes, your majesty," he grumbled as he sat down next to her.

"Don't be like that." She noticed he was pouting, then rolled her eyes. "Look, I didn't mean to embarrass you, okay? But, come on, that was kinda funny." He didn't respond, causing her to sigh. "I'm sorry, okay?"

He looked at her and gave a smile. "It's okay," he told her, patting on her knee. "I know you didn't mean anything by it." She smiled back, before a thought made that smile drop. "What?"

"Link… I know we said we'd make this work, but… how do we do that?"

He tilted his head at her. "What do you mean?"

"Well… once you go back, how much will things really change? All we can really do is video chat."

"That's not true." It was her turn to tilt her head at him. "First of all, I'm gonna visit when I can. I meant what I said about not being able to just go round and visit you, so I'm going to make sure I do when I can."

She smiled. "Really?"

"Of course, I am. Plus, Clyde got me into this new MMORPG, and we could always have a virtual date on there- it's surprisingly expansive."

She laughed heartily. "Sounds dorky, but alright. Send me a link later and I'll check it out." She shuffled up to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Thanks, Lincoln."

"You're welcome."

Soon enough, it was time to leave. Everyone had gotten dressed and shared a hearty breakfast, before the Louds gathered up their gifts and their luggage, took it downstairs and put it in Vanzilla.

"Drive safe now, you hear?" Maria asked.

"No worries!" Lynn Sr replied. "We'll be careful!"

"And don't forget, you are welcome anytime!" Hector added.

"And same to you, Hector!"

"Alright, everyone, back inside!" Rosa instructed to her family. "We don't want to catch the cold."

So, the Casagrande's and the Santiago's headed inside, leaving the Louds to climb into Vanzilla. As Lincoln grabbed the door, he looked back at the building behind him, then turned to his family. "Hey, dad, I think I left something," he explained. "I'll go and get it, it's really important."

"Alright, champ, but be quick. We don't want to be caught in traffic."

Lincoln nodded, then ran into the building. Once the door was shut, he ran up the stairs. "Ronnie Anne!"

Upstairs, the Santiago girl heard his call and turned around, seeing the white-haired boy panting as he approached her. "Lame-O, what are you doing?" She asked.

"I, uh… I forgot something."

She looked skeptical at him. "You forgot something?"

"Well, actually, I forgot to give you something." Before she could even respond, he pressed his lips against hers, and they once again melted into the kiss. It wasn't quite as intense as their kiss the day before, but just as genuine and love-filled. When he released the kiss, they both bashfully smiled at each other. "I, uh… just wanted to kiss you before I go."

She giggled, feeling her cheeks burning up. "I'm glad you did, Lame-O."

"Me too. It was… I-I-I mean, it was… i-i-it was-"

She stopped him by pressing a finger against his lips. "Lincoln… your family are going to drive off if you don't leave now." She lowered the finger. "Don't worry, I'll video chat with you later."

He nodded. "Okay. I'll, uh… talk to you later."

"Talk to you later." She watched as he walked back down the stairs, then walked up to the door to her family's apartment, but stopped and faced the viewer. "You know, had someone told me my Christmas would go like it did, I'd think they were crazy… but, I've gotta admit, I wouldn't have had it go any other way. Sure, I'm probably going to be teased for the foreseeable future, and so will Lincoln, but now that we're official, I guess I can live with that." She opened the door and walked in, turning back to say "happy holidays, everybody," before the door closed.

THE END