Author's Note

Well, here we are! The homestretch!

I know you've all heard this before, but I sincerely apologize for the two month wait. This chapter was, by far, the hardest one to write—even more so than the previous one.

But while it was a long and grueling process, what with all my heavy editing and revising, I was also an interesting learning experience for me. And now I can finally say that I am very proud with the end result. I hope you, my loyal readers, will feel the same afterwards!

Once again, I thank you all for your continued encouragement and sticking with me throughout this incredible journey!

Let's finish this on a high note, shall we?

The Loud House, including its characters, episodes, and dialogue are the property of Nickelodeon and Chris Savino.

—

Chapter 5: Along Came Another Sister

"Okay, everyone. Huddle up," requested Lincoln, after he and sisters retracted their hands.

"You heard him, girls! It's game time!" said a psyched-up Lynn. They all huddled up, their arms draped around each other's shoulders, like in football.

"All right, here's the plan," Lincoln began. But before he could elaborate any further, three timid knocks were heard. They all turned to face the door.

Lincoln then broke away from the huddle and went over to the door. He opened it and all the siblings saw that it was Lola. She was still without her trademark tiara and necklace. Though her eyes were looking down, her siblings saw they were bloodshot. She sniffled and exhaled a watery breath.

"I really need to talk to you guys," she said sadly.

Surprised by this turn of events, Lincoln glanced back at his other sisters and briefly shrugged his shoulders. Maybe this won't be so hard, after all, he thought as he turned back to his distressed younger sister.

"Sure, Lola. Come on in," he replied warmly and invitingly. He stepped aside to let Lola enter.

She raised her head to look at her brother, but suddenly stopped midway. Her eyes widened and her irises shrank.

"Lola?" Lincoln asked.

"Are you okay?" Lana followed up worriedly.

"C-c-can we actually g-g-go back to m-my room?" she stuttered fearfully. "P-pretty please?"

"Uh, fellow sibling units?" Lisa responded.

Except for Lola, the siblings turned to face Lisa, who was pointing at the dresser. Following the trajectory of her finger, their eyes landed on Lola's pageant portrait. There came a collective gasp from the siblings as they realized to their horror that Lola had caught sight of her framed counterpart. Thinking quickly, Leni stripped the quilt from her bed and tossed it over the picture.

Luan was tempted to make a joke out of the ordeal, but out of respect and concern for Lola, she kept it covered up.

Once the pageant portrait was hidden from view, Lola breathed a big sigh of relief and held her right hand over her heart. She leaned on her side against the doorjamb as she fought to stabilize her rapid breathing and heartbeat.

Her siblings frowned deeply; they couldn't bear to see Lola like this anymore.

Lincoln then knelt down and extended his hand. Lola looked down at her brother's open palm, and then looked at him.

"Do you still want to talk?" he asked softly.

She sniffled again, and slowly nodded her head. "Yes, please," she responded meekly.

She offered up her own hand and Lincoln enclosed it protectively around his own. "Come on."

Hand in hand, the Loud brother and sister walked out of Lori and Leni's room and slowly made the trek back to Lana and Lola's room. The rest of the Loud girls followed soon after.

Luan, however, made a quick detour into her and Luna's room, carrying Lola's portrait in the crook of her arm. She approached the window, unlocked it and pushed it upward. Once that was done, she picked up the portrait and held it at arm's length. Now armed with Lisa's speculation that the figure in this frame had caused nothing but turmoil for Lola, Luan furrowed her eyebrows and hurled the picture out the window.

"See ya! Wouldn't wanna Frisbee ya!" With a follow-up laugh, she slammed the window shut and relocked it. Her task successful, Luan dusted her hands and then left to rejoin her siblings.

There was a light, but audible thunk as the portrait landed in the backyard. Hearing the noise, Charles, the family dog, came out of his doghouse and walked over to the picture. He glanced down at Portrait Lola, who looked back at him with her frozen plastered smile. In response, he growled at the figure in the frame, turned around and lifted his leg.

—

Once all the siblings were back in Lola and Lana's room, they sat down on the floor in a circle next to Lola's bed.

From a bird's-eye view, the circle they had formed looked like a big clock. Each sibling occupied a different numerical spot. The five oldest sisters, from Lori down to Lynn, occupied 1 through 5, respectively. From 7 to 11 sat Lily, Lucy, Lisa, Lana, and Lincoln, in that order. Noticing the empty space next to her, Lily occupied the 6 Spot with one of Lola's stuffed bears.

At the very top of this visual clock sat the pageant princess herself in the 12 Spot, leaning against the bed. She hung her head.

"Lola," began her brother. "We just want you to know that we are not here to judge you. We are here for you."

A chorus of agreement was heard from the other sisters. Lola then raised her head and surveyed the circle. All of her siblings were focused intently on her. Warm, inviting smiles graced every one of their faces. The looks in their eyes tried to convey to Lola that she could trust them. And maybe, they hoped it might make her realize that they trusted her in return.

Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect on the young pageant princess—one of Portrait Lola's earlier remarks suddenly crossed her mind again.

It's easier to trust a complete stranger than to trust an untrustworthy sibling.

At that moment, that's what she felt like: untrustworthy and unwelcome. The thought made Lola slightly tremble.

Noticing her hesitance, Lincoln put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I can't even say it now," Lola replied sadly. Squeezing her eyes shut, she clenched one of her fists and slammed it against the floor twice in frustration.

"Just take your time, Lola," Lincoln advised reassuringly. "Whenever you're ready."

As Lola unclenched her fist and eyes, she took a couple of shaky breaths before finally beginning.

"I'm so sorry, you guys," Lola began, her voice slightly breaking. "For everything. The bug, the blackmailing, the things I made you do for me. I wanted nothing more than to be included in your group. But I went about it the wrong way. And I hurt each and every one of you because I was so selfish."

The pageant princess sniffled and swiped the back of her hand under her nose.

"I know some of you are thinking, 'Oh, she's just sorry because she got caught'; 'Oh, she's just sorry because the tables got turned'; 'Oh, she's just sorry because she got beaten at her own game.' But the truth is . . . I've already lost. Way before this whole thing started. I let my desire to always be in control drive everyone away from me: my friends, my classmates, my pageant competitors . . . and even my own siblings."

She sadly sighed before resuming.

"I tried . . . so hard . . . to put the blame elsewhere; to try and absolve myself of any responsibility or wrongdoing. But the more I thought about it, the more I finally realized . . . I have no one to blame but myself."

Another defeated sigh. "This is all my fault."

There was a brief moment of silence as the siblings let Lola's words sink in.

"No, it's not, Lola," Lincoln answered back. "And you know why?" Lola lifted her head and turned to face her brother.

"Because it's our fault, too," came his response. "We're just as responsible for all this."

In another overlapping sequence, the rest of the sisters voiced their agreement.

"Yeah, right," she stated, obviously unconvinced.

"No, really, Lola," reassured Lincoln. "You didn't drive us away; if anything, we drove you away. We ostracized you."

"What about Lola and an ostrich?" Leni asked.

"Shunned, barred, omitted," defined Lisa to the ditzy blonde.

"Like Lisa listed," the white-haired 11-year-old resumed. "We all gave you the cold shoulder, Lola. And we were wrong to do that."

"No, you weren't," Lola sadly stated. "You guys had every reason to do it."

"Even if we did have every reason," Lori inputted. "It still doesn't change the fact that we hurt you."

"Do you know what dish is best served cold to go with that cold shoulder, Lola?" Luan suddenly asked.

Lola slightly groaned. "I don't know, Luan. Gazpacho? Vichyssoise? What kind of joke is that?" the pageant princess asked morosely.

"The answer is revenge. But this is not a joke, Lola," reassured the comedienne. "For once, I'm being serious." Lana smiled hearing her sister say this. "Because I understand why you did what you did. Our excluding you from the club only served to fuel your belief that you were driving everyone away. And I believe your bugging of our meeting that night was not just a misplaced attempt to be included. It was also revenge for the hurt and injustice you felt we caused you."

Once again, Lola fell silent, mulling over Luan's hypothesis. "How did you know that?" she finally wondered aloud.

"Because it's an ego defense. And a bruised ego is no laughing matter." Upon realizing what she said, Luan was quick to revise her statement. "Okay, I take that back. Sometimes, it is one for me."

The siblings couldn't argue with that. Three specific words came to mind: April Fools' Day.

"It also didn't help that we tried to fight fire with fire," Lisa added. "Because in the end, everyone got burned."

"But how did you guys get burned?" questioned Lola.

"Because after we found out you took the blame for the things we did, we talked it over and realized we should have at least given you a chance to prove yourself," explained Lincoln. Then he smiled approvingly. "And you did, Lola. I meant what I said when I told you you've earned our trust."

The pageant princess shook her head. "No, I haven't. I'm not among those of us who can trust each other. Isn't that what you told me, Lincoln?"

Upon recalling himself saying those words earlier, his smile deflated.

"Among other things, that phrase has been haunting me all night."

Lincoln rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably and turned his gaze away briefly.

"I know I'm not the easiest sister to live with. Nor am I the most pleasant to put up with at times. But I still have feelings."

Tears formed in her eyes and her bottom lip began to quiver.

"And I was so hurt when you guys told me that." She pursed her lips together to try and stop the quivering.

Lincoln exchanged glances with the other Loud girls in the circle. Like him, they, too, had sadness etched in their faces. Lincoln may have said that phrase, but the other sisters knew he had also been speaking on their behalf. So they felt just as guilty, as well.

"Not that I didn't deserve it. But still . . . it made me realize . . . I failed you as a sister. As a trustworthy sister . . . "

She closed her eyes; salt water spilled.

Anticipating that Lola would cry again, Lincoln pulled her toward him and wrapped her in a hug. Another watery shudder came from Lola as she leaned her head against his chest. Like he did in the bathroom earlier during her first breakdown, Lincoln rubbed Lola's back with one hand and stroked her hair with the other. He then rested his chin on her head.

"I should never have said that," Lincoln told her. "I was angry with you—I mean, look, we all were. About the stuff you made us do, the methods you used, the measures you took. But what I said was just uncalled for. I didn't mean to hurt you like that. I'm sorry, Lola."

Different variations of 'We're sorry, too, Lola' arose from the other girls.

"But wait," interjected Leni suddenly. "Didn't you say earlier you were going to try and work on earning our trust, Lola?"

"I wanted to," Lola softly said. "I really did." She wiggled herself out her brother's embrace and leaned back against her bed. "That's why I thought taking the rap for you guys would at least have been a step in the right direction. But now . . . I'm not so sure."

"Is that you or your portrait talking, Lola?" Lucy monotonically queried.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Lola asked dejectedly.

"It means that we know about your pageant picture," Luna clarified.

"So what?" Lola said in a defeated tone. "It doesn't matter now."

"If I may interject," requested the four-eyed four-year-old prodigy. "You used the words, 'among other things' just now. I hypothesized earlier to the rest of our sibling units that you were hearing voices, Lola, which most likely played a big part in both your breakdowns. And now, this leads me to believe that not only were Lincoln's choice of words haunting you, but also the figure in that portrait. Am I incorrect in anything I've just said?"

Of course, she's not. When is she ever? Lola thought sarcastically. She shook her head.

"Your framed counterpart was most likely a physical manifestation of the doubts and/or second thoughts you were having about being part of the club."

It was times like this Lola wished her younger sister wasn't such a genius.

"What kind of things did she tell you, if you don't mind us asking?"

On the one hand, Lola was hesitant to divulge that information as she didn't want to relive the torture her framed counterpart had put her through tonight. But on the other hand, if Lisa knew, then it was most likely the rest of her siblings did, too. The cat was out of the bag, so why keep denying it?

Lincoln put his hand back on Lola's shoulder, rubbing it comfortingly. His reminder that they wouldn't judge her ran through her mind again. Her decision made, she took another deep breath.

"She kept saying me being in the club was just going to be short-lived. That I was always going to be untrustworthy, and careless . . . and useless." The last trait she listed was said in a tiny voice.

"She put Mr. Coconuts to shame, saying those things in more voices than one," Lola added as a side note.

It didn't take the other siblings long to realize whose voices Lola might have been hearing from her framed counterpart.

"Lola, you're not useless," Lana replied. "Or careless, for that matter."

"But I am untrustworthy," the pink twin admitted. "She was right about that."

"Do you honestly believe that?"

"Well, you're the trustworthy twin, Lana. Not me."

A look of realization crossed the tomboy twin's face. "Oh, so that's what you said earlier."

"Well, it's true!" Lola exclaimed, spreading her arms out wide. "Look at my history! The things I've said, the stuff I've done . . . " She sighed and dropped her arms to her sides. "Why would you want to trust me now?"

The rest of the siblings smiled.

"Because everyone deserves a second chance, Lola," Lincoln said.

"Precisely," stated Lisa. "Because if you take everything that's happened in the past couple of days and break it all down to its main key components, the end result is that you simply made a mistake."

"And besides, you're not the only one who's messed up before," Luna replied. "Don't you remember when I got carried away when we formed that band for the Family Fun Fair?"

"Or that time I caused you guys to usurp my position as babysitter when I got too power-hungry?" quipped Lori.

"Or the time I recorded you girls' embarrassing moments to win that video contest?" added Lincoln.

"Or how about the time he went on strike to get one of us to trade chores with him?" Lynn added.

"Well, there was that . . ." Lincoln admitted.

"And the time he thought he was all that and a bag of chips after he won that limo ride?" Luan contributed humorously.

"I guess we can't forget that, either, but . . ."

"Or what about the time he blocked the toilet with a Princess Pony comic book?" Leni chipped in.

"Well, actually . . . " Lucy began. But she was cut off by Lincoln.

"Okay, I think Lola's got the point, girls."

"Poo, poo, poo!" Lily proclaimed with a clap of her hands.

"Alright, already!" Lincoln exclaimed annoyingly. "Thank you, girls. For your helpful . . . contributions."

"Aw, we're just messing with you, little bro," Lynn answered back.

"But don't you see, Lola? We've all made mistakes."

"But what about my mistakes, Lincoln?" Lola asked, almost pleadingly. "Did you forget about me turning the other girls against you because you bought those sound-cancelling earbuds? Or when I tried to force you to stop reading comics in your undies?"

"No, I haven't forgotten about those, Lola," Lincoln replied calmly. "But those, too, were simply mistakes."

"But, I mean, what about this whole . . . series of events, you know? I've caused you guys so much trouble! You still wouldn't call that untrustworthy?"

Lincoln pondered this question for a moment before answering. "Before tonight . . . I probably would call that untrustworthy." Lola cast her eyes down sadly. "But after this . . . I call it being human."

Upon hearing that, Lola turned to her brother and raised one of her eyebrows confusedly. "What?"

"Lola, that's the beauty of being human. You're supposed to make mistakes. And instead of just beating yourself up over them, you have to learn from them. And that's what you did tonight. You realized the consequences of your actions and you adapted."

"Yeah, Lola!" Lynn responded with a fist pump. "You took one for the team. That makes you a star player in my book!"

"Looks like I'm not the only trustworthy twin around here anymore," Lana proclaimed.

For the first time since this particular meeting started, Lola smiled. She turned to face her other sisters. "Really? You guys mean that?"

"Of course!" replied Lincoln. "We'd have to be idiots not to let you in the club after that act of selflessness."

Still, though, uncertainty plagued the pageant princess' mind and her smile regressed. "But what about tomorrow night? Or the night after that?"

"What do you mean?" deadpanned Lucy.

"I'm Lola Loud."

"And I'm Leni. Nice to meet you, Lola."

"No, I mean, like my framed counterpart said—I'm Lola Loud. I'm a tattle-tale; little Miss Lola Loudmouth. Some part of me still feels like this is all going to be for nothing."

There was a brief moment of silence and contemplation. Until . . .

"Poo, poo!"

All the siblings turned to face Lily, watching her crawl over to Lola, the stuffed bear tucked in the crook of her arm. She then sat down and pushed the bear toward the pageant princess.

Lola looked down at the bear and raised an eyebrow. "What's this?"

Lily responded with a series of babbles, coos, and giggles. Of course, Lola didn't really know what to make of it.

"Hey, that's a great idea, Lilster!" Luan said.

Lola turned to her stand-up sister. "What? What'd she say?"

"She said, 'For the times when you feel the urge to tell on someone, you can always tell Mr. Bear or any of his other stuffed animal friends. And besides, it's not like they'll tell anyone!' " the comedienne translated.

Lola turned back to her infant sister to confirm if that was what she said. Lily nodded.

The other eight Loud siblings voiced their praise at their baby sister's idea as she toddled back to her designated spot.

"Or, you can always come to one of us, if you'd like," suggested Lincoln. "We'll always be here for you."

Lola sniffled and felt her lips curl up into another smile.

They really do care; they're doing so much for me. How did I deserve such forgiving siblings?

As she pondered these thoughts, something else clicked in her mind.

If they're willing to go the extra mile for me, then it's only fair that I do the same for them.

"I'd still like to use the next 30 days to further strengthen you guys' trust in me, though," the pageant princess requested. "That is, if you'll let me."

The siblings were touched by the request. "We'd like that, Lola. We'd like that a lot," Lincoln stated with an appreciative smile. The rest of the Loud girls mirrored their brother's smile.

For the second time that night, Lola heard her brother's initiation replay in her head.

Hey, Lola, you know, we talked it over and decided . . . you're in! You've earned our trust!

This time, however, she finally understood her siblings had been telling the truth. With this realization, Lola felt a weight lift off her heart.

Her eyes welled up again. "Thank you, guys," she replied gratefully and tearfully. "You don't know how much I appreciate this."

Lincoln suddenly felt a nudge in his side. He turned to Lana, who gave him two specific items. They were Lola's trademark tiara and her now-fixed necklace. Lincoln smiled at the young tomboy; this was her handiwork, for sure. He then turned back to Lola.

"You're very welcome," Lincoln responded. "After all . . . "

He put the necklace around Lola's neck.

"You're Lola Loud."

Then he placed the tiara on her head.

"And you'll always be our little princess."

"And unlike the doubt your framed counterpart tried to sow into your mind, you can rest assured there is no doubt that you belong here," confirmed Lisa.

"Yeah, don't listen to that Miss Picture," Leni suggested. "She's just a big meanie."

"Leni's right, Lola," chuckled Lori. "What she thinks literally doesn't matter because she's not real."

"But do you know what is real?" Lincoln asked. Lola craned her head up to her brother again. "The love we have for you, the respect we have for you . . . and the trust we have for you." He and Lori placed a reassuring hand on each of her shoulders. "That will always be real."

Lola tried so hard to hold back her tears and emotions, but she just couldn't do it. One look at the smiles on her siblings' faces was all it took to break her resolve.

"Come here," Lincoln told her. He leaned forward and pulled Lola in for another hug. The pageant princess did not resist, wrapping her arms around her brother and crying into his shoulder. Seeing this made the rest of the sisters want to join this tender moment. They all approached Lola and embraced her in a loving group hug.

Surrounded by all this love and acceptance, Lola continued to cry . . . but she was smiling through her tears.

Even though Lola eventually stopped crying, the group hug could've gone on for quite longer . . . had Lori's cellphone not pinged. Like a mackerel to a worm on a hook, the eldest Loud sibling fished her mobile device out of her pocket and looked at the screen.

"It's getting pretty late," Lori realized. "We should probably start getting ready for bed now."

"I think we have time for one more story," Lincoln remarked. He, Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lucy, Lana, Lisa, and Lily all turned to face Lola.

"How about it, Lola? Would you like to try again?"

With a renewed sense of self, she wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled proudly at her siblings.

"Yes, please."

The Loud siblings all repositioned themselves in the same format as when the very first meeting began. The only difference now was that Lola had taken Lynn's place as storyteller.

Lola's 10 listeners leaned forward: their mouths agape, their curiosities piqued, and their eyes wide with anticipation.

As Lola surveyed her captive audience, something she thought earlier crossed her mind once more.

Previously, she fooled herself into thinking this thought was nothing but an absolute lie.

But that was then; this was now.

And now, she knew this thought was nothing but the absolute truth.

My siblings finally trust me.

Beaming with pride and joy, Lola began telling her story.

—

While the young pageant princess spun her incredible yarn, Lincoln turned to face the fourth wall.

"Like I said before, we're not angels. Sometimes, we mess up. But the great thing is, if you need to get something off your chest, you can always trust your siblings."

He paused to briefly glance at Lola. Then he smiled and turned back to the fourth wall.

"All of them."

—

And . . . that's a wrap, everybody!

It wasn't easy, but I couldn't have done it without your support!

Now I'm getting all teary-eyed like Lola. Anybody got any tissues?

I hope you all enjoyed reading my alternate take on this episode of The Loud House!

Reviews, comments and concerns are always welcome!

Until we meet again, thank you so much for reading!