106. Ch 106- Last Hurrah pt 1

The skies were still dark, not yet sunrise but no longer the thick of night. The town was quiet and cool, a gentle breeze blowing through the empty streets. In one house on Franklin Avenue, the residents were all fast asleep, until an alarm was heard ringing in the former linen closet. A pair of eyes gently flickered open, quickly becoming accustomed to the small amount of light emanating from his phone. With a yawn and a stretch of his arms, Lincoln sat up in his bed and began to wipe the sleep out of his eyes as a determined expression spread across his face.

'This is it,' he thought, throwing off the covers and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. 'Let's get started.'

He stood up from the bed and walked over to the desk where his phone sat, the screen reading 07:00 as he turned off the alarm. He rolled his shoulders to ease any knots, then made his way out of his room and onto the landing, making sure not to make too much noise, so as not to wake his family. He eventually reached the bathroom, shutting the door behind him and turning the light on, before walking up to the sink. After brushing his teeth and washing his face, he looked at his reflection in the mirror, checking his face before looking into his eyes.

"Okay, Lincoln," he told himself. "You're ready for this. You don't need to worry, you're not facing this alone. You've got this." He was then going to leave the bathroom, but he caught sight of the reader. "Hey, everyone. Well, it's finally the day of the showcase. Everything that has happened these past few months has led up to this, and although I still have a few nerves about this, I'm pretty excited too. This is the first time I've ever done an event like this, and it's the first time that my sisters and friends are coming to support me." Lincoln gave a small chuckle. "It's funny. You'd think that, with so many sisters who perform and compete so regularly, I would have learnt how to prepare myself for how big it all is. Guess that's something you can't learn without experience, huh?" He shook his head at the thought. "No use worrying about that now. Wish me luck, guys." Once again, he was about to leave, this time being stopped by a sudden urge in his body. 'Should probably take care of that before I go, too.'

So, after emptying his bladder and washing his hands, he finally made his way back to his room, taking off his pyjamas and putting them into the hamper. After then changing into his usual attire, he put his phone into his jean pocket and made his way downstairs. Once in the living room, he realised that he was not alone, seeing that Lynn was sat on the arm of the couch with her arms crossed, looking right at him.

"Took you long enough, bro," Lynn remarked, standing up. "I was thinking you were gonna lie in."

"Are you kidding?" he replied. "If it weren't for the run we had yesterday, I don't think I would have been able to sleep." Lynn chuckled, knowing exactly what her brother was talking about. "So, how come you're up so early? We don't have to leave until nine."

"Well, I know what it feels like before a big game, so I knew you'd be up early too." She walked over to her brother. "Plus, I knew you'd be going for a jog before breakfast. You've not exactly been sneaky this past week."

"Yeah, I figured one of you would have caught me by now. Still, I was going to help Dad in the kitchen before I left."

"Nah ah, bro. For one thing, Dad ain't up yet, and I heard him say that he's letting Kotaro handle the restaurant today, so he doesn't need that much help." She then put a hand on his shoulder and met his gaze. "But more importantly, this is your day. You need to focus on yourself and make sure you're prepared for this. I know you like helping everyone out, and we love you for it, but this is about you."

Lincoln put his hand on her shoulder, matching her smile. "Alright, Lynn. I appreciate this."

"I know you do. Now, come on, we need to get going."

Lynn then removed her hand from his shoulder and walked over to the front door, confusing the boy. "We?"

"Yeah, I'm not letting you go jogging by yourself before your big showcase, am I?"

"Lynn, you do know what jogging is, right?"

She shot him a mildly annoyed glare, allowing her to see the grin he gave her when he said this. "Bro, if I wanted to, I could make you sprint through town in your duds. Don't test me." Seeing the blush he gave at the notion, she knew that he would let her speak. "Anyway, the others are all gonna worry if they wake up and you ain't here, so it's better if I tag along, and we can talk about anything you want before we go to the sports centre. I already cleared it up with Mom last night, so once the others are up, she'll let them know."

"You've really planned for everything, haven't you?"

She gave a grin of her own as she answered, "well, with a bro like you, I guess it's rubbed off on me. Gotta plan ahead sometimes."

Just then, their mother emerged from the bedroom in her pyjamas and dressing gown, giving a yawn and a stretch of her arms before spotting two of her children in the living room. "Morning, kids," she greeted tiredly.

"Morning, Mom," they greeted back.

"Going somewhere?"

"Just for a quick jog," Lynn explained, before realising something. "Oh, wait! Better grab my phone real quick."

Neither her brother or mother said anything as she ran upstairs, leaving the two of them alone. "So, Lincoln," Rita spoke first. "Are you ready for today?"

"More or less, yeah," he told her with a nod. "Just hope everything will go okay, you know?"

She gave an agreeing hum as she walked over, wrapping up her only son in a warm hug. "I know, honey, but you don't need to worry about that. No matter what happens, we are all so, so proud of you, and we're with you all the way."

He smiled upon hearing this, returning the embrace in kind. "Thanks, Mom."

"No need to thank me." She then heard Lynn begin to descend the stairs, so she let go of the hug and gestured for her fifth eldest to come to her. Once both kids were stood in front of her, she put a hand on either of their shoulders. "Alright. Lincoln, be careful out there." She planted a kiss on top of his white haired head, then looked to Lynn. "Look after your brother, Lynn, and don't work him too hard."

The jock rolled her eyes as her mother kissed her on the head too. "Don't worry, I've got this."

"We'll be back soon, Mom," Lincoln told the matriarch as he was led to the front door by his sister.

"Have fun, you two!" she told them, waving as they called back to her. Once they were out of the front door and she saw it close, she waited a few seconds before grinning, the tiredness leaving her eyes. "Alright, Lynn, you can come out."

Not even a second passed before she turned to see her husband emerge from their bedroom, fully dressed and wide awake. "So, they've headed out, huh?" She nodded. "Well, I'd better get to cooking, then."

"You do that, and I'll get the kids up." He nodded, placing a quick peck on her lips before making his way into the kitchen, and she started to make her way upstairs. 'Time to start the day.'

After a good twenty minutes of jogging around town, Lincoln and Lynn were walking back home. The January air was still cool, the breeze making Lincoln regret bringing a jacket of some sort as he rubbed his bare arms for warmth, but Lynn found no such issue with the weather. "Trust me, bro, you'll get used to it," she assured him, giving him a hefty pat on the back.

"Easy for you to say," he told her mid-shiver. "You probably trained in the snow for ice hockey."

The middle schooler chuckled. "Nah, not for ice hockey. Snow's no good for that."

"What, not even for dealing with the cold?"

"What's the point? All the padding keeps me nice and toasty." As they stopped at the corner to wait for a car to pass, she put a hand into her pocket and pulled out her phone, checking the time. "The others should be up by now."

"That's about right," Lincoln agreed with a nod. "I'll need to thank them for supporting me before I leave."

"Bro, you've been thanking them for two days straight. I think they get it."

He rolled his eyes as they crossed the street, digging his hands into his pockets. "Can you blame me, though? Given everything that's happened, it means so much to me that they're gonna be there to watch."

Her smile faltered slightly as recent memories came to the front of her thoughts, but she still smiled. "I know, bro, and they're all looking forward to it. You and the others are gonna kill it out there."

"You think so?" Seeing Lynn nod, he couldn't help but let his smile grow. "Thanks, Lynn."

"Ah, save the sappy stuff for later. Now, come on, before they start worrying about us." With that, she began jogging again, Lincoln picking up the pace to keep up with her as they travelled the last few blocks back to Franklin Avenue. As they neared their home, Lynn slowed back down to a walk as she saw their elderly neighbour tending to his flowers. "Hey, Mr Grouse!"

Looking up from his work, he saw the two Louds walking towards him. "What are you two doing up this early?" he asked as he got to his feet.

"Eh, just helping my bro prepare for his big day."

"Ah, right, that showcase thing." He then looked to the boy and told him, "good luck with that, kid."

"Thanks, Mr Grouse," Lincoln replied.

"Hey, aren't you gonna come watch?" Lynn inquired.

"Nah, I've got other things to do," the old man pointed out. "Oh, right, almost forgot." He then went into the house, making the kids wonder where he had gone, until he returned a minute later with a cherry pie in his hand, wrapped in cling film. "Heard there was some kinda bake sale going on, so I finished this last night. Not as good as the kind my wife would make, but should be alright."

"Thanks, Mr Grouse," Lincoln said, accepting the treat from the senior citizen. "Have a good day."

"You too, kid."

So, whilst Mr Grouse returned to his gardening, Lincoln followed Lynn back to the house, the jock opening the door and stepping inside. "We're back!" she announced, to which the younger girls smiled from the couch, tearing their eyes away from the TV.

"Lincoln!" the two twins cheered, leaping off the couch and running past Lynn to hug his legs, making him chuckle at their affection.

"Okay, okay! Take it easy!" He handed the pie to Lynn, who took it into the kitchen so that he could hug them back. "You two didn't have to wait here for me, you know."

"Uh, yeah we did!" Lola scoffed. "It's your big debut! What else were we going to do?"

Again, he chuckled. "I meant, you could have watched TV or something. I only went for a jog."

"We were watching TV, elder sibling," Lisa explained from the couch. "Now that you have returned from your morning exercise, perhaps you would like to join us?"

"Sure, that sounds great." Once the girls let go of his legs, they went over to the couch and joined Lisa and Lucy to watch cartoons, with the twins sitting either side of their brother. "Where's everyone else at?"

"Luna's checking her instruments, Luan was last in the line for the bathroom, and Leni and Lori are in their room," Lucy explained. "Something about checking the outfits."

'That'll be the leotards,' he surmised with a nod.

"So, how are you feeling?"

He smiled to his spooky little sister. "Feeling good, especially knowing you'll all be there."

"Of course we will, Lincoln!" Lana assured him, to which he petted her on the head.

"Thanks, Lana. All of you, really."

"I hope that includes us too," he heard Luan call down, prompting the boy to look over his shoulder and see the comedienne beginning to descend the stairs, with Lori, Leni and Luna following behind her.

"Of course it does," he told her, getting up so his older sisters could envelop him in a hug as well. "You all mean so much to me, you know that. I'm grateful you're all gonna be there."

"And you mean so much to us too, Linky!" Leni replied. "We're all, like, so excited to see what you're gonna do!"

"Well, me not quite as much, since I've seen you practicing," Luna admitted, before ruffling his hair. "Still, it's gonna be awesome, dude."

"Everyone's gonna think so," Lori added. "I know Ronnie Anne and her family would agree."

Hearing this, he let go of his hug, which prompted the older girls to let go of their brother. "The Casagrandes are coming to watch?"

"They sure are. Bobby texted me to say that they're going to set off soon."

"Benny also told me he's going to be there," Luan said next. "He thought the idea had a nice ring to it. Get it?!"

"My friends are, like, totes excited about this!" Leni informed her brother. "They think you're gonna look super great out there!"

"I'd say I've got peeps coming, but only pals I've got who'd be interested are the band," Luna added. "Haven't spoken to Tabby in a while, though. Don't know if she knows about it."

"You all invited that many people?" When they nodded, Lincoln took a second to let that sink in. "Woah…"

"What's wrong, Linc?" Lynn asked, returning to the room just in time to see his smile drop.

"Nothing, just… that's a lot more than I was expecting."

"Linc, everyone's going to be there! It's going to be packed!" Lana blurted out, to which Lola gave her a sharp elbow. "What was that for?"

"Can't you see you're making him feel worse?" she pointed out, before turning to her crestfallen brother with a smile. "Linky, you don't need to worry about that."

"Loles is right, dude," Luna agreed with a nod. "When you're in the thick of it, you won't even notice everyone's there."

"As long as you keep your head in the game, you'll be fine, bro," Lynn assured with confidence. It took him a moment, but hearing his sisters say this got him to smile again.

"You're right, girls," he realised, looking up with renewed faith. "Besides, this is a charity show, so the more people that's there, the better. Right?" He heard all of his sisters give a collective "yeah", settling any last nerves that the idea of a large crowd gave him. "In that case, it's all good. No need for me to worry, and no need for you to worry about me worrying."

"Lincoln, you're literally forgetting that we're your sisters," Lori argued with a smirk. "There's always a reason for us to worry."

The boy chuckled. "Yeah, I know, and I wouldn't want that to change for anything."

"Neither do we."

"Okay, kids! Breakfast is ready!" their father declared from the kitchen, so the kids began to make their way into the dining room, sitting around the already laid table. As they waited for the food to arrive, Rita came in with Lily, setting her down in her high chair before sitting down as well. Everyone talked for a few seconds more, until their father eventually came in, and the scent of what he had been preparing filled their noses, making their stomachs rumble with delight. "Who's ready for Lynncakes?"

The kids cheered with glee as he began to serve out the delectable sweet treat, starting with Lincoln's plate. The boy looked down at the steamy breakfast treat— three golden, light and fluffy pancakes with chocolate chips mixed in, stacked neatly on the plate with a dollop of whipped cream on top. "Dad, I thought you only ever made these when it's one of our birthdays?" he inquired.

"I know, I know, but today's a special day, Champ. Got to get off to the right start, and what better way than with some chocolate chip Lynncakes, huh?"

He couldn't help but give a laugh at his dad's self-branding. "Thanks, Dad."

"Come on, Linc, dig in!" Lynn Jr told him, already cutting into hers. "Even if they don't go cold, you leave those too long and you're just asking for one of us to sneak them off your plate!"

Knowing fully well this was true, he picked up his knife and fork and began to cut into his stack, taking out a sizeable piece of the top pancake before he began to eat. He gave what could only be described as a mew of satisfaction as he bit into it, the perfect taste and texture exploding in his mouth, before beginning to eat with more fervour. "Dad, I swear these get better every time."

"Lincoln," Rita lightly yet sternly said, "don't talk with your mouth full."

Realising what he was doing, he swallowed. "Sorry, Mom."

"That's alright."

"Ah, don't worry about that, Linc," his jock sister assured him. "Enjoy yourself."

Hearing this, he paused his eating, his fork just centimetres away from him taking another bite. His gaze slowly turned to her with growing suspicion. "Did you plan all this?"

"What are you talking about, bro?"

He lowered his fork and turned his chair to face her directly. "You did plan this, didn't you? You planned to take me on a jog so that I wouldn't know Dad was making pancakes, and so that we'd get back just in time for them."

"Busted," Lucy spoke up, a rare grin on her face making Lynn roll her eyes and shrug.

"Alright, you got me. Still, I didn't really plan all that much, just a little something to make sure you got off on the right foot today."

He raised an eyebrow, his lips curling upward. "Another one of your 'big game rituals'?"

She matched her roommate's grin. "Linc, I have a big game pretty much every other week. You think I could do this every time?"

"Then, why do all this? Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it, I'm just surprised."

"Eh, what can I say? I wanted to make today special for you. Now, come on, I swear Lana's almost halfway done already."

"Am not!" the grease monkey defended, much to the boy's amusement.

"Still, thanks, Lynn. You've done a lot for me lately, and I don't know how to repay you."

"You don't. Just do your best today, that's all I ask."

"Will do."

She smiled to her brother as he resumed eating, his big smile having an infectious quality. 'I know you will.'

"Okay, everyone!" Rita called out. "I'll be back soon. Lori, you're in charge until I get back. Luna, if Chunk comes before I get back, send me a text so that I know where you are."

"Got it," both the rocker and the golfer replied.

"Good. Leni, Lynn, Lincoln, let's go."

As he followed his mother towards the door, Lincoln suddenly felt himself trapped by a group hug from his other sisters, making him smile as he hugged whichever sister was closest to him. "Thanks, you guys."

"Don't worry about it, Linc," Luan told her brother. "We'll all try and get a front row seat. No better way to seat you do your thing!" Rather than groan, he laughed at the pun, making her smile beam. "We're all excited for this."

"You're gonna be awesome, big brother!" Lana chirped.

"It's going to be wonderful," Lola added.

"Don't worry, me and the band will be right behind you," Luna assured. "Not that you need us to rock it, of course. We know what you can do, and it's going to—"

"Okay, okay, you can all hug him later on!" Lynn interrupted, pulling her brother free. "Got to get going to help set up, alright?"

"Yeah, Lynn's right," Lincoln relented, before turning to the others. "I'll see you all soon, okay?"

Everyone began wishing him luck as he walked towards Vanzilla with Lynn and Leni. As he opened the van door, he saw the others stood on the porch, waving at him. He waved back as he got into the van, and once he was buckled up, he continued to wave as they drove off towards the sports centre, and towards the big event.