Lincoln and Lori had some stiff and rather awkward conversation as they drive on, being a fair ten minutes from the house. Lincoln zones out and thought about the way the house was when he first got out of the academy. The house that was waiting for him last time. The last homecoming.

Lincoln didn't want to think about how intense and heavy his last arrival was. Though he found this whole new Lori a tad strange, he's glad she's out of that rut. However, that was something he never asked. She just said they were changed but never said what changed and how it happened. Lincoln felt like he ought to at least prompt the topic.

"Hey, Lori…" said Lincoln.

"Yes, dear brother?" answered Lori calmly.

"I was wondering how you-wait. 'Dear brother'? What's...what's that about?" asked Lincoln, thrown off by the response.

Lori giggled to herself.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot. Only me and the girls call you that. At home, I mean" she answers sweetly.

Lincoln gives Lori a rather clear thorny look. Lori cuts her eyes to him, without losing her cool and clears her throat.

"I mean, you don't like it?" asked Lori calmly.

Lincoln looks dead ahead on the road.

"Sounds kinda Heaven's Gate-ish, but…" Lincoln muttered to himself.

"Hmm?" asked Lori, catching Lincoln in the sassy act.

Lincoln goes quiet while Lori looks at her rear view mirror into the backseat. She then cuts her eyes back to Lincoln.

"You know, Lily is a bit old for a car seat. Wouldn't you agree?" asked Lori.

Lincoln looked to the backseat at the still sleeping Lily. Lily was a few years older at this point-four years old. The girl has grown rather large and looked a tad too snug in the seat. Lily had a full head of hair, similar to Lincoln's, though blonde and feathered on the back. The girl could speak rather well for her age and pretty much should be able to sit in a booster seat, but due to some quiet money trouble before his father died, there were a lot of cutbacks on spending in the house. Money was so tight that Lincoln, though it pained him, had to get himself sweaters from the local church during their yearly charity drive just to have something to wear during the winter months. Another time, Lincoln found a bargain bin for $12 shoes at the mall. He managed to quickly remove the security tag that was ringing the pair together from the laces and walk out the mall with them on, tossing out the old pair in a trash can on his way out.

Lincoln sighs.

"Tell you what. I'll pick her up a booster seat tomorrow after my church meeting" Lori said.

Lincoln stared at her with a brow raised. Lori takes a quick notice.

"What? Was it something I said?" Lori asked.

"Y-Yes! It was!" Lincoln said with a change in volume.

"What did I-" Lori started calmly.

"Since when were you religious?" asked Lincoln.

Lori gets eerily quiet. Lincoln sinks in the passenger seat, not breaking his sights on her for a moment.

"...I take it you're not for religion, yes?" asked Lori calmly.

Lincoln sighs in visible frustration.

"Why would I be, Lori?" asked Lincoln in a spout of insultingly blunt sass.

Lori chuckles.

"Lucy much?" Lori commented snidely.

Lincoln can only scoff.

"I don't go to normal church, Lincoln. You'd….enjoy it" Lori said plainly.

Lincoln hooked on to that statement. Before he could ask more about it, Lori resumes.

"You should reconsider it, dear brother. You'd be surprised what kind of prophets we look up to...you might see yourself in him…" Lori said in that off putting monotone delivery.

Lincoln was starting to get that tense feeling. Something was very wrong here. This time, she sounded like she was threatening him-testing the waters with him before she strikes a killing blow. Lincoln tried to survey his sister from posture to expression. No dice-the woman had no tell. Dead in the driver seat like a statue of copper. Lifeless and without a crack in the presentation.

"L-Lori..?" Lincoln started with a low quake. "What...kinda prophets do you look up to..?"

Time seemed to have stopped at that moment. The gray sky seemed heavier and covered the sky like a blanket of obsidian. The light snores of the child in the backseat ceased. The car seemed to feel like it has stopped running. The boy looks at Lori like a small thing to a giant. Even with the years that passed, the boy felt like he was still just an ant compared to the powerhouse that was Lori. Lori smiles in a frame that seemed as if the world through the sweating boy's eyes were going in slow motion and cut her eyes to Lincoln once more, splitting him down the middle. The audio of the world seemed to have muted as the loud bass thumping of his heart beat fill his ears.

"Lincoln…" Lori said slowly.

His name rung loudly and lingered on as if she spoke into an echoing plain of emptiness. Lincoln started to pant. Did she actually just said…?

"We're here!" Lori said normally with a bright smile.

Lincoln blinked and looked around. The sky was gray. The snoring is heard. Everything was back to normal. Lincoln tried to get a full scan of the setting as his pupils dart around the car looking for an idea of what just occurred. Lori's smile fades as she starts to develop worry for her brother.

"L-Lincoln? Are you okay?" Lori asked sweetly. "You seemed to have spaced out."

Lori makes an attempt to pat Lincoln on the head, but Lincoln jerks back and hits his back against the fold of the car door and the seat. He inhales sharply and made Lori covered her mouth in surprise at the sudden action. Lincoln looks at her with fear.

"W-What did you say?" asked Lincoln. "D-Did you say-"

"Did I say what?-" Lori started.

"STOP INTERRUPTING ME!" shouted Lincoln, clearly afraid and feeling trapped.

Lori's mouth opened while the sleeping Lily awakens and rubs her eyes. Lori turns her head to Lily and smiles. Lincoln didn't like that shift-not in the slightest. Lincoln watches as Lori motions to the backseat in what looks like an attempt to pick Lily up. Lincoln's body tenses up and his breathing picks up. As Lori reaches to the backseat of the car, Lincoln quickly extends his hand and smacks Lori's hands downward. The smacking sound causing the half awake Lily to snap into alert. Lori quickly pulls her hands back and holds them close to her chest. Lincoln stares down at his older sister.

"Don't…touch her…" Lincoln said firmly.

Lori stares at Lincoln with tears forming. Lincoln reviews her and was lost. He stared at her gloved hands. Lori looks away.

"You still don't trust me…" Lori said.

Lincoln kept looking at Lori's hands as they shook. He seriously started to question his actions. Was all that in this head? Was Lori really saying that to him? He wasn't sure at the moment. For all he knew, he was still stuck wearing a cynical set of blinders from past experiences and what he was seeing and hearing were of his own creation rather something occurring in his reality. Regardless, he felt a tad guilty and decided to drum up an excuse to make up for his rather unnecessary action.

"S-Sorry, Lori...i-it's not that.." Lincoln said unconvincingly.

"T-Then what-" started Lori.

"Lily just likes to be around me so…" Lincoln said, not wanting to look in Lori's direction.

Lori was rather stunned by that statement. She turns to Lily and from that distence, she spoke to the child.

"Lily?" asked Lori.

Lily looked at Lori with scared eyes, barely remembering the blonde haired lady that drove her here.

"Do you...want me to pick you up?" asked Lori shaking, clearly saddened.

Lily looks to Lincoln for guidance. Lincoln simply nods, giving Lily free range to answer. However, Lily closed her eyes and shook her head quickly, signaling a no. Lori hangs her head defeated. She glares up to Lincoln. Lincoln was honestly rather upset by this. Lincoln was afraid, but most likely for the wrong reason. He wasn't trying to hurt her. Lincoln turns his attention back to Lily. Lily quickly opens her eyes and reaches out to him.

"Linc.." Lily spoke. "Can you pick me up?"

Lori looked absolutely pitiful. The young woman gave a pathetic expression. Lincoln opens the door of the car, getting ready to hop out and let Lily out of her seat. As he hops out, he takes a moment to look at the house. He was so focused on Lori to register that they were sitting in the driveway. Lincoln looks to see the house on the outside looked...unusually clean. The grass was cut like it was done professionally. The house and the paint job on it looked as if the house had just got done being built.. Everything about the outside of the house looked off. Not only it gave off a very bizarre dollhouse presentation, but it also seemed rather vacant. The usual noises and crashing from the house when Lincoln was younger weren't present. Neither where the sounds of cursing and fighting from just a year and a half earlier. It was rather strange. As the rain began to pick up again, Lincoln was about to turn around to the backseat until he heard a noise.

The faint cries of crows.

Lincoln looked around the block to see a troubling amount of crows that littered the street and along the sidewalk. Lincoln slowly walks to the car door and opens it up, picking up Lily from the seat and walking with her to the porch. Lori stays in the car, gripping the steering wheel. Lincoln holds Lily close as he looks back at Lori. Him and Lori make eyes contact. Lori tries to smile for him but quickly looks downward and frowns, defeated and hollow. Lincoln stands in front of the main door of the Loud house a little guilty. He reached out to knock on the door while still looking at Lori. He keeps attempting to knock to only feel a chill. Lily tugs softly on Lincoln's long hair, prompting him to look forward to see the door was wide open. He never made contact with the door.

"W-Wha…?" said Lincoln as he stared into the dark house.

The faint sounds of a growling and hissing is heard inside the darkness. Lincoln back away slowly from the door and shakes with the child in his arms, but holding on to her tightly. Lily takes notice of Lincoln's behavior and gives a worried expression.

"Lincy?" asked Lily.

Lincoln quickly turns around to the car, hoping to see Lori in the front seat. She was gone.

Sweat began to form over his face.

"Lincy?" asked Lily again.

Lincoln darts his eyes into the yard to see a bunch of crows lurking in the yard. Three little crows. Lincoln watched all three them fly up to the doorstep. Lincoln starts to breathe heavily.

"Lincy..?" asked Lily again as she lightly taps her older brothers forehead to get his attention to no effect.

The crows, doll eyed and empty, stared deeply into Lincoln's inner being, making Lincoln rattle and shake with disgiving. One of the crows, the one the rested on the right of the other two, leaned in closely from where it was perched. It' opened up it's beak and in what Lincoln assumed was going to be a caw, but a different sound altogether.

"Leave them, Lincoln..." the first crow cawed.

Lincoln's eyes widen and he starts to grip his hair. The second crow leans in close.

"You are in danger, Lincoln…" the second one cawed.

Lincoln's vision begins to grow fuzzy and the audio around him was starting to be inaudible. The sounds of the thunder sounded like the shot bass of the theater of the mind. The crows looked like misty black imp-like blobs that sat on the doorstep, beaming at him with their bleak, plastic-like eyes. The third and last crow-beast leaned in closely.

"I smell blood on the leaves, Lincoln…" the creature caws in a awful bellow of crackled sounds and scrambled pitches.

Lincoln shuts his eyes, panting. On the brink of bursting into tears before a feeling overcame his head. And press-a connection to something. He opens up his eyes. The crows were gone, but so was Lori. Lincoln darts his eyes to his left to see it was Lily hugging his head. The child held on to his head tight enough to signal Lincoln.

"It's okay, Lincy" Lily said with the smile. "The bad monsters can't hurt you."

Lincoln sighed as his heartbeat got normal.

"Does your head hurt again, Lincy?" asked Lily.

Lincoln put up a brave face.

"Y-Yeah. Sorry, Lily" Lincoln said with a smile. "I'll have to take my medicine. I kinda don't like taking them."

"But daddy said-" started Lily.


Suddenly, there was a clicking noise behind them in the doorway. Lincoln makes a quick turn to the doorway and screams at the the sight of two beings at the door. Lincoln regains his footing and composure and takes another look. In the doorway were...Lana and Lola.

Lana and her twin Lola were side by side. They were both wear black t-shirts, only with Lana wear some dark gray overalls with hers and Lola with white jeans with a sliver and black sparkle detail on the front part of the legs. Both had on black sneakers. Lola was without her crown and Lana had on a dark gray ball cap. Lincoln studied them to see Lola was no longer wearing her collar. That and in a very unsettling trend. Both of the girls were wearing gloves.

The two girls held hands and looked into each others eyes and closed them. In perfect sync, the two turn their heads towards Lincoln and smiled at the exact same time.

"Bienvenue à la maison, notre sauveur Lincoln. Cela fait si longtemps, oui?" they said in sweet unison.

Lincoln just stared at the two, freaked out by the fact they were speaking another language. Lily, not familiar with the faces of Lola and Lana, holds Lincoln's head closely.

"What did you just say..?"

The twins giggled.

"Don't be scared, dear brother. We were simply welcoming you!" said the twins together.

"Oh yay...they say 'dear brother' too...yeah, not creepy at all…" thought the sarcastic boy to himself.

"Do you two just talk at the same time now or..?"

"Oh, we're just in sync" Lana said with a glee smile.

"Yes! In fact, we are so in sync…" Lola said giddily.

"That we could-" Lana resumed.

"Finish each other's-" Lola adds.

"Banana." said Lana.

Everything got quiet and despite the eerie start from earlier, Lincoln cracks a smirk and was about to laugh. Lana realized her flub once Lola started tapping her foot. Lana holds her arm embarrassed.

"Gosh darn it, Lana" Lola said with an eye roll.

Lincoln noticed looking behind the twins that the house was lit. Which has odd since it was dark not too long ago. The twins grabbed Lincoln's hand and led him inside, as the sound of the other sisters talking began to be heard. As Lincoln turns his head to outside one last time, he sees Lori. Lori was looking up at what looked like a window at the house, tears rolling down her eyes. She smiles toward wherever she was staring at. Lincoln stares as the front door starts closing as the storm starts to growl and the rain picks up. Lori darts her eyes at the door to see Lincoln looking at her. Lori, as if trained, smiled brightly at him with rain damping her hair and her tears mixing with the rain. The door shuts and the 'party' begins.