A/N Man, is this late? Summer classes are a pain, nuff said. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy! And awesome! Over 100 reviews! Thanks for your support everyone!

R&R!

Chapter Nine: Finding A Game

"Where're we goin' Alexis?" A young Lincoln quietly asks the young woman guiding his hand.

"Well… since Max and Liberty are checkin' out the Mega Milk Run, I was thinking we could go visit the arcade." His older sister looks down with a smile. She is tall, with short, light blonde- almost white- hair reaching down to her shoulders; she wears a simple white tank top with blue jean-shorts.

"An ar…cad?" The young boy tilts his head in confusion, "What's that?"

"Arcade silly." Alexis looks forward, "It's a special place where we can play all the games we want!" Though she does mentally add, "So long as I have enough money to last."

Lincoln's eyes go wide, "Really?! That sounds so cool!"

His sister smiles, "You know it!" She then runs her hand through his soft, white hair, "Then, after that, I'm sure we can hop on a few rides if you want."

"Yay!" Lincoln cheers, before he rushes forward, breaking free of his sister's grip as he does so, "Last one there is a bottle of spoiled milk!"

Alexis can't help but chuckle, before following her brother closely behind, though letting him keep the lead.


"He Lincoln, you all right?" Lori gently rubs the boy's shoulder, snapping him out of the trance he had brought himself into, "You're spacin' out on me again.

"Huh?" His eyes go wide while he shakes his head in fear, "What the, where am I?!"

"You ok?" The young woman calmly takes a knee in front of him, "If you want, I could take you back to the park…"

"Oh right…" Yet, the young boy simply shakes his head, "No… I'm fine, really I am."

"Are you sure?" The young woman asks with concern filling her voice, "Constantly spacing out doesn't really tell me that something isn't bothering you."

"No… nothing is bothering me…" Lincoln waves her off, "I just remembered something is all…"

"I know that look…" Lori stands up and takes his hand in her own- much like a mother would do with a child, "Well… would you like to talk about it?"

"No, it's nothing." The young boy simply tugs on her hand, signaling her to continue on. "Please… I don't wanna remember that day anymore."

For a moment, Lori considers delving deeper into the young boy's past, "Something more is bugging him besides him just missing his sister…" And yet, despite her suspicions, she finds herself simply nodding along, "All right Lincoln… all right." She then turns and starts guiding the young boy down another block, "Anyways, we're here Linc…"

And so, he looks up at the store. Gus' Games And Grub s a quaint store, with simple concrete walls and old neon signs lining the windows. The sign above the double glass doors lacks lighting in the third 'G' giving the appearance of "rub".

"Gus' Games and Grub?" Lincoln tilts his head in confusion.

Lori nods, "Yeah, I now it's not much compared to the arcade by my dad's office, but I'd rather not drive all the way into town right now…" She then looks down at the boy, "You don't mind do ya?"

"No…" The boy's voice trails off, "It's still better than anything I deserve…"

"Great…" Lori puts on nervous smile before stepping forward, allowing Lincoln to slip out of her grip, "Well then, come on."

"Last chance Lincoln… You can just turn and run away. She won't care…" Another thought enters the boy's mind, "Besides, why does she even want you around anyway? It's not like you could ever hope to repay whatever she spends on you." Lincoln chooses to ignore the thought and simply follow the young woman.

"This kid's definitely been through a lot." Lori calmly walks up to the front counter and buys a batch of coins to play with, "I wonder if Lucy can feel it too…" She then turns to the young boy behind her, "So, what do you wanna play first?"

"It's up to you…" Lincoln's voice trails off, "After all, you're the one… you know…"

"Paying?" Lori finishes, her voice filling with a soft understanding.

"Yeah…" Lincoln rubs his arm awkwardly, "Yeah Lincoln. You're all take and no give. You've got no way to do anything!"

"Lincoln, I'm gonna be honest with you." Lori smiles, "I love video games."

The boy tilts his head in confusion, "Really?"

Lori nods, "Yeah." Then she turns and walks towards the game area, with Lincoln following soon after, "That means I'm willing to play whatever you pick, my treat."

"But it's not fair to you though…" Lincoln holds his arms out for emphasis. "If anyone knows what's fair, it's me…"

"All right then, how about this…" Lori rubs her chin, "How about, you pick one and then I pick. Would that work Linc?"

"Sure." Lincoln reluctantly agrees.

"Heh good, now come on, we've got games to play!" Lori lovingly rubs the boy's head.

"I'm not sure this is pity…" Lincoln thinks with that, allowing Lori to continue to do so, "But… it has to be right? She doesn't know me… Dangit, why does she care so much?! And why she… remind me of them?"

"So, does any game catch your eye?" Lori then takes Lincoln's hand and begins to guide him down a corridor of consoles, "Or if you'd like, I could pick first…"

The young boy glances at his surroundings as they walk along the numerous aisles filled with hundreds of random games. Each begging for a player to come along and pay for their use.

"No, it's all right Lori." He then turns his head again, catching sight of a small console, designed for two people. He eagerly points at it, "How about that one?"

"Fight Fighters One-O-One huh?" The older girl can't help but chuckle, "Heh, sure. I don't see why not." She lets go of the boy and walks over, "Come on, let's play!"

"This is your last chance Lincoln. Turn around and leave before you grow too attached to this girl and her sisters." A familiar voice echoes through his mind, "After all, the more time you spend with fake sisters, the more you'll forget about your real one, me."

Lincoln stares for a moment, though Lori shoving a coin in the machine snaps himout of it.

"Welcome challengers! Choose your player!"The announcer declares in an overly excited voice.

"You get first pick Linc." Lori smiles at him.

"She's pitying your skills." The voice calls out again, "Just pic whatever character, you're gonna lose anyway." Lincoln follows up by scrolling through the random assortment of characters present- a random mix of people, robots, evil dictators, scientists and oddly enough a mouse. "Whatever, you're a mouse to her. Expendable."

Lincoln scrolls passed that character, choosing instead to select a blonde man wearing a red bandana, plenty of bandages and a set of torn blue jeans, "I'll pick, Fighter McFightFace!"

Lori chuckles, "Good choice Lincoln." She then scrolls through the characters as well, "And I'll pick Ryu!

"I will avenge you father." Fighter goes, before pointing at Ryu, "You killed my father again!"

"No I didn't!" Ryu counters raising his fists.

"You take that back!" Fighter counters.

Lincoln meanwhile just looks on in confusion, "Uhh… is this supposed to be confusing to follow?"

"Nah." Lori waves him off, "There's a really huge story behind this game, the problem is the idiots coding this game forgot that dialogue is supposed to match the opponent."

Suddenly, the boy's eyes start to widen in interest, "There's a story behind it?"

"Yeah, it's pretty cool." Starts to tap away at the control, silently telling the buffering screen to hurry up. "If you want, I could tell you it."

"Whatever. You should listen to her. After all, it's not like you've got anything else in your life." The voice cuts through his thoughts again. "All right then." Lincoln taps away as well.

Yet, before Lori can start, the announcer shouts, "Fight!"

Immediately, Fighter rushes at Ryu and attacks with a massive barrage of punches. This sends Ryu back, and causes Lori to grimace in frustration."

"She didn't even try to block that! She's still pitying you!"

"Heh, lucky shot." Lori quickly taps away at the keys once more, casing Ryu to jump to his feet and charge his fists, "Flaming Suurian!"

And with that, Ryu sends a wave of fire at Fighter.

"That won't work!" Lincoln attempts to block, though the blast proves to be too much for Fighter to handle, sending him flying across the screen… as well as causing half his health to drop instantly.

"What were you sayin'?" Lori taunts, "I'm a pro at this game Linc, you're not gonna beat me that easily."

"No, she's not pitying me." Lincoln can feel his heart beat faster while adrenaline starts pumping through his veins, "What are you talking about, she is!" Then, with an excited smile, he gets Fighter to jump back to his feet, "Here's my counter Lori!"

Fighter then pulls his arms back, before charging at Ryu.

Lori tries to get Ryu to dodge the attack, though Fighter proves to be too fast for her.

Immediately, the man shouts, "Uppercut, downercut, bowl of punch!" He then follows up but uppercutting his opponent, smacking him to the ground, then, he pulls out a bowl filled with fruit punch and smashes it against his face.

"Nice moves Lincoln." Lori hardens her gaze as adrenaline rushes through her veins as well, "But I gotta tell you, I'm the queen of this game!" Quickly, she mashes the buttons, causing Ryu to glow for a moment, but the line, "Super Special Awesome Transformation Sequence in 3D!" Appears on screen.

"Whoa!" Lincoln watches in awe as Ryu floats up, causing thunderbolts to reign down upon the battlefield. He would try to interrupt the change, though he finds his controls jammed by the program, "Dangit, this isn't looking good!"

Then, a lone thunderbolt falls upon Ryu, engulfing him in light. When in disperses, Ryu stands before Fighter… having grown an inch from the transformation.

Lincoln can't help but burst out laughing, "Haha! Lori! You're kidding me right?!" While he thinks, "Wow… Lori's either joking or having fun with me." He glances at her, the young woman's fierce gaze unwavering against his taunts, "But, she's not giving up!"

Yet, instead of answering his taunt, Lori simply smiles and taps her controls.

Immediately, Ryu rushes forward and tackles Fighter, sending the latter flying across the screen.

"Wow!" Lincoln's eyes go wide in shock, "She's…. she's not holding back, she's not pitying me!" A rush of excitement falls upon the boy once more, as he grits his teeth in excitement, "That means… she… she doesn't think I'm worthless…"

"It's called Yami Ryu. I've played this game so much I know just how to unlock it!" Lori mashes her controls more, causing the Ryu to rush at Fighter, bringing along a flurry of punches.

"Heh, and here I thought you were holdin' out on me!" The younger boy mashes his controls as well, allowing Fighter to jump to his feet and dodge the attack.

"Hey, why would I ever hold back?" The young woman turns to Lincoln with a caring smile, "After all, you seem like the type of person who would rather tell a story involving someone going all out than holdin' back."

Lincoln nods, "Yeah… I love tellin' stories like that." He then follows up by launching his own barrage at Ryu.

Lori blocks the attack and forces Fighter back, "Heh, you're pretty good at this game."

"Heh, thanks… my brother used to take me here when I was younger." Lincoln nonchalantly quips, before making Fighter rush at Ryu once more. "Before the… accident…"

"He's opening up… maybe I will be able to find out more." Lori's heart races in excitement as she makes Ryu turn to face the assault, "Heh, the reason I'm so good at this game is cause I'm really the only Loud girl who's kept playing video games. The ones that used to, stopped playing when after they hit ten." She taps at the controls even more, "These games are one of the few ways I de-stress's after dealing with my sisters and when boyfriend is busy with his new job of the week… especially on nights when I'm babysitting."

"Heh, I don't have time for these things nowadays." Lincoln looks away for a moment before refocusing his gaze, "The other kids are a handful to deal with."

Lori smiles, "At least the little kids you look out for actually are all little kids Lincoln. You don't have to deal with kids old enough to know better trying to wreck the house with soccer balls and sick jams just because mom and dad aren't there to stop them.

And so, Ryu sends a flurry of fireballs to stop Fighter, while Fighter counters with his sharp pixel blasts… as well as shouting, "Pixel Blast! Pixel Blast!"

"Wow…" Lincoln goes unsure of just how to follow that up. "Not sure what to say."

"That's just families for ya." Lori chuckles.

"Yeah… families." Lincoln frowns, as if he is trying to hold back the memory of the family he had lost.

Yet, his partner doesn't let the conversation die, "So, your brother was good at this game huh?" she asks, before dodging the attack.

Lincoln looks down for a moment, "Dangit, she brought it up." He immediately perks up, "I'd rather not talk about him, but yes, he was."

"Not enough… dangit." Lori thinks, moving her eyes away from the screen for a moment.

The young boy doesn't miss the opening, "Hey Lori!"

"What?" She turns to face the screen.

"Her comes my finisher!" Quickly, Lincoln punches Ryu hard enough to cause him to stumble back, before Fighter rushes once more and launches a furious barrage of attacks at the man, followed by the announcer shouting. "Super Power Ninja Turbo Neo Ultra Hyper Mega Multi Alpha Meta Extra Uber Prefix! COMBO!"

A moment later, the dust settles, with Fighter holding his thumb up in victory, "Winners don't Lose!"

"I won!" Lincoln cheers, flaring his arms up in excitement. "I can't believe it, I actually beat her!"

Yet, Lori responds by smirking, "Not quite."

Lincoln's eyes go wide in shock, before he turns back to face the screen.

Quickly, Lori starts mashing her controls, "You see, when you were charging up your attack, I used Yami Ryu to create the Omega Shield! Saving me from the attack!"

"Whatever." Lincoln waves her off, "I'm still gonna-"

"Haha, no you're not." She quickly shouts, "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left right, B, A!" Immediately Yami Ryu raises his arms and begins to charge up a massive sphere of energy.

"Not so fast Lori! I'm not gonna let you win that easily!" Lincoln frantically rushes at Lori's character, desperately trying to interrupt the attack before it can launch. Yet, much to the younger boy's dismay, the attack fires without a hitch.

"Go!" The young woman shouts, excitement filling her voice, before Ryu drops his arms and fires, "Ultimate Reactor Soul Spirit Mega Piercing Omega Beyond Nuclear Flaming Tornado Tsunami Iron Neutron COMBO!"

Instantly, the screen is overtaken by the light of the resulting explosion, before it cuts to a view of Earth from space, where a massive explosion of light grows. A moment of silent passes with that, before the screen cuts back to the fight.

Now Yami Ryu stands before Fighter, the latter laying on the ground with his arms outstretched, no doubt signaling his defeat.

The man the turns to the screen and flashes a determined expression, "The path I walk is one that must be done alone." And with that, he turns and walks off screen, causing it to go black, and the words, "Insert coin" to appear in its place.

"That was an awesome game Linc." The young woman turns to it, "You should be proud, you're the first person to almost beat me at that game."

"I am?" The young boy goes, skepticism filling his body.

Lori nods, "Yeah, you are."

Lincoln lets go of the controls with that, "Heh, that was fun…" Then turns to his companion with a smile, "Dangit you worthless… I don't even know what to call you anymore. You're so worthless that you couldn't even beat her at a video game!"

The young blonde smiles as well, "I almost forgot what it was like to help a kid smile again." She lets go as well and turns to the boy, "So what do ya wanna do next?"

"It's up to you remember?" The boy tilts his head in confusion, "After all, we agreed I'd choose something then you'd pick something."

"Oh right…" She rubs her chin, "Well we could-"

*Grumble* Lincoln's belly goes, eliciting a chuckle from the older girl.

"On second thought, how about we get some food?" She turns and starts walking away, "This place his great tasting pizza, but doesn't server coffee."

"You should just walk away right now. You're not worth feeding right after made her play a game with you." The thought crosses his mind, yet he simply shakes his head, "I'm… I'm… worth this. If I make it through this, I'm sure they'll just forget about you…"

"You comin' Linc?" Lori calls out as she walks into the restaurant section of the arcade, "After all, the food's not gettin' any younger!"

Quickly, he shakes his head again, "Just don't think about it. You'll be fine Lincoln…" Yet, the same feminine voice cuts in yet again, "Yeah, just keep tellin' yourself that. I'm sure the moment you get attached to her, she'll just take your heart and throw it in the trashcan, just like everyone else has!"

Lori follows up by calling out, "Lincoln!"

"Huh? All right." He quickly snaps back to his senses and looks around for a moment, allowing him to spot the Loud Sister sitting in one of the open booths, motioning for him to join him to come over. Without a second thought, he jumps up and runs over to join her.

And a few moments later, the duo sits at the table, across from each other.

"All right, I'll go get the food, ok?" Lori slides out of the booth, "You just sit tight."

Lincoln nods in understanding, before he watches the young woman slide out and walk over to the nearby counter.

"You are aware you're taking too much from her, right?" A young girl appears at his side. He long, white hair flowing just as it did the day they were separated, "You'll never be able to do anything to pay her back for this."

The young boy remains quiet.

"The silent treatment huh? You never change Lincoln, you never do." She chuckles, "Whatever. You'll thank me for warning you the moment she decides to leave you behind." And with that, she disappears from view.

"Eat up!" Lori walks over to the table and drops a small pie in front of the boy, "Gus' Signiture Personal Pan Pizza!"

"Personal Pan Pizza?" Lincoln tilts his head in confusion while staring at the small, rounded pizza pie placed in front of him. It's small with no other toping other than the cheese placed on a small, rounded piece of bread and sliced into four parts.

"Yeah, it's all yours Lincoln." She leans back, "I figured you're hungry, ya know, from all the hard work ya do and stuff. Plus playing that game."

He stares at the pie for a moment, unsure of what to do next, "Well… she's offering. Might as well eat it you worthless-"

"And don't worry." Lori smiles, "It's gonna taste great!"

Slowly, the young boy moves his hand over and grabs hold of one of the slices, "It's probably stale after all. How could pizza taste good? Every slice I've had was hard and lukewarm…"

He stares at the piece of food in his hand for a moment, unsure of what to do next.

"Go on Lincoln, it's not gonna hurt ya." She motions for him to continue.

Lincoln gulps and moves the foodstuff closer to his mouth, before taking a single bite out of the pointed end.

Instantly, his eyes go wide while a flurry of flavors attack his tastbuds, "What the?! This is pizza?!" He stares at the pie in front of him for a moment, "I haven't had a slice this good since… since…"


"Come on Alexis! You promised!" Lincoln whines as he plants his feet and pulls back, desperately trying to bring his sister into the next room.

"Aww really guys? Do I have to?" His sister whines, easily holding back against the five-year-old's tug, "Gravity is pulling on me more!"

"Yeah!" Liberty pushes against the young woman's back, desperately trying to force her along- though it is obvious she is letting them push her around. "And stop it with gravity! We know it's not!"

"Plus, we already set everything up!" Lincoln goes, "It took us forever to make the dough!"

"But come on? Can't you get Max or mom to make it?" The older girl continues to whine, doing her best not to hurt her siblings while also not letting them pull her any more than they already have.

Lincoln shakes his head, "No!"

While Liberty continues, "Max and mom don't make it like you do!"

"Please sis!" Lincoln speaks in a childish, begging voice, "Please…"

For a moment, the young woman holds back, letting the idea cross her mind for a moment, "They really want me to make it for them huh?" She relents and stands up straight, "Fine. I'll make you the pizza."

"Yay!" The twins cheer in unison as they follow their sister into the kitchen.

Wordlessly, she walks over to the counter and gets to work, "Now watch closely you two. This is how you make my signature personal pan pizzas!"

The twins watch intently as their sister grabs some of the pre-made dough and takes a deep breath, "Summer in the hills… the hazy days are to remember…"

She mixes the dough just a bit to make sure it's ready, before she pulls it out and flattens it on the counter, cutting it into two equal pies as she does so, "We were runnin' still, had the whole world at our feet."

Then, she grabs some of the sauce and spreads it upon the bread, before dropping cheese on top of it to finish them off, "Where we watched the seasons change, all roads were lined with adventure."

"She then pops it in the oven, and finishes, "There were mountains in the way, but didn't keep us from the sea." Then she lovingly runs her hands through the twin's hair

"I still hear you in the breeze, see your shadows in the trees, holding on, memories never change…" She finishes and at that moment the oven alarm rings, signaling the pizza's completion.

"And that's how you make pizza!" With a soft smile, She pulls the foodstuffs from the oven and hands them over, "Eat up!"

Neither twin hesitates to grab their small pan pizzas a take bites out of them.

"This tastes great!" Lincoln shouts, with Liberty simply smiling in agreement.


"Hey Lincoln, you all right?" Lori nervously goes, you've been chewing that piece for ten minutes now, if something up?"

Instead of responding, Lincoln stares off, looking passed his companion in doing so.

"Welp, I think Lincoln needs someone to snap him out of one of his pauses…" Lori leans over the table and grabs the boy's shoulder, before shaking him back to reality, "Hey Lincoln! Wake up!"

Immediately, the young boy snaps back to his senses, "Alexis?"

"Who's Alexis?" Lori tilts her head in confusion.

Lincoln hesitates for a moment, before shaking his head, "No one…"

"Oh… ok." Her voice trails off, "Alexis... I'll keep that in mind." She then leans forward, eager to listen to the young boy, "So how's the pizza taste?"

"Like home…" The boy stares at his foodstuff for a moment, "It tastes better than anything I've eaten in a long time…" he closes his eyes for a moment, "Since… I learned how to cook from her… my family…" He can't help but start to tear up, "Why?"

"Why what?" Lori leans closer and runs her hand along the boy's cheek, wiping some of his tears as he does so.

"Why are you being so nice?" He asks, before looking up and staring at her with his watery-eyes. "You barely know me and yet, you've taken me here, played games with me and bought me food!"

Lori hesitates her answer for a moment, "I have to be careful… if say the wrong thing something is gonna break."

"Do you want something?" He asks, "Or are you just pitying the fact that I'm an orphan?" He doesn't break his harsh gaze, choosing instead to look into the girl's eyes, intently waiting her response.

"Welp, here goes nothing!" Lori takes a deep breath, "Lincoln…" She leans over the table and places a hand on his shoulder, desperately trying to calm him down, "The reason why I'm nice to you is because, well, you seemed like you needed someone to spend time with."

"Wow, it really is true! She pities you!" The voice shouts again, this time with a hint of amusement filling it.

"You ok?" she nervously asks.

Yet, instead of responding, Lincoln hits her hand away, turns in his seat, and runs off, straight into the gaming area once more.

"Dangit, I said the wrong thing!" Lori frantically jumps from her seat and gives chase, though given Lincoln's practice with running, he easily disappears into the crowd of random children playing amongst the hundreds of consoles crammed intot he small room.


The moment after he started running was more like a blur than one would expect. The boy's heart raced just as it had done countless time prior- the difference being he wasn't running from an angry homeowner.

Within minutes, Lincoln finds himself covered by the several hundred balls the pit has to offer. He curls up with his legs in his chest as to take up as little space as possible. "You're nothing Lincoln. No one can fill the hole she left…" He painfully thinks, "Lori doesn't really care about me… the moment I go home, she'll just forget… just like everyone else… But the girls didn't forget." Another thought crosses his mind, "They keep coming even thought we're orphans…."

"Hey Lincoln, you in here?" Lori brushes some of the balls aside, revealing a tuff of Lincoln's white hair. "There you are…"

"What do you want?" Lincoln looks away, trying desperately to hide from the young woman.

"This has just gone from bad to worse…" Lori hesitates for a moment, before taking a deep breath, "Nothing much… just what's goin' on with ya?"

"She doesn't care. She's just gonna use you." More thoughts enter his mind, forcing him to remain silent.

"I mean, you did just run away after asking a question." The young woman stands back, not moving her gaze from the lone tuff of white hair sticking out of the balls, "Well… after my answer, but you get the point."

Lincoln continues to remain silent, "This doesn't make sense… if she doesn't care, why is she following me? Why is she asking what's going on?"

"Ya know… I didn't finish my answer before you ran." Lori's voice fills with the caring heat of a young mother, "If you'd like… I could say more."

"Don't let her lie to you more! Say no and get out of here!" The voice cuts across his thoughts further. Lincoln shuts his eyes tightly, fighting the urge to hold his head, "Please."

"Well that's a good sign… I think…" Lori takes another deep breath, giving herself just a moment before she has to answer, "I'm being nice because, well, because you remind me of myself."

"What do you mean?" *sniffle* Lincoln perks up ever so slightly.

"I guess when I heard you talking about what it's like being an older brother to the other orphans, I just kinda felt like I met someone who knew what it felt like…" She awkwardly rubs the back of her head, almost as if she had revealed something that even she wasn't sure happened.

Lincoln slowly sticks his head out of the ball pit and looks at the young woman, "Really?"

"Yeah…" She then extends her arm towards him, "So will ya come out?"

Lincoln gives her a teary-eyed smile and takes her hand. "Yeah… thanks Lori."

"Heh awesome." Lori pulls the young boy out of the ball pit, "Now how about we bring you back to the orphanage? It's getting late after all."

"But you haven't picked a game!" Lincoln counters.

"Now Lincoln." She takes a knee in front of the boy, "I literally came here to cheer you up, not to play video games." She chuckles, "I guess playing video games

"So you mean… you…" Lincoln pauses for a moment. "Just… wanted me to feel better? Not pity…" His eyes begin to widen in shock.

"What? Can't a girl wanna do something nice for someone she just met?" She lovingly rubs his head, "Besides, I'm sure you'll find some way to repay me."

"She… she's talking about giving back later… she trusts that I'll be able to…" He begins to tear up again.

"You all right Lincoln?" Lori tilts her head in confusion.

Yet, instead of answering the question, Lincoln jumps up and throws his arms around her, pulling her into a surprise hug. "Well this was unexpected." Though, rather than pushing the young boy off, she simply smiles and returns the hug.

A few moments later, they're outside the arcade, walking along the late afternoon town of Royal Woods, with Lori holding onto Lincoln's hand as if she were his mother.

"So Lincoln…" Lori starts, "Did ya enjoy?"

"I loved it…" His voice trails off, while the one in his head remains silent. "Alexis…"

In response, Lori puts on a knowing smile. "So Lincoln, how would you like to come over to my home tomorrow?"

"You sure that's a good idea, Lori?" Lincoln turns toward the young woman.

"I mean, I'll have to talk to dad and the girls about it, but I'm sure I can get some strings pulled." She looks down upon him, holding a soft smile as she does so, "So what do ya say Linc?"

"It's a bad idea. You'll just cause trouble." The voice speaks up, yet Lincoln's counters, "But I'm sure Lori will handle everything." And so, Lincoln smiles, "Sure, I'd love to."

Lori smiles at him once more, before the duo turns and continues down the long, winding path home.

Later…

With the cover of night taking over both her and her infant sister, she steps into the small home filled with twelve family members.

"Hey girls!" She greets, "I'm home!"

No sooner does she say that, then ix of her sisters rush down the stairs, each going on about some random lines about how she should give Lincoln a chance.

"Girls! Quiet!" She commands, forcing her sisters to silence themselves for a moment. Immediately, she turns to Luna, "What's going on with you guys?"

Luna stands her ground and answers, "Lori, we think you should give Lincoln a chance." She stares the young woman in her eyes.

"Yeah!" Lana cuts in, "You're saying he's not worth hanging out with, when all of us have done it and had a great time!"

"Like, I think it'd be totes awesome if he came over!" Leni speaks up.

Lucy, meanwhile, simply blushes. Unsure of just what to say to help convince Lori.

The young woman holds her hands in front of her, "Girls, girls, calm down."

"What's up Lori?" Lynn raises an eyebrow in curiosity.

"I ran into Lincoln today and well…we had a good time." She holds her hands on her hips.

"You did?!" The six sisters shout in surprise.

Lori nods, "Yeah, and I invited him over."

"Did he say yes?" Leni cheerfully asks.

"Yeah." Lori nods, "He did." She then points at the nearby wall clock, "He'll be coming tomorrow girls, so if you wanna set stuff up for him, well, you have all night."

"You did what?!" A masculine voice shouts in response.

6-9-7-8-20 6-9-7-8-20-5-18-19 20-23-15: 5-12-5-3-20-18-9-3 2-15-15-7-1-12-15-15!

A/N And that was chapter 9! I hope you guys enjoyed! I thank Exotos135 and Wolvenstrom for their help!

Next week I'll update Unwavering Bonds and S&T!

Guest replies (C8):

Guest 1: Here's the update!

Guest 2: Thanks for the idea!