Amending Bridges

Down at the Loud family dinner table, things were tense and sullen. No one was eating much and not a word was being spoken. Only the sound of cutlery against plates could be heard. That is, until Lori dropped her fork on the table and rose to her feet. "Alright...I think I know what we're all thinking, so let's address the elephant in the room…"

"An elephant? Where?" Lana asked, standing on her seat and looking around with excitement. "Can I keep it?"

"Er...there is no elephant, Lana." The oldest sister informed her, which brought the animal lover right back down. "It means the big obvious problem we're trying not to address. In this case, what are we going to do about Lincoln when he does come back?" Lisa turned to the official leader of the Loud kids, but the moment she opened her mouth, Lori snapped. "Don't want to hear it, Lisa. As far as I'm concerned, he IS coming back. End of discussion." The little genius simply shrugged, too used to her older sister to give much of any other reaction.

"Lori's right." Luna agreed, putting her own flatware down. "We gotta find a way to make it up to the little dude for this whole fiasco."

"But how?" Luan inquired, looking especially down. "This isn't like spilling our drink on his comic, shrinking his favorite shirts, or sticking his sheets in the fridge and remaking his bed just to see him react to laying on cold sheets..." The family joker snickered a bit, with Lola and Lana giggling lightly, and even Lori's dour look twitching some. "...this is a royal screw up by all involved…"

"I know what we can do…" Rita commented in a serious tone. "Lisa, do you still have the list of people we sold Lincoln's belongings to?" She added, turning to the second youngest child of the lot.

"I do, mother." She replied. "However, as a few of them were part of a larger business, I suspect they might not be so willing to accept their money back for most items sold. His comic collection, for example."

"We have to try." The Loud father said as he took the list from her. "We'll get back what we can and replace what we can't…" He took one look at the list and kind of blanched in response. "...well, replace some of it…"

"It'll take some time, but we'll get it all back or replaced eventually." The Loud mother said with firm conviction in her voice.

"Oh! I could make his bed!" Leni offered, raising her hand cheerfully.

"Uh...that's nice sweetie, but-"

"Actually, Mom, Leni means she can literally MAKE him a bed." Lori explained, looking at her younger, dimmer sister with a somewhat proud smile. "Like from scratch. She made me one a few weeks back, and it looks incredible."

"I can help her with that. I have some materials and tools she can use." Lana interjected with a big smile. "In fact, we could probably build Lincoln's dresser too."

"It'll take some time, but it'll be totes gorgeous."

"Oh. Well, if you think you can do it, that would be a big help, sweetheart." Her mother said with a soft smile of her own.

"Lana...we may have to enact Plan A early." Lola told her twin seriously. "I know that we were waiting for his birthday, but this is more important."

"Yeah...yeah, I agree." Her tomboyish twin replied with a nod.

"That's a good start." Lori said with a smile and a nod.

"I suspect I could probably put together a new computer for Lincoln, should we be unable to reclaim his laptop." Lisa suggested, her eyes pointed up toward her room. "May even be more powerful than his own, with the parts at my disposal." The oldest of the sisters nodded before looking to Luna and Luan. The rock and roll sister looked clueless about what she could do (which only brought her down more) and Luan seemed equally devoid of ideas. Lori couldn't blame them; she wasn't sure either. And even then, replacing his stuff was only the first step. Their brother may be very forgiving, but there were limits. It was going to take a lot to earn his forgiveness and trust. However, she couldn't bring herself to bring down the mood after raising it in the first place. 'One step at a time…' She thought to herself. With the hope of helping their lost brother/son by regaining his sold possessions ignited slightly within most of them, dinner was a slightly less morose event, if somewhat hastened. Lynn Sr and Rita didn't wish to waste any time, so once they were finished, they suited up for a long evening of driving.

"Lori, you're in charge while we're gone." The Loud mother informed the oldest of their children. "Keep us posted on any changes about Lincoln."

"Right. Good luck, Mom, Dad." Lori responded as she and Luna started to clear the table of dishes.

"Lori...I'm as lost as Leni with a cereal box maze…" Luna quietly admitted as the two of them started to do the dishes, most of the other sisters heading off to get started on their own tasks.

"Not sure how you're going to make up with Lincoln?" Lori whispered in reply, handing her a cleaned and rinsed plate to dry. Luna nodded in a dejected manner. "I'm on the same boat, Luna...and it's sinking."

"If this were a normal sitch, I'd make a tune for the little dude...but this is far from the norm…" She said sadly, gazing down at the plate in her hand. 'Plus he said he was maddest at me…' She told herself in her own mind. "...it just doesn't seem enough."

"I know what you mean. Getting his stuff back...it's a good start, but after that...I've got nothing."

"We could get him new comics or such...but that seems a cheap way to do it...buying his trust…" Lori nodded in agreement and sighed.

"Maybe we can hold a meeting with Luan and Lynn once we finish these dishes...Lucy too once she's rested…" The eldest sister suggested quietly.

"Lynn...I can only imagine how she feels right now…" Luna commented, looking up toward the ceiling.


Up in Lola and Lana's room, Lynn was still seated by Lincoln's unconscious form, curled up into a kind of ball on the chair and sobbing silently. She could hardly bear to look at him, but couldn't leave his side either, so there she sat, trapped in her own mind. 'He's going to hate me for life…' She thought to herself. '...if he does return, he'll hate me forever...I know it...' She wiped the tears from her eyes, only for a fresh wave to follow. 'Damn it...why did it have to happen to him...he doesn't deserve this shit...why didn't it happen to me instead!?' She growled to herself as she punched the mattress, making her brother's lifeless body bounce with it. She gasped and quickly straightened him and the bed out. Seeing him and touching him to make it right made her wince, forcing her to look away as soon as she was done.

"Hey Lincoln! Whatcha doing!?" She heard from the crystal ball. She blinked in surprise, turning toward the orb. Curious, she decided to move over for a look. When she got there, Lincoln was asking James if he'd like to play a game.

"...a game? Why does he want to play a game? I thought he was trying to escape." She frowned lightly as she watched on, with her brother asking the rat boy if he knew what vikings were, before they hurried off to go get his wagon. The sports star simply sat there in silence as she stared into the sphere, watching as Lincoln and James got themselves ready for their 'game' and started 'sailing' back to his room. She couldn't deny it was kind of sweet to watch. It reminded her of the many times the white haired boy played with the twins, or with Leni when he was a toddler, or even when the two of them played together in their younger days.

That memory in particular made the ponytailed young teen feel a sharper pang of guilt, shaking her head to clear it before she continued to watch. The one son had just described the plan of attack to Gregory's grandson, before opening the door. Lynn couldn't hide a small chuckle as she watched the mini mouse charge in, wooden ax swinging. The chuckle became a flurry of giggles when the rat child emerged carrying the reptilian nurse. It was weird, silly, kinda cute; she couldn't help herself. However, the focus was still on Lincoln, so the spell followed him as he moved like a ninja into his room. It all became clear to the athlete when she saw her brother collect a popgun that looked like a revolver. "A gun? Where'd he get that?" She asked in surprise. "...then again, if that place is as dangerous as Haiku says...he probably needs it…" Just then, he scooped up his clothes and started running, yelling to his 'king' that they were in over their head. "Now what's he doing?"

She continued to watch as Lincoln turned the corner, dropping the clothes and putting the sword under his arm to look like he had been stabbed. Another soft burst of snickers escaped her lips as James followed his tracks and her brother gave his Oscar not so worthy performance. That and the trouble making vermin charging to avenge his 'death' just tickled her so much, she couldn't help but laugh. It made her feel a little better. Not by a lot, but it was what she desperately needed.


Back downstairs, Lori and Luna had finished the dishes and had made their way to the living room, where the family joker was sitting in front of the tv without really watching it. She didn't even realize they had entered the room until her roommate tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey. We're gonna have a little meeting with Lynn to discuss what we're gonna do to make amends to Linc. Come on." Luna told her, nudging her head to the stairs.

"Amen-d to that…" Luan quipped weakly, though even she didn't laugh at that. "...maybe we can think of something if we put our heads together."

"That's what I hope." Lori replied, walking toward the stairs. Before they could head up, though, there was a knock on the door. "Hmm? Who could that be?"

"No way it could be Mom and Pop." Luna commented, looking at her watch. The eldest Loud sister answered the door, finding Haiku standing on the other side. She was wearing her usual dark outfit, carrying a thick book in her right arm. Her expression was as flat as usual, but there was the shadow of anger around it. Lori was surprised to see her there, but before she could ask anything, she spoke up.

"I'm here to speak to Lucy."

"Lucy? Er...she's up in her room, but she's resting right now." Lori informed her as the gothic girl strolled right past her. "She tired herself out trying to find Lincoln…"

"I see." The raven haired young lady replied, not even looking at the phone obsessed teen as she scaled the stairs. 'At least Lucy is trying.' She thought to herself as she got to the second level. The moment she got to the top of the stairs, she needed to duck to avoid getting hit by planks of wood being carried by Leni, who was taking them downstairs.

"Hi, Haiku," She chirped as she carried a large stack of lumber down, headed for the garage. The goth girl was a little surprised by this, even more so when she heard soft laughter from Lola and Lana's room. Curious, she moved over to the doorway for a look inside, seeing Lynn kneeling by Lucy's crystal ball, her full attention on the ball. Her eyes were looking kind of red, the front of her jersey looking somewhat damp, and even if she had a bit of a grin following her laughter, Haiku could tell there was still sadness behind it. Looking up slightly, she could see the unconscious mortal form of Lincoln; out cold, but at least comfortable and safe. That was something in her eyes.

"S'cuse me!" Lana declared, pushing past the taller girl while carrying her toolbox. So focused was she on Lola's side of the room, she didn't notice the handywoman on her own side. She hastily went down the stairs and into the garage.

'What are they up to?' Haiku wondered briefly before she refocused on her purpose for being there. She walked over to the room she knew belonged to her friend. Inside, there was no sign of her, but the lid to her coffin bed was closed, so it wasn't hard to figure out where she was. Haiku walked over beside the casket, after closing the door behind her, and gently knocked upon it. The lid creaked open, the pale Loud looking out at her.

"Haiku…" Lucy said in a soft monotone.

"Lucy…" She responded as the case was opened all the way, the young lady with her hair over one eye climbing into it and sitting opposite her. "Feeling better?"

"Do you really need to ask…?" The eight year old occult enthusiast responded, looking down at the cushioned interior of the coffin.

"...I was referring to if you regained your energy."

"...somewhat, yes," She slowly looked back up at her. "It took me a long time to get a bead on Lincoln...but it was worth it."

"Good. Good." Haiku set her book aside and looked right into where Lucy's eyes were hidden. "I'm sure you know why I'm here…"

"You did say you wanted to speak to me in private."

"Indeed. Needless to say, I was furious about what I had heard," She told her, though her expression didn't seem to match. "And make no mistake, I am still not happy with any of you. However, I've had some time to calm myself, plus I can see you are at least trying to do what you can. I still plan to talk with you, hence why I am here, but we're going to be having a very different discussion than what I had planned."

"What is it you wish to discuss?"

"How we can help your brother," The taller of two goths explained.

"Help him? I thought you said-"

"I mean after he returns," Haiku elaborated with a shake of her head. "There's literally nothing you can do for him in Gregory's world. But Lincoln is going to need help when he returns to his body. Being trapped in that infernal hotel can leave very deep scars upon the soul. Add unto that the mental and emotional traumas he's no doubt faced at the hands of the damned souls and Gregory himself, and he will need all the help he can get to recover from all that. If those wounds go untreated...he could slip right back into Gregory House, and there will be no saving him."

"Haiku...if I may ask, how do you know so much about this place?" Lucy inquired, the question having been plaguing her mind ever since their phone conversation earlier.

"I've done a lot of research upon it after I accidentally stumbled upon it one evening," The tall, pale girl told her smaller friend. "When I first started down the goth path, I tried to establish a connection to the spirit world, like some do. Unlike others, who would use crystal balls or ouija boards for this purpose, I attempted something more dangerous...an out of body experience." Lucy gasped. "Yes, I know. Foolish. And I damn near paid the price for it. After a few failed attempts, I managed to successfully let my spirit leave my body of my own volition. The first few times, nothing really happened, I confess. However, the fourth time, I noticed a strange voice calling to me. I followed the voice until I came close to an old building, surrounded by a graveyard and a dark forest...Gregory House. I could feel it's pull upon my soul, but I had the sense to keep away. I fled back to my body...yet, I was still curious."

"So that was when you started to look into it?" The eight year old occult enthusiast inquired, her own curiosity piqued.

"Yes. I didn't know what it was called at the time, but my description of the location got me a few answers on one of the few occult message boards I frequented back then. Particularly, the name Gregory House. Once I had a name to work off of, I was able to learn a little bit more from those who had been there." Haiku looked off into the direction of Lola and Lana's room. "Admittedly, it wasn't as much information as I'd like, but I did learn a few important things: namely, how to protect my soul from it's influences."

"And how is that?"

"Don't get any ideas, Lucy. As I said-"

"I know, Haiku. My soul is too burdened by my sorrow, guilt and sins," Lucy cut her off. "I understand that. I promise you...I don't plan to use this information to enter the world myself." She held up her hand as if she were solemnly swearing to it.

"...very well. One of the key things is to keep a connection to reality with you, because once you lose that connection, you've lost." She reached into her dress and pulled out the locket that held the picture of the vampire she was fond of. "In my case, I bring my locket with me whenever I go to Gregory House. Anything the person in question values. With that, you also need to place a protective spell upon it. I've tried a few evil spirit repelling rituals on a few different talismans over time, and they've all worked decently well enough. As long as they make the likes of Gregory keep their distance and prevent the taint of the house from affecting you." Lucy nodded as she took mental notes. "And one last thing that helps is that I don't rock the boat when I visit the hotel of lost souls. Gregory is used to seeing me around, knows he can't touch me without a lot of effort, and knows I don't cause any trouble when I'm there, so he and his family don't pay me much attention."

"Wait...so you don't usually help souls lost in the hotel?"

"No. In most cases, they don't want help. In other cases, they already have someone guiding them; Neko Zombie. Lincoln, however...Lincoln was a special case. He's my friend, just as much as you are, so I was willing to take the chance to help him."

"...you still consider me your friend?" Lucy could hardly believe her ears.

"Yes. I do, Lucy," Haiku answered with the ghost of a smile, which faded as quickly as it came. "But don't ever let something like this happen again."

"I promise, Haiku." The little goth responded firmly, before they returned to discussing how they would help the lost boy with the healing process.


While Lucy and Haiku were having their talk, Luan, Lori, Lynn and Luna were holed up in Lori and Leni's room for their meeting. The oldest of the sisters stood before her desk, high heel gavel in hand. "Alright everyone...we know why we're here and what we need to do, so let's just cut to the chase," She said, looking around at the three other teens in the room. "Does anyone have any suggestions as to what we can do to make things better with Lincoln?"

"Impossible...at least for me…" Lynn grumbled, staring at her sneakers.

"...Anyone else?" Lori asked with a look of annoyance on her face.

"I was hoping you guys would have ideas, because I'm stumped…" The family comedian confessed, sitting down with her chin resting on her fist like she was posing to be 'The Thinker'.

"Actually, I just thought of something," Luna said, suddenly looking toward her oldest sister. "Remember what we heard on the ball? That Linc is beating himself up over this thing just as badly as the rest of us, if not more so?" Lori and Luan both nodded, wondering where she was going with this. "When he gets back, I think one of us should have a talk with the little dude about that. Help him get through it, know what I'm saying?"

"Hmmm. You're right, Luna. Good thinking," The authoritative blonde said with a soft smile. "And since it was your idea, I think you should be the one to talk to him."

"Whoa-hold the phone, sis," The musically inclined teen responded nervously. "I don't know that's a good idea. Lincoln's angriest at me out of all of us, remember?"

"Luna, you hardly did anything-" Lynn started to interject, but her older sister cut her off.

"That's entirely the point. I did hardly anything to help him." Luna slumped in her spot on Leni's bed, her eyes closed as she hung her head. "Linc was right...I could have said something. I should have said something...but I didn't."

"It sounds to me like you would be the perfect one to help Lincoln through that problem, Luna," Lori said, looking at her saddened younger sister with a serious expression. "Because the two of you share the same problem." Luna looked up and opened her mouth, but it seemed the eldest sister was having none of that. "Luna…we all had the chance to say we were crossing lines at the time, but none of us took it. We could say 'coulda, woulda, shoulda' until the cows come home, but it doesn't change what happened. We can't change what happened...we can only try and remedy our mistakes."

"...yeah. I guess." The usually spirited rocker said, not sounding as convinced.

"You know...what Luna said gave me an idea." Luan commented, her face brightening a bit. "It looks and sounds like Lincoln had a really hard time at that Gregory House place, right?" Lori, Luna and Lynn all nodded in response. "Well, maybe we can help him forget all about that place when he gets back...well, perhaps not all about it. He'd probably want to remember Cactus Girl."

"Not a bad idea, Luan. Any thoughts on how to do that that don't involve Lisa's special brand of helping?" Lori inquired, getting a giggle out of Luan and even a chuckle from the morose rockstar.

"Nothing concrete yet, though I firmly believe in the healing power of laughter," The comedianne replied. "I'll brainstorm a few ideas and get back to you on that."

"Alright. Still a few steps further than when we started." The leader of the Loud children said as she tapped her desk with her shoe gavel. "What about you, Lynn? Any notions on how you're going to make it up to Lincoln?"

"Lori...what can I do?" The usually headstrong sports star asked, shaking her head dismally. "This is all my fault. What the hell could I do to make it right…?" This earned her some odd looks from her older sisters.

"What's with the defeatist attitude, sis?" Luna asked with a raised eyebrow.

"She's right. This isn't like you, Lynn," Luan agreed, looking concerned at her younger sister. "I've never known you to give up, much less so easily."

"I'm being realistic!" The hot tempered teen snapped, punching the floor. "I got Lincoln labelled bad luck! I got him kicked out of the house! I was responsible for his soul getting lost in that Gregory House place!"

"We all had a hand in all of that, Lynn…" The oldest sister interjected.

"But I was responsible! If I didn't force him to come to my game, my only little brother wouldn't practically be in hell!" She yelled, forcefully getting to her feet, tears spilling down her cheeks. "There is no making up for me! He won't forgive me! I don't even deserve forgiveness!" With that outburst, she turned to the door and stormed away before anyone could stop her.

"...Damn," The third oldest of the sisters commented. "Looks like Linc isn't the only one who needs help…"

"...I'll go talk to her." Lori said, dropping the shoe in her hand and going in pursuit of the emotionally vulnerable Lynn.

"Do you think she'll be alright, Luna?" The head of Funny Business Inc inquired, more worried than ever now.

"I don't know, sis. I hope so, but I don't know…"


AN: Wanted to give an explanation for why Haiku knew of and can enter Gregory's realm. Also, the idea of Leni making Lincoln a new bed inspired by That Engineer's "What is a Person Worth?" story.