Author's Note: Hey-ho! Well, the reaction to the last chapter was a bit more mixed than I anticipated. Oh well, can't please everyone, I guess…

Now, a few people commented on this, so I felt I should set the record straight for everyone. I put up a poll asking whether to continue or end the story, and the majority of people voted for the story to continue. You guys wanted more story, so you're getting it! (Unless you're one of the few people who voted for the story to end, in which case, well, I guess you're just SOL.)

Fun Fact of the Day: In Chapter 10, Chandler was meant to represent the view of an average Loudcest fan (which, I suppose, makes Clyde's reaction that of an anti-Loudcest fan).

I'm Captain Dodge – thank you, and have a nice day!

(…)

Leni wandered into the room, looking a little lost. This was not how she remembered it. All her posters were gone – the room was rather bare. There was only one bed, not two. There was a TV and video game consoles where the vanity mirror used to be, and Luna's beanbag chair was in the center of the room. And there was a computer where the sewing machine used to be.

Leni sighed. Everything seemed so similar, but looked so different…

Lily saw Leni standing in the room and came in. "Leni?" she said.

Leni flinched, then turned to face Lily with the best smile she could muster. "Y-Yes, sweetie?"

"What are you doing in Linky's room?"

Leni looked around. "Oh… This is Linky's room?"

Lily nodded. Leni sat down on Lincoln's bed, looking around the room wistfully. "Everything's changed so much…"

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

"Well… it's just that…" Leni gestured to the whole room. "Back when we all used to live here, this was my room. Well, mine and Lori's. Everyone except Lincoln had to share a room. And I shared mine with Lori."

Lily was silent for a few moments. Then, she walked up to the bed and sat down next to Leni. "Leni?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"…Tell me about Lori."

Leni sighed. "Lori… Well, Lori was the oldest out of all of us, yeah… I-I guess that meant that she was supposed to be the most responsible, too. You were too young to remember, Lily, but things used to be really crazy when we all lived here. Lori's the one who kept us all in line. Sure, that meant that she could be a little mean and bossy sometimes, but she cared about us. She really did." Her expression turned somber. "But… after the incident, we all started getting mad at her for a bunch of stupid reasons that weren't her fault. And because of that, and because of what happened in the incident, she kinda… Well, I guess she just kinda broke. Like a toy." Leni closed her eyes. "I used to think that Lori was so amazing, so capable… so much better than me. I guess she didn't think that way about herself. Without us to rely on her and make her feel better about herself, she just kinda… stopped working. And then…"

Lily looked sad. "…Yeah."

Leni looked at Lily, wondering. Lily picked up on her staring and cocked her head at her elder sister. "What?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing. It's just… I'm surprised you know what death is, Lily."

Lily pouted. "Yeah – I'm not stupid."

"No, you're not. You've grown up so much, Lily – you and Linky both. It's amazing." Leni looked up and to the left. "Isn't it, Lori?"

Lily looked confused. "…Huh?"

Leni turned back to her. "What?"

"Who are you talking to?"

"Lori."

"But… I thought Lori was dead…?"

Leni looked around mischievously. She leaned in close to Lily. "Lily," she whispered, "you can keep a secret, right?"

Lily nodded.

"Okay, well, I know Lori's dead, but sometimes, when no-one's looking, I like to pretend that she's not – just to make me feel better."

Lily beamed up at Leni. "I like playing pretend, too! Maybe we can play pretend together later!"

Leni chuckled, nodding at Lily. "Sure, Lily! Sure!"

(…)

Luan strolled into the room, looking at the rock band posters on the wall. Was this Lincoln's room? Certainly, someone was living here, judging by the odd bit of laundry scattered here and there, as well as the fact that the bottom bunk appeared to have been slept in recently.

"Help you find something?"

A voice behind Luan made her flinch. Turning around, she saw that it was Terry.

"Oh! Uh, no, I'm just looking around," Luan said. "Is this Lincoln's room?"

Terry shook his head. "No, this is my room."

Luan looked at Terry, surprised. "You… You live here?"

"Uh-huh."

Luan stared at him for a moment, then snickered. "Bet there's a story behind that, eh?"

"You bet."

Luan began to strain and struggle not to laugh, but failed. "Hahahahaha!"

"…What's so funny?" asked Terry, taken aback.

Luan was laughing too hard to answer right away, but once she calmed down, said, "You! You're just so… so… funny!" She burst out laughing again.

"…What's so funny about me?"

Luan wiped a tear out of her eye. "Hahaha… Haha… Ha… Everything! Everything about you! You, you being here, it's all just…" She laughed again. "I gotta admit, I didn't see you coming, but now… man, that's a good one! Hahahahaha!"

Terry frowned. "Did you need something, or did you just come in here to laugh at me?"

Luan waved her hands back and forth. "Oh, no, no, no, no! Terry, Terry, you've got to understand, I'm not laughing at you. Just at… well, you wouldn't understand."

Terry rolled his eyes and sighed. "Can I help you?"

"Well…" Luan began unzipping her baggage. "You know, this used to be my room. Is it okay if I stay in here?"

"Well, after that stunt you just pulled, I'm not sure…"

"Terry, please! I told you, I wasn't laughing at you!"

"Sure felt like you were… Well, if this didn't use to be your room, I'd say no. But if you promise not to laugh at me anymore, then I might be persuaded to change my mind…"

"I wasn't –" Luan sighed. He just didn't get it. No-one did. "…Fine. I promise."

"…Okay."

"Great!" Luan darted up the ladder to the top bunk, stretching out on it. "Ah… I always wanted the top bunk, but Luna had seniority, so she pulled rank on me." She rolled onto her side, looking down at Terry. "So, while I get unpacked, why don't you tell me how you ended up living here?"

Terry stretched, thinking. "Hmm… Ahh… Why don't I save that story for lunch? That way, everyone can hear it, and I won't have to repeat it for them."

"Can't wait!"

(…)

"Okay, sweetie, here it is, just like Dad said." Mrs. Loud rolled Lynn's luggage into her room. "Dad kept all the furniture exactly the way it used to be."

Lynn walked into the room slowly, reverently. Her football lamp and her pennants were gone – they had gone to Toronto with her – but her bed remained, freshly made, as though she had never left. She lightly brushed the covers with her fingers, letting the nostalgia wash over her… but when she turned around, a new type of nostalgia filtered in.

Mrs. Loud watched Lynn's face fall. "Lynn?" she said. "What's wrong?"

Lynn dragged her feet across the carpet to the other side of the room. Lucy's bed was kept in the same pristine condition as hers.

"Lynn?" As Lynn knelt down at the side of Lucy's bed, Mrs. Loud realized what was wrong. "Oh…"

Mrs. Loud walked up to Lynn and put a hand on her shoulder as Lynn lay her hands flat on the bed. "…Lynn?" she asked. "…Are you okay?"

Lynn hung her head, not answering. After a few moments, she started laughing mirthlessly. "Y-You know, it's funny…"

"W… What is?"

Lynn looked up at her mother. "Lucy was always 'Miss Gloom and Doom', you know? And… And she was never really good at communicating, either. So, all of those poems she wrote before…? All those poems about death, despair, and oblivion? We… We thought it was just more of the usual, didn't we? We never realized that… that she was… crying for help, in her own way… We-We never really realized, be-because of the way she was, just how much pain she was in… just how much she needed us… and… and we…" She began tearing up. "…And we weren't there for her…"

Lynn collapsed on top of the bed, sobbing. Mrs. Loud rubbed Lynn's back consolingly. Lynn turned her head to the side so that she could make herself heard, and sniffled.

"I miss her, Mom… I miss her so much…"

(…)

Lana shuddered. The room felt so empty without her hats and posters on the wall, and especially without all of Lola's stuffed animals, mounted tiaras, play kitchen, tea table, and pictures of her beautiful self on the wall. Lana was especially disappointed to see all of Lola's portraits missing. Without them, she could hardly imagine her twin sister's face…

It sounded absurd – Lola's face was her face, too. And yet, Lola had always been the one who stayed conscious of her appearance – the one who bothered to appear feminine. Lana had never been one for girly things, but that all changed after Lola ran away. Now, she felt obligated at least try to look and act more like a girl – for Lola's sake.

In a way, it kept Lola alive. Lana was sure that, alive or otherwise, nothing good could possibly have happened to Lola. A six-year-old girl running away from home and subsequently dropping off the face of the earth, with no-one able to find her, missing for six years?

The implications were very unpleasant.

But being back here, in their room, brought back Lana's memories of Lola. She remembered all the good times they had together… which made the memories of the bad times sting all the worse.

Lana's heart ached as she plodded over to Lola's bed, lying down on it. She wished she could take it back. She wished she could take it all back… if only it would bring her back.

Mr. Loud came into the room and saw Lana lying on Lola's bed. "Hey, kiddo?" he said. "You doing alright?"

Lana didn't answer, instead blankly staring up at the ceiling.

"…Oh-kay, then. Uh… well, I've got your bag here, so…" He wheeled Lana's bag into the room. "If you want to go ahead and unpack, then…"

Lana still didn't answer. Sighing, Mr. Loud prepared to leave her alone.

"…Dad."

Mr. Loud jumped slightly. He turned back around. "Yes?"

Lana was sitting upright on Lola's bed. "…I don't want to stay in here."

Mr. Loud looked at Lana, confused, before it dawned on him. "Oh… okay, sweetie. If… If you don't want to stay in here, then… we won't force you to. Um…" He backed out into the hallway. "…Do you want to try sleeping with Lynn?"

Lana smirked grimly, remembering the last time she and Lynn had shared a room. But her exotic pets were all gone now, and she could put up with anything other than staying in her old room.

"…Sure, Dad. I'll sleep with Lynn."

Mr. Loud nodded. "All right. I'll go talk to Lynn."

As he left for Lynn's room, Lana got up and wheeled her bag out into the hallway. It didn't matter who she slept with or where else she was.

She didn't want to be in that room.

She didn't want the memories to come back.

(…)

It took about half an hour for the Loud sisters to unpack and settle in. The house bustled with activity, as Lily kept her sisters and mother busy with questions upon questions about themselves and Mr. Loud conferred with Terry and made phone call after phone call. Through it all, Lincoln sat in the same armchair, in the living room, almost in a daze. No matter how many times he tried to come up with a solution, his mind just kept going back to the problem. His sisters were back – after everything, everything, they were back.

What was he going to do?

"…Uh-huh. Yeah. Okay – what? No, no, we'll have lunch, and then we'll come see you. Okay? Okay. Right, see you then. Uh-huh. Yeah. Okay. Bye." Mr. Loud hung up the phone and walked upstairs. "Okay, kids," he called out, "we all done unpacking?"

The girls all poked their heads out of their rooms and affirmed that they were.

"All right, then! Who's hungry?"

"Oh my God, I am!" Lana said.

"Me too!" Lynn added. "God, I'm so hungry, I could eat a moose!"

"A moose?" Luan said, laughing.

"Yeah, a moose! What?"

"Nothing, nothing, just… you know, funny, is all! Moose…"

"Huh. I didn't realize how hungry you guys were," Terry said.

"Oh, we were just so excited to be back!" Leni said.

"Yeah, so excited that we skipped breakfast and drove straight here!" Lana said.

"Well, let's fix that, huh? What say we all go out and grab a bite?" Mr. Loud said.

Lily raised her hand. "Ooh! Ooh! Can we go to Burpin' Burger? I wanna go to Burpin' Burger!"

Mr. Loud looked around the hallway. "Does anyone else feel like Burpin' Burger?"

"Anywhere's fine, as long as we get to eat soon!" Lynn said, clutching her stomach. Her sisters all agreed.

"All right – Burpin' Burger it is! Let's go, kids!"

Lily cheered and ran out into the hallway and down the stairs, singing the Burpin' Burger jingle. Terry, Mrs. Loud, and the Loud sisters followed her, and everyone grabbed their coats, scarves, and hats and headed out to the van. As they assembled in the driveway, Mr. Loud took a headcount.

"Okay, let's see… Rita, Leni, Luan, Lynn, Lana, Lily, Terry, and…" He looked around. "…Lincoln?" He looked back at the house. "Must still be inside. Hang on, everyone, I'll go get him."

Mr. Loud re-entered the house, where he found Lincoln still sitting in his chair. "Lincoln? Come on, son, we're going to Burpin' Burger."

Lincoln didn't answer.

"Lincoln?"

Lincoln still did not respond.

Mr. Loud saw the troubled look on Lincoln's face and worried. Sighing, he walked over and sat on the couch, leaning forward.

"Lincoln," he said, "please, if something's bothering you, you need to talk about it. I… I understand if you don't want to talk about it with me. If you'd rather talk to Terry, I'll call him inside. But please, Lincoln, talk."

Lincoln closed his eyes. His father was right – he couldn't solve this problem alone. He needed help. He leaned his head back against the chair, putting one hand over his eyes and dragging it down his face.

"…Dad…" Lincoln sighed. "…I just… I just don't know what to do."

"What do you mean?" Mr. Loud asked.

"With them. I know… I know I said I wanted to try, but… after everything that's happened – and I mean everything – what am I supposed to say? What am I supposed to do?"

Mr. Loud nodded in understanding. "I get it, son – things are really awkward right now, after hearing about… what happened… to Lori and the others. And I understand that you're still uneasy around your sisters, even with all the progress you've made. But I'm not – son, look at me."

Lincoln reluctantly did so.

"I'm not asking you to just jump back into a normal family dynamic right away. Just try to ease into it for right now, okay? If you don't feel comfortable talking, then don't talk. Just let Terry do the talking."

Lincoln looked to the side. "Terry always does the talking…"

"I know. But the important thing is that you're there, spending time with us. You may not feel comfortable doing it now, but you will. It'll take time, but you will. Trust me. You've just got to take the first step. Okay?"

Lincoln stared out the window silently for several moments before he finally sighed. "I'll try…"

"That's all we're asking of you, Lincoln. We'll be there to support you, every step of the way." He patted Lincoln's thigh. "Now come on, son. Let's go."

Mr. Loud got up and headed for the door. With a great amount of effort, Lincoln lifted himself out of the seat and plodded after him. As he walked to the van, he mentally chanted, Happy place… happy place… happy place…

As soon as everyone saw Lincoln coming, they eagerly piled into the bright white van. Mrs. Loud took the passenger seat; Luan and Leni sat in the front row; Lily sat between Lynn and Lana in the middle row; and Terry saved Lincoln a seat in the back row. Lincoln climbed into the back, grateful for Terry's presence.

As Mr. Loud climbed into the driver's seat, he heard Lana sigh. "I really miss Vanzilla…" she said.

"'Vanzilla'?" Terry said.

"Our old van," Lynn explained. "She was a hunk of junk, but she was our hunk of junk, you know?"

"Oh, honey, whatever happened that made you give up Vanzilla?" Rita asked. "You loved that car…"

Mr. Loud sighed. "Yeah, I did… But… But, you know, she broke down one time too many, and it was too expensive to pay for her to get fixed again, so, we had no choice but to scrap her…"

The girls all groaned in disappointment. Vanzilla might have been old, but that was what gave it so many memories.

Mr. Loud saw how sad his daughters were, and his heart panged with guilt. He couldn't tell them the real reason he got rid of Vanzilla – that he just didn't see the point in putting up with it any longer…

For the sake of his family, Mr. Loud pushed the negative thoughts out of his mind. He started up the van, and when the car was warm, called out, "Who's ready to eat?"

"ME!" everyone shouted.

(…)

"…Okay, okay. Clyde McBride."

Mollie and Cristina both giggled at Girl Jordan's latest suggestion in their game in which they debated and rated the attractiveness of the boys at Royal Woods High.

"Come on, guys!" Girl Jordan said. "Humor me!"

Mollie held her hands up assuagingly. "Hey, hey, no, that's good – that's a good choice, Jordie!" She chuckled. "Well, there's no doubt his voice is sexy…"

Girl Jordan sighed dreamily. "Oh, yeah…"

"Yeah, but he's such a dork, though!" Cristina said.

"I know – but isn't there something kinda endearing about that?" Girl Jordan munched on a curly fry as she searched for a way to describe Clyde's charm. "He's just… He's just, uh…"

"Adorkable," Mollie suggested.

Girl Jordan and Cristina laughed. "Hey, that's pretty good!" Cristina said. "'Adorkable'! Did you come up with that yourself?"

"Nah, I heard it on the Internet, on this crazy addictive site I stumbled across."

"Well, whatever, it fits him perfectly! Just a kind of nice, sensitive, adorably nerdy guy, you know?" Girl Jordan said.

"Well, yeah, but some girls just aren't into that," Mollie said. "Some girls want strong, manly men – alphas. But again, there's no accounting for taste, you know?"

"Right. But what do you guys think?"

Mollie and Cristina thought it over. Finally, Mollie shrugged. "I rate him a 6."

"Yeah, 6 sounds about right," Cristina agreed.

"Well, he's a 7 to me," Girl Jordan said.

Mollie shrugged, taking a sip of cola. "Like I said – no accounting for taste." She turned to Cristina. "Okay, Crissie, your turn."

Cristina hesitated, looking at her tray. "Um…"

Mollie arched her eyebrows at her. "Well?"

"Give her a sec – we're running out of guys," Girl Jordan said.

Cristina sighed. "Don't laugh," she said.

Mollie and Girl Jordan leaned in, suddenly interested. "What?"

"Don't laugh!"

"We won't! What?!"

Cristina paused. Then, she quietly said, "…Lincoln Loud."

Both Mollie and Girl Jordan let out involuntary snickers, much to Cristina's chagrin. "You bitches! You said you wouldn't laugh!"

Mollie waved her hand back and forth. "I know, I know, I'm sorry, but… really? Y-You're serious?"

"What, do you have a crush on him now?" Girl Jordan said.

Cristina blushed – she didn't like being reminded of that. "Humor me," she growled.

Mollie sighed, grabbing a curly fry. "Come on, Cristina, get real. I mean, sure, he's hot and all – those scars make him look so rugged, I have to say – but have you seen how much emotional baggage he's lugging around? He's shy, gloomy, jittery…"

"Not to mention gay," Girl Jordan said, as though it was supposed to be obvious.

"He's not gay," Cristina said. "You see the way he looks at his boyfriend?"

Girl Jordan thought about it. "…No?"

"Exactly." Cristina sipped her soda. "I've seen gay. He's not gay."

"Well, you're still not getting a piece of him," Mollie said.

"Hey, we're talking hypothetically, aren't we? So, hypothetically, what would you rate him?"

Mollie thought about it, then nodded. "4. Definitely. That boy's cute, but he's damaged goods." She sighed, stirring her cola with her straw. "A shame, really. Who knows how he could have turned out if that hadn't happened to him…"

"God, can you imagine?" Cristina said.

"I'd rather not…" Girl Jordan said.

Mollie looked out the window of the Burpin' Burger. "Oh, hey, speak of the devil…"

"Huh?"

Girl Jordan arched her neck and Cristina turned around to see Lincoln outside.

"Yep, there he is," Girl Jordan said. "And sure enough, Terry's with him."

"Oh, looks like he's here with his family, too! His dad, and… wait… Is that… Is that his mom?"

"I don't know…" Mollie's jaw dropped as she laid eyes on the rest of Lincoln's entourage. "No… way…"

Girl Jordan and Cristina were just as floored.

"I-It can't be… Are those… his SISTERS?!"

(…)

Lincoln opened the door and held it open for everyone, and as everyone came inside, Lily continued to chatter incessantly.

"Oh! Oh! A-And will you all watch the Pretty Pony Princess Christmas special with me when we get back? Please? Please?"

"Uh, Lily," Mr. Loud said, "you've been talking non-stop the entire way over here. Why don't you give it a rest, huh, sweetie?"

Lily pouted. "But I want to talk to my sisters!" she complained.

"Silly Lily," Terry said, "you'll have the whole holiday season to talk to them and get to know them! But right now, we're here as a group – which means you have to let us talk to each other too, okay?"

Lily folded her arms. "Hmph!"

Leni kneeled down and put her hands on Lily's shoulders. "It doesn't matter if you're talking or not. The important thing is that you're here, spending time with us, sweetie. And Terry's right – we'll have lots of time to talk and play together. Promise."

Satisfied, Lily smiled and nodded. "…Okay."

"All right, then." Mr. Loud led the family to the counter.

"Welcome to Burpin' Burger. May I take your order?" the employee behind the counter said.

"Yeah, can we have eight Big Belchers with everything, one Baby Belcher with everything, and nine orders of curly fries, please?"

"Actually, just a Veggie Belcher for me, honey," Mrs. Loud said. "And a salad."

"And just a Burpin' Burger for me, Dad," Lincoln said. "I'm… not that hungry."

"Hey, I want a Big Belcher, too!" Lily said.

"You'll never finish it, silly Lily!" Terry said. "Wait 'till you're a big girl!"

"I am a big girl!" Lily stomped her foot. "I am, I am, I am, I am, I am!"

The others laughed at this display of immaturity. "Okay, tell you what," Mr. Loud said, "we'll get you chicken nuggets to go with your burger. Sound good?"

Lily frowned and crossed her arms, but growled, "Fine…"

"Okay. So, that's one Burpin' Burger, one Veggie Belcher, one Baby Belcher, six Big Belchers, nine orders of curly fries, and one order of chicken nuggets," Mr. Loud said.

"What kind of dipping sauce do you want for the nuggets?" the employee asked.

Mr. Loud turned to Lily. "Lily?"

"Do you have any Szechuan sauce?" Lily asked.

"We're all out."

Lily pouted. "Phooey."

"How about sweet and sour sauce, then?" Mr. Loud said.

Lily sighed. "Okay…"

"Any drinks?" the employee asked.

"Kids, do you want any drinks?"

Lynn looked at the menu. "Hmmm… Nuka-Cola? Isn't that from that video game?"

"Oh, yeah, they're promoting the new one, it's coming out soon," Terry explained.

"Hm. Sounds interesting. You guys want to try it?"

Everyone agreed.

"Okay, then, nine Nuka-Colas all around. That'll be it for us," Mr. Loud said.

The employee totaled them up. "That'll be $61.45, please," she said.

Mr. Loud paid, and the employee printed a receipt and handed it to him. "You'll be order 145, we'll call you when it's ready! Thank you, sir! Next!"

The Louds (and Terry) took the nearest open booth that could fit them all. The girls all sat on one side, with Lily squeezing in between Lynn and her mother, Mr. Loud sitting next to his wife, Lincoln sitting next to him, and Terry sitting at the other end, next to Lincoln.

The booth was quiet. Lily had wanted to talk, but no-one wanted her to, apparently, so she stayed quiet. Lincoln hated the way everyone else was staring at him. It didn't make trying to think of something to say any easier, and it wasn't easy to begin with. And the longer he stayed silent, the harder it became.

Terry saw Lincoln retreating into himself, and came to his rescue. "So…" he said, drumming his fingers on the table.

Everyone turned their attention to him.

"…Canada, huh?" Terry shrugged. "What's that like?"

Luan shrugged back. "Cold."

The girls all chuckled at that. "Well, actually," Lynn said, "not all the time. In Toronto, there are only two seasons: winter and construction."

"So… only half the time?"

"You know it!"

"What else is there?"

"Well… the milk comes in bags, eh?" Luan said.

"And the police ride on horses, eh?" Lana added.

"And everything is in English and French, eh?" Leni added.

"And we're big on hockey, eh?" Lynn added.

"And we say 'eh' at the end of sentences, eh?" said Luan. "And… that's about it."

Terry looked at her in surprise. "Really?"

"What, do you want a history lesson on Canada? That's about all you Americans care about, eh?" Lana said.

"You're American too, Lana!" Lynn reminded her.

"Less American than you!"

"Ugh!" Lynn jabbed her thumb at her younger sister. "She's gone native, I'm telling you…"

"Who are you kidding? We all have!" Luan said.

"So, that makes it okay for you to play up Canadian stereotypes?" Terry said.

"Naw, you can make fun of Canadians around us too, eh?" Lynn said.

"Really?"

"Sure! After all, we make fun of Americans, so that makes us square, eh?" The girls all laughed together.

Terry shared a good-natured chuckle with them, then said, "All right, well, I've heard that Torontonians think that they're the center of the universe. Tell me what makes your 'special city' so special."

"Oh, here's something you'll like," Mrs. Loud chimed in. "Toronto's pride parade is one of the world's biggest."

"Oh, yeah! I've heard of that – hey, Lincoln, maybe we could go see the next one if we ever decide to visit! What do you think?"

Being pulled into the conversation jarred Lincoln. "I-I… I…" he stuttered, looking around the booth. Everyone was patiently waiting for him to speak. It was all so casual, so normal…

Too normal.

Lincoln sighed. The thought had been eating at him the entire time, and now he realized that it was no use trying to make small talk as long as it was on his chest. He hung his head and shook it slowly. "I… I can't. I'm sorry, but I just can't…"

Terry put his arm around him. "What's the matter, Lincoln?"

"I… I can't pretend everything's normal when it's not. I mean… I just found out that three of my sisters are dead. One of them is missing. Am I just… supposed to forget all about that?"

Mrs. Loud and her daughters all shared somber looks. Mrs. Loud sighed, clasped her hands together, and leaned forwards. "Lincoln," she said solemnly, "we understand how difficult this must be for you. And we promise, we're not trying to make you pretend that things are right back to the way they used to be – at least, not on purpose. Honestly, we thought you knew about the others already. But…"

Mrs. Loud glanced at her husband, who didn't dare look her in the eye.

"…So, maybe we weren't prepared to learn that you didn't know. But we can still help you get through this, just like we did. Not a day goes by when we don't think about your sisters who… aren't with us anymore… but the important thing is, we've moved on. We don't dwell on the mistakes of the past. We learn from them, sure, but we don't dwell on them. And we can help you move on, too. Starting right now – by engaging with us here, now. Let's not think about what we've lost…" She and her daughters joined hands.

"…Let's think about what we still have."

Lincoln chewed on that. It sounded a lot like what his doctors told him. Think positive – life is a precious gift that should not be squandered. Spending it in the company of others was a privilege. Lincoln closed his eyes, going to his happy place…

He was pulled back to reality by Terry giving his shoulder a gentle, reassuring squeeze. He saw that everyone was still awaiting his response, and, feeling better, nodded. "…Okay," he said.

Mrs. Loud smiled gently. "…Good."

For a few moments afterwards, no-one said anything. Then, Luan shook her head and clucked her tongue. "Tsk… It is a shame, though. About our sisters, I mean… If only they had opened up… Oh, wait, Lori did open up – her veins!"

Luan doubled over, slapping the table and laughing uproariously. No-one else was amused in the slightest.

"LUAN!" Lynn rested her head in her hand, growling furiously. "She does this all the time, I swear…"

The men either stared or gaped at Luan, speechless. Just then, their order number was called out. Terry pounced on the opportunity to change the subject. "Well," he said, getting up, "maybe some food in our bellies will put us in a better mood! 'Scuse me, heh…"

Terry left, fetched the food, and brought it back. "Okay, everyone, dig in!"

Everyone did so, the hungry Loud sisters and their mother with special gusto. When everyone was finished, Lana let out a contented burp.

"Mmmm…" Lana licked her lips. "I missed this place." She looked at Lincoln. "Oh, Lincoln, you've got something on your face."

"Where?" Lincoln asked.

"Hang on, I've got it." Lana leaned over and scraped a smear of ketchup off of his cheek…

…then sucked the sauce off her finger.

The touch alone was enough to make Lincoln flinch involuntarily, but watching Lana lick her finger in an almost lascivious manner set his mind racing. What was going on? What was she doing?

"Lana!" Mrs. Loud said, shocked by her daughter's poor manners.

"Huh…? Oh! Heh, s-sorry, Mom! I… I just, uh… really missed this place!" Lana said nervously. She cleared her throat. "Well, I mean, I missed these burgers. I don't really miss this place – not after we got snowed in here…"

"Wait – you got snowed in here?" Terry said.

Lana then recounted to Terry how she and her siblings became trapped in the Burpin' Burger because she was so fixated on winning a contest. When she was finished, Terry closed his eyes, quietly stirring his cola.

"…'Flip', you said this guy's name was?" he said.

"Yeah."

Terry turned to Lily. "Lily. Grown-up talk."

Lily covered her ears and started singing.

"That guy sounds like a grade-A jerkass," Terry said, sipping his soda.

Mrs. Loud gasped. "Terry! You shouldn't use such language in front of Lana!"

"Come on, Mom!" Lana said. "I think I'm old enough!"

"And besides," Luan chimed in, "is swearing really so shocking, after everything else we've done?" She laughed.

Once again, Terry was not amused. He looked at Lynn. "'All the time', you said?"

Lynn nodded. "All the time."

"I'm sorry."

"Thanks."

He turned to Lily. "Lily? Lily?"

Lynn jabbed Lily, who stopped covering her ears and singing.

"You can stop now."

"Heh… that's a pretty good word, though. You come up with that yourself?" Luan asked.

"Nah, I heard it on the Internet, on this crazy addictive site I stumbled across."

"You know," Mrs. Loud said, "that reminds me, Terry – this whole time, you've been getting to know us, yet we've barely gotten to know you. Tell us about yourself. How long have you been dating Lincoln?"

Terry reached his arm across Lincoln's shoulder. "Oh, about a year or so, now."

"Are you staying over for the night?"

Terry looked at Mrs. Loud, confused. "'Staying over'…?"

"Oh, no, Mom," Luan said, "Terry isn't visiting – he lives at the house."

Mrs. Loud looked at Terry, surprised. "You… You do?"

"In fact, as I recall…" Luan grinned at Terry. "You promised me a story behind that, didn't you, Terry?"

Terry rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, well, it's a long, tragic one, if you're still interested…"

Luan waved dismissively. "Oh, don't worry, we're used to those."

Terry shrugged. "…All right, then. I'm from Indiana, originally. My family – me, my parents, and my little brother and sister – moved here about six years ago. We lived right next door to the Louds."

"'Next door'… Wait, you don't mean 1214 Franklin Avenue, do you?" Leni asked.

"Yeah, that's it. Why?"

"That's Mr. Grouse's house!"

"Oh, did you know him?"

"Yeah, he was our neighbor. He could be kinda mean and grumpy sometimes, but he was nice, deep down… What happened to him?"

"Oh, uh…" Terry averted his gaze. "We, uh… When we bought the house, we heard that the last owner died of a heart attack…"

Leni sank into her seat. "Oh…"

"…I'm sorry."

Leni didn't respond.

"Ahem… Anyways… my dad was a preacher – real conservative fundamentalist. He moved us to Royal Woods because he was convinced that its population was in desperate need of salvation. Actually… I think it might have been because of… that incident… you girls were involved in…"

"R… Really?" Lynn said.

"Yeah. I didn't hear the full story until I moved in with Mr. Loud, but that whole situation was just plain FUBAR, no matter how you cut it."

Lynn nodded sadly. "It was… It really was…"

Terry cleared his throat again. "Right… So, anyways, my dad set up a church here in town, and started preaching against gays, against premarital sex, preached abstinence and teetotalism and how the Bible was the ultimate moral compass, stuff like that. And you know, I guess some people just needed some spiritual guidance after… what happened… because he ended up attracting a large congregation."

"Yeah, things really changed around here after the Powells moved to town," Mr. Loud said. "I tell you, you had to be there – it was an honest-to-God religious revival. People were taking God and the Bible seriously, attending church on Sundays, the whole deal. It was weird."

"Yeah. So, for the first year or two, life was just peachy for us. We lived and swore by the Bible, and all was well. Then puberty kicked in. All my friends would talk (in secret) about the hottest girls in school, on TV, on film, you know. But as I learned what was 'attractive' and what wasn't, I just couldn't imagine girls having anything that I found 'attractive'. The only thing I imagined… was guys." Terry smiled grimly. "So, I thought about it, and I figured that I might be gay. I did what any normal kid would do – turn to my parents for guidance."

"Uh-oh… how did that go?" Lynn asked.

Terry shrugged. "It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

"Oh, really?"

"It was worse."

"Oh."

"My mom was devastated. God, I hated seeing her like that – seeing her look at her son and not even know who he was. Dad was just about ready to disown me right then and there, but Mom didn't want to give up hope. She wanted to 'save' me – save my soul from eternal damnation. She begged and pleaded, and finally my dad gave in. I was sent to religious counseling, homosexual conversion camps, the works, but nothing could 'cure' me. Eventually, I just accepted that being gay was just part of who I am – and that was it for me. My family started cutting me off, bit by bit – Dad started forbidding my brother and sister from talking to, being near, and eventually even looking at the 'profligate'. Jared never needed an excuse to treat me like crap, the little punk, but Betsy… God, that was the worst. She really looked up to me, you know? She really idolized her big brother… But when it came out that I was the very thing she had been raised to hate, well… it was just like… like I'd betrayed her. Poor kid…"

"What… What did you do?" Lana asked.

"Well, I babysat for Lily in the meantime, and as things got worse and worse, I started spending more time next door than at home. It felt more like a home than home did, after all…" Terry chuckled. "When word got out that the preacher's kid was gay, everything just kinda fell apart. People thought, if the minister couldn't control his own family, how could he control his flock? So, most of my father's congregation ended up deserting him. After that, Dad was done. He gave up on Royal Woods, and me, as a 'lost cause'. The last thing he did before he abandoned the town to 'vice and sin' was assign Mr. Loud custody of me. Now, a young couple lives next door – the Van Dykes. Nice people…"

"But… where's your family now?" Leni asked.

Terry folded his arms, frowning. "I don't know, and I don't care."

"But… they're still your family, Terry!"

"Not anymore." He gestured to the whole table. "This is my family now. Mr. Loud and Lily took care of me, and I took care of them… and then I met Lincoln." He smiled at Lincoln. "The first time I saw him, I knew he was someone who needed someone in his life. And the more I got to know him, the more I fell in love. We… We work together, you know?"

Lincoln smiled meekly as Terry praised him. Terry pecked him on the lips.

"Aww… Well, I'm happy for you both," Mrs. Loud said.

"Thanks, Mrs. Loud."

Something about part of Terry's story made Lynn wonder. "Wait… hold on, wait a second. You said you moved in, then you met Lincoln?"

"Yes?"

"Well, didn't you meet Lincoln when you moved in next door?"

Terry's smile fell, and he shared a glance with Lincoln. "Well, actually –"

Suddenly, Mr. Loud stood up. "Who wants seconds?" he interrupted.

As Terry glared at Mr. Loud, upset by and curious about his interruption, Lana raised her hand. "Ooh! Me! Me! I do!"

Lynn raised her hand as well. "Me too!"

"Me three!" said Luan.

"Oh… I shouldn't eat too much or I'll get fat… I'll pass," Leni said.

"Me too," Mrs. Loud said.

"Okay – Lincoln? Lily? Terry?"

"Uh, just some fries for me, thanks…" Lincoln said.

"No thank you, Daddy, I'm full…" Lily said.

"Nothing for me…" Terry said.

"Okay, then." He inched his way out of the booth, and Lincoln and Terry stood up to let him out. "Uh, listen, Terry, do you mind paying for this one…?"

Terry looked at Mr. Loud incredulously, then saw the look in his eyes. He turned to the others, flashing an uneasy grin. "Heh… Well… 'tis the season…"

"Thanks, Terry. Come on."

Mr. Loud led Terry away from the others and into the line for the register. Terry exhaled sharply. "Okay, I know you'd never let or make me treat you. What's up?" he said.

"Look… please don't tell them about Lincoln," Mr. Loud said.

"Really? Because keeping secrets of this magnitude from your family didn't exactly work out well the last time you tried it…"

"Please, Terry!"

Terry put his hands on his hips. "You have to tell them!"

"I-I know, alright? But now's not the best time!"

"There's never going to be a 'best time'!"

"T-Terry, telling them about it now… it's not right!"

"NOTHING you could possibly do in this situation is 'right', okay?! I'm just trying to suggest damage control!"

Mr. Loud massaged his temples, deeply distressed. Terry was right – there were only a few outcomes in this situation, and none of them were pleasant; the only difference was that some were less unpleasant than others.

"Mr. Loud…" Terry put one hand on Mr. Loud's shoulder. "I'm only telling you this because I want to help. You have to tell them."

Mr. Loud scrutinized each possible course of action. After a while, he slumped his shoulders and sighed heavily. "…I will, Terry. Okay? I will. But… But not now. Not… while we're still getting settled in, okay? Just… give us some more time, and then I'll tell them. Until then, please – please don't tell them. Okay?"

Terry stared at Mr. Loud for a few moments. Then, he shook his head and sighed. "…Fine. But I can't promise that someone other than me won't spill the secret…"

"Fine."

They reached the register.

(…)

Lincoln, meanwhile, was left alone with his mother and sisters. He sat quietly in his seat, avoiding eye contact, while the others stared at him awkwardly. After several minutes of silence, Lincoln began to fidget. When were Terry and his dad coming back?

"So…"

Lincoln started. "H-Huh?"

Leni leaned on one elbow. "…Your scars have healed quite nicely, Linky…"

"O-Oh…" Lincoln self-consciously turned his head. "I, uh… I-I'm surprised you, uh, noticed…"

"We almost didn't – that's how well they've healed."

"Yeah, well, uh… heh… T-The doctor did a good job…"

Leni shifted in her seat, giving him an odd look.

"You look… handsome."

Lincoln froze. "Handsome"? What was that supposed to mean? He started thinking about the day his sisters left the house – what Leni had said to him. Did it still apply?

Were his sisters… still in love with him?

It sounded absurd, at least to him. His mom and dad knew about it – there was no way they weren't going to do something about it! But what did they do? And did it work?

"Lincoln?"

Lincoln train of thought was derailed. His sisters were all looking at him – he very desperately wanted them to stop looking at him.

"Lincoln, what's wrong?" Leni asked.

"I…" Lincoln started to break out in a cold sweat. "I… I-I-I…"

"Who's hungry?"

Mr. Loud and Terry returned with more food. Lincoln slowly exhaled in relief as they retook their seats beside him.

"So, Terry," Lynn said, "what was that about 'meeting Lincoln', again?"

Terry shrugged. "Oh, you know – we met, we hit it off, we got together. You know, just the usual stuff." He smiled at Lincoln. "We've had a lot of good times together, haven't we, Lincoln? Remember that time I won us free tickets to see Franklin?"

Lana gasped, bolting up in her seat. "You've seen Franklin?!"

"Who's Franklin?" Leni asked.

"The musical, Leni – the hottest musical of the decade! I've heard those tickets are impossible to get! How did you win a free pair?!"

As Terry launched into another story – simultaneously preventing Lynn from getting a word in edgewise – Lincoln quietly ate his fries and listened. And as he listened, he continued to ponder the question in his mind. For the moment, he decided to give his sisters the benefit of the doubt. Lana was just being herself, in spite of how much she had changed, and Leni was just paying her little brother a compliment. After all, he was lucky to still have good looks after how badly he had mutilated his face!

Lincoln's mind was put at ease, and he relaxed. He was overreacting, overthinking the situation – surely it wasn't as bad as he thought.

But one action, one little detail, was all it took to shatter his preconceptions. He and Lynn both reached out at the same time to grab a fry – but Lynn accidentally grabbed Lincoln's hand instead. He was sure that she felt him tense up, sure that she could sense his discomfort in that one moment – and yet, her hand lingered. It did not last long, only a few moments at most, but that was long enough. Lincoln pulled his hand back, and Lynn's hand hovered in the air for another moment before darting out and grabbing a fry, which Lynn silently munched on.

As Lincoln cradled his hand, paranoid thoughts started invading his mind, and he was helpless to resist them.

She couldn't possibly have done that on purpose… could she?

Lincoln shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He had to know for sure.

His opportunity came when Terry finished his story. "…And let me tell you, it is totally worth the hype. That show was unlike any I had ever seen."

"Wow…" Lana's eyes sparkled. "Gosh, Lincoln, you sure are lucky to have a boyfriend like Terry…"

"Heh… Heh… Yeah…" Lincoln cleared his throat. "So, hey, um, what, uh… w-what about you, huh? I-I mean, do you guys, uh, have, uh, you know, any… boyfriends?"

Lynn raised an eyebrow. "Hm? Boyfriends?"

"Y-Yeah, you know…"

Mrs. Loud looked at Lincoln, then her daughters. Luan smirked. "Okay, Linc, you wanna get to know a little about our dating lives?"

"I-I-I don't mean to sound nosy…"

"Hey, relax, Linc, it's okay! I'll tell you!" Luan chuckled, pointing at Lana first. "Okay, so Lana's not interested in boys yet. Leni can't hold down a relationship for more than a month. Lynn's been dating a bunch of guys in secret…"

Lynn blushed. "Luan!"

"Um, why is this the first time I've heard about this?" Mrs. Loud asked.

"Duh! Because it was a secret, Mom!" Luan laughed. "Anyways, as for me, I haven't attracted many guys, and none I'm interested in. Must be my winning personality…"

"I… I see…" Lincoln stood up. "Um… E-Excuse me, everyone, but I h-have to go to the bathroom…"

Lincoln extricated himself from the booth and headed to the bathroom. He didn't really have to go – he just needed to be alone with his thoughts. As he did his business, he thought about what Luan had said. So, by all appearances, his sisters had their own love lives, independent of him. Then, what did what Leni had said that day mean? Did he just hallucinate it? It was certainly possible, given how delirious from exhaustion he was at the time; but at the same time, it was not likely, given how simultaneously hyperaware he had been of his surroundings. Soon, it became clear to Lincoln that Leni did say that she and the others loved him.

So, what had changed?

Had anything changed?

Lincoln finished washing his hands as he pondered this. When he exited the bathroom, he saw his mother standing just outside, and yelped.

"Oh! Lincoln, are you all right?!" Mrs. Loud asked.

"Ah… Fine, fine… you just, uh, s-startled me, is all…"

Mrs. Loud gave Lincoln a worried look. "Lincoln…" she said, "…is something bothering you?"

Lincoln hesitated.

"Lincoln, please, talk to me…"

"Mom…" Lincoln sighed. He did have to talk about this with someone. "Mom… you were there that day, weren't you? When… they… said goodbye?"

"Yes?"

Lincoln gulped. "They… They did say that they loved me… didn't they?"

Mrs. Loud frowned as she recalled that particular memory. "…Yes, they did."

Lincoln scratched the back of his head. "What… was that all about?"

Mrs. Loud closed her eyes and brooded. "…I talked to them about it after we left. Apparently, they'd had those feelings for you all the while. The pheromone just brought them out. The pheromone wasn't in them when they told me, so I know it wasn't the pheromone talking." She shook her head. "…Your sisters really were in love with you, Lincoln."

Lincoln stuffed his hands in his pockets and scuffed the floor with his shoes, at a complete loss. "I… I…" He sighed. "…I have to talk to them about that, don't I? But… God, how do you talk about something like that?"

"You won't have to." Lincoln looked at his mother curiously. "After Lori, Lucy, and Lisa committed suicide, I sent the others to counseling. It didn't seem to help Lola, because she ran away after the first session, but all the girls talked about their feelings for you and got over them. They told me so themselves. They're over you, Lincoln. Trust me."

"…Really?"

Mrs. Loud nodded.

Lincoln breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay."

"Why do you bring it up now?"

"It's just… uh… s-some of them have been acting… kinda strange today, that's all…"

Mrs. Loud put a hand on Lincoln's shoulder. "Oh, sweetie, they're just happy to finally be spending some time with you, that's all. It's been so long, you've probably forgotten what it's like to be surrounded by so many sisters. But you'll adjust. You'll see."

Lincoln placed his hand over his mother's, then nodded. "…Okay, Mom."

Mrs. Loud kissed Lincoln on the cheek, then took his hand. "Come on, Lincoln. Let's go."

Mrs. Loud led Lincoln back to the booth, where everyone was just getting up. "Don't bother sitting down, kiddo," Mr. Loud said, "we're about to head out."

"Oh, alright…"

As Mr. Loud gathered the trays and burger wrappers and took them to the garbage, Lincoln hooked up with Terry. As the two of them prepared to leave, Mollie ran into them.

"Oh, hey, Terry!" Mollie said. "Fancy meeting you here!"

"Oh, hey, Mollie! What's up?" Terry said.

"Oh, nothing, just chilling with the girls… Hey, Lincoln."

Lincoln waved shyly.

"So, it's just the two of you here?" Mollie said.

"Oh, no, we're here with the whole family," Terry said.

"Oh, so you two, Mr. Loud, and Lily?"

"Well, not just them…"

"Oh, yeah, I thought I saw you sitting with some other girls! Who are they, Lincoln's cousins?"

"Uh…" Terry turned to Lincoln, who shrugged. "Uh, yeah, they're, uh… visiting from Toronto."

"Ooh, Toronto? Really?"

"Uh, yeah – listen, Mollie, do you mind not telling anyone else about this? We're just trying to have a low-key family get-together this Christmas…"

Mollie nodded. "Oh, sure, don't worry! You can count on me!"

"Thanks, Mollie! Thanks so much!"

"Guys?" Mr. Loud called from the doorway.

"Oh, sorry, Mollie, but we've gotta run! See ya – Merry Christmas!"

"Bye! Merry Christmas!"

Mollie waved the two of them off, then returned to her table as quickly as she could. Girl Jordan and Cristina leaned forward intently. "So?"

"It's them – it's definitely them!" Mollie said.

"No way!" Girl Jordan said.

"I don't believe it!" Cristina said.

"Guys, we've gotta spread the word – we've gotta spread the word right now!" Mollie said.

"Already on it!" Girl Jordan posted a picture of the group that she had discreetly taken on a social media website, and wrote in the text:

You'd better shout

You'd better cry

You'd better pout

I'll tell you why

The Loud sisters have come to town

"And… post."