"I'm not sure if this is a good idea," said Jack. He and his wife had agreed to take Lori and Leni to their place to meet up with Lincoln in person. But there were still several things that could go wrong, maybe not from meeting up directly, but what could come of it and what it could lead to.

"What do you mean?" asked Leni, as they rode in the car.

"For one, what are you going to tell the rest of the family?"

"We'll just lie like a rug," replied Lori, almost too quickly.

"..."

"Girls," said Kate. "You need to understand one very important thing and it's very serious. The police from Royal Woods are aware of the situation and they have every intention to notify the NYPD, and..."

"N-Y-P-D?" said Leni. "Are we getting nipped?" Kate let out a slightly exasperated sigh, but kept a strong, cool head.

"No, my dear. It's an acronym. The New York Police Department."

"Oh."

"As I was saying, with their police getting wind, there are a couple of bad possibilities that could be interpreted from your family being here."

"This was a case of domestic abuse against Lincoln," Jack then said. "Apparently, the situation was bad enough to drive him to not only run away from home, but take a train leading far from Royal Woods. Luckily, nothing too serious happened to your brother before my daughter happened to find him, but not only did this make things more serious, but your family might have given the police the wrong idea when they left for New York themselves only a couple of days afterwards.

"It's not like we were literally trying to evade the police!" Lori protested. "Our family wanted to find Lincoln and bring him home!"

"And unfortunately, that's another problem," added Kate. "Given that Lincoln has likely been mentally scarred, it's almost far too soon for him to want to see his family voluntarily, even if your sisters are regretful and sorry for their actions."

"Well, what were we supposed to do?" asked Lori. "Just sit back and twiddle our thumbs until the police came literally knocking at our door while, for all we knew, Lincoln was out there and alone in the cold?!" Lori's argument certainly sounded like it held strong, but at that time, the car pulled into the driveway.

"You girls have to rendezvous with the rest of your family by 7 p.m., right?" Jack asked, getting a nod from Lori and Leni. "We haven't much time, I'm afraid. You best go and say and do what needs to be done, but be it known that what you're doing is very risky business."

"Anything if it means seeing our little brother with our own eyes," said Leni.

"Very well."

Lincoln felt worried as he saw the doorknob turn. A pit formed in his stomach from the worry and he took a large breath while waiting for the door to reveal what's behind. His body felt stiff, almost as if he didn't want to move or even close his eyes. He felt a hand clasp around his own - Jordan's hand, as she gave him a look of comfort to settle his worries. When the door opened, there stood Jack and Kate at first with unsure expressions on their faces, but just behind them, Lincoln could make out two familiar figures. Jordan's parents stepped inside the house followed by exactly who Lincoln expected. As the two sisters, Lori and Leni, walked in, their eyes instantly laid on the white-haired boy - their only brother. Tension filled the air between them as no one knew what to say. Leni stepped forward first, bent down to Lincoln's level, and hugged him with all the strength she could. He could hear whimpers and saw tears falling down her cheek as her hug steadily tightened, but not too hard. Lincoln let go of Jordan's hand used his now free hand to stroke Leni's hair.

"Leni..." he whispered to her.

"I-I'm sorry!" Leni exclaimed. "I'm so, so sorry!" It broke Lincoln's heart to hear his sweetheart sister and would-be roommate whimper and cry like this. It felt like an icicle had stabbed his heart, leaving his body cold. But his own warm feelings gave him strength to try and assure her.

"It's okay..." murmured Lincoln, sounding like he was about to cry himself. "It's okay, Leni."

"N-no, i-it's not!" Leni wailed, crying on his shoulder. Lincoln didn't know what to do or what to say, but what else was new? Jordan and her parents were watching the whole event play out while Lincoln gave a glance to Lori.

"I-I-I..." Poor Lori couldn't even formulate a sentence. She felt scared that her words would be weak and meaningless to the boy that was her little brother. With a tearful smile, Lincoln opened his arm out for her to join in, granting Lori the courage to come closer. She too knelt down and leapt in for a hug, letting out all of her own tears along with the pain and worry. She had found her only brother. He was safe and happy to see both her and Leni. "I can't b-believe it's you, Lincoln," she cried. Both older sisters held Lincoln tight and hugged, not wanting to let go. Lincoln smiled as he was given some much needed affection and even Jordan gave a small smile. It was truly a blessed moment as the two sisters could pour all of their emotions out and lift the heavy weight off their shoulders. While the heartfelt moments were being exchanged, Kate motioned for her husband and daughter to leave the three alone, so they left the living room. That was when Lincoln finally began to cry, but out of joy. Jordan's parents had felt their own joy seeing the three siblings reunite and make up, but Jack noticed that his daughter seemed a little off.

"You alright, sweetie?" he asked. Jordan just gave him a sweet smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. Minutes passed and the three Loud siblings still held their hug strong with no words needed. Just the comfort and feeling of his life was enough for Lincoln in their moment together. Soon enough, the stifled cries and whimpering twitches started fading as the emotions finally had their ways. Lori stopped crying first and looked into her brother's eyes with joy.

"Lincoln, thank God you're okay!" she said in relief, wiping her tears away. "We were worried sick!" Lincoln's sobbing quieted as he continued to stroke Leni's hair. He gazed at Lori with a smile breaking through.

"Thanks to Jordan, I am," he admitted. "Without her, I'd prolly still be freezing outside. But now I'm here..." he suddenly croaked. "I'm safe." He wiped away some leftover tears from his face. Between the air and Lori's voice, Lincoln kept hearing Lori repeat a single sentence between her muffled cries.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Leni continued until Lincoln slowly lifted Leni's face upward and saw more tears coming down. "I'm sorry, Lincoln! I shouldn't have been so dumb!" she exclaimed as she lightly pounded her head on Lincoln's shoulder. To stop her from hurting herself more, Lincoln grabbed her face and looked into her eyes.

"Leni, please," he begged. "I know you've heard this already, but I beg you to know that this isn't your fault." Leni took this in through a couple of sniffles and ragged breaths.

"But it's my fault th-that they hurt you," she said in a sorrowful tone, almost looking away from her brother.

"Leni, none of us could have known that this would happen," assured Lincoln. "I know there was tension back there and... our parents couldn't even sense an ounce of it... but not even I expected things to go that far." That fateful night when it all went down, as nerve-wracked as Lincoln was, he thought that he only receive his usual two for flinching from Lynn Jr., maybe even a slap in the face from Lola, or something along those lines. But when he saw their eyes, there was anger and hatred in all seven of them, from Lisa to... Luna.

"SHE CHOSE YOU!" That was all Lincoln could understand as shadows of his sisters loomed over him.

Lincoln shivered again, remembering quite vividly once more, which would only further cement his stance on refusing to go back with them, even if they find him. But he also had an admirable reputation as the man with a plan. Keep it together, Linc... keep it together, he thought to himself, lightly tapping his temples with his hand.

"Don't you see, Leni? It's their fault, and only theirs," he summarized, a twinge of slight anger present when he said 'their' instead of sisters. Leni started to calm down for real. Letting out a sigh, she nodded in agreeance to Lincoln's statement and Lori gave her a quick hug for support.

"Thanks, Linky," Leni said with a visible smile, wiping her eyes and nose clean. Seeing this, Lincoln felt a warmth spreading through his body as he saw how compassionate they were for finding him. Lori had been rough around the edges with him in the past, all the times she called him a twerp, but it seemed to take her leaving for college to turn all that around and start being nice to him once more, like she didn't know what she had until it was gone or at least would be missing in her life for an extended period of time. It now felt like Lincoln had all the pieces of his old life that he wanted back, but therein came the problem in the form of the unwanted pieces that were now close by, far beyond his comfort zone. Of course, his sudden mood change alerted Lori and Leni, so their faces became concerned.

"Is everything okay?" Lori asked.

"Yeah, but... it's just that I can't stop thinking that the others are here," Lincoln responded uneasily. Both his sisters knew what he meant.

"You know they're truly sorry... right?" said Lori, not to convince him or anything, but to at least assure him how they felt, even if it didn't ease his worries.

"I'm not ready yet," Lincoln said, slightly fearful. "I know I said I'm not coming home... but I really don't know for how much longer that I'll feel this way." Lori and Leni knew this was to be expected, so they just gave him a heartfelt smile.

"Lincoln..." Leni said with sincere compassion. "Whatever it takes, we won't let them come near you." She and Lori nodded to each other in agreeance, even if it meant lying through their teeth to their own family. All that mattered for the time being was keeping their little brother safe and prevent driving the wedge between him and the others even deeper in.

"Thank you!" Lincoln said, hugging his sisters tightly with gratitude. Kate soon came back into the living room.

"Sorry to interrupt your sweet moment together, but surely you'd like something to eat, would you?" she asked the sisters. They looked to Lincoln.

"I'm fine," said Lincoln. "I had dinner with Jordan already, but if you two want something, we can talk in the kitchen." Both Lori and Leni heard their stomachs growling audibly. Searching for Lincoln did made them hungry and they hadn't eaten much in the past few days due to panic in the family. But here, they could rest and eat properly. In the kitchen, they picked up a scent they recognized as chicken soup, which Kate was making for everyone. Lincoln sat down next to Jordan, who sat next to her dad, and Leni sat next to Lincoln. After the soup was served, they all began to dig in.

"So, Jordan, what did you two get up to while we were away?" asked Jack. Jordan coughed to clear her throat.

"Ah, not much," she said. "We just watched some T.V. and ate some snacks we had left over."

"But we never finished watching that episode," Lincoln told Jordan, having just remembered.

"Oh, that's right," Jordan said to him. "We'll get to that later." She and Lincoln then began to exchange small talk with Jack, Kate, and even Lori joining in sometimes. Lori only really added something occasionally when Lincoln spoke, though. But Leni hadn't said anything, much less eaten anything. She was mostly twirling her spoon with a full mind.

"You should talk to Leni," Jordan whispering to Lincoln, having taken notice. "She's been playing with her food the entire time." Leni then saw Lincoln staring at her and came out of her thoughts, to which Lincoln gave her a warm smile. Leni responded with her own smile and then started eating her soup. Lori was almost finished, but Lincoln noticed that his eldest sister seemed distracted by something else in her mind and decided to ask her later. In the end, everyone finished, Leni being last as she had taken her time with every spoonful as thoughts clouded her mind.

"Well, since we're all finished, why don't you show us around the house, Lincoln?" Lori suggested with the intention of bringing him and Leni somewhere private to talk some more.

"Actually, I'd like a small chat with Lori here," Jack said. Leni and Lincoln were a bit uneasy that Jack wanted to talk with Lori alone. Probably about something private, Lincoln thought.

"I'll be okay," said Lori.

"Wanna come, Jordan?" Lincoln asked, to which Jordan smiled at him.

"That's okay, Lincoln," she said. "I'm quite familiar with this house and for you, this is a more personal matter to you."

"Alright." Lincoln beamed a smile back at her. "I'll see you afterwards." So he and Leni began walking around the places that he had spent the last few days at. "Well, you've seen the living room and the kitchen. These are the guest bedrooms... where I would have slept if I hadn't fallen asleep on the couch so many times." But Leni didn't even respond, worrying Lincoln a bit. They went upstairs. "The bathrooms are here. I took a shower before you and Lori got here because I smelled so bad." He chuckled a bit, but still got nothing out of Leni. "And that's Jordan's room. I watched T.V., played video games..." Lincoln then realized that Leni was having an issue he'd have to talk out, he led Leni to one of the guest bedrooms downstairs.

"You already showed me this," said Leni in a low tone.

"I know, but something's the matter with you," Lincoln's explained. "I can see it... or rather hear it." Leni visibly let out a long sigh before sitting down on the bed and patting a spot next to her. "What's wrong?" Lincoln asked, sitting down next to his blonde sister.

"It's going to sound stupid," Leni admitted, but Lincoln didn't believe her.

"Well, if it's bothering you, it's not stupid," Lincoln said. "So, please, talk to me," he pleaded to Leni. "We can always talk here." Leni sighed in defeat before looking down and rubbing her arm.

"I don't know, Linky," she said. "I'm scared, happy, and anxious about you."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm scared that I'll never forgive myself for what I did, I'm happy to know that you're alive, but I'm anxious that you will... leave us."

"Leave you?" questioned Lincoln, to which Leni quickly tensed on about.

"Forget it. It was dumb anyway," Leni said, discrediting it.

"No no no," Lincoln repeated to her. "It's not dumb. I just wanna hear you out. Please tell me what you mean." As they continued their talk, Jordan was seen on the other side of the door, listening in on their emotional moment.

"We hurt you, Linky," said Leni. "That day, we all did. Maybe I didn't mean to, but I can't just pretend I didn't have a part to play in this. I just feel like we don't deserve to have you. I mean, look at yourself! I can still see the bruises you got." Lincoln looked at his right arm to see a bruised spot. "Lincoln, you left us to try and find a better life and... you found it. These people care about you and wouldn't want to do anything against you. Your friend from school saved your life, for crying out loud!"

"Leni..."

"I'm anxious, scared, and happy about what this all means," Leni said, having a slight fit of panic. "I... I don't want to lose you again!" she cried. Lincoln responded by hugging Leni again.

"Leni, you won't lose me," he whispered, trying to soothe her. "I... I don't know what's gonna happen to me. I don't know if I actually will return to my old home, or if I'll end up staying here as long as I can... but I promise you with all of my heart... No matter where I go, you will always be my forever sister," Lincoln said, tearing up. Leni started to cry again, but kept it down.

"Oh, Linky..." she sniffled. "You... you will always be in my heart... n-no matter what..." Jordan smiled at their heartfelt words they shared in their conversation, particularly the words coming from Lincoln, but her smile faded when a nagging thought placed itself inside her head. Lincoln... going back home... The thought sent a chill down her spine as she couldn't even imagine the boy returning to Royal Woods being as happy as he was before. And not only that, the thought of Lincoln not staying with them, even if it was just for the remainder of her winter vacation, made an empty feeling in her chest grow larger. What would happen then? What would happen to them? Jordan leaned away from the door and let out a tired sigh. Everything was suddenly gray and dull to her and she thought that until she got some kind of closure, it would be best to go to her room. She went for the stairs.

"Hey sweetie, where are you going?" her mother asked.

"I'll be in my room, Mom," said Jordan, putting on a small smile. "Been feeling a bit drained, so I'll catch up on some rest."

"Oh, are you sure? Lori's done talking with my husband. You could just wait on the couch for Lincoln," Kate suggested. Jordan gave it some thought before coming to her decision.

"I'll... catch up with him tomorrow. I'm pretty sure he'll want to spend some time with his sisters." Jordan headed upstairs, headed into her room, and there she stayed.