Author Notes - Minor spoiler alert, we have a small change in the story coming up. Those who watched the movie will recall Mirabel having to give Isabela a hug, which somehow leads to Isa going nuts with her gift. Well, I'll be doing something similar, but it won't be quite the same...

CHAPTER TWELVE - A FAMILY INTERVENTION

While Lincoln made his way over to Lynn's room, with a sleeping Lisa still tucked carefully in his arms, he got another good look at everyone's doors. Lori's was still out, and he could hear her wailing at the top of her lungs about how much of a 'loser' and 'burden' she was. Leni's, in contrast, was shining brighter than ever. Luan's appeared to be on its last legs, while the twins' door flickered so much it hurt Lincoln's eyes to look at.

And Lisa's door, which the little girl had obtained just the day before, was already beginning to go out. The thought made Lincoln cringe; she may have been the most intelligent in the family, but she was way too young to deal with this. He could remember when the twins got their gifts - they were allowed to do nothing but play around with them, as long as they helped out whenever they could. And yet, even their parents seemed to be forgetting how young Lisa really was.

Lincoln stepped inside Lynn's room, not being interrupted by any of his sisters because they were all too busy working things through in their own rooms. He didn't go into this room very often, mostly because Lynn could be obnoxious and it 'reeked of enthusiasm', but for once he had a good reason to go inside it.

Just like Lynn said, it was like a massive stadium. Though it was perhaps smaller than most 'real' stadiums, it still dwarfed many of the other bedrooms in Ruidosa, and had the equipment and layout for all sorts of sports. In other words, it was the room of Lynn's dreams. Lincoln tried not to think about what the room of his dreams would look like, for he knew he'd never get the Ace-Savvy-esque playground that five-year-old him wanted.

Lynn and Lucy were already there, waiting for him in the middle of the playing field. They had even gotten a little bench for him to sit on, which was an offer he took. Lisa still wasn't awake enough to go anywhere on her own, and Lincoln's arms were sure to tire if he couldn't just let her sit on his lap.

'She's still asleep?' Lynn asked. 'Geez. How important is that nap?'

'It isn't just that.' Lincoln said, running his fingers through her hair (er, wig). 'She spends most of her time working in her room or somewhere else in the house. She isn't used to running around town without a rest. Being able to instantly repair machines doesn't mean she can keep going all day.'

'Can you please be quiet?' Lucy requested. 'If I want to focus on a particular time or person, I need silence to concentrate.'

Lucy had created a little circle in the middle of the room, made entirely of salt that Lynn had fetched for her from the kitchen. No one had noticed her running back and forth to gather stuff for the seer; not even a blur. In the middle of this little circle was a blank tombstone, which she apparently had in supply in her room. Now, she was arranging five candles around the tombstone, in an… interesting shape. The specifics of the shape may get your storyteller in trouble for occult imagery.

'So,' Lincoln said, turning to Lynn. 'What's your deal?'

She shot him a confused look. 'What the heck do you mean by that?'

'Well, I've talked to a lot of my sisters, and it seems like everyone in this family is harbouring something. You know, Lana feels like her gift isn't helpful, Lisa isn't getting enough time to nap, Luna is struggling to handle the secrets... are you lucky, or are you hiding something too?'

The tougher sister sighed. 'I dunno. I don't really stop to think about that kinda stuff because, you know, I have no time to stop! But... I guess I'm worried that if I lose my super speed, then... what am I? I get what Lori's wailing about. I just keep running and running cos if I stop to think, I might start to worry.'

'I said, I need quiet.' Lucy said, her voice raising in volume just a little.

Lincoln felt a little twitch in his arms. Lisa's eyes were opening slowly, and she stirred just a bit on his lap. It wasn't much of a nap, but sleeping through most of the dinner must've helped. He couldn't help smiling; she looked so cute when she was trying to stay awake.

'Brother…?' She said, still slurring a little. 'Where am…?'

'Welcome back to the real world, Lisa.' He said, whispering as to not disturb Lucy. 'Try to keep your voice down, okay? Lucy's busy…'

'L… Lucy?'

The little girl gasped. Everything that had happened over the past hour or so smacked her like a truck, and she may have had a more extreme reaction if she was awake enough for it. Now, her eyes were focused on the black-clad girl fiddling with candles in front of her.

'Is that… Lucy?' She asked.

Lincoln nodded. 'Yep. That's her. I think the details regarding her were kinda exaggerated. What do you think?'

'I never truly believed that she had a 'seven foot frame' as Luan claimed, but having seen her in-person, I… can't say I was expecting this.'

After Lucy placed down the last candle, she glanced over at Lisa. It was the first time in her life that she had seen the little girl without a big wall being in the way. Seeing as everything was set up, she approached the five-year-old. Lisa just stared up at her, either intrigued by this strange sister or too tired to run away.

'I… I don't think I've ever seen you in-person before, Lucy.' Lisa said. 'I've only ever seen you in photos, and… we don't have many of you left.'

'I've never been able to get this close either.' Lucy said. 'I had to disappear before you were born. I predicted just about everything: the glasses, the wig, and… even your intelligence. I wish I was there for that.'

Lucy left the conversation on this note, and returned to her work. It was as if she hadn't started the talk at all, but Lisa was staring right at her. It felt like it should've been a bigger moment than this, but Lisa felt almost nothing.

'I feel like I should know her better…' She said. 'Even though she left before I was born.'

'Well…' Lincoln said. 'It wasn't like you could get to know her, what with the 'we don't talk about Lucy' rule.'

'Yes, indeed. I heard the song too. I'm sure I'll find the reasoning behind the bizarre rule one day.'

Now that she had finished setting everything up, Lucy sat down right in front of the blank tombstone. Her hands trembled as she rested them upon it; she hadn't done this since that fateful day, the very same vision that forced her to 'leave'. If this wasn't an inherent gift, she might be worried that she'd screw it up.

'Lincoln,' She said. 'If I want to see your future in particular, I need you to stand here with me. I can do it without you, but it'll be a lot easier if you're here.'

'Oh.' Lincoln said. 'Uh, okay. Lynn, could you-?'

'On it!'

In just a moment, Lynn was sitting down on the bench with Lisa in her arms. The little girl did not like her hugs nearly as much as she liked Lincoln's, and already wanted to go back onto his lap. She didn't bother moving, though, thanks to how exhausted she still was.

'Keep her safe, alright?' Lincoln said. 'I have no idea what to expect from these visions, so be careful.'

Lynn nodded. 'If it looks like everything's about to hit the fan, I'll dash Lis outta danger before you can even say my name!'

Lincoln stepped over the salt circle carefully, afraid to scatter even a single white grain. It wasn't entirely clear how much of this was actually required to make the gift work, or if it just made Lucy feel better. Since he wasn't quite sure where to go, he sat down on the opposite side of the tombstone from Lucy. It must've been the right thing, because she held her arms out for him.

'You need to promise me,' She said. 'That no matter what happens or what you see, you won't run away or back out until the vision is over. Nothing you see can hurt or even touch you, but you may see some frightening imagery. I've had a few too many people run away in the middle of a vision, which can result in it being confused or incomplete.'

The boy took a deep breath, and held her hands. 'Alright, I promise. I'm staying in this spot until it's over. Even if… if it turns out that I'm going to ruin everything.'

'Now, it begins.'

She muttered something under her breath that Lincoln couldn't make out, though it sounded vaguely like Latin anyway. The moment her little incantation ended, the flames on the candles grew in size and burned twice as bright.

'Remember, Lincoln.' She said. 'Nothing you see can hurt you.'

And then, darkness enveloped both of them. Lincoln gasped, seeing nothing but a pitch-black dome surrounding him, but he stayed in his spot. The candles provided just enough light that he could easily make out everything else.

'LINCOLN!' Lynn yelled, though her voice could not pierce the strange black dome.

Lincoln shivered - a chilling breeze brushed against his shoulders, even though there was nowhere the breeze could've come from. It felt like he was back in Lucy's room again. A blinding light could be seen coming from underneath Lucy's bangs. Her eyes glowed with the luminosity of a flashlight directly to the face, making Lincoln quite grateful that her hair covered them up.

'Lincoln Christopher Loud…' Lucy muttered, her voice seemingly echoing on its own. 'The only son born to Lynn Sr and Rita Loud, brother to ten sisters. Show me what is in store for this boy and his future, and his relationship with Ruidosa and the magic.'

Her neck snapped upwards, so fast Lincoln could've sworn he heard a crack. When he looked up too, he nearly screamed. He could see himself floating around the room, but the lack of colour and translucent nature made him look like a ghost. For a moment, he saw this ghostly version of himself approaching an equally-ghostly door that vanished into dust before his eyes.

As if he needed reminding.

But then, the image changed. Holding onto Lucy for dear life, Lincoln witnessed a ghostly white house forming, looking almost exactly like his. He stood in front of it, expression impossible to figure out, while the house broke out into cracks. Only for the cracks to disappear. And then come back. And disappear again.

He could feel Lucy trembling.

'It's the same…' She muttered. 'It still doesn't know. Even when I have Lincoln here with me…'

Lincoln narrowed his eyes. 'Ohhhh no! We're not backing out of this now. Keep going until we find something. Anything!' He looked all around. 'Hey, Vision! If the only solution is for me to leave my family behind, let me know so I can do it!'

Then, it changed again, just slightly. Lincoln and the house remained, but now the cracks stayed away. Lucy's grip on his hands tightened even more.

'Wait a moment…' She said. 'I have something. Your determination to fix the problem is making the future more clear. Keep focusing on it, and don't stop.'

'Uh, I'll try.'

Lucy winced, and breathed heavily through her gritted teeth. Lincoln couldn't help wondering if focusing on her vision this much was painful for her, and was about to tell her to stop when-

'Hold on!' She yelled (for her standards). 'I'm seeing something.'

The ghostly images turned into a blur for a moment before they reformed into a window sill. The beloved candle could be seen balanced on it, its flame slowly fading. A crack suddenly formed in the wooden frame, and the candle bounced and almost fell off. Just a second later, it was standing upright again - the vision was still struggling to find a single path.

But now, the candle was burning brighter than ever. And Lincoln saw himself standing in front of it.

'This… this isn't too far into the future.' Lucy said. 'Tomorrow at the latest… it seems this is as far as this vision can take me before it becomes unclear again.'

'That's good enough for me!' Lincoln cried. 'Now, can you see what I'm doing there?'

'I see… someone else…'

A second being formed next to Vision Lincoln, though they were only a white blur with no discernable features at all. Lucy strained herself harder to get a clearer image, for the sake of her only brother sitting before her.

'Is this a hug?' She asked herself. 'Or a fight?'

Lincoln flashed her a look. 'You can't tell?! Those are wildly different things!'

'Wait, no, you are definitely hugging. Easy mistake.'

The vision became more clear. Indeed, Lincoln was hugging this mysterious person, so mysterious that the magic couldn't even figure out their height.

'I'm getting a clearer image…' Lucy said. 'You have to hug one of your sisters…'

'Do you have any idea of how little that narrows it down?' Lincoln asked.

'Well aware. I'd be very shocked if it turned out you had to hug a brother. I'll see if I can… oh! I'm getting the image of long golden locks.'

Long golden locks? A smile appeared on Lincoln's face - the only sister with 'long golden locks' who would hug him was Leni, and she had already made up with him! Well, this was going to be easy.

'A lovely dress… not that I would ever be caught dead wearing it…'

And a dress? He had this in the bag.

'A little tiara…'

His smile dropped.

'A tiara?!'

Oh no… there was only one sister in the entire house who wore a tiara.

'I've got it!' Lucy said.

In case Lincoln was in denial about the possibility, the mysterious person in the vision became clear. There was no one else it could be but…

'LOLA?!' Lincoln shouted. 'I have to hug Lola?!'

Lucy let go of his arms and leaned over so much it looked like her spine had snapped. That was all the energy she could afford to expend after so long, and the black void surrounding them faded away. The salt remained, though all five candles had burnt out. While Lynn and Lisa stared in utter shock, Lucy lifted the tombstone into her weakened arms.

If Lincoln desires to fix the magic instead of break it, he must make up with and hug a sister who seems to hate everyone's guts.

'Well, that's lucky.' She said. 'Normally when I did this, you'd have to go on some epic quest or marry someone. But all you have to do is hug a sister.'

'Yeah, I have to hug Lola!' Lincoln yelled, hands grasping at his hair. 'You might as well ask me to go kiss a dragon! It'd probably be a lot less dangerous.'

Lynn chuckled. 'Oh, you gotta give Lola a little loving hug? That ain't happening! Not after that disaster of a dinner.'

'Groan…' Lucy murmured. 'Every time…'

Lincoln sighed. 'Look, it isn't your fault. You did what I told you to. But now I… how do I get Lola to hug me without getting a lightning bolt to the face?!'

The gothic sister tossed the engraved tombstone aside. 'Well, you have plenty of time to think about it. It's almost Lola's bedtime, so you won't get to hug her until tomorrow anyway. I'll meet you in my room in the walls.'

She was just heading out the door when Lincoln grabbed her wrist and pulled her aside. The words she spoke to him took her by surprise, to say the least.

'Nope!' He said. 'Tonight, you're spending the night with me. In my room.'

Lucy had assumed he must've been joking when he said this, but found out he wasn't when he took her back to 'his' room. The nursery, after all these years, still felt strangely welcoming, especially with the moonlight beaming through the open window. Ruidosa must've known she was coming - the walls have ears, after all - and had already made the bed for her.

The pillow and blankets were under the bed. Lucy didn't want to admit it, but it touched her heart (that she didn't even like to admit that she had). Ruidosa, always, had been that one member of the family who never left her.

'You… you actually want me to stay the night?' She asked.

Lincoln chuckled. 'No, I just brought you here to show you my awesome room. Of course I want you to stay the night!'

'Oh. Uh, thanks.'

Lincoln tucked himself inside his bed almost immediately (Lucy didn't mind the both of them changing in the same room), while Lucy perched herself on the bare mattress. Not too alarming, since the boy could recall her staying up all night, but still a little worrying.

'You okay?' He asked.

'Fine.' She replied. 'I… I should've known you wouldn't like that vision. Sorry.'

Lincoln sat up. 'Sorry? For what?'

She tucked her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. 'The vision made you angry. It showed you something you didn't like. That's what always happens. To everyone but Leni.'

While her tone had barely changed, Lincoln could hear the slightest hint of sadness. With how plain and monotone her voice typically was, even the smallest change was noticeable.

'Lucy…' He said, getting her to lift her head up. 'I'm not angry at you. I'm angry because the vision is telling me to hug a fire-breathing dragon. Why would I be mad at you?'

'Because…' She replied. 'Because I'm the one who gave you the vision.'

'Uh, yeah, because I told you to. Is this really what people get mad at you for?'

Lucy did not reply, and merely crawled underneath the bed. It was beautifully dark and dusty under there, resembling her unoccupied room. She had forgotten how nice her old room was.

Lincoln wasn't sure if she was still listening at this point, but he spoke to her anyway. 'Lucy, I don't know why people are treating you like a monster. You seem like a fine person to me. Kinda spooky and a little creepy, yeah, but not bad at all. If and when I manage to solve this magic problem, you'll be coming back home with me. And you won't be hiding anymore.'

Her head poked out from the darkness. 'Really?'

He nodded. 'May Lola strike me down with lightning if I'm lying! … Actually, scratch that.'

Once again, she said nothing and simply returned to her place in the darkness. For a quick moment, however, he could've sworn he saw her mouth turn ever so slightly upwards.

'You're part of the family…' He murmured. 'And I'll see to it that you never forget that.'

Author Notes - So I basically split Isabela in half. See, I figured that if Lincoln had to hug Leni, it'd all be over in a snap because she'd agree to that without a question. There still needs to be some conflict, and she's pretty much the only sister we haven't talked about yet, so... LOLA IT IS! Plus, there's something I wanted to do with Lola in this story so her gift doesn't seem so lame.