Having just returned from an early morning visit to the shopping mall, Lincoln and Leni were sitting at the kitchen table, in the middle of wrapping up a few presents.

"This was fun, Linky." Leni chatted casually as she was wrapping up one of two mugs they had bought. "You should join me at the mall more often. I`ve been there with my friends and Lori countless times, but it was so cool having you there for a change."

"I`ll try to, Leni. It's just that...going shopping isn`t really...eh a boy thing." Lincoln said idly as he was wrapping up the other mug. He did enjoy spending time with her, he just wished that it could have been under better circumstances.

Leni chuckled. "But how else are you supposed to find gifts for mom and dad, silly?" she joked as she tied the bow around the present. "And by the by, this was so thoughtful of you. Gosh, why didn't I think about getting them something to show my appreciation. They`re such good parents after all."

"I`m just trying to be a good son." Lincoln replied simply.

Convincing Leni to do good deeds like this wasn't a hard thing to pull off, as she always liked doing something nice for others. The only problem was stimulating her to do it, as her attention tended to drift of randomly when she didn't have a clear goal, and since she usually hung out with Lori, who wasn't exactly the giving or considerate type, the kind-hearted but air-headed teen would more often be encouraged to indulge in more self-serving activities, though luckily it had never affected her good nature.

Lincoln didn't think that a few presents would make a huge difference, but he was positive that after helping his mother clean the house, along with Lynn, and following her visit to her father, these small tokens of their appreciation would help to put Rita in a more forgiving mood when she reunited with her husband.

"Me too!" Leni stopped and laughed to herself. "Well, good daughter anyway. There`s nothing more awesome and satisfying than showing your friends and family how much you care for them."

She then held up a small handbag. "Mom`s gonna love this!"

Lincoln smiled and nodded.

They didn't have a whole lot of money at their disposal with their allowances, so besides the handbag, they brought the two mugs labeled "Best Mom/Dad Ever", along with a bouquet of roses and some cosmetic products for their mother and some shaving equipment and an array of ties, some rather colorful or bizarre like the rabbit-faced one, for their dad. They weren't impressive gifts, but Lincoln knew that it was the thought that counted more.

"True. Very true..." he replied with resignation before spotting his father`s form in the corner of his eye, trough the window. He saw him strolling through the yard with a worried look before looking over the fence.

Taking in a breath, Lincoln got up from his chair and looked at Leni. "Leni, eh...go ahead with wrapping those others presents. I have to go outside to...tie my shoes!" he said hastily as he left the kitchen. "I`ll be back soon!"

Oblivious as ever, Leni smiled and waved at him. "Sure thing, take your time!"

She went on to wrap the handbag and sighed fondly. "He`s growing up so fast."


Mr. Grouse was sitting on a beach chair in his yard, basking in the warm rays of the midday sun and reading an old book he hadn't picked off his dusty shelf in over a decade.

The neighborhood seemed oddly quiet and serene today. The Louds`van being missing probably had something to do with it, and he was enjoying every moment of it.

But a voice quickly cut through the passive silence. "Hey, neighbor. Old Pal. How`s your day been?" came Lynn Sr.`s clumsy greeting.

Grouse muttered under his breath and sent an exasperated glare at the man that was peeking over the fence separating their properties, and sporting a nervous look.

"It was nice so far." the old man replied dryly as his gaze drifted back to his book.

"Well, that's really swell. We all ought to enjoy a beautiful summer day like this." Lynn awkwardly tried to strike a conversation, doing a poor job hiding the fact that he was panicking on the inside. "But...eh I was...eh just strolling through my yard and noticed you sitting there and I thought-"

"What do you want, Loud? Whatever it is make it snappy." Grouse said impatiently, not looking away from his book.

Lynn gulped and fidgeted. "Well...eh...not much...I was just..."

Grouse rolled his eyes. "Spill it out, Loud. I`m not getting any younger, and I have a book to finish."

Lynn chuckled nervously. "I was just...eh...looking for a little friendly advise, y`know, between neighbors." he shrugged and tried to act casual, not that it was fooling the old man.

"Advice? What kind of advice do you need from an old codger like me?" the latter questioned.

He wasn't sure why Lynn was so tongue-tied talking to him all of a sudden, but it only helped to irritate him more, as it would only prolong the conversation that he desperately wanted to get out of.

"Precisely." his neighbor released another awkward laugh. "You`ve lived a long life, you`ve probably seen and experienced a lot of things..."

"I suppose..." Grouse replied indifferently.

Lynn leaned on the fence. "...yeah, and well I was meaning to ask you something. About marriage."

"Oh, this oughta be rich." Grouse thought snidely. "Shoot."

"Well, you see, I...have this friend and he..."

"He ain't seriously using that old charade?" the old man rolled his eyes again.

"And he feels like his marriage might kind of...sort of...possibly be in jeopardy. He feels tired and overworked, and his wife has been acting really cranky lately and avoiding him. He asked me if he should be worried that his wife is unhappy with the life they`ve built together and if she might...possibly...potentially...leave him."

Growing huge sweat stains under his armpits, Lynn anxiously awaited a response.

Grouse retained his indifferent demeanor. "And I should care about this, because...?"

Lynn swallowed a huge lump. "Oh no, no, you have no reason to care. It's just that I don't know anything about this kind of issue. Me and Rita always had such a happy marriage, so I was wondering if you've known anyone in your time who's marriage didn't work out..."

Grouse made a small huff. "Oh, I`ve known plenty of fellas who went through a divorce. It was never a pretty sight, I can tell you that much, Loud."

Lynn felt his blood freeze. "And do you know by chance...the...eh...signs that might indicate that my...eh my friend`s wife is unhappy with her life?"

"More or less the same signs that say that your wife is itching to dump you." Grouse stated offhandedly.

Lynn`s pupils shrank. "Rita? Pfft...that`s a good one!" he forced a laugh. "And people say you have no sense of humor, you wacky old coot."

"I ain't pulling your leg, Loud. And you can drop the act." Grouse responded in a flat tone, making Lynn deflate.

"Oh, who am I fooling?" Lynn thought in resignation. Might as well be upfront.

"Okay, okay!" he admitted in a shaky voice and pulled his hands up. "My relationship with Rita might have become a little rocky-"

"You ain't saying?" the old man made a curt laugh."Even an old man like me can see what's right in front of him."

"I don`t think Rita wants to leave me, okay!" Lynn exclaimed nervously. "I...I...just had this hunch lately that she`s been stressed and overworked."

"Which is exactly why she`s going to dump you soon." the mustached senior stated without an ounce of doubt in his voice.

"W...wha...how do you know?" Lynn blurted in a panic.

His neighbor, on the other hand, remained calm and indifferent, his focus was still on the book rather than facing the man he was talking to.

Grouse sighed exasperatedly and gave his blunt answer. "I`ve been here since the beginning, Loud. I was there when you and your wife first moved in, all young and sappy. I was there whenever you two returned from the hospital with one more "bundle of joy" in your arms. And trust me, as much as I tried not to pay attention to you and your family, even I noticed how over the years you and her were slowly reduced to being nothing more than a pair of feeble, overworked, lifeless wrecks whose entire life now revolved around catering to your kids like slaves and trying to keep them in check."

Lynn grew silent. Much like his own son, Grouse had read him like an open book. His hopes of doubt were only further crumbled to dust once someone else spelled out all his problems in one fell swoop.

"Well, yeah, we sorta haven't had much free time, what with taking care of ten kids and all..."

"You don't need to explain to me what I already know." Grouse cut him off again, quickly growing tired of how pathetic this conversation was getting. "Your life is a mess, you're wife`s growing tired of you and you're stuck with a horde of loud-mouthed, hyperactive brats who can't stand still for more than five minutes. I get the concept!"

"But...but...what do I do?" Lynn was practically pleading for an answer.

"Nothing as far as I can see." Grouse responded with indifference. "The way I see it, you and your wife shot yourself in the foot the moment you decided to keep pumping out more children after you had the third one. Taking care of a few kids is a grueling task that drains the life out of you, but ten?"

Grouse shook his head. "Unless you wanna consider signing them all up for adoption I got nothing for you." he told Lynn bluntly. He wasn't exactly joking with his suggestion but knew better than to get his hopes up.

Lynn stared at him with a blank expression. His whole world crumbled around him as his neighbor`s words sank in.

"Nothing?" he asked one more time in a meek tone.

"Nothing." Grouse reaffirmed. "That's life for you. My advice? You better get yourself a bottle of whiskey and accept the ugly reality like a man. Now, will you let me be and sulk somewhere else?"

Lynn didn't say another word. He stood there in silence as he slowly started accepting the truth.

"Thanks for the talk." Lynn said in a lifeless tone while hanging his head low before walking away.

Once he was gone, Grouse exhaled with relief and looked around.

"Alright, he`s gone! Where's my payment!" he shouted impatiently to no one particular.

Tentatively, Lincoln, wearing his blue ski mask again, emerged from the bushes, carrying a basket filled with muffins and handed them over to him.

"Thank you for your help, kind sir. Your cooperation was much appreciated." the boy told him in a whispery, ninja-like voice.

Grouse rolled his eyes. "A deal`s a deal, "oh mysterious stranger", now buzz off!" he told Lincoln curtly while placing the basket to his right.

Lincoln slowly backed away towards the fence. "I hope I can count on you again if the need arises."

"If it involves muffins or lasagna, and me not having to move, then sure thing, kid." the old man shrugged his shoulders before grabbing a muffin.

Lincoln nodded and tried to jump over the fence but could only clumsily and strenuously pull himself up.

Grouse watched with mild amusement as he threw one leg over the fence before losing balance and hitting the pavement on the other side, accompanied by a yelp and followed by some pain-stricken moaning.

"Kids, they get dumber every decade." Grouse lamented to himself and took a bite out of his muffin.

The Loud boy had arrived at his door last night, begging him to tell his father the things he had just told him. And he had been wearing that same moth-eaten thing on his head while doing so.

Did he think that would hide his identity or something? And why was he trying to mess with his father and get him scared?

He didn't really care about it and humored himself by playing along with the kid`s botched attempt to remain discreet and agreed to do his part. After all, he could never say no to a basket of muffins.

Plus, watching Lynn squirm and panic was pretty fun.


His body aching from his failed attempt to make an exit, Lincoln staggered back into his home. There he found his dad slouching on the couch and staring off into the distance with the blankets of eyes.

It was easy to tell that this was a man crippled with despair right now, afraid for his future and with no idea how to deal with it, given how this realization about the state his family was in was dropped on him like a giant boulder just yesterday. Though Lincoln had his suspicions that his father was in denial about it for far longer.

He didn't seem to notice his son opening the door and entering, which was a testimony to how much he was consumed by his fear and grief. Lincoln grimaced.

didn't hold back any punches and Lincoln didn't even know how much of his speech was scripted in accordance with his instructions and how much of it was just the cranky old neighbor simply stating what he had already observed and deduced.

Either way, it got to Lynn, and as bad as Lincoln felt for using fear tactics, they nonetheless seemingly worked in helping his dad sober up and see what was at stake. Now it was time for Lincoln to step in again.

"Hey, dad."

Lynn was so wrapped up in his thoughts that by the time he reacted to the voice with mild surprise his son was already sitting next to me, wearing a melancholy expression.

"Lincoln?" he responded in a weak voice.

"I take it you read that novel I gave you?"

Lynn blinked, not knowing how to respond. "I did...I..."

Lincoln sighed. "Then I guess you figured out why I`m worried." he said upfront.

"I didn't want to read too much into it, but the choice for the plot was rather...interesting. A longsuffering middle-aged wife, overwhelmed with housework, struggling to keep her children in line and growing more and more frustrated with her "inept" husband, struggling with depression over how bleak and miserable her life had become? Yeah, it kind of hit close to home after I stopped to think about it."

Lynn remained quiet, listening to his son carefully. Inside his mind, the puzzle pieces were quickly coming together. Lincoln looked so sad, like he was anticipating something awful to happen. Now it started to make sense.

His son continued. "I wanted to think that I was overreacting, but after keeping an eye on you and mom for a while everything started to add up, I started to understand how much it takes out of you guys taking care of this family. It opened my eyes and I got scared."

That was a huge lie. Lincoln had been oblivious to his parents` suffering as much as his sisters and he and Lynn only knew it now via the mystical cheat code of being flung back in time after the consequences of their callous behavior had fully caught up with them. In light of everything, he felt scummy about giving himself so much credit for his powers of foresight and observation, but he needed some kind of explanation for why he knew about it without looking like he became a psychic.

This broke Lynn`s heart. His son thought his parents were going to break up and his downbeat nature during the last few days made complete sense now. Not only was his wife angry at him and unhappy with her life, but his son knew about it and it was tearing him up. Lynn felt worse than ever before.

And he could do nothing to reassure his son that things would be alright, short of lying. All he could hope now was that things weren't as bad with Rita as everyone made it out to be, but at this point, he felt that doing so would just be nose-diving into denial.

He sighed, he had to be strong for his son. He was the man of the house and he couldn't let things spiral out of control, even if they were looking bleak.

"Son, I...I understand why you're worried..." he addressed him softly "...but we can't lose our heads over this. Your mother and I might be in a bad place but nothing serious has happened yet, she hasn't made any...big decision as far as we know." Lynn was uncertain if he was giving his son false reassurance, but right now, giving his wife the benefit of the doubt was the only thing he could do to give himself hope.

He could fix this. At least he hoped he could. But at this moment he had no idea how.

Lincoln`s response, however, was a huge surprise.

He looked at his father in the eye, yet his expression didn't show fear or worry. It showed something unexpected given the circumstances. Something Lynn didn't see in his son too often: boundless determination.

"I know, dad. Which is why we have to fix this situation before it gets any worse. To fix your marriage."

Lynn was dumbfounded. This was not the reaction he had anticipated from his 10-year old son. His tone and the expression on his face conveyed that Lincoln was already ahead of him when it came to thinking about a solution, long before Lynn himself even fully realized that there was a problem.

As Lynn opened his mouth to speak, Lincoln placed his hand up to silence him. "I know what you're thinking, dad, and you're right. I thought long and hard about this already, but first I had to make sure you believed me. Now that we`re on the same page let's not panic or cause a stir. We have to show mom that her life isn't a bleak, joyless mess. Well, more precisely, you'll have to show her that and remind her why she married you in the first place. And I want to help in any way I can."

Lynn was one again dumbstruck, and eventually deflated and stopped trying to make sense of this. His son was already starting to lay out sensible suggestion to deal with this delicate situation, while he was still having trouble processing half of it. He had to give some major kudos to his son`s level-headedness.

"Lincoln...you`re handling this better than I expected." his father blurted dumbly.

Lincoln nodded. "Like you've just told me: we can`t lose our heads, right? That would the worst thing we could do now."

"Yes...I think it would." Lynn agreed in resignation.

Lincoln`s face slowly softened and Lynn finally saw hints of worry and grief on Lincoln`s features. "I don't want mom to go..." his voice slowly started to crack "...and I don't want our family to break apart."

Lynn put on a brave face and put a comforting hand on Lincoln`s shoulder.

"That won't happen, son. I promise you that." he stated with complete conviction. Deep down he was deeply insecure and worried that anything he could do now might too little, too late for his wife, but if his son wouldn't take this dilemma lying down, then neither would he!

Lincoln smiled in agreement. "No, it won't. We`ll make sure of that."

Lynn smiled back. His son`s evident determination in the face of uncertainty helped to greatly boost his own moral.

"There you are, dad." Leni suddenly appeared, making him jolt as she hugged him from behind.

"Me and Lincoln got you something." Leni quickly handed him a shopping bag and the bewildered Lynn looked inside it to find...

"Presents? For me?"

"Of course, dad!" Leni beamed. "Though it was Lincoln`s idea! But I got to pick most of it. Including your new ties!" she started jumping and clapping her hands in eager anticipation. "Go on! Open it!"

Lynn was dumbfounded. He turned to his son, who smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, we got you some stuff, mom too. We thought you deserved it for all the hard work you do taking care of us...it`s not much but..."

"Thanks, kids." his father interjected, looking like he was barely holding back tears. "This means a lot."

Father and son exchanged warm smiles, while Leni suddenly looked aside and started sniffing and wiping away tears of joy.

"This is so sweet! It's too much!" she exclaimed in a gargled, but still cheery voice.

Lynn had to agree. He couldn't recall the last time his children did something like this for him.

Leni immediately faced him again and resumed her clapping and jumping. "Now c`mon! Open it!"

Lynn turned to his son who nodded for him to do it. Lynn was about to unwrap it but thought at the last second that he had more pressing matters to talk about. So he placed the bag to his right and cleared his throat.

"I think it would be better to save it for later." he told Leni, making her smile falter.

"I appreciate this a lot, don't get me wrong." he elaborated and looked at Lincoln again. "But your brother and I were in the middle of a private conversation. A...eh man-to-man kind of conversation. And we would rather finish it now."

He gave Lincoln a subtle nod, not that the boy needed the hint.

"Yeah..." Lincoln agreed "...it`s about guy stuff, and not to be rude, but we would rather be left alone for this."

It took a bit for Leni to process this until she gasped and covered her mouth. "Are you giving Linky "the talk"?"

"Huh?" a puzzled Lincoln squinted his eye.

"No, no! It's not about that." Lynn responded hastily, feeling stupid for making the insinuation. "It`s about other kinds of guy stuff!"

Leni giggled with her hand still on her lips. "Say no more, dad! I totally get the gist!" she winked at him before turning to her little brother.

"And, Linky? You have nothing to be ashamed of!" she told him helpfully.

"Wut?"

"Whoever the girl that made you feel funny when you're around her is, it's nothing to be scared of. It's just the start of something beautiful."

Lincoln`s jaw dropped. "Leni? I don`t have a crush-"

"Don't worry! I won't bother you anymore!" Leni proclaimed and leaned next to her father. "Just don't spoil the surprise for mom."

She kissed her father`s cheek before skipping up the stairs. "Love ya!"

Lynn looked back at his son, who facepalmed.

Lynn grew a look of regret and rubbed his the back of his neck. "I`m sorry, pal. I`m not good at lying on the spot."

"It okay, dad. It doesn't matter." Lincoln responded in resignation.

Lynn blinked. "You won't mind your sisters thinking..."

"It`s just words, I can tune them out whenever I want." Lincoln reassured him.

"Eh okay." Lynn concluded that his son was more worried about him and his mother than anything when something else came to his mind.

"But speaking of your sisters..." Lynn seemed hesitant to go on "...do you think any of them noticed..."

Lincoln sighed. Time to get his dad fully up to date. "No. They're pretty oblivious to it, I have no doubt about it."

Lynn didn't know if he should have been relieved or worried by those news. On one hand, it would mean that there would be no fiasco over this and he could keep it quiet. On the other one, however, it meant that the root cause of their problems was still very much there. But Lincoln wasn't finished.

"We had a sibling meeting trying to tell them about this, but it all fell on deaf ears. We...eh showed them the novel but they thought nothing of it."

"We?"

Lincoln nodded. "Lynn knows too. I had to talk to someone about it."

"Junior knows?" his father`s eyes widened. That raised so many questions. Why did Lincoln tell her of all his sisters? She wasn't exactly a considerate and comforting person. And why would she, out of all of his daughters, believe Lincoln instead of brushing him off like the rest?

Lincoln knew what his father was probably thinking. "I know, dad. I`m just as surprised as you are that Lynn actually believed me."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I guess she`s more sharp-eyed and observant than we give her credit for. But don't worry, she too has promised to keep quiet. "

Lynn Sr. rubbed his temples and exhaled. "Well, today`s certainly been full of surprises." he said exasperatedly before straightening himself up.

"Okay, so let me get this straight. Only you and LJ are aware of my... " he gulped having to acknowledge this "...marriage problems and want to fix them, is that right?"

No, they weren't. Lincoln was debating with himself about revealing Ryan`s involvement to his dad. But if he wanted his father to be fully involved in their mission, he couldn't keep any secrets from him.

Lincoln sighed. "Not quite. Lynn was a bit loose-lipped before I told her to keep this a secret. One of her friends knows."

His father immediately grew a look of unease but tried to remain composed. "Who? What did they think of this?"

Sighing again, Lincoln put on an encouraging expression. "Well, I have good news. He`s very much on board to help us. Mainly cuz he`s if nothing else, loyal to Lynn and knows that should the worst happen he and Lynn might be separated. He doesn't want to lose his new best friend, neither does Lynn."

Lynn didn't know how to feel about this revelation. Having a stranger know something this personal about him and his family didn't sit well with him. But the kid apparently agreed to help them, so he had to reserve judgment for when he met him.

And who was Lincoln exactly talking about? His namesake had her fair share of friends, many of whom were her teammates from the various sports team she was on, but Lynn Sr. had never met anyone in particular who he could call the "best friend" of Junior the way Clyde was to his son.

Lynn was always more concerned about being the best at whatever sport she was doing and wasn't fond of talking about her problems and feelings to someone the way Lincoln and Clyde did with each other, so why would she reveal something this personal and most likely frightening to her to someone who wasn't part of her family? But Lincoln said "he" and "new", and those two little words quickly narrowed down the list of suspects.

"Wait? Are you talking about that new boy in the neighborhood Lynn befriended? The one who slept over here a few nights ago?" Lynn deduced. And the one he somehow failed to meet even though he was allegedly there to witnesses him being kicked out of his room by Rita?

Apparently, his family was indeed so big that a guest could disappear within the crowd.

Lincoln nodded. "You guessed it. Ryan Taylor is his name. You'll meet him sooner or later."

"I won't have much of a choice, will I?" Lynn sighed in resignation. "What has he done for you so far?"

"He has mostly been helping us with damage control. Me, him and Lynn have tried to keep some kind of order with the girls and we did some more stuff like help mom clean the house following Luan`s prank apocalypse. But things won't change in this house unless you finally take charge."

"What do you mean "take charge"?"

"I thought about this, dad. And I think both you and I know that the only way to make our lives here better in the long run, is by changing the house rules. Most of all, you need to have more authority over us and be stricter."

"Stricter?" Lynn looked baffled. "What do you mean by that? It's not like I don't impose any rules or punishments for breaking them."

Lincoln gave him a steely glare that pretty much said to stop fooling around.

"No, but it's obviously not enough. You and mom are way too lax about upholding any rules, I`m sorry, but that's how it is. Let's face it, dad. Most of the stuff that drives us crazy is linked in one way or another to one of the girls. Lori throwing wild parties, Luna playing music without any volume restrictions, Luan going nuts with her crazy pranks, Lynn playing ball or just jumping around around a lot of breakable stuff, Lisa conducting dangerous and often explosive experiments, Lana dragging mud in wherever she goes, the twins fighting and demolishing everything in their wake, heck, any time any of the girls get into an argument it's guaranteed to result in damage. And what do you or mom do about it? Are you scared to discipline your own children even when they more than deserve it. And I count myself there too!"

Lynn became tongue-tied, his son`s glare piercing into him and filling him with gut-wrenching shame. Was he really that spineless?

"If you look at like that, is it really that surprising that mom would think of you as incompetent?" Lincoln phrased it like a question but it was more or less a straightforward accusation.

Lynn shrank further hearing it.

"Dad, remember the old saying: it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt?" Lincoln continued.

"Well, how long will it be until our daily, household craziness does result in someone getting seriously hurt? It could be from Luan`s pranks, or from Lynn`s roughhousing, or from one of Lisa`s experiments going haywire, or it could just be another fight that goes too far? And that's not all, what if someone`s callous behavior hurts us in another way, like getting our van to crash, or...I don't know...our house to collapse? With a family like ours I wouldn't call any of that a far-fetched possibility. After all, the last of which almost happened when Lana brought her termite farm back home."

Lynn stared sullenly at him before looking away, Lincoln`s words sinking in.

Lincoln patiently waited for a response. He was very blunt with his criticism, but he had to be.

The door suddenly opened and the two saw Lucy enter, wearing a backpack, followed by Lynn who was carrying a duffle bag. The jock seemed to be in a pretty good mood and greeted them with a smile.

"Dad? Lincoln? What's sup?"

The latter expected the rest of the family to come in, but the only other person to enter was Ryan.

"Mrs.L doesn't seem to be in any hurry to come back..." he told the girls offhandedly before stopping as he saw Lincoln and his father.

Lynn Sr. grew a shocked expression upon getting a good look at the newcomer.

Ryan groaned inwardly. He wasn't much of a fan of the man and his feeble attempts to go "overprotective father" on him in regards to Lynn, but now he could reintroduce himself to him without the baggage of a very bad first expression.

"Ah, you must be Lynn`s dad? A pleasure to meet you, sir."

Putting on a greasy grin, Ryan approached the surprised man and grabbed his hand in a tight grip as he shook it. "Ryan Taylor, I`m sure you`ve heard of me."

"You`re Ryan Taylor?" a dumbstruck Lynn Sr. blurted before noticing Lynn sending him a scrutinizing glare.

The man chuckled nervously in response, trying to regain his composure, and rubbed his hand. "I...mean...eh nice to meet you, Ryan. You...eh...sure have a strong grip?"

"Girls, where are the others?" Lincoln chimed in, confused by the absence of the rest of the family.

"We dunno?" Lynn shrugged her shoulders. "We were at Ryan`s place for the night." she pointed at her friend and they exchanged smiles.

Lincoln noted that they both seemed a bit overly cheerful towards each other, but at the moment that got overshadowed by what Lynn had just told him.

"What? You didn't go to visit Pop-Pop?" Lincoln was surprised, as was their father.

Lucy stepped up to him. "I thought everyone else was going and assumed he wouldn't notice my absence." she explained before growing a small smile.

"I heard that Ryan was all alone and I wanted to spend time with him..." her smile soon vanished as she gestured at her sister "...and Lynn invited herself to come along."

The older sister rolled her eyes, while Lynn Sr. remained confused but nonetheless smiled at Lucy, happy to see that she was finding companionship outside her family.

"I see, did you have fun, Lucy?"

The goth grew another small smile. "I had a lot of fun. I took them to a bat cave, and then to the cemetery. And Ryan let me hold a seance to talk to the dead in his house."

Her father`s face dropped.

"Don`t look at me, dad." Lynn spoke up and bumped her friend in the shoulder. "Ryan insisted that we make Lucy happy."

"It was no biggie, Mr.L. I had blast visiting those places." Ryan explained and patted Lucy`s back. "The kid`s got some insane ideas for a good time, and they were all awesome!"

Lynn Sr. was struck with disbelief. Not so much that Lucy would want to do such things but rather that Ryan would happily agree to join in on those activities. Based on the boy`s pale complexion and dark shirt he could only assume that Ryan was likewise immersed into goth culture.

"Eh...I`m glad you kids had fun." he said simply before noticing that both Lynn and Ryan had several bruises on their faces and his eyes widened. Lincoln noticed them too and he immediately thought of Lyle.

"Lynn? How did you get those bruises?" came Lynn Sr.`s worried response.

The jock chortled and shrugged. "Lucha libre, dad." she explained casually and elbowed Ryan playfully. "I had to goad Mr-Too-Cool-For-Wrestling into giving it a try. He then loved it and we sparred for hours!"

"I don't know many girls who are into wrestling but Lynn sure is fearsome in the ring. I see why no one here would want to challenge her." Ryan quipped.

"Well, you're no slouch in that department either." Lynn complimented him in return. Both grew a faint blush.

Lynn Sr. didn't need further explaining and relaxed a bit. It's been a while since Lynn had engaged in Mexican wrestling, mainly since no one at home could give her a reasonable challenge, and he was astounded that Ryan willingly endured her unique brand of roughhousing and apparently enjoyed the experience.

With all that in mind, it hardly seemed surprising to him that both Lynn and Lucy became fast friends with the boy.

Lincoln silently shook his head, any worries he just had were alleviated. He pitied anyone who agreed to wrestle with Lynn, but Ryan was the exception. Not so much out of animosity as much as due to the simple fact that Ryan was the one kid he knew who could take that kind of punishment and give Lynn a real challenge.

Although he wondered if doing lucha libre as Lynn claimed involved donning costumes, as she made him do when they were little? If that was the case, he was sure to give Ryan a good earful about the latter`s hypocrisy in regards to cosplaying. Lynn deserved it too, now that he thought about it.

"I was the referee." Lucy chimed in.

Lincoln found that hard to imagine. "You? The referee?"

Lynn snorted and folded her arms. "Trust me, bro. She was about as enthusiastic in the role as you think she was."

Lucy ignored her snide remark and approached her brother. She found it odd that Lincoln turned down the chance to visit their grandfather.

"Lincoln, why did you stay behind?"

He shrugged. "I stayed behind to help dad with some stuff. I also thought that this was a good chance for us to spend some father/son time."

"Yeah, eh we sure did..." Lynn Sr. agreed while rubbing his neck "...eh, Lucy, sweetie. Would you mind giving us a minute. I need to talk to Lynn and her friend. Alone."

Ryan and Lynn exchanged confused glances.

Lucy was surprised and felt suspicious, but she couldn't disobey her father.

"Sigh. Okay, dad." she reluctantly agreed before turning to Ryan.

"See you later, Ryan."

He nodded and patted her back as she left upstairs.

Lynn didn't know what her father wanted but quickly noticed how uncomfortable he looked facing her.

"Dad, is everything okay?"

Her father slouched down and shook his head dejectedly. "No, and I believe you and your friend know why." he said plainly, his tone filled with shame.

"We talked about...him and mom, and their issues." Lincoln clarified to them.

"Oh." Lynn connected the dots. Judging from his dejected demeanor, Lincoln had talked some sense into their father.

"Well, this is tremendously awkward." Ryan casually noted.

"Not helping." Lynn elbowed him before approaching her father.

She sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder while her father looked down.

"Dad? I know it's probably too little, too late, but I want to apologize for all the stuff I broke over the years playing ball in the house. And for helping cause so much ruckus. And for being kind of a selfish jerk and bully in general." she said awkwardly.

"I promise. From this day forth I`ll be different and I want to do everything I can to help ya."

Lynn Sr. buried his face in his hands and sighed pathetically. "It`s not your fault, LJ, I have only myself to blame, as both a father and a husband."

Lincoln scooted closer to him. "Don`t be like that, dad. You didn't mean for any of that and we can still fix things."

"Lincoln`s right! The game`s far from over! Just because you have a losing score at the moment doesn't mean you can't still change things around!"

Their father rose up and sighed. "How? I don't know what to do? I don`t even know for how long Rita`s been unhappy or where to start."

Ryan approached him with a confident smirk. "I think the answer is pretty obvious, Mr.L."

Ryan palmed his chin. "I`ll admit, I don't know much about marriage problems, but I do know one thing. If someone`s feeling blue the best medicine is a night out in the town!" he spread his arms up in an overexaggerated gesture.

The man looked at him. "Huh?"

"I think what Ryan`s trying to say is that you should take mom out for dinner." Lynn clarified to him.

Lynn Sr. looked unsure. "Dinner? I don't know, it's been so long since we went out together."

Ryan`s face dropped. "Really?" he asked wryly. "And you're surprised that she feels miserable? With all due respect, sir, you can't go through life with all work and no play."

"It`s not that simple, Ryan." the man buried his face in his hands again. "I`m concerned that if the two of us leave..."

"...we`ll destroy the house?" Lincoln finished for him. "I know, dad. But that's exactly where you need to lay down the law."

"Exactly." Lynn agreed. "Lori, Leni, Luna. They`re old enough to watch over us for a few hours. Plus, me and Linc will make sure that the others stay in line."

Their father considered that, but quickly became consumed with doubt. "I don't know, I don't want to burden you kids with that kind of responsibility."

"We can handle it!" Lincoln spoke up. "And Lori`s sixteen for crying out! She always brags about being the most mature and responsible one!"

"Yeah! How about she finally puts her money where her mouth is!" Lynn agreed.

"I know." their father sighed. "But I don`t know if she could do the job correctly. She can be a bit...lazy and indifferent when it comes to chores."

"What teenage girl isn't?" Ryan laughed. "I oughta know, I have one for a sister."

"But here`s the thing, sir." he leaned down to be on eye-level with the man. "Any kid can be made to take responsibility with a little motivation."

"Motivation?"

"Exactamundo." Ryan stood up and shrugged his shoulders. "Just say: "The house better be in tip-top shape when we return, young lady. Or else you'll be grounded until college!" That's what my folks told my sis and she's been the model of responsibility since."

"But...that sounds...cruel."

Ryan rolled his eyes.

"It`s called tough love, dad. Sometimes you gotta use it to teach people a lesson." Lynn agreed with Ryan.

"That`s discipline, dad." Lincoln chimed in. "It`s how you gain authority. If the girls keep viewing you as a pushover, that's never gonna happen. Same with mom."

"The team won't be on their A-game if the coach goes easy on them. I should know." Lynn added.

Lynn Sr. turned silent, evidently contemplating their advice.

"Dad! I need to ask you something!" Lori suddenly barged in while texting on her phone. The moment she tore her eyes off it, her eyes widened for a second before sending Ryan a death glare.

"Oh, it's you." she acknowledged him in a disgusted tone. "I thought I smelled something rotten."

"Blondy..." he greeted her with disinterest. He noticed Lynn growing tense next to him and glaring at her sister.

"Lori, that's not the way to treat a guest." her father told her gently while she quickly resumed answering another message.

"I don't have time for lectures, dad!" she brushed him off, not even looking at him. "I want to hold a party tonight and I`m inviting like all my classmates...well...the ones that matter anyway. You and mom won't have a problem with that and you won't pester us, right?"

"Party?" her father looked shocked.

"Yes." Lori answered irritably, still typing. "I`m sending out invitations right now, duh!"

"Uhhhhh...a party? Will there be cake?"

Upon hearing that, Lori stopped and sent the sneering Ryan a venomous glare. "No! And you're not coming anywhere near it! The same goes for you other twerps!" she addressed Lincoln and Lynn.

"This is not some stupid kid party! Fourteen and older only!"

"Bah! I wouldn't have wanted to come anyway!" Lynn retorted, balling her fists.

"Good. Then we`re on the same page." Lori relaxed and smirked before turning to her father. "So is everything cool?"

"Eh..." he raised a finger but his voice trailed off. "Eh, sweetie, I don't think that's such a good idea?"

Lori looked shocked. "Excuse me? Do you not want me to socialize with my peers?"

"No, no, it's just..."

"Then what!" the teen snapped.

Lynn looked nervous and appeared to be on the verge of giving in to her demands, but Lincoln bumped him in the flank and his eyes moved to meet his son`s gaze.

Lincoln started at him intensely, his look telling him to stand his ground. Lynn gulped and faced his daughter.

"I`m sorry, Lori, but I can't allow that."

Lori gasped.

"I`m sorry, but your parties tend to get wild and crazy, and noisy, and create a huge mess that has to be cleaned up afterward, and I think our family could use some piece after Luan`s Prankmageddon."

Lori looked indignant. "What? My parties are nothing like that! We are all sophisticated grownups, not out of control children like them!" she gestured at her siblings and Ryan. "You're being beyond unreasonable!"

Her father sighed and braced himself. "Lori, the answer`s still no. I`m sorry, but I`m not changing my mind and I`m quite certain that your mother will agree with me. You'll have to tell your friends that the party`s canceled."

Lori`s jaw dropped and her eye twitched. "You want me to cancel the party?! Do you know what that will do to my reputation? I`ll be a laughing stock!"

"Gee, I guess it wasn't very bright of you to announce a party before you got the permission to do it." Lynn snarked.

"Shut the hell up!" Lori snapped at her.

"Now listen here, young lady!" her father stood up with a stern look. "You can't talk to your sister that way! And using such language is not helping your case!"

Lori turned silent and glowered at him with anger and disbelief. She clenched her teeth and pointed at him, making him step back.

"You have two hours to change your mind or I`ll never speak to you again!"

With that, she stormed away and stomped up the stairs. "I HATE YOU!" she yelled before slamming the door to her room shut.

"Never talk to him again? That hardly sounds like a bad thing." Lynn told Ryan and they both snickered.

Lincoln watched his father sit back down and pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Don`t worry about her, dad. She`ll cool off eventually." Lincoln reassured him.

"I suppose..." he exhaled.

"See, dad? It wasn't so hard to say no." Lynn congratulated him. "One little word and you saved us a world of trouble."

"Huh? I guess I did." he smiled. It actually felt good taking charge. If only Rita had seen him.


"I guess this was a definite win, wouldn't you say?" Ryan asked Lynn as she escorted him out of the house.

"We scored the goal today. Dad made a big leap the moment he stood up to Lori." the jock agreed.

Ryan nodded. "Well, I better be going."

"Don't forget this!" Lynn gave him the folded up black luchador costume. "I believe this is yours now, Ravage Ryan. Can't do lucha libre without the proper getup on standby."

Ryan smiled and took it. "Thanks. A gift from my new girlfriend, eh?"

Lynn scowled, half-serious, half-teasing, and folded her arms. "I`m not your girlfriend." she denied the insinuation.

Ryan smirked. "Not yet."

Lynn punched his arm.

"Hey, I ain't rushing you." Ryan laughed. "Take your time."

"Don't get your hopes up, hotshot." Lynn taunted him. "I said I might like-like you. I`m still not sure about it cuz this "liking a boy" crap is still new to me."

"Which is why you gave me a present tied directly to our first date?" Ryan pointed out, still smirking.

"It wasn't a date, it was wrestling." Lynn countered, though her tone and expression showed she wasn't being entirely serious.

"And wrestling involves telling your best gal pal and vice versa that your crushing on them?" Ryan stated smugly.

Lynn snorted, but before she could get a word in Ryan snickered as he looked down at his costume.

"Though I don't know of any other people who did that while dressed as Mexican wrestlers? This has gotta be among the top fifty weirdest confessions of one's feelings." he realized with amusement. "Though I still did it with style cuz, as I`ve said, I always look sharp in black."

Lynn couldn't help but laugh involuntarily. It really was an absurd choice of wear for telling your crush how you felt.

After regaining her composure, Lynn lightly pushed him back. "Alright, knock it off, you knucklehead! I don't want my family to hear about this." she warned him while catching her breath.

"Don't want anyone to know about it?" he raised an eyebrow. "Not even your little bro?"

Lynn turned quiet and took on a more serious expression. "No." she said simply.

"But I thought you two didn't keep secrets from each other?"

"We don't, but this is nothing important." Lynn reasoned. "Nobody needs to know about what I`ve told you."

She sighed and looked down. "I still don't feel comfortable with others knowing this." she admitted.

Ryan placed a hand on her shoulder. "I get that, Lynn. But isn't this kind of a moot point by now? Reene knows, your mom knows and most of your siblings are probably weary about it."

"I know. But I still feel better if they don't know for certain, at least for now." Lynn said in a low voice. "I don't know how I would handle all the pestering and meddling from my family."

"I see." Ryan shrugged his shoulders with an understanding look. "A secret it is then."

"Thanks." Lynn smiled at him.

"Well, it's not like I have anyone to tell it to, besides my cat anyway." Ryan joked. "And she already saw you cuddle with me."

"What can I say." Lynn deadpanned as she slowly pushed his arm away. "You make a nice pillow."

"Hey, if you're ever in need of a pillow, I`ll be more than happy to comply." Ryan flirted with her.

"I`ll consider it when I`m all out of options." Lynn smirked before looking at the street for any signs of Vanzilla.

She turned back to Ryan. "Mom`s probably gonna be back soon, and I better help Linc talk with dad in private while we still can."

"Oh, you wanna get him to take his old lady for a night out in the town cuz he`s too nervous to muster up the courage to do it himself?" Ryan inquired.

"Maybe. It depends." Lynn shrugged with uncertainty. "Now, you wanna stick around and deal with my sisters again or not?"

"No, thank you." Ryan replied jokingly. "I think I`m gonna take a nap."

"You will come back if we need you?"

"Of course, Lynn." Ryan reassured her before suddenly looking over her shoulder. "Wait? Is that your van?"

"Where?" Lynn turned around and saw nothing.

She froze on the spot as she felt Ryan kissing her cheeks. Her eyes shot open and her face heated up as she turned around sharply, only to see that Ryan had already reached the street and looked back at her with a sly grin.

Her heart racing from shock and surprise, Lynn pressed her hand against her reddening check before narrowing her eyes into a terrifying glare.

"Hey what's the big idea!" she yelled at him.

"What?" Ryan feigned an innocent reaction. "You gave me a peck a few days ago, thought I repay the favor."

"I didn't give you permission!" Lynn snapped, her face turning even redder.

"Neither did I, but that didn't stop you." Ryan replied slyly. "And don't act like you didn't like it." he added with smug confidence.

Lynn bit back her tongue, narrowing her eyes and trembling with annoyance. "Try that again and I`ll clobber you into next Tuesday! Now beat it!"

"I`ll take the chance." the boy quipped and saluted her. "See ya!"

Lynn watched him speed away, her hand still pressed on her cheek. The warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest and gut gradually turned into a more pleasant sensation.

Lynn`s lip slowly curled upwards. She did kind of like it.