Mr. Grouse was happily whistling while watering his flower garden. It was rare for the old man to be in such an uplifting mood these days, but yesterday turned out to be a surprisingly calm and carefree day, which was a rarity in this street. Sure, there had been some ruckus in the morning hours that woke him up early, and there was a traffic jam, which oddly enough had not been caused by a Loud, but once that was over Grouse suffered absolutely zero disturbances and was actually allowed to enjoy his day.

But then came the next day, and besides receiving a whack on the head by some flying choppers, there had been no other incidents to speak of, and it was almost 7 p.m? Then again, the Loud kids had taken a long trip with the van the previous day to…..who knows where? Grouse didn't give a crap where they went, as long as it was away from him.

And given how similarly quiet this day had been, they don't seem to have returned from their trip, sans maybe a quick stop by one of them, probably the buck-toothed girl judging by that prop that gave him the bump that was hidden beneath his sunhat. If these daily trips were to become a routine for them this summer, well, who was he to complain? He should probably encourage them to do it more? Now that he thought about it, he had almost forgotten how Lynn and Rita really weren't such terrible neighbors as long as their brats were far, far, far away from them.

This stroke of luck gave him the time to properly attend to his beloved garden of petunias, coneflowers, daylilies, marigolds and daisies. It was only today that Grouse had noticed how some of them were showing signs of neglect, which was unsurprising, as his obnoxious neighbors were increasingly hijacking all of his attention.

"Don't worry my fragile ones; you're nice and hydrated now." He chuckled while wiggling his finger. "In fact, just to make it up to you, I'm going to give you some new friends, I brought the seeds from the shop this morning. Be back in a moment."

Grouse walked back to his front door and closed it. If his lucky streak continued, this might just be the best day he has had in nearly eight years?

But the moment he was gone, Cliff emerged from a corner, tired and with his tongue hanging out. Hearing footsteps, he ran across the porch and ducked for the nearest cover he could find, the flowers.

Marceline soon caught up with him, and from her vantage point on the porch, she saw and heard a rustle in the flower bushes. This was honestly too easy. The savannah charged, only to have a door slammed in her face.

"Glad I snatched these iris seeds, even if they were pricey." Grouse said as he walked down, holding the small sack in one hand and a trowel in the other. "A dash of purple is just what my garden needs."

Stumbling away from the door with a stunned expression, the dizzy Marceline fell off the porch.

Grouse kneeled down, humming while planting the seeds. Cliff spotted him and grew nervous. The old mustachioed coot had no love for animals, wild or domesticated, and tended to throw things at them, big and painful things, if they trespassed on his property. He had seen Charles receive some nasty bruises on his rear bumper after burying bones in Grouse's yard, or digging up his flowers.

"What's that?" Grouse cupped his hear. "Oh, you're thirsty? No problem."

Cliff grew even more unnerved as he saw Grouse pick up his hose. No? Not that! Not water! Anything but water! On the verge of a panic attack, the shaking cat dug his claws into the dirt as Grouse watered the patch of dirt with no flowers.

"Now, don't be greedy. You had your fill." Cliff backed up against the fence, as Grouse turned towards him. "Alright, alright, just a little water."

Grouse started sprinkling the flowers while the cat trembled violently as more and more droplets hit him. It was just a little water, no need to freak out. Cliff tried his best to stay composed. If he waited a little longer surely the old man would leave?

Grouse whistled a happy tune, unaware of the savannah cat that was stumbling around back and forth behind him in a daze. She stepped on the hose and "suddenly", the water stopped running.

"What the?"Grouse scratched his head before smacking the hose repeatedly. "C'mon, ya blasted thing?"

Once Marceline stepped off it, the built-up water came blasting out and sprayed the flower bush, prompting Cliff to jump out with a loud screech. Before the old man could register what happened, he yelled in pain as the cat landed on his scalp and dug his claws into it.

"You?!" he growled and tried to grab him. Cliff swiftly jumped off and caught himself on the fence.

"You ain't getting away that easy!" Grouse exclaimed and blasted him with the hose, prompting Cliff to scale and leap over the fence in a heartbeat.

"That damn cat!" Grouse grumbled while tending the scratches on his head. "As if that mutt wasn't bad enough, now the Loud's cat is following suit? Maybe it's about time I gave animal control a call?" he pondered when the other cat appeared in front of him, sitting down and shaking her aching head.

Grouse yelped in fright and blasted her too. Marceline screeched and cleared the fence in one leap, while Grouse clutched his chest.

"What was that?" he blurted while rubbing his failing old eyes. "A bobcat?"


Lynn tapped her fingers while sitting next to Lana, the only other sibling that was present at the dinner table. The jock found this humorously ironic. She had rarely been the first one to arrive for any meal, as she usually got too caught up in her daily exercise routines to even remember her need for sustenance.

Renee had taken the liberty of pushing the "adult" and "kiddie" tables together, presumably so she could more easily supervise everyone. Lynn didn't mind it, as it made things all the more convenient for her team to make the big announcement. It was covered by a white tablecloth, and empty plates lined both sides, together with the proper utensils, napkins and empty cups.

Lynn had to admit, Renee did anything but a half-assed job setting this up.

Lana, looking bored, started fiddling with her plate. Lynn gently told her to knock it off.

"Be careful, squirt. Touching your plate before it's even full might upset Renee." she joked.

Lana groaned. "Seriously? And touching these?" she asked while holding her fork and spoon.

"Dunno, I'm no expert on table manners?" Lynn shrugged.

"Course not, you eat like a pig." Lana teased.

"Speak for yourself." Lynn shot back. "I at least never munched on doggy treats."

"What's wrong with that? They're delicious and cheap." Lana huffed proudly.

"Sure they are …" Lynn shook her head. "Just keep your plate clean. We don't want to end up like poor Lola by upsetting our "caring" babysitter and getting grounded. And we need to be here to relish the looks on our former roommates' faces when we officially ditch them."

Lana tittered. "Good thing Lola's on mute, cuz I wanna be the one dumping her."

Lynn chuckled. Oh, Lola was guaranteed to be upset. Even though the idea of losing her messy roommate would probably count as a win in the brat's book, being denied or dismissed would always rile her up, regardless of context. "Oh, if only Lucy would give me the pleasure of actually being upset once I dump her? A girl can dream though."

"Yeesh, Lynnster, ever heard of a surprise?" Ryan's voice cut in as he approached the two.

"Oh lookie? Our house boy has returned." Lynn snarked. "You still got some cobwebs on your cap."

Sneering, Ryan brushed it off with his hand. "Thanks for the "appreciation". I would have been done a lot sooner if someone hadn't done some rearrangements up there."

Lynn remembered the DeMonet thing, and felt sheepish now. "Quit pouting, a little hard work never killed anyone." She joked snidely and took a whiff. "Love the B.O by the by. Reminds me of when we spar together."

Lana threw up a little in her throat. She wasn't going to get one bite down her gullet if this disgusting flirting didn't stop.

"I'm flattered." Ryan snarked back, shrugging and showing his sweaty pits in the process. Good thing he was in the company of the only two girls in this family who wouldn't lose their appetite at the sight. "Tedious as it was, I had no issue stacking those boxes. Glad I volunteered for the job."

Lynn rolled her eyes, before noticing Lisa taking a seat across from them. As she looked at her, Lynn's eyes narrowed and the genius glanced down at her plate.

"Look who finally crawled out of her lab?" Lana pointed at her teasingly. Lisa didn't even notice it.

"You won't believe how happy she was that I paid her a visit?" Ryan said, primarily so he could give his friend an update on Lisa's activities, or lack thereof. "Lizzie has hit a major slump and she's currently sapped out of ideas. No major projects on her agenda, so good thing my accident with the kettle gave her a chance to practice her medical skills."

"Oh, so she's been having a slow day?" Lynn asked warily, causing the toddler to try and hide her face in shame. Lynn recalled how she had found Lisa passed out on the floor the previous day and her robo-fox confirmed that she had been dealing with insomnia. Insomnia was bound to stunt your capacity for brainstorming ideas.

"Indeed, not much going on in her laboratory." Ryan assured her. Lynn caught the inflection in his voice, and recalled how there wasn't much of a "laboratory" left the last time she visited Lisa, and for the better.

"So Lisa's just been sitting in her room, bored out of her skull?" Lana asked before scoffing. "Did you ever think about getting out and trying to have some real fun if you ain't inventing stuff for once, egghead?"

Lisa didn't respond and kept looking at her plate.

"Leave the brainiac alone, Lana. She can spend her free time however she wants." Lynn told her, purely for the sake of avoiding any squabbling. "Let's not lecture others about their choice in hobbies."

Ryan shook his head with amusement and gestured at Lisa. "Her hobby is very interesting. Nobody can deny that." His comment made her shrink further.

"What are you wearing?" Lynn snorted, noticing the black, fingerless biker gloves Ryan was wearing.

"I got them for medical reasons. My doctor advised me to cover my burns." Ryan said, shooting a deadpan look to Lisa. "And those bandages were irritating. So, what do you think?"He asked while clenching and rotating his fist for display.

"That someone forgot to tell you this ain't the eighties? And I thought the backward cap was bad?" Lynn quipped teasingly. Lisa was relieved that the attention was no longer on her.

Lana didn't think much of the cap comment, until it hit her. "Hey!"

"And you keep insisting that you don't care for fashion?" Ryan shot back. "Call me fashionably-challenge all you want, but at least I know how to keep my yap shut, so I don't spoil surprises for little ankle-biters." he reached over and ruffled the hair on Lana's exposed head.

She grumbled irritably and shot him a dirty glare.

"Quit bellyaching." Lynn retorted. "A surprise is a surprise, no matter the timing. And unsurprisingly, Lana was positively thrilled to hear my proposition."

"Gee, Lynn? Isn't it enough to be a bad sport? Now you gotta be a spoilsport too?" came Luan's sarcastic retort. Ryan snickered, while the comedian and jock exchanged frosty glares at the dinner table yet again, and this time it wasn't simply about a boy.

"Now, Luan, don't be like that." Lincoln came in to alleviate the growing tension between the tweens. "You spoiled the surprise for both Luna and Lucy."

"What surprise are they referring to?" Lisa couldn't help but think. She was usually not the one uninformed person in a room?

"Both of them?" Ryan slapped the comedian's arm playfully. "What kind of a party clown are you?"

"Oh, I don't blame her for fumbling it up. All that hard work must have worn her out." Lynn commented, trying to keep some pretense of civility, when she finally noticed Lucy standing next to Lincoln.

Lynn's face darkened, though she also battled with guilt. Lucy scowled at her, though you couldn't tell from her bags. She had some choice words for the jock but was sensible enough to remember that this wasn't the time or place to speak her mind, or use profanity.

"You're right, Lynn…" Luan snarked. "Locking up people is easy, doing chores around the house ain't."

"What's she talking about?" Lana asked the now nervous jock, while a dejected Luna took her seat next to Lisa, who grew even more puzzled hearing Luan's accusation.

"What does it matter?" Lucy answered hoarsely. "It's just routine behavior for Lynn."

Lynn glared at her, and although her bags hid it, Lynn knew the goth had been doing the same to her ever since her arrival.

"Spooky? Am I glad to see your ghostly visage again?" Ryan slapped her back. "This place was just dead without our favorite little creep to liven things up. How does it feel to have served your sentence?"

Lucy gave him a small smile. "Exulting, I also did my job. I simply….how would you say? I just stayed strong and soldiered on?" Ryan got the memo and was happy to see the small nod she gave him. Looking up, Lincoln did the same to Ryan and Lynn.

"Words to live by, kid. You really are a trooper." Ryan quipped.

"I told her the same thing." Luan chimed in. "She takes responsibility in strides, guilty or not, and doesn't try to dodge it, unlike some people I could mention?" She shot Lynn a look, much to the latter's annoyance.

Lincoln cleared his throat. "Now, girls, it's impolite to snipe at each other at the table, let's just have a nice dinner. We have a big announcement to make, remember?"

"You are right, and in hindsight, I'm actually glad Luan spoiled it." Lucy replied. "It gave me some time to think about it, and I'm happy to tell you that I approve of this decision very much."

"Big shocker…." Lynn muttered sardonically. "Only took ya three minutes to make that monumental decision, eh?"

"No… I actually made it in one minute. That decision corresponded with a dream I had for two years." Lucy said simply. Lynn rolled her eyes but saw no reason to complain.

Happy to hear it, Luan wrapped her arm around her little sister. "Yup, most of you know the gist by know. So don't worry, neither one of us will bother you "normies" anymore, for we shall be sharing our own room from here on now!" she declared triumphantly.

"We're unconventional and proud of it." Lucy agreed in a much more subdued tone.

"We're changing roommates?" Lisa asked quietly.

"Who cares….." Luna muttered, her mind elsewhere.

Lana made a face. "Wut? You two wanna share…."

"That's why I was reluctant to tell ya." Lynn elbowed her. "It's too absurd to believe unless you hear it yourself."

Lana didn't know what to make of that. She didn't have the foggiest clue how that pairing was supposed to work, but if that meant her being given the chance to ditch Lola permanently, who was she to look a gift horse in the mouth?

"That's splendid, gals. I'll make sure to give a toast to the two of you." Ryan smiled, much to Luan's delight. "So, Spooky, would you care to sit next to me?" he asked the goth.

Lucy considered but then glanced at Lynn, and shook her head. "Your offer is generous but I must decline. I would prefer to sit with someone else."

"Suit yourself." Ryan shrugged as Lucy strolled over to Lisa, when Luan came closer to him.

"I'd love to sit with you." she said a little too eagerly.

Ryan nervously stepped back. "That would be cool, Lu, but…..eh…." he glanced at Lynn "…I don't think sitting near Lynn would be the best idea?"

"Yeah, he's right." Lincoln nodded and quickly took the seat before Luan could. "Besides, I'm sure Lucy would love your company."

"I assumed you would sit with me, Luan." Lucy nodded simply.

Luan sighed and went over to the goth, making sure to give Lynn one final glare while doing so. Lincoln was relived, for now. He glanced irritably at their guest, who had made both of his sisters gaga for him.

They heard a raspy sigh, and saw Lola lumbering to the table, her hair messy and holding an icepack to her head. Lana saw her and they exchanged murderous glares. Lynn grasped the latter's shoulder to calm her down.

Lana stuck her tongue out at her twin, only to be bumped in the shoulder by Lynn.

"Knock it off. First comes dinner, then the show." Lynn joked in a hushed whisper.

Hissing quietly, Lola moved away and sat next to Luan. It was demeaning being in her presence, but at the moment, it was preferable to sitting next to Lincoln or the disgrace of a human being that she unfortunately had to call her "twin".

"What happened to her?" Lynn whispered to Lincoln, sporting a smirk.

Lincoln sighed. "She had an accident while trying to assault Renee."

"Still trying, eh? She's that dense?" Ryan snickered, not making much effort to keep his voice down. Lola glared daggers at him.

"Uhhh….watch out, guys. Mute Girl might blow a gasket?" Ryan teased her, prompting Lynn, Luan, Lana and even Lucy to snigger, while Lola fumed. Lincoln lightly kicked the other boy in the shin.

"Cool down, Pinky. You already blew your voice, don't blow what little of a brain you have too?" Ryan continued until he received a harder kick to the shin, and sent Lincoln an annoyed look.

"Will you keep a lid on it? She's suffered head trauma, come on." Lincoln hissed.

Lola tried to leap on the table but fell back into her chair after being struck with another splitting headache.

"Fine…." Lynn begrudgingly obeyed. She had little love for Lola, but knew when to draw the line. "She already made an ass of herself as it is."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Whateves, I'm famished, where's my food, Renee?"

"I don't need assistance serving the food, just sit down!" Renee's voice cut in and everyone turned to see her leading Leni to the table.

"Are you sure? I just wanna help. I love helping people." Leni smiled as she was forced to sit at the end of the table, in front of Luna and Lincoln.

Renee studied her warily, Ryan's warning still lingering in her mind. She noticed her brother narrowing his eyes at the presence of the blonde. She turned back to Leni and observed that dopey smile that seemed to be permanently plastered to her face. Renee saw no hint of deceit, no matter how much she squinted, but remained vigilant.

"That will not be necessary." She replied in a calmer tone. Regardless of Leni's character, letting this degenerate assist her in serving dinner was obviously a ludicrous idea. "Just sit here. I'll handle the catering."

As she left, Leni took notice of Luna's mascara. "Oh, Luna, I don't want to be mean but your makeup looks terrible. I can help you remove a few of the excess layers?"

Luna, who was resting in her head in her hand, exhaled exasperatedly. "It's intentional; the vertical tear-stripes are modeled after my new favorite band…eh…."The Weepers"." she muttered sardonically, before noticing something in the corner of her eye.

Leni blinked before perking up. "Oh, that' totes amazing!" she exclaimed, oblivious to the fact that Luna's gaze was no longer on her. She was watching the window, which had been left open.

"She makes me sick." Ryan muttered to Lynn. Lincoln glowered at him.

Paranoid or not, Lynn had to chuckle in semi-agreement. "You think I enjoyed eating while she prattled on like this at every meal, every day?"

"Will you hush up? She's been nothing but nice to you." Lincoln whispered to Ryan. "Have some decency."

"You know what I'm talking about." Ryan whispered back. "I lose my appetite around two-faced fakers."

"She's not a faker, will you just-"

"Oh, hello, Ryan!" the three were startled as the blonde turned towards them. "I don't think I ever got to greet you? I'm so sorry."

Ryan squinted suspiciously. What was she trying now? "No need to apologize, tutz." He snarked condescendingly. "Not getting a chance to chat with you caused me no grief." Lincoln glared at him again.

"Thanks for being so understanding. But I'm still so sorry. I got distracted meeting your sister, she's so nice, cooking dinner for all of us and giving us instructions on how to avoid mishaps."

Everyone now looked at her incredulously, except for Luna, who was scooting towards the edge of her chair, eyeing the window.

"Oh, c'mon! She can't be serious?" Lynn shook her head, unable to shake off Ryan's claim that Leni was faking it. Who in their right mind would ever describe Renee as nice?

Ryan was, if anything, even more dumbfounded hearing that, and narrowed his eyes. "Yeah right, she was so nice to pin you against the wall?" he replied with thick sarcasm.

"Oh, I don't believe in grudges, it was just a misunderstanding." Leni dismissed it with a chipper smile. "You shouldn't grab people by surprise, what kind of a lousy first impression would that be?"

"See? Obviously faking it." Ryan whispered into Lincoln's ear.

"A terrible one, that's for certain." Renee returned, holding a glass pitcher full of lemonade, which she poured into Leni's cup.

"But you showed us a great self-defense move." Leni stated.

"That I did." Renee shrugged indifferently as she filled up Luna's cup next, the rocker turning stiff and nervous in her presence, with only her eyes fixed on the window. She had to wait for the right moment.

"Say, why did you leave Kathleen's hotel so abruptly?" Leni turned to Ryan again, much to his annoyance. "That gesture you did with your fingers wasn't very nice by the way, I'm sure you didn't know, but you shouldn't do such things."

"I don't even want to know." Renee rolled her eyes and moved on, filling up the other cups. Luna watched her carefully, waiting for her to fill her own cup at the very end of the table.

"That gesture means "get a nose job"." Lene leaned forward and whispered. Ryan and Lynn exchanged exasperated looks.

"Oh, dear, how utterly inconsiderate of me?" Ryan replied in a deadpan tone. "I'm sure Kathleen never had a nose job in her entire life."

Both Luan and Lynn sniggered at the comment. The former wanted to argue for Ryan's right to freely express himself, especially to people like Kathleen. But she saw no point in trying to talk sense into Leni.

"Oh, it's totes okay, we all make mistakes." Leni said supportively.

A loud clang startled everyone sans Renee. They all looked and saw Luna's chair on the floor, and Luna jumping out of the window.

"Tisk, tisk…." Renee calmly placed the pitcher on the table, and with lightning speed, leaped through the window, did a commando roll and chased after the rocker.

"Oh, this is gonna be good!" Ryan eagerly rushed to the window, and everyone else followed.

"I'm coming, Sam!" Luna cried, but before her hands could even touch the fence, she was rammed in the back and struck down. The others watched the scene unfold in awe. All except for Lola.

Renee dug her knee into Luna's back and twisted her arm behind it.

"AH! Okay! Okay! I'm sorry! I give!" the rocker cried in pain, with half her face shoved into the grass.

"Man, that was one an epic fail." Lynn shook her head, yet couldn't help but smile a little. A fail sure, but still a ballsy move on Luna's part.

"There ain't no taste more bitter than the taste of defeat." Ryan remarked humorously while Lincoln facepalmed.

Meanwhile, Lola had pulled out her hot sauce bottle and poured all of it into Renee's cup, chuckling wickedly.


Cliff hadn't gotten far until he was forced to stop by a tree to catch his breath, drenched and with his pink bow dangling from his neck like an old rag. Looking back from where he came from, he realized that he had run in the opposite direction from his home. Fantastic, now he had to walk all the way back there, as if he wasn't exhausted enough! But at least he lost-

No. He thought too soon and saw Marceline sprinting down the sidewalk, towards him. Meowing fearfully, he scrambled to climb up the tree, before it quickly dawned on him that this was the stupidest thing he could have done, but had no time now to change course as Marceline appeared below him, likewise drenched.

Marceline shook herself dry and shuddered while growling, her head still aching. Maybe the thrill of the chase wasn't worth getting soaked and getting a door slammed into your face? But she was a stubborn hunter, and a hunter never stopped until they caught their quarry, despite the odds.

She jumped high and dug her claws into the bark, following after the tom. Now he had nowhere to go, and she was done lollygagging. Cliff saw her catching up to him at an alarming pace and climbed faster.

Inevitably, he ran out of space to climb and was trapped on a thin branch, with Marceline closing in on him. Shaking, even more so after realizing how high off the ground he was, Cliff desperately looked for any way to escape when he spotted a small crevice in the trunk.

Without a second thought, Cliff rushed towards it but was quickly stopped by a shrill caw and saw a redheaded bird jumping out of it. For a second, Cliff saw a nest in the crevice before noticing that the mother had a pretty big beak. He knew this was going to hurt.

Cliff hissed at the woodpecker, only for the bird to relentlessly attack him. Marceline stopped climbing and observed the tom desperately trying to escape while his noggin received a merciless pecking. This was just sad yet also hilarious at the same time.

With his head on the receiving end of nature's pick ax, it wasn't long before Cliff stumbled onto the side of the branch too thin to support even his meager weight, and he was sent plummeting past Marceline, barely catching himself on a lower branch.

Distracted by the sight, Marceline soon felt his pain as the woodpecker came down to assault her. Pulling himself up, shaking and wheezing rapidly, Cliff looked up and saw Marceline hissing and swiping at the attacking bird. This was his chance to get away? Finally, a lucky break!

He ran forward but his path got blocked by a squirrel nibbling on a nut. Annoyed, Cliff hissed and swiped at the bushy-tailed rodent. Poor choice, as in a millisecond, the squirrel was all over him.

Meanwhile, Marceline found it difficult to simultaneously fight off the woodpecker while holding on to the trunk. With her grip slipping, the savannah started considering that maybe backing away from a bird wasn't that shameful and turned around, rushing headfirst down the tree, jumping off and landing gracefully on all fours.

Cliff, in a mad dash to escape the crazed rodent, unfortunately ran in the wrong direction for the third time, and bumped into the woodpecker again. She quickly joined the squirrel in assaulting the poor cat, drilling into his head while the squirrel's huge incisors chomp down into his waist.

Unable to take it anymore, Cliff jumped without looking. Miraculously, his feline reflexes kicked in just in time to allow him to twist his body and land on his feet. The fleeting five seconds of no pain were quickly over as the squirrel jumped on his back and bit into his shoulder while the woodpecker came back to assault his head. Screeching, Cliff ran like hell.

Marceline watched him go, unsure if she should follow. He was quickly becoming more trouble than he was worth? But her stubborn sense of pride as a hunter wouldn't allow it, so she followed them.

Back with Mr. Grouse, he was checking if all of his flowers were okay. Luckily, they were all fine.

Wiping his forehead, the old man sighed in relief. "Pew, almost had a heart attack there." He joked.

With no other threat to his flower garden in sight, he picked up the hose when all of a sudden, he was swarmed by a cat, a bird and a squirrel. As he stumbled back, his hose got tangled around his feet and he plopped down, feeling something soft and wet under his buttocks.

The animals soon moved on, and Grouse, scratched up but alive, shook his head before realizing what he was sitting on.

"No! Not my petunias!" He cried and clutched his head in horror, when Marceline leaped out of nowhere and used his head as a springboard to close the gap between her and Cliff, pushing Grouse face down into the marigolds, crushing them as well.

"NOOO!" Grouse cried and sobbed feebly until his face turned red and he shook his fist. "DAMN YOU, LOUDS!"


"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Luna cried as she was led into the kitchen by her ear.

"After dinner, you're having a time out until morning." Renee declared as she walked back in and glared at the rest. "Who gave you permission to leave the table?"

"What? Seeing my sister apprehend a fleeing fugitive isn't a reason?" Ryan quipped. One glare later, and he and the rest returned to the table, where Renee dropped Luna back in her original seat before closing and locking the window shut. The look of utter humiliation on Luna's face was a sight to behold.

There was no doubt left for both Lincoln and Lynn that they had overestimated the rocker's sensibility. Lincoln wanted to comfort her, but couldn't think of anything to say that wasn't simply an empty platitude. Lynn wasn't quite as tactful.

"That was some wipeout, sis." She said semi-admiringly. "But I gotta give you points for having the moxie to try it. It was stupid, but still pretty daring." Luna just gave her a miserable look in response.

"Kudos where it's due." Luan nodded. With "kudos" she meant offering the rest of them an entertaining pre-dinner show.

"If soul-crushing defeat had a physical magnification, it would be Luna." Lucy added poignantly.

"Not to worry, she won't be experiencing any more of that." Renee cut in and handcuffed Luna to the leg of the table. Dumbfounded, Lincoln drew a breath and lifted his finger but ultimately said nothing.

"Now, let's see you try to run away again." Renee said stiffly while placing the key in her chest pocket.

"Going to a concert with a kitchen table attached to your bracelet would be a bold fashion statement." Luan joked, while Luna silently fumed. Is she hadn't been cuffed to the table, Luan would have lost some teeth right there.

Lana snapped her head back and groaned. "Can the stupid jokes, can we just eat already? I'm wasting away here!"

Renee cocked an eyebrow in amusement. "Hmmmmm…that's the first sensible thing I ever heard you say." Lana seethed.

Without further delays, Renee brought a plate of steaming hot casserole from the oven and served everyone their share.

"Ewww…..there's too much vegetables in this!" Lana lamented.

"Nobody is forcing you to eat it." Renee shrugged as she sat down. "I just hope you can sleep on an empty stomach?"

"Don't berate it until you try it." Lincoln advised her. "I personally think it looks delicious. And we should appreciate the singlehanded effort Renee put in just so that we could dine like kings tonight."

"Suck-up….." Luna grumbled under her breath. Nobody else shared Lincoln's sentiment but knew better at this point than to argue, or in Lola's case couldn't. Lincoln saw it on their faces and didn't blame them for thinking so, but somebody had to be the sycophant in order to preserve some semblance of peace, and he was at good sucking it up and obeying orders.

"Thank you; babysitting is oftentimes a very thankless job." Renee replied evenly. "I seldom get much gratitude for my efforts, as most children don't comprehend how grownups need to work in order to keep their income flowing." This Lincoln was defiantly proving to be the least moronic of the Louds, she made a mental note of that.

"Hey, I appreciate you, even if I don't say it. Somebody's gotta prepare my three meals a day, and mom and dad sure as heck are rarely there to do it." Ryan shrugged, confusing some of the sisters.

"Our parents are frequently gone on various business trips." Renee clarified.

"I'm certain that you speak the truth, Ryan." Lincoln nodded halfheartedly. It was about time to get the roommate swap over with. "And a fine and civilized dinner like this is the perfect opportunity to discuss certain family matters, like some issues we would all like to resolve?"

Lucy, Luan and Lana grew excited hearing that. Lisa was merely curious, while Luna couldn't care less. Leni and Lola were completely left out of the loop.

"If this isn't about sending Lana to boot camp, then I don't care!" Lola thought irritably.

"Gosh, did someone start a fight again?" Leni asked worriedly. The twins eyed each other hatefully.

"No, Leni." Lincoln reassured her. "Not under Renee's careful watch." The babysitter smiled. She defiantly liked listening to this kid.

Lynn tried to keep her temper in check seeing the former's smug look of satisfaction, and cleared her throat. "Yup, we have a big announcement to make…..since so many of us-"

"OMG, you and Ryan are officially an item!" Leni squealed. The others' reactions were as you expected.

"Leni, do you wish for me to regurgitate my dinner before I even ingest it!" Lisa lamented while Lucy covered her ears and uttered her trademark "Sigh".

"Gross! Just shut up!" Lana plugged her ears with napkins while Lola plopped her head on the table in exasperation, and stretched her icepack over her ears. Renee used that distraction to swiftly switch their cups.

Lincoln groaned and grew disconcerted as he noticed both Lynn and Luan tensing up and sporting the same constipated, seconds-away-from-exploding expression. Ryan just glared at Leni with tranquil contempt.

"That's totes incredible, Lynn! Please let me pick your dress for your first date!" Leni continued gushing while Lynn blushed and clenched her teeth. Acting quickly, Lincoln grabbed Leni's shoulder and gently made her sit down.

"Leni, that's not at all what we were going to say. You were completely off mark, sorry to say it." He explained to her calmly.

"Oh…." Leni drawled before smiling again. "Silly me? That's no announcement; we all already know how much they love each other."

More complaints of disgust came from the younger sisters, while a rage-filled Luan bent her spoon into a circle.

"Well, this has created a rather uncomfortable atmosphere." Renee noted, not speaking for herself though. "But do you have any announcements that are of actual importance? My casserole is getting cold."

"But what could be more important than your little brother finding his soul mate?" Leni gushed, much to Ryan's annoyance.

"Anything." Renee dully replied. Almost crushing her cup in her grip, Lynn chugged down her lemonade in one gulp, just to cool down. Regardless of her promise to come clean about her crush, being singled out as the center of attention like this was more stressful than being stuck doing the slam dunk on which your team's victory hinged. The jealous sister watching you also didn't help things.

Lincoln cleared his throat, trying to get back on topic. "An excellent question, Renee, and we very much do. It's about my sisters exchanging roommates."

Only Lola and Leni were caught off-guard. Despite being relieved of the attention, Lynn felt her face heat up even more and tugged her collar.

Lincoln continued. "Okay, let's be honest with each other, most of you girls are quite unhappy with your roommate, am I right?"

"No duh." Lynn panted.

"Miserable." Lucy nodded.

"You can say that again!" Lana huffed.

Unable to talk, Lola nodded flippantly.

"Hate. Her." Luan hissed through clenched teeth, eyeing Lynn.

"Well, I wasn't clamoring for you either, brah." Luna scoffed indignantly, unaware that Luan wasn't referring to her.

Lincoln sighed. "Thanks for being honest and upfront, girls. There's no shame in that. Age alone doesn't mean that two people will automatically click with each other." He said sagely.

"Me and Lynn aren't even close in age." Lucy added.

"Interesting, but it's only natural. You are siblings after all." Renee shrugged. "Friends can be chosen, family cannot, unfortunately."

"Loathe you too, Ren." Ryan smiled with faux-sentiment.

"See? Which is why I think it's about time we changed things up." Lincoln continued. "A roommate swap is the way to go, so all of you can be happier?"

Confused, Leni wilted. "But….but I like Lori?" She didn't like being the odd one out in a mutual agreement though.

"You are right, Lincoln." Lucy nodded and grabbed the wrist of the still-fuming Luan to lift her arm. "Me and Luan have chosen each other in advance."

"Whatever…..she's all yours." Luna muttered, barely carrying about who she'll be settled with. Lynn was sweating profusely and her face turned crimson.

"I wanna stay with Lynn." Lana spoke up next. "As long I'm far away from her!" she pointed at her twin, who seethed and bared her teeth.

"I'm dumping you, ex-roomie." Lana folded her arms with a look of pure smugness.

"How dare you!" Lola grasped the edges of the table, trembling with rage, when suddenly, something clicked in her mind and she calmed down considerably. "Wait? What am I thinking? Lana bunking with someone else? That's a great idea! An amazing idea!"

She chugged her lemonade to calm herself, much to Renee's delight, before giving Lana a huge and approving grin. Lana's face fell as Lola gave her two thumbs-up, together with her obnoxious grin. It took a lot for her to swallow her pride and excuse Lana's condescending attitude, but she did. The prospect of losing Lana was good enough to make Lola give her idiot twin some leeway.

Lana was irritated at not getting the satisfaction of seeing Lola squirm, but she got rid of her and Lola agreed to it without a dispute, so this was a win in the end.

"Well, that's done." She turned to her soon-to-be new roommates and punched her in the arm. "I can't wait to be roomies!"

She was so ecstatic; she failed to notice how Lynn was twitching, shedding tears, her nose was dripping and she began using her hands as fans to cool her sizzling, crimson face.

"Ha! Two for flinching!" Lana punched her in the arm again. Ryan finally noticed that something was wrong with Lynn.

"That's all quite interesting." Renee pretended to care. "But I cannot allow you to swap roommates without your parent's consent. It would be incredibly irresponsible to allow such drastic rearrangements in your home without their knowledge."

"That's okay, we're in no hurry." Lincoln replied. "We just want to settle the matter of who's bunking with whom."

"I'm sure we can call them by bedtime?" Ryan suggested. "The funeral oughta be over by then."

Lynn's panting drew his attention back to her. "Hey, Lynn? Are you feeling okay?" he asked her worriedly as she coughed and clutched her throat.

"Awwww…..she's blushing." Leni cooed. "It's okay Lynn, no need to be embarrassed about your feelings for Ryan, it's perfectly natural and we're all here to support you!"

It once again caused an outcry from the younger sisters. "Why do you delight in tormenting us?" Lucy asked while covering her ears.

Luan was fuming, almost as much as Lynn.

"She's not blushing, idiot!" Ryan retorted flippantly. "Lynn, what's wrong? You look like you swallowed a jalapeño?"

Renee raised an eyebrow and looked back at Lola, who appeared perfectly normal and amused by her sister's odd behavior.

"A valid point….." Lisa concurred "…..she's showing all the outwardly symptoms of having ingested large quantities of the chemical compound called capsaicin." She mused. "It binds to pain receptors on our nerves, sending signals to our cerebral cortex that cause a reaction akin to your vestibule and oral cavity being ablaze."

Renee blinked incredulously, surprised by the toddler's eloquent vocabulary.

"Water! I need water!" Lynn cried and slammed her hands on the table, nearly sending her plate flying. Lana and Ryan jerked back as Lynn rushed towards the kitchen sink and placed her head under the tap before gulping down several gallons of water.

"Just what did you put in this food?" Ryan angrily asked his sister.

"No chili pepper, that's for sure." Renee replied evenly while glancing at Lola. "It would appear we have a prankster in our midst that slipped something into Lynn's drink?"

How Lola's drink wound up with Lynn she had no idea. And unfortunately, Renee never actually saw Lola spiking her drink; she just swapped glasses as a precautionary measure. But Lola grew nervous as eyes started shifting towards her. No one noticed the usually stone-faced Lucy slowly growing the biggest and most evil smirk imaginable.

"Ha, I'd say that spicy drink left Lynn tapped out! Get it?" Luan giggled while the jock was still lapping up water in the sink. She stopped laughing as she realized everyone was looking at her.

"Not funny, jerk!" Lana spat in disgust.

"What?" Luan blurted. "I didn't do it?"

"You still can't see the difference between torturing someone and being funny?" Luna scoffed.

And Lucy's smirk fell. "Sigh. Why can't I ever have a little joy that lasts for more than a few fleeting seconds?"

Ryan and Lincoln looked at each other, recalling that bottle of liquid Luan had brought to them, which they used to make Lori's party guests experience some flatulence problems.

"I didn't do it, guys! Honest."

"Lu, that…eh…." Ryan waffled with his response "…..really wasn't funny."

"Luan, this really isn't the time for dumb jokes." Lincoln scowled. Luan looked devastated and pouted, while Lucy shrank next to her.

Renee broke up the silence. "Could we please finish this discussion about living arrangements before dinner gets cold?"

"You're right…" Lincoln sighed as he faced the remaining sisters, while a soaked Lynn returned to her seat, with Ryan wasting no time asking her if she's okay.

"I dunno….I eh….." Lynn started coughing and tearing up again. "Ah! It's on fire again!"

"Capsaicin doesn't dissolve in water." Lisa lectured her. "Casein, however, has a deterrent effect on capsaicin-"

"English!" Ryan snarled impatiently while trying to keep Lynn calm.

"Milk, she needs to drink milk." Lisa replied and Lynn rushed to the fridge and grabbed a huge carton to chug down.

"Now she's telling her?" Ryan sighed and turned to Lincoln. "You were saying?"

"Yes…." Lincoln exhaled "…so Lucy and Luan, Lynn and Lana? Those two are settled. Now, as for the rest?"

"It's so round and smooth…..and I can see my reflection." He found Leni marveling at her spoon.

"Leni?"

"You say something?" she blinked. "Sorry, I drifted off after Lana called Lola "ex-roomie". What was it we were talking about?"

Lincoln rolled his eyes. "Exchanging roommates?"

Leni pouted. "Oh? But I love living with Lori. Sure, she sometimes takes my stuff, we fight over dresses and she calls me an idiot a lot, but I think that's just her way of showing affection."

"If you say so, Leni." Lincoln shrugged, figuring that keeping the standoffish eldest Loud with her saintly patient and understanding roommate was best for everyone. But this still left Lola and Luna.

"Our connection is like real deep. We've been together before all of you came along." Leni started reminiscing, not that anyone was listening.

"That just leaves you two?" Lincoln pointed at Luna and Lola, not addressing Lisa, who had so far enjoyed the luxury of a single room for herself during her short life.

Luna grew somewhat nervous as she noticed Lola looking at her. It hit her that she was left with the reject nobody wanted. All of a sudden, her indifference about the topic made a one-eighty.

"Seems easy enough." Ryan quipped and pointed at her. "Lucy took your roommate…" he then gestured at Lola "…and Lynn took hers. So you two get each other as consolation prizes, problem solved."

"What?" Luna jumped, causing half of the table to shake. As Renee sent her a menacing glare, Luna grinned sheepishly and sat down. "Dude! No way am I staying with Lola! Are you blokes off your trolley? She's a menace!"

Lola gasped, minus the audible intake, before scowling viciously. "How dare she deems me unworthy of being her roommate! I'm too good for her! She'd be LUCKY to have me!"

"Relax, Luna. We see your point." Lincoln reassured her. "This is about making living conditions better for everyone."

Exhaling with relief, Lynn came back to her seat, milk still dripping from her mouth. "Milk never tasted so sweet…." She moaned with relief before wiping her mouth. "Eh, what'd I miss?"

"Moon Girl sharing her room with Pinky." Ryan said in a coy manner.

"No, I'm not!" Luna retorted, sweating bullets.

"You don't seem to have any other options…" Renee pointed out uncaringly, glancing at the tomboy duo and oddball duo respectively. "It appears that you lack a little sister who idolizes you. And you two are the only ones without a roommate."

"Not quite!" Luan hastily countered. "Lola could stay with Lisa? She has no roomie."

Everyone looked at Lisa, making her wilt. "Sharing living quarters with Lola? Are they mad! I don't mind a roommate but…."

"Don't be ridiculous? That would never work." Lincoln shook his head with a grim expression, not wanting to look at the genius. "They're too different."

"Plus, leaving Lola near Lisa's science projects is begging for disaster." Lynn added snidely, only adding to Renee's confusion.

"Then Lola and you are the only option?" Lincoln mused.

Luna gulped. "Dudes, you can't do this to me! I refuse to take the fall!"

"…but how in any way, shape or form, following the principles of karmic justice, does a menace like you even have the right to demand any type of privilege?" Lisa thought.

"Luna, don't worry. I'll bunk with Lola." She blurted.

"Say what now?" everyone else said simultaneously.

"I'll be Lola's roommate. Clearly, no one else has the time or intention to manage her…." Lisa stopped as she noted the death glare from the princess.

She tugged her turtle neck. "Um…clearly she is a high-maintenance person who has a lot of special requirements in order to exist comfortably within her private living quarters, and it would take someone of great maturity, rationale and willingness to compromise in order to accommodate all of her habitual demands and needs, so as to ensure effective and non-violent cohabitation? I'm willing to take up that daunting challenge, so I can prove that Lola is a manageable roommate."

Everyone was dumbfounded by her declaration, even Renee, though in her case it had more to do with the fact that a 3-year-old made this elaborate speech.

Lola had no idea what Lisa had said, but it sounded somewhat like her agreeing to be her roommate? Lola wasn't quite sure about it? Lisa was mousy, scraggly, had abysmal hair and no sense of fashion, and her glasses were big enough to allow a helicopter to land on them, and that speech impediment of hers was plain laughable. But she was an improvement over Lana in every conceivable way? Granted, any human being would be an improvement over Lana, except maybe Clyde.

"She is flawed but workable? I would need to set up a lot of strict rules for her to follow if this is supposed to work, but Lisa is smart. She can handle all of that? Luna is a fashionably tone-deaf ingrate who's too stupid to appreciate someone as illustrious as me! A she's too noisy! And what other options do I have? Lynn? Ew! Lucy! Heavens no! Luan? I would rather jump off a cliff! At least Lisa is boring enough not be a bother and she isn't known for barging into other people's business either?"

"So you want to let her walk all over you?" Ryan snarked, while Lynn and Lincoln stared at her in bewilderment.

Lisa swallowed a lump, processing what she was getting herself into.

"I would prefer a more….sophisticated term like…a challenge, or even maybe a social experiment of sorts? One where I can utilize all my knowledge of social psychology, human behavior and interpersonal communication in order to device a flawless tactic that would ensure a palatable coexistence with a high-maintenance roommate."

Her family didn't look convinced. Lana continued to gawk at her while Lucy and Luan whispered to each other, utterly bewildered. Leni was still reminiscing about her and Lori playing with dolls while they were still in diapers. What was the name of Lori's favorite toy again? Fenton?

Lincoln, Lynn and Ryan looked at each other, silently agreeing that something didn't smell right.

"You're serious about this?" Lynn asked suspiciously.

Lincoln likewise didn't believe for a second that Lisa would ever view sharing a room with a spoiled brat as an intriguing social experiment.

"Lisa, you do know the repercussions of allowing Lola to be in the same room as your….projects?" he said grimly. Lola grew agitated and put her hands on her hips.

She didn't think about that, but the genius quickly thought up a contingency plan.

"A valid point, but, as you are well aware, I'm no longer in possession of the majority of my former scientific equipment, and what projects I do have left, me and Fenton can simply transport them to an alternative location before Lola resettles." Lisa elaborated. "It's admittedly only a temporary solution, and might require some revisions down the line, but I believe it's manageable."

Renee's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about? Scientific equipment? And who's Fenton?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know." Ryan deadpanned in response.

Lynn and Lincoln looked at each other again. If Lisa would indeed relocate all her science equipment and potentially lethal inventions to somewhere else, then, theoretically, Lola being her roommate didn't entail any possible danger. But still?

"You do realize you would be grabbing the short end of the stick?" Lynn added.

"Hey! Personally, I think Lisa is being very noble for keeping an open mind and giving Lola a fair shot." Luna retorted and folded her arms.

"So, you're close-minded by your own admission?" Ryan smirked at her, making the rocker seethe.

Lisa gulped. "Um….I would argue that this is a gratuitous oversimplification, Lynn. I've stated my reasons for my ostensibly unorthodox decision, and I admittedly have to agree with Luna on the matter. Lola deserves the opportunity to show that she can be benign and manageable when not settled with a roommate who's, by all accounts, her complete antithesis. As I've mentioned before, civil cohabitation hinges at least partially on compromises, and you can't devise a compromise when you're each other's antithesis. I may not be all that compatible with Lola, but I am willing to communicate, find a middle ground, and you all know that I am not one to lose my temper easily or to instigate petty and inane arguments over trivial and inconsequential topics, like having my plastic doll damaged or having my headwear vandalized. Which brings me to another crucial point? The lack of overlap me and Lola have as far as our interests go, combined with our general aversion towards making noise or engaging in physical activity, minimizes the chances of the aforementioned inane arguments happening. In spite of their differences, the twins share enough in common, such they're love for sugary foods and plush toys, to fight over material possessions but I have no fondness for any of those objectives, as well as-"

"Will you get to the point already?" Lynn lamented while holding a sleeping Lana in her lap. Lola was likewise sleeping face-down on the table. Many of the others were also on the verge of nodding off, with only Renee and Lincoln listening intently.

"Yeah, drop the essay." Ryan groaned. "You want her, you can have her."

Lisa frowned and sighed. "My point is; I'm willing to take her up. Plus, I believe it's unfair of me to be the only sibling here to be in possession of their own private living quarters. Eh…..living quarters that aren't a closet."

Lincoln tried to wrap his head around this. He understood the gist of it and Lisa made some valid arguments for how she wasn't easily goaded into scuffles by virtue of not really caring about what she perceived as childish topics, and seeing herself as above the things that most kids and teens made a big deal about. But what he didn't understand was why she was even making that offer in the first place?

"But you think Luna deserves one?" Lynn asked snidely.

"Hey, I'm cool with that." Luna insisted.

"Debatable, but it's apparent that she is not in favor of the notion of sharing her room with Lola, and I feel compelled to relieve her of that unearned burden. And given how I don't see any issue with sharing my room with Lola, I'm willing to do her a favor." Lisa said humbly before scratching the back of her neck. "I don't think I've offered my fair share of altruistic gestures for my siblings?"

Was she repenting? Lincoln was caught off guard, but then remembered Ryan's claims that Lisa was in a funk and apparently regretful. Then a memory resurfaced, one that made him drastically reconsider his stance on Lisa.

He remembered when they were living in their father's rundown apartment, all of them (especially him) dejected and angry about their rotten predicament. And he ended up chewing out Lisa for continuing to treat her remaining siblings like test subjects with no empathy. It made her cry and she eventually came back to him and his sisters to sincerely apologize. Lincoln and the girls forgave her, and from there on Lisa made a genuine effort to better herself and not act so cold and callous.

Lisa did have a heart, she did have feelings, and she did care about her family. He had always known that, but in the original timeline he hadn't experienced a near zombie apocalypse, courtesy of one of Lisa's experiment going awry. It was an accident, but an accident that could have had world-ending consequences. An event that took its toll on Lincoln and he had never stopped to truly consider Lisa's feelings on the matter, only that it was her fault. If getting chewed out after making Lana cry one too many times was enough to snap Lisa back to her senses, then this…..?

Lincoln sighed inwardly. He had let his anger cloud his judgment. Granted, the anger was well-justified but he still let it derail his rational. Lisa was repenting, she was seriously repenting.

"I need to talk to her…." Was all he could think in conclusion. He has had his time to cool off, he was still shaken but not as emotional anymore, it was time he talked to her. But his schedule was currently filled, especially with having to reveal a mind-numbing secret to Lucy and get her to cooperate.

"Fine, Lisa. If that's what you want, then so be it." He said, surprising everyone else.

"What?" Lynn and Ryan blurted.

Lisa blinked. "You agree?"

Lincoln's face turned serious. "No." he answered, making Lisa frown with worry. "I don't think this is a good idea. But Lola has to stay somewhere, and since you insist on it, I think it's only fair to give you and her a fair trial, to see if this arrangement can work, but only after you do some spring cleaning."

Lisa wanted to pinch herself. "I…those are very reasonable preconditions." She said humbly.

"You can't be serious about this?" Lynn asked her brother incredulously. "I can't be the only one who sees a dozen or so ways this could go downhill?"

"You're right, Lynn. I only suggested to give them a trial." Lincoln clarified. "By which I mean a temporary arrangement until we think of something better. Besides, the twins have broken into Lisa's room before, and still, nothing severe has happened?"

Lynn narrowed her eyes, not buying this. Lincoln gave her a subtle nod, the look in his eyes saying "I know what I'm doing". Lynn had her reservations but nodded back. He better knew what he was doing.

"Fine…." Lynn gave in "…..it's Lisa's funeral." The genius swallowed a lump hearing that. Lynn made a mental note to confront her brother when they were alone. Clearly, this needed further discussion.

"Your home, your rules." Ryan shrugged. "Better hope this doesn't blow up in your face though."

"And he doesn't mean that figuratively." Luan nodded. Lucy stayed quiet on the matter. Like Lynn, she suspected her brother might have reasons that he wouldn't want to make public.

"So I have permission to take her in?" Lisa asked tentatively. Lincoln just nodded, while the others looked at her oddly. Luan nudged Lola and the princess woke up with a start and looked around.

"Lola, we have come to a mutual agreement that you and I can be roommates." Lisa told her. "All that remains is to hear your consent?"

"Yeah, tiny problem….." Lynn snarked "….she blew her voice."

Lola huffed indignantly, but after a minute of musing, she realized that this was an easy choice. With a family like hers, beggars couldn't be choosers, and her two most acceptable (and coincidently two oldest) sisters were not an option. One was currently fiddling with her napkin, her attention clearly somewhere else.

Much to everyone's surprise, Lola leaned over Luan's lap and offered Lisa a polite handshake. Gulping, Lisa reluctantly took it. If Lola could have talked at this moment, her first request would have been to give Lisa a "slight" makeover the moment they moved in together, but she supposed it would have be a surprise then, an act of generosity and empathy on her part.

"I look forward to it very much…" Lisa said nervously "It's bound to be a…..unique experience."

Ryan couldn't help but imagine Lola running in a hamster wheel and asking her roommate what they were going to do tonight, with Lisa's response being to take over the world. With her track record of competency, he was certain that her attempts at world domination would be about as successful as those of a lab rat.

"I get my own room? Sweet!" Luna pumped her fist.

"Yes, you hit the jackpot. What were the odds?" Lincoln replied halfheartedly. "You should be grateful for such a stroke of luck." He stressed, hoping Luna would get the memo to behave herself now.

"Don't celebrate just yet. You still need your parents' permission." Renee pointed out, ever the killjoy.

"I'm sure they'll understand." Lynn countered. "Though we'll have to explain some of it?" She thought while glancing at the other side of the table and the two would-be odd couples.

Renee didn't care one way or the other, and realized that her casserole was getting stale.

"Same to me." She shrugged. "I would prefer to finish my dinner, and you should do the same. After this, you're not heading back to the kitchen."

The others didn't need to be told twice. With their stomachs growling, they started digging in, except for Lynn who tried to stir Lana awake.

"Rule number eleven! No late-night snacks, I remember that!" Leni exclaimed. "See, I memorized them!"

"Weren't you mesmerized with your napkin a second ago?" Luna snarked, still mystified by how Leni's attention span actually worked?

Leni turned to her to reply, only to release a shrill, ear-piercing shriek, making her clamp her mouth in shock. The others glanced at her in surprise when the pet door was flung open. Within the span of ten seconds, another chaotic episode happened within this home.

Cliff ran in, assaulted by the woodpecker and chased by the squirrel, with Marceline in hot pursuit. The sisters screamed as Cliff ran across the table, knocking over Lana's, Lynn's, Ryan's and Lincoln's plates and causing the four to topple over in their chairs. Gasping, Renee jumped to catch the plates. Cliff jumped past Leni, leaving her to be attacked by the bird. The squirrel followed the cat, knocking a pepper shaker into Lola's face, causing her to scream and sneeze uncontrollably. Marceline leaped on the table, knocking over Lola's plate, which Renee also caught. As the other kids jolted off their seats, Marceline seized the interfering squirrel by the neck and tossed her aside, and into Luan's face. Luan screamed as her face was assaulted and ran blindly, as did Lola. Worse yet, as Luna jumped back, she pulled the leg of the table she was cuffed to, and it gave way, causing the remaining plates to slide down just as Luan bumped into Luna. They fell on the table and sent the plates and cups flying. Acting quickly, Renee tried catching all of the plates and with incredible reflexes and precision, miraculously succeeded…..before Lola slammed into her and Renee slipped on the spilled casserole. Plates were sent flying, and Lincoln got up just in time to have two plates shatter on his head, making him drop down again.

In the wake of the ravaging incident, the squirrel and woodpecker made a hasty exit from where they came from, leaving behind a broken table, lots of spilled casserole and shards of porcelain spilled across the floor, along with most of the Loud kids on it, groaning and in pain.

"I did not see this coming." An awestruck Lucy said as she helped Luan up.

"Yes, the odds of this specific scenario transpiring were one in a billion." Lisa agreed while Leni stood up next to her, rubbing her sore head.

"Since when did Walt become a redhead?" she drawled dumbly before falling down unconscious.

"Luan, are you okay?" Lucy asked the comedian, whose face sported numerous scratches.

Luan hissed as she touched them. "Lucy? Please tell me my face is still intact?" she asked nervously.

"It is, but you probably contracted a whole host of lethal dieses." Lucy answered, much to the former's horror.

"MY EYES! MY EYES!" Lola screamed inwardly while lying on the floor, sneezing and clutching her eyes, which were stinging like hell, and watering uncontrollably.

"Lincoln, you okay?" Lynn kneeled next to her brother and helped him sit up. Lincoln groaned before hissing as he rubbed the welt on his head.

"Step aside, Lynn. I'll check." Lisa chimed in and examined Lincoln's head, looking for any cuts on his scalp.

"He's not going to need any scalp transfers, is he?" Lucy asked as she joined them.

"No need for alarm, I only see the start of a hematoma, localized bleeding that spreads into the surrounding interstitial tissues-"

"He's bleeding?!" Lynn blurted.

"Not externally, I mean he has a bruise." Lisa groaned, earning an annoyed look from the jock. "An icepack should suffice."

Ryan got to his feet next to them, and saw his sister sporting a look of utter horror as she looked at the mess the kitchen was in. He glanced at the fridge and saw his cat on the floor, holding on to a mortified Cliff, with her jaws locked on the back of his neck.

Getting past Lincoln and his sisters, Ryan tried to reach her. "Marcy, what have you done?"

Hearing his voice, she let go of Cliff and finally saw the disarray the kitchen was in.

She grew scared as Renee let out an anguished cry before turning sharply at the cats with a deranged expression. Marceline realized she messed up and backed herself against the fridge.

"You!" the siblings flinched as the enraged Renee pushed Ryan aside and stomped towards the cats.

"You broke the dishes!" she cried furiously. "You broke the damn table! And you ruined my casserole!"

Cliff forgot who his pursuer was once Renee's towering form was looming over him, and joined Marceline. Ryan rushed in and picked them up in his arms.

"Wow, take a deep breath." He told his sister in a placatory tone. "Let's not lose our minds over a little accident."

"You call this a "little accident"!" Renee pointed at the mess in front of them.

"Hey, they're just animals." Ryan retorted, clutching the cats closer to his chest. "Simply, pea-brained animals that couldn't possibly comprehend what they were doing. They were just playing, and it's not their fault for being too dumb to know any better?"

His sister narrowed her eyes as he grew a smirk. "And I'm sure you didn't help matters by chaining her to the table." He glanced at Luna, who had a leg dangling from the other end of her cuffs.

Everyone stepped back in fear when Renee looked ready to explode, but surprisingly, she composed herself.

"You're right…" she grumbled "…..I'm in charge, this is all my fault. Ughhh…." She massaged her forehead. "I got too complacent, and didn't factor in the possibility that this pest would cause trouble." She pointed at Marceline, who flinched. "I never had to worry about her while babysitting before."

"Don't worry about your precious little reputations…." Ryan replied snidely. "These numbnuts break stuff all the time, their old man and lady won't notice a few missing plates. And it shouldn't be too hard for you to fix that table?"

"I can fix the leg easy." Lana volunteered. "I just need a hammer, some nails, and-"

"Shut up, you miscreant!" Renee snapped at her.

Lana scowled. "But I know how to-"

"I told you to shut up, idiot, before I smack you! All of you, shut your freaking noise-holes!" Renee second outburst made Lana flinch. "You won't be doing any repairs, I will!" she pointed at herself.

Clutching her knees tiredly, Renee breathed in and out. "All of you, go to your rooms this instant and stay there until further notice! I don't want to look at you!"

"And what about me?" Ryan scoffed. "I don't have a room here?"

"You and the furballs are going with me."


"Knock, knock."

Sighing, Lynn opened the door of Lincoln's room and let Ryan in, who pouted.

"You're supposed to say 'Who's there?'"

Lynn gave him an unamused look. Ryan rolled his eyes and glanced at Lincoln, who was in bed with an icepack on his head.

"Is he going to pull through?" Ryan quipped.

Lincoln rolled his eyes. "I'll live; I've received worse bumps on my head since I was seven." Lynn shifted uneasily as he brought that up.

"Well, given how those plates shattered into smithereens, you must have one hard head?" Ryan joked while knocking on his own head.

"Where were you? What did your sister want from you?" Lincoln asked dourly.

Ryan's smile dropped. "She made me throw Marceline and your pussycat into pet carriers. Marceline is an outdoor cat; she will lose her mind if she stays in that thing for too long."

Lynn sighed. "That's probably for the better, she wrecked our kitchen."

"Hey, she didn't invite that squirrel and woodpecker for dinner? They were the ones that assaulted Kirk."

"But I wager your cat was the one who started it all. You really oughta keep her on a leash?" an exasperated Lincoln countered. "She knows how to play with others about as well as Lynn does."

Lynn placed her hands on her hips indignantly, but couldn't think of anything to say in her defense.

"And she was also skulking around in the twins' room, eyeing Lana's pets like an all-you-can-eat buffet."

"She's a cat?" Ryan shrugged. "You can't force a cat to fight her basic nature? How come your cat has never tried to make a meal out of them?"

"Cliff's too lazy to try that." Lynn snorted. "I bet he doesn't even know that meat doesn't come from cans? Heck, it was no shocker to see a woodpecker let loose on him, given how Walt often pushed him around like a pansy."

"Who's Walt again?"

Lincoln sighed. "The canary. He disappeared with Charles and Geo, remember?"

"You guys had a canary living with a cat?" Ryan asked incredulously.

"Yes, what about it…" Lincoln stopped as he connected the dots. Walt hadn't been with the other three when they fled from the zombie sisters?

"Oh, for crying out loud…." He pinched the bridge of his nose. Ryan and Lynn came to the same realization, and the former gulped.

"Hey, hey, let's not jump to conclusions." Ryan shrugged sheepishly. "We have no proof that Marcy did it? For all we know, those four ran into One Eye, or that lynx, and one of them gobbled up the bird? Sure, Marceline is half serval, and they're marvels at catching birds, but still-" he stopped upon realizing he was giving self-incriminating evidence.

"Never mind, Ryan. I never cared much for that featherbrain to be honest." Lynn replied tiredly. "He was only here because mom has a soft spot for birds. If only she had picked one without a cranky disposition, one who didn't poke holes through your hands if you tried to feed him."

Lincoln shook his head. "But mom soon forgot about him as more of us came along." He understood that it was pointless to lament about this now. It hadn't been a very bright move for him and Lynn to let Marceline in their home in the first place. Growing up around Cliff as their main feline reference point obviously made them callous.

"Lincoln, can we talk about something more important now that we're alone?" Lynn inquired, not keen on wasting a precious moment of privacy talking about dead birds. "Like, why the heck did you let Lisa take Lola as her roommate?"

"Actually, why on Earth would Lisa agree to this in the first place?" she turned to Ryan, her brow furrowing.

"Beats me?" Ryan shrugged. "But I assume our "brilliant" ring leader has a reason?"

"Only temporarily, and I agreed to that because…..I think she's repenting." Lincoln said in a tired voice.

"Heh, that doesn't sound far-fetched." Ryan agreed. "She did look pretty torn up about it."

"Why wouldn't she be? You can't call causing a zombie apocalypse a mere "oopsy daisy"?" Lynn huffed and folded her arms.

"Last time I talked with her, she seemed pretty eager to talk to you again and apologize." Ryan told Lincoln. "I advised her not to be hasty and give you some more time to cool off, mainly so we could deal with Lucy first."

That's all Lincoln needed to hear, confirming his suspicions. "I guess I shouldn't ignore her pleas then?"

"How exactly is she going to make up for nearly dooming us all?" Lynn questioned.

"I doubt that's even possible, but I don't think she did it on purpose, and I doubt you do either?" Lincoln countered. "You remember when we lived in dad's beat-up old apartment?"

"I'd rather forget about it…." Lynn shuddered.

"Well, remember how Lisa broke down after I chewed her up for making Lana cry and accused her of not caring about anyone but herself? She came back to apologize, and she made an effort since then to be a better person."

Lynn's face softened. It was easy to pin the blame on someone and treat them like the bad guy, but how could you do that when you had evidence to the contrary?

"Lisa does have a heart deep down, and if one divorce, a rundown apartment and one talking to from me were enough to make her sober up the first time, then what do you think this zombie incident has done to her?" Lincoln stopped as he considered that. Just how could a person live with themselves after nearly having caused the end of the world? Lisa might be a toddler but she had the mind of an adult, and was undoubtedly fully aware of the full magnitude of her screw-up?

"So we're just supposed to forgive her for nearly dooming us all, and sweep it under the rug?" Lynn asked curtly. "I was having the time of my life on that softball tournament, unaware that my family had been turned into walking corpses while I was scoring a home run?"

Lincoln sighed. "What else is there to do? I doubt some divine miracle will send us back in time a second time?"

"That zombie virus wiped their memories clean." Ryan lamented. "Neither your sisters or Blondy's boy toy have any recollection about having been zombies. And nobody will ever know how I risked my beacon to save the planet."

Lincoln rolled his eyes, leave it Ryan to make this all about himself. "You think I don't feel the same way? Yeah, it was no treat doing the most dangerous and most thankless civil service in human history, or seeing your sisters turn into zombies, but we can't change that now. Point is, if Lisa truly feels remorse about this, I think we at least owe it to her to tell her that we don't hate her guts?"

Lynn shifted when Lincoln added something very poignant. "I think living with the guilt of having almost doomed humanity is punishment enough, don't you think? I don't know how I would deal with it if I was in her shoes?"

Neither did she? But she did know what it was like living with the guilt of having been a callous and self-serving jerk, albeit not one who nearly doomed the world. Lynn groaned. "Alright…..so what are we gonna do now? Just stroll to her room and have a heart-to-heart?"

Lincoln looked aside. "Not yet…I….I need to brace myself for this. Plus, Lucy is our top priority for now. We have to initiate her."

"Her? Of course…" Lynn rolled her eyes.

"So, you guys think this zombie thing has taught Lizzie a lesson about not being a brat?" Ryan inquired. "We can check her off as "fixed", just like Luan?"

"I certainly hope so." Lincoln sighed. "You told me when we first came to you that the only way for a lesson to stick with someone is through experience? That empty words of wisdom do jack, and that only cold, hard experience can change a person and make them stop taking their lot in life for granted?"

"I did, didn't I?" Ryan tapped his chin. "Yikes, sometimes I scare myself with my own brilliance."

"Then I'm afraid you've got some stiff competition." Lynn huffed with a cocky smile. "Guess what, boys? I've taken care of Lana!"

"What do you mean by that?" Lincoln asked.

"Well, let's just say that when I came to offer myself as her new roomie, our conversation wound up being a lot longer and more emotional than I planned. Not to go into too much detail, but bottom line, I think I've done a darn good job giving Lana the memo that mom and dad are in a bad place and how we all need to change it."

Lincoln sat up, blinking. "Are you saying?"

"Yup, Lana knows about the possibility of a divorce, and this time I got her scared that this could very well happen. She asked me how she could help and I told her that I would explain things after we become roomies. So more or less, the squirt's unofficially on our side now." Lynn folded her arms. "You're welcome."

"Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle?" Ryan chuckled.

"Lynn? That's incredible!" Lincoln grew a huge smile. "Thank you!"

Despite his splitting headache, he jumped off his bed and threw his icepack away. He rushed to pull his chart board out. He took a sponge and tentatively erased the question mark from Luan's name in the "fixing sisters" category.

"I think we've seen enough evidence to gauge that Luan is shaping up. Her willingness to labor all day just to help Lucy shows that her friendship with Lucy has given her a new sense of purpose other than plotting inane pranks for attention, just like the first time."

He added Lana's name below. "I'll take your word, Lynn."

"Don't be a worrywart; she knows what's going on now." Lynn reassured him with unbridled confidence. "Once we're roomies, I'll teach her everything she needs to know so she can be less of a nuisance. Lana's pretty chill as it is; she just needs a boost of common sense."

She walked up to Lincoln and snatched his marker. "But I think you've forgotten something." She said while adding a question mark to Lucy's name.

Lincoln scowled a bit and Lynn shrugged. "We can't get carried away; you haven't had your big talk with her yet."

Lincoln snatched the marker away. "By tomorrow, you'll be removing that question mark."

"I'm with you, Snowy. Lucy's going to be a great asset." Ryan shrugged, mildly irking Lynn.

"And then there's Lisa." Lincoln sighed and added her name as well, also with a question mark just to be safe.

"Speaking of the brainiac? What about letting Lola share the same room with her, and her inventions?" Lynn asked yet again.

"Lisa did say she would relocate them. We gotta give her the benefit of doubt this time." Lincoln explained. "Besides, like Renee said, none of us will be moving until mom and dad approve of it."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but won't Lizzie's room serve as the guest room for you and me while I'm here?" Ryan asked him.

"Good point, I guess Lisa might want to get a head-start on assimilating herself with Lola." Lincoln reasoned.

"Yeah, no duh. There ain't no way Lana's going to stay another night in the same room as Lola." Lynn added. "Best she stays in your room for tonight, Lincoln."

"Which reminds me, roomie…." Ryan asked Lincoln wryly "…..how exactly do you plan to have a meeting with Lucy tonight? That would mean meeting up with her, and Renee doesn't take kindly to late-night strolls."

"We'll keep her distracted if we have to." Lynn stated.

"Renee also tends to make inspections to check if her clients are in bed sleeping." Ryan pointed out.

"Now you tell us that?!" Lynn lamented.

"I thought that went without saying?" Ryan shrugged.

"I'll figure something out." Lincoln cut in. "I just need time to think."

"Lincoln, are you there?" they heard a knock on the door. Lincoln swiftly pushed his chart board back behind his clothes rack.

Lynn boiled. "Take a hike, Lucy!"

In spite of her objections, Lincoln pushed past her. "Take it easy." He told the jock and opened the door.

The goth stepped in. "How's your head?"

Lincoln tried to smile. "Nothing too bad, just a little welt."

Lucy nodded and made sure to close the door behind her.

"I suppose you're looking for some answers, huh?" Lynn asked dourly.

"Yes, but I know this isn't the right time to discuss it. You promised to tell me everything you've kept hidden from me tonight, Lincoln. Whatever that may be?"

"See, guys. She already knows how to play the game. She's kept her poker face this whole time, without even knowing what's going on?" Ryan chuckled.

"Ryan, I assume you've known Lynn and Lincoln for far longer than you claim? You seem very well-acquainted with them in a way that couldn't' possibly have been forged in just two or three weeks." Lucy asked simply.

"You hit the nail on the head, Spooky." The boy shrugged. "Technically I've known them for several months, though it's a tad complicated."

That was intriguing but Lucy didn't press on for now. "And you'll explain everything to me, Lincoln?"

"I'll try my best. It's a lot to swallow though." Lincoln nodded feebly. "Just as soon as I figure out how we can meet in private after curfew, Ryan says his sister tends to make checkups to see if everyone's sleeping and in the right room."

"Yeah, and unfortunately, Renee's not going to let me share a room with a certain special someone." Ryan added while wiggling an eyebrow at Lynn. "So me and Lincoln will be stuck together, and he'll have to sneak his way to you."

Lucy didn't immediately answer and pondered. "Hmmmm…I think I have an idea?"

"And what's that?" Lincoln asked.

"I'll explain in due time, but we have to get going. Renee ordered for all of us to assemble downstairs in twenty minutes."

"For what?" Lynn asked impatiently. "Dinner was ruined, and if we have to go to bed on an empty stomach, then at least I wanna do it in peace and away from her Highness-"

"About that, she's not canceling dinner." Lucy replied, much to the others' surprise.

"I've heard from Luan that Renee's taking us all to dinner. She has mom's credit card, so that's how she'll pay the bill."

"We're going to some restaurant?" Lincoln blurted. "But it's already past eight? Didn't she give us a curfew?"

"Yes, and she's very mad about falling behind schedule." Lucy nodded. "We should not make her any madder by being late."

The three were anything but happy but they didn't have the option to object. Renee was in charge, and at the very least, given circumstances, Luna and Lola were the only sisters liable to make trouble at this point, hopefully? Taking their sisters to a restaurant was not an idea that boded well with Lincoln and Lynn.

"Well, none of us wanna do it, but we don't have a choice, do we?" Lynn asked them dryly.

"At least we'll get to eat." Ryan shrugged. "Better than nothing."

Lincoln sighed. "Alright, guys. Guess we better get going."

"Wait a second?" Lynn asked, growing unnerved. "This isn't some fancy-schmancy restaurant where everyone's gotta be all proper and well-dressed, cuz I'm not wearing a stinking dress and nobody can force me!"

The others stared at her oddly and blinked.

"Hold your horses, Lynn." Ryan reassured her and grabbed her shoulder. "You think Renee's gonna want to waste her client's money to feed a bunch of "miscreants" like us? Get real. She'll probably pick the cheapest food joint she can find that still serves slop that qualifies as food."

Lynn calmed down and exhaled, feeling a bit silly for freaking out. "Oh, great then? As long as no dresses are involved."

"Before we go, I just want to make a confession." Lucy spoke up. "Don't be angry with Luan, she didn't put hot sauce in Lynn's drink. I did."

This caught everyone off guard, but Lynn's face soon scrunched up. "What?"

"Well, actually, it was Lola who put the hot sauce in Renee's drink, and then I switched her drink with Lynn's." Lucy clarified. "But the point is, Luan is not to blame."

"Why you-" Lynn stepped forward but was blocked by Ryan, who chuckled merrily.

"And they say revenge is best served cold." He snickered. "I commend the devious inner workings of your mind, Spooky." Lucy smiled in appreciation.

Lynn fumed while Lincoln shook his head. "Alright, I can't say I approve of that but I guess you and Lynn are even now?"

"For her locking me up? Yes." Lucy frowned again. "For her being a miserable, ill-mannered, self-serving excuse for a sister? Not any time soon."

"You do realize that you're the creepy, pasty-faced goth kid who buries dead animals in her spare time, hangs out in a guano-filled bat cave, thinks ghosts are real, and reads Princess Pony books, right?" Lynn retorted spitefully.

"Yes, and I'm proud of it." Lucy said calmly.

"Well, I'm immensely proud of being an amazingly-gifted athlete who effortlessly masters any sport you throw at me!" Lynn retorted before folding her arms proudly. "And I have won several trophies in honor of my talent."

"Great to hear that somebody is." Lucy deadpanned.

Lynn's eyes shot open, and she seethed as she heard Ryan trying to conceal his sniggering.

Lincoln was quick to interfere. "Okay, let's get going before things get any more intense."