The sound of Lucy's voice told him he should hurry home. He had no idea about why Lori handed the phone off to their little sister but it felt like it was bad.
'Did that jerk go to my house? Did he hurt Luan or one of the others?' were his first thoughts. then he got into the family craziness. 'Did Lisa blow herself up? Lynn broke something, i heard her crying!'
He and Clyde burst through the door to see everyone huddled on the couch, everyone was crying.
"What's wrong?"
"They're gone, Bro!" Luna sobbed, her face pressed into Violet's chest. "Linc, our parents... they're gone!"
He stood there dumbly as it all sank in.
"When?" He asked after a bit.
"Last night." Lori managed to answer.
"I ... " He didn't know what to say. Last night he had his erection nestled between Luan's buns while he tried to tell himself it was a natural reaction and not those feelings he had been having for his sister. All of his older sisters if he was being honest.
"I guess i'll help with the prepairations, then." He needed something to focus on and helping with little things, even if they only verified the loss of their Mother and Father. "I saw where they put their stuff when they updated their wills to include Lily."
"I, uh, guess i'll go home." Clyde pointed to the door. "Sorry for your loss." He was sincere.
"No, Clyde, you're family. It's your loss too." Lori told him.
Clyde felt something well up in him.
Luan slept in her and Luna's room. Lincoln and Clyde sat up in the front room with Lori going over papers and plans.
"Your parents have good taste when it comes to plots." Clyde looked over at Lori and Lincoln. "What? I got to be honest. By the time i'm old, they won't have any of these prime locations left. My Grandpa Phil is up there, good view of the woods, a rose garden." He looked down in shame. "Sorry to bring it up."
"It's okay, Clyde, we just were surprised you knew about this stuff." Lori pattrd his back.
"So, when is the funeral?" Clyde asked.
"Next Sunday. Lucy has an in with the embalmber and undertaker, they give her the info on any open times just in case she plans any... honestly, i never knew Lucy planned funerals for people as well. Always thought it was just animals."
"Hey, when you're good at something." Clyde shrugged.
"Invites sent out?" Lincoln asked.
"Lucy, again. Leni is making special cloth ones and they aren't invites, some fancy name for notification or something."
The McBride son looked down at the table "I couldn't remember the word." Clyde told his friend.
"Me either." Lincoln admitted. "How are your dads taking it?"
"Lots of tears." Clyed sighed. "Think, uh, you know who will be there?" He motioned to Lori who moved across the room to talk on the phone, and mouthed 'bobby'.
"Probably. I told him not to bring his new lady friend if he did, well, i told Ronnie-Ann to tell him that." Lincoln whispered back to clyde.
"Hey, Linc, do we have a copy of Mom's and Dad's birth certificates?" Lori asked with a yawn as she.
"Not in the packet?" She shook her head no to answer him. "Pretty sure Lisa has them on file." Lincoln answered. "She's probably still awake. i heard her when i went upstairs a bit ago."
"No, don't risk it. She needs her sleep." Lori asked the person on the phone if they could pick up where they left off in the morning. "Okay, thanks."
Leni had crashed with the whole room covered in cloth and caligraphy covered papers. Even Lori's bed.
"Mind if i sleep with you, Linc?" Lori asked as she came out of the restroom.
"Not at all."
"You think Clyde will be okay walking home?" Lori aksed.
"Rusty's mom picked him up a few minutes ago. She... she sends her condolences."
Lincoln let Lori freshen up first, so he took a little longer being last in line. when he got back to his room he climbed in bed behind her. She snuggled up to him. the first thing he felt was lack of cloth between them. "Uh, Lori?"
"It's more comfortable this way." She turned in his arms. "Lincoln... i... you see... life's short and i don't want any regrets. i don't think you should regret anything either. So... when the time is right, i have a few things to say. Right now i'd just like to thank you for all the help and just being the greatest brother in the world!" She kissed his cheek and snuggled up to him some more. "Right now i just need to be held." She sighed happily. "I know it isn't the biggest matter of the day, but, what happened to you?" She ran a finger along his bruised jaw and then over the one on his right pec.
"I... got in a fight." He looked ashamed.
"Why?"
"This guy, and some of his friends i assume, were being mean to Luan. I got him out to the park and asked him to stop. He shoved me and insulted her again and i... beat him up."
"That's so sweet!" Lori kissed his jaw. "Our strong, brave, Lincoln!" She said with pride as sleep took her.
'She's not mad.' He smiled. 'I stood up for my sister!' he thought with pride. 'Lori's half naked...' He felt himself swell. 'Go-down,go-down,go-down,go-down...'
Day 3
Lincoln woke up late, naturally, seeing as he had thoughts about another of his sisters. his fitful dreams involved most of his sisters and Violet, or swayed to the loss of their parents. "Either way, the things i dreamt last night were fucked up!" he said looking to his left as if there was someone there to hear him.
Something furry was against his foot and he lifted the covers. "Hey, Demon." The big rabbit lifted it's head to stare then bound up close to lick lincoln's nose. He scratched behind the animal's ear. "Good morning."
"Where's the cat? Where's Cliff?" He asked and Demon bounded off the bed and down the hall to the twin's room.
A moment Later Cliff came strolling out into the hall. He looked right at Lincoln as if asking why he had the rabbit wake him up. Then, after a stretch and hacking up a hair ball, Cliff headed downstairs.
Lincoln used the restroom and headed downstairs. His sisters sat around looking sad. 'Mom and Dad wouldn't want this.' he thought.
"Hey, uum..." twenty pairs of eyes focused on him. "Remember our road trip? Did anyone believe you guys about when we accidentally got on that prison bus?"
"Lincoln, we're not in the mood." Lola didn't have the usual bossy tone in her words.
"I'm just trying to remember the good times. I worry about forgetting. Lily, what could we tell her when she's older?" he took a seat in his usual spot.
"How Mom kept forgetting her." Lana chuckled.
"When Dad got jealouse of Mr. Grouse that time the old man watched her." Luna brought up.
"And it turned out it was over Dad's sweater!" Luan laughed.
Soon everyone was telling stories of their parents.
"What about that squirrel Mom had muffins and tea with after she got done with community service?" Lola got weird looks on that one. "Oh yeah, I'm the only one still home schooled."
"Seriously?" Lori asked and Lola nodded.
"I thought about joining them, but Mom needed her time." Lola added.
"That was, Like, so sweet, Lola!" Leni gave the beauty queen a hug. "You love tea parties!"
By lunch they had felt a bit better.
"I really liked playing in the family band. We should teach Lily how to play the cowbell." Luna looked to Lily. "Would you like that?"
"I'm three. Dad already tried. Now i wish i would have learned." Lily wiped a tear from her face. "Still play the guitar." She briefly wondered how she managed that at her age.
A knock at the door interrupted their reminising.
"I got it." Lori was in charge now being the oldest so she was up first.
"Hello?" Lori asked the woman on the step.
"Uh, hi, is this the Loud residence? I wrote this down some time ago and..." She was looking over a worn strip of paper.
"Yes, it is." Lori confirmed.
"Okay, good." She scratched her arm nervously. "My sister Mika and our cousin Yuri are friends of Lynn and Rita. i've been working in the county and i heard a rumor of an accident..." Lori's eyes tearing up and the quiver of her lip stopped her talking. "Oh, Hon, I am so sorry!" The woman pulled Lori into a hug. "I'll let Mika and Yuri know. If you guys need anything, anything at all, give us a call, okay." Shinji let Lori go and gave her a few cards. "Anything." She repeated. "Your parents were good people. I kinda knew them too. They loved talking about you kids!" She smiled warmly.
"Eh, Yuri might have some strange papers for you to sign..." She seemed to think on it a minute. "Why does my cousin have to be so weird?" She said under her breath. Lori tilted her head in wonder.
"I just don't want it to be a surprise later. You're Dad has a tattoo of a cartoon duck with a royal guard uniform, apparently. Yuri bought the rights to it in case anything happened." Lori's eyed bugged. "I didn't want it to come up later and well... i dunno... she'll pay for the funeral, all you gotta do is plan it. It's part of the contract."
Shinji stood there awkwardly as Lori stare at her.
"She bought the tattoo? She bought a tattoo?" Lori asked in disbelief.
"Yeah. Her dad never let her get one, so she started collecting them." She told the younger woman. "They loved your father's food! i never got to try it. Always busy."
"Too bad. It is amazing!" Lori said fondly.
"Hey, I gotta roll. Don't forget, anything big or small." She waited until Lori nodded and then headed back to her car. she stopped and came back into the yard as she answered her phone.
Lori closed the door but watched as the woman walked around and was quietly having a heated conversation with someone.
Then like that, she was gone.
Lori looked at the cards for the first time.
the first was black with lavender lettering and an orchid colored devil head in the background. "S. Kanaan" was all it said and it had a few options of numbers to call. the number written on the back said "personal cell".
The second was grey and blue, it had a pair of angel wings and read "M. Kanaan : Investments, Banking, accounting, loans". in the same left handed script written along the bottom had her personal number in blue marker.
Lastly was a red and white card with black lettering. Originally in Japanese it was translated into English with calligraphy stlye handwriting. "Yakamoura Skin Art Museum." Lori read off. "Dad doesn't have a tattoo. Does he? I... well i can't ask him about it now." She said sadly to herself.
Lori put the cards in her pocket. 'Familiar, they sound familiar.' She soon forgot about the whole thing as she walked back in to hear the rest of a funny story. After sharing in the laughter she ordered pizza and sat on the couch.
"Who was that?" Luna asked.
"Friend of Mom and Dad. They just wanted to see if we needed anything." She yawned. "Movie?"
Lily grabbed a kids movie and put it in. Nobody was in the mood to argue.
several more movies later and a dinner of cereal, they all at least got ready for bed.
Day 4
Lincoln and Lori woke up to the sound of the menu screen music repeating.
Everyone else had retired as the last movie wore on. the last they remembered was Luna carrying Lily and Lisa up to their room. they stare at the screen until Lincoln noticed he was using Lori's breasts as a pillow.
He sat up quick. "B-better turn this off."
Lori stretched with a yawn and grabbed the remote. "Yeah."
As he got the case she flicked it over to the television.
"Breaking news! Known member of the Black Rattlesnake Gang, Juan Roberto Guadalupe Casagrande, was found dead in his car just outside the town of Royal Woods, Michigan at three thirty a.m. by a couple of teens out for a night time cruise. Casagrande, aged 32, dealt drugs and worked as an enforcer for the Black Rattlesnakes for well over a decade. He is suspected of several gang related murders and was on trial for his role in an illegal pornography ring.
When family of Casagrande were questioned if they knew anything about his death they were reported as saying, and I quote, "We have had nothing to do with that disgrace since he was eight-teen!"
The members Casagrande's family have wished to remain unnamed and request that all news outlets keep away unless they want a harrassment lawsuit brought against the news community.
it is believed that Santiago's death is the work of a well known assassin from the Dead Dragons Street Gang, an international organization with well known ties to Yakuza and Mafia organizations. if you have any information into the murder of Juan Roberto Guadalupe Santiago-Casagrande, please call..."Lori turned off the television leaving her and Lincoln only in the street light coming through the window. "I don't feel like being reminded of that cheating jerk right now." She pouted as she started thinking of Bobby's cousins.
"Want to crash in my room again?" Lincoln asked.
"Yeah."