Author's Note: Hey-ho! Rejoice and take pride in thy patience, my faithful readers, for I have not forgotten thee! At long last, I have returned to bring you the good word (i.e. the next chapter)!

Whew… between classes and writer's block, this chapter was a nightmare. If the next chapter looks to be taking as long as this one did, I'll probably pound out a (M) one-shot to keep you guys entertained.

I'm Captain Dodge – thank you, and have a nice day!

(…)

The Loud house, in a betrayal of its name, was unusually quiet that evening. After dinner, Mr. Loud let the pets back into the house, and they – oblivious to everything that had happened – happily welcomed the girls back. But not even they could lighten the girls' moods.

Everyone decided to call it an early night, with most of them going to their rooms. Lucy's words hung over them like a shadow. They didn't want to believe her, but… what if she was right?

Mr. Loud sat on the edge of his bed, slumping forward and cupping his face in his hands. His wife, seeing how much this entire ordeal was tearing him apart, decided to take some of the burden off of his shoulders.

It was time for a very important phone call.

Mrs. Loud went to the kitchen and found the phonebook, reluctantly leafing through it until she found the number for the nearest abortion clinic. She picked up the phone and dialed, listening to the phone ring and almost hoping no-one would pick up.

To her dismay, someone did pick up. "Huntington Oaks Abortion Clinic. How may I help you?" the female voice on the other end asked.

Mrs. Loud sighed. "Yes, hello… Um, I would like to… schedule an appointment for five tomorrow…?"

"5 p.m.? All right, just a moment, let me see if anyone is available at that –"

"No, no," Mrs. Loud interrupted, "not for 5 p.m.… for five."

"'Five'…? Ma'am, I'm afraid I don't understand…"

"The name… The name is 'Loud'…"

"'Loud'? …" There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Finally, the woman found her voice again. "Oh… Oh, no…"

Mrs. Loud closed her eyes. "I'm afraid so."

"I…" The woman was at a loss for words.

Mrs. Loud blinked back tears, and took a deep breath. "Please," she said, "please don't tell anyone about this…"

"Ah… W-Well…" Mrs. Loud heard the woman gulp. "D-Don't worry about that, Mrs. Loud. We take patient confidentiality very seriously here at Huntington Oaks."

"Ah… thank you…"

"Ahem… So, then, for… five… W-Well, it can be done, but…" Mrs. Loud heard papers shuffling on the other end. "…You'd have to come in early."

"How early?" Mrs. Loud asked.

"10 a.m., at the latest," the woman answered.

"That shouldn't be a problem."

"All right, then. Your appointment with Dr. Crowley is set for 10 a.m. tomorrow, Mrs. Loud. We'll… We'll see you then."

"Ah… J-Just a moment…!" Mrs. Loud said before the woman could hang up.

"Yes?"

"I…" Mrs. Loud gulped. "We've… heard about this… are you sure it's safe?"

"Of course, Mrs. Loud. You don't need to worry – we have some of the best doctors in the county here."

"O-Oh… okay… W-Well, that's all I wanted to know. Thank you. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Mrs. Loud hung up the phone, and returned to her bedroom. Mr. Loud was still sitting on the edge of the bed. He was grateful that she had done that for him, but he'd heard every word, and each one felt like a stab in the heart. This was still his decision.

It felt like he was sentencing his grandchildren to death.

Mrs. Loud sat down next to her husband. "It's done," she said.

Mr. Loud kept holding his head in his hands. "It's… done…" he repeated.

They sat in silence for a little while, until Mrs. Loud put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Lynn," she said, "talk to me…"

Mr. Loud weakly lifted his head up, staring at the wall. "Rita…" He sighed, turning his weary eyes to his wife. "I'm… not a murderer, am I?"

Mrs. Loud understood exactly what he meant, and shook her head. "No," she said firmly, "no, you're not."

He chuckled mirthlessly, before staring blankly ahead again. "Then… I did the right thing…?"

Mrs. Loud closed her eyes and was silent for a long time, carefully thinking about her next words. After a while, she leaned over and kissed Mr. Loud on the cheek.

"…I don't think there was a 'right thing' to do in that situation, dear," she said.

Mr. Loud sighed again. That didn't make him feel any better, but it did make sense. As he reflected on his behavior earlier, he put his head in his hands again. "You were right, Rita…"

"Huh? About what?"

"You were right. I should have… I should have been there for you and the girls." Mr. Loud shook his head. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, but, when I thought about what they did to him, and how I had to watch him become the way he is now, I just…"

He looked to be on the verge of tears. Mrs. Loud quickly said, "It's okay, honey, it's okay; you don't have to justify yourself –"

"But I do! I… I just… I wanted to help him, and I couldn't. But you were right – I wasn't thinking about them at all…" Mr. Loud sniffled.

"I can't imagine what they're thinking right now…"

(…)

Lori sat on her bed, desperately waiting for her cellphone to buzz. She had sent text after text after text to Bobby – begging him to forgive her, begging him to take her back, begging him to try to understand, begging him to just talk to her.

He still hadn't responded.

She hugged her knees to her chest and cried. No matter how badly she wanted to think about Bobby, about how much she needed him… her thoughts kept drifting back to Lincoln.

I was supposed to be the big sister… I was supposed to look out for you…

(…)

Leni read the fashion magazine in her hands, her eyes darting back and forth over the articles. She tried to let her mind drift away from the unhappy thoughts like it always did, and focus on the dresses that she loved so much… but her tears kept staining the pages, smudging the pictures.

It was no use. She tossed the fashion magazine away, and let the tears flow freely.

She couldn't stop thinking about how she had made a baby with her brother.

I really messed up bad this time… Why can't I stop messing up…?

(…)

Luna lay in her top bunk, strumming her guitar and staring at the ceiling. She clenched her teeth. No matter which way she strummed the strings, the chords always ended up sounding sad.

Soon, she had had enough. She held her beloved guitar over the edge of the bed… and carelessly let it drop to the ground with a loud clang.

How expensive it was just didn't matter to her anymore.

Life had just begun, bro… But now I've gone and thrown it all away…

(…)

Luan frowned at the puppet in her hands. Mr. Coconuts didn't want to talk to her – not after what she had done to Lincoln. She didn't want to hear what he thought about her, anyways.

Putting the dummy back in his case, Luan got down on her knees and lifted her bedsheets, pushing the case under the bed. She saw her other props lying under there, too, gathering dust… and tearfully pushed them further back.

She had a feeling that she wouldn't be using them for quite some time.

All I ever wanted to do was make you laugh… I never wanted to make you cry…

(…)

Lynn bounced her tennis ball against the wall again and again. This activity used to calm her down, help her get to sleep – but now it just aggravated her more. She started throwing the ball harder and harder, and it bounced faster and faster…

Until she lost control of it, and it hit her square in the eye.

Growling furiously, she spun around and started punching her pillow over and over, before grabbing it, burying her face in it, and screaming.

Why…? Why do I have to be so aggressive…?!

(…)

Lucy applied the finishing touches of glue on Edwin's stump, then carefully replaced his head. Excess glue oozed out of the cracks, but she gently wiped it away, then put the bust on her nightstand to dry. It was good as new – and yet, she couldn't decide why she should care.

She had become just as much a beautiful monster as her "love". Her dream had come true… but now it felt more like a nightmare.

For the first time in a long time (maybe the first time ever), tears started rolling down her pale cheeks.

I thought I didn't have a heart… I thought I knew what pain was…

(…)

Lana wasn't in her room. Being around her exotic pets, whom she used to adore, now only made her feel like a freak. She had gone downstairs to the kitchen to stare at the wildflowers she had picked for Lincoln that fateful day.

They were still in their beautifully-painted vase, but they had long since wilted, the colors all having drained out of the petals, most of which were lying on the table in a heap.

The sight was too much. Running back upstairs, she went to the bathroom, stripped, climbed into the shower… and started furiously scrubbing herself with soap.

Now I really am a dirty girl… I'm so sorry, Lincoln…

(…)

Lola stared at the pictures of her hanging on the wall bordering her bed. She was so pretty, so prim, so proper – so pure. Not anymore. She climbed up onto her bed and started tearing the pictures down, jumping and bouncing to grab the high ones. She hated the way they looked at her; the way they judged her.

Once she was finished, she jumped down onto the floor, panting and heaving from her frenzied effort. Her face felt wet – she figured she was sweating. She wiped her face, and her gloved hand came back with a black smudge.

She turned around and saw herself in the mirror… and saw that her mascara was running.

A pageant queen must have poise, grace, and self-control at all times… At ALL times…

(…)

Lisa rifled through the disorganized pile of notes on her desk. She already had a plan, but it would take some finesse to execute, and there was no time to lose. She briefly paused and asked herself if this was really the best course of action, but quickly persuaded herself that yes, it was. Lucy was right. This was the only way.

She found the schematics for the machine – and then laid her eyes on the little green book. She froze. Reluctantly, she forced herself to move towards it, to pick it up, to open it. Her eyes began to well up behind her huge glasses as she read the book's contents.

One more entry for her little green book… but this one outstripped all the others.

I prided myself on my genius intellect, my triumph over my animal roots… But in the end, I gave in to my baser instincts, and proved myself nothing more than a beast…

(…)

Lily rested comfortably in her crib. She was so happy to see her mommy and her big sisters again. Where had they gone? She wanted to play with them, but they didn't want to play with her. Why not? After dinner, each of her sisters had apologized to her. Why? What did they do?

She wondered all of this, but she didn't think very hard about it. It was all sort of beyond her understanding. She was just happy that everyone was back.

Although… she did notice that someone very important still wasn't there.

…Where's Linky…?

(…)

Mr. Loud sobbed. "God, I'm a failure…" he said. "I failed my family…"

"No. No, you didn't," Mrs. Loud said.

"I did, Rita! First you and the girls, then Lincoln…"

"What? How did you fail Lincoln?"

"I…" Mr. Loud stopped, fearing he had said too much. He knew he had to tell them about Ronnie Anne eventually, but the memory was still so painful… "I… I can't… I just… not yet…"

Mrs. Loud patted her husband's back soothingly. "Shh… It's okay, honey. We'll talk about it when you want to talk about it. Just… Just remember, you did the best you could."

Mr. Loud sniffled, shaking his head. "Not good enough…" he moaned. "Not good enough…"

That was it. Mrs. Loud grabbed her husband by the shoulders and turned him to face her directly. "Listen, Lynn," she told him, "what's done is done. There's nothing we can do about it now. All we can do is take our situation and make the most out of it. We're their parents – so let's start acting like it."

Mr. Loud blinked. Then, a determined look spread across his face. "You're right, Rita," he said, nodding. "We can't just sit and feel sorry for ourselves. We've… We've got to do something."

Mrs. Loud sighed, glad to finally have gotten through to her husband. "Right. So… the first and most obvious thing we should be doing is getting Lincoln some help…"

Mr. Loud contemplated that for a short while, then snapped his fingers.

"There's only one person I know who can help Lincoln now."

(…)

Lincoln awoke, sitting up in his bed. He looked at the time.

Morning time. It was quiet.

Too quiet for morning time.

He had lived in that house long enough to recognize his sisters stomping about in the mornings – and if they had come back, where were they?

Quietly, Lincoln slipped out of bed and got dressed. He pressed his ear against the door. Still nothing. He looked at the doorknob hesitantly. What if this was just another trick? What if they weren't gone? What if they were just waiting for him outside the door, staying silent?

But what if they were gone, and he was finally free?

Lincoln gulped. Grabbing the doorknob and twisting hard, he threw the door open, ready to fight… but no-one was there. Gingerly, he crept out into the hallway, looking around every half-second for his sisters.

It was completely and utterly quiet. Not a sound to be heard.

Maybe they really were gone. Maybe he was finally free.

Lincoln stretched, breathing in the fresh air. It was so good to be out of his room again. He prepared to head downstairs for breakfast…

…and stopped when he heard a voice that sent a deathly shiver down his spine.

"Where do you think YOU'RE going?"

Lincoln didn't bother to look; he just ran down the stairs as fast as he could, desperate to get away. He reached the front door and threw it open – but the way out was blocked.

By bars.

Prison bars.

"You can't leave," a different voice behind him said. "It's not safe out there, bro."

Finally, Lincoln had to turn around. Luna was standing there, naked, while Lori came down the stairs, also naked. Lincoln spun and ran through the dining room into the kitchen as his sisters materialized out of thin air, each of them just as naked as he remembered they were that day.

"Don't worry, Lincoln," Luan said, "you're safe in here. With us."

"We really love you, Lincoln…" Leni said.

"We'll take care of you…" Lana said.

"We'll never let you go…" Lucy said.

"Because you're our brother…" Lynn said.

"Our one and only brother…" Lola said.

Lincoln opened the back door. It was barred, too. He turned to try the window. Barred. Outside, it was getting very dark, very quickly. His sisters began to creep into the kitchen.

"We'll protect you, Lincoln."

"We'll always be here for you."

"We'll always be here with you."

"For you."

"WITH you."

"FOREVER."

Lincoln backed away from them, when suddenly he fell into something. It was Lisa's mechanical chair. The metal restraints shot out, immobilizing him, as the chair converted into a table and stretched him out flat.

Lincoln struggled against the restraints in vain. It was happening again. "No…" he whimpered. "No… No, no, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!"

His sisters surrounded him. They gazed down at him, smiling wickedly.

"It's playtime, Lincoln…"

(…)

"NOOOOOO!"

Lincoln bolted upright. Panting and sweating, he looked around quickly, realizing that he was back in his room, lying in his bed. Light crept through the cracks between the boards on his window.

Lincoln looked down at his shaking hands. It had happened again. He clutched his head, rocking back and forth, sobbing. Why…? he thought. Why won't the nightmares stop?

That's when he heard his sisters stomping around outside. He started shivering. Hugging his knees, he curled up into a defensive ball, watching the door. At any moment, if they wanted to, they could easily come in and take him. And who could stop them, if they all worked together like they did in the park?

Lincoln scooted backwards, into the furthest, darkest corner of his bed.

Because the nightmare is real, he told himself. Because I'm still living it.

Outside Lincoln's door, his sisters were crowding the hallway, pushing and shoving to get closer. Hearing their brother's cries caused them to instinctually rush to his aid, anxious to comfort him. Panicking, concerned for their brother, desperate to make everything up to him, and just wanting to see him again, they all forgot about their father's order.

Lori managed to reach the door first. "Lincoln?" she called. "Lincoln, are you okay?"

Lincoln flinched on hearing their voices, and he saw the doorknob rattling again. They were coming to get him. The pheromone wasn't out of his system – that was a lie. It would never be out of his system.

His sisters would never stop wanting him.

This time, though, he had someone who could protect him. "DAD!" Lincoln screamed. "DAAAD!"

Hearing all the commotion, Mr. and Mrs. Loud had gotten to the bottom of the stairs when they heard Lincoln calling, and charged up them to see their daughters crowding around the end of the hallway. Seeing them willfully disobeying him and frightening their brother in such a manner, Mr. Loud forgot about his resolve to think about them as well, and lost his temper.

"GIRLS!"

The Loud sisters all jumped. Turning to face their furious father, they knew that they had made a serious mistake.

Mr. Loud pointed at the stairs. "Downstairs! NOW!"

The other girls turned their eyes to Lori, silently pleading with her to speak on their behalf. Lori reluctantly stepped forward. "D-Dad, we just –"

"I don't want to hear it!" Mr. Loud shouted. He continued to point. "DOWNSTAIRS, NOW!"

Shoulders slumped and heads hung, the girls all obeyed. As she watched them file by one by one, Mrs. Loud noticed that Lisa was not among them. After they had all gone by, Mr. Loud went up to Lincoln's door, listening in. He was sobbing. Mrs. Loud went to Lisa and Lily's room, listening in at the door. She couldn't describe the noises she heard, but it sounded like something was being built.

Mrs. Loud knocked on the door. "Lisa?"

There was no answer. The noises continued.

Mrs. Loud knocked again. "Lisa, what's going on in there?"

Again, no answer, and again, more noises.

Mrs. Loud knocked harder, and said in an authoritarian tone of voice, "Lisa Marie Loud, you answer me when I'm talking to you!"

Finally, the strange noises stopped. After a few moments, the door opened a crack, and Mrs. Loud saw Lisa staring at her through it, bleary-eyed.

"Lisa, what's going on in there?" Mrs. Loud asked.

"Schienche experiment. Very important. Pleashe let me work," Lisa answered tersely and unusually politely.

Mrs. Loud scratched her head. "Well… it's breakfast time. Are you coming…?"

"Can't shtop now. No time. Pleashe bring it up." Lisa shut the door on her.

But Mrs. Loud knocked yet again. "Well… Well, could you at least let me get Lily?"

There was no response. Soon, though, the door opened again, and this time, Lisa had Lily by her side. She weakly turned her baby sister over to her mother, then shut the door again. The strange noises resumed.

Mrs. Loud frowned, finding this very odd, but she shook her head. She could deal with this later – right now, there was a more important matter to be dealt with.

With Lily in Mrs. Loud's arms, the two parents marched downstairs to the dining room. All their other daughters were sitting around the table, their breakfasts in front of them, untouched. All of them became even more fearful once their father entered the room. They placed Lily in her high chair, then sat at the end of the table together.

Mr. Loud pinched the bridge of his nose. The girls all held their breaths.

Then, Mr. Loud inhaled deeply, and said, "Girls… do any of you remember what I told you yesterday?"

Once again, everyone looked to Lori to speak up. This time, however, she kept her mouth firmly shut. She wasn't going to risk arousing her father's anger – not again.

Seeing her reluctance, Luna decided to be the one to speak up. "W-We do, Dad, b-but –"

"Then why did you all suddenly decide to disobey me?!"

"Dad, we were scared!" Luna cried. "We just wanted to help…"

Mr. Loud felt Mrs. Loud's hand touching his. He looked at her, and her eyes gave him a stern reminder of their conversation last night. Sighing, Mr. Loud tried to go easier on them. "I know… okay, I know you were just trying to help him," he said, "but that was not helping, okay?"

Luna sank into her seat, ashamed. "We… we were just so worried, Dad…"

"I know." Mr. Loud sighed. "…What happened?" he asked.

"We heard him screaming…!" Leni said.

Mr. Loud shook his head. "He must have had another nightmare…"

Luan looked up, shocked. "'Another' nightmare?"

Mr. Loud nodded. "He's been having a lot of those, recently…"

The Loud sisters looked at one another. More guilt to add to the pile…

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Lori found the courage to speak up again. "We're sorry, Dad…"

"It's okay, girls, it's okay," Mr. Loud reassured them. "It's okay. We'll let it go this time… just as long as you understand, and promise not to do it again."

The girls all solemnly nodded.

"Alright," Mr. Loud said, getting up out of his seat. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a plate up to Lincoln." He headed into the kitchen.

"Ah, honey?" Mrs. Loud called out. "Could you take another plate for Lisa?"

"Huh? Uh, sure…" As Mr. Loud came back out with two plates of breakfast, he asked, "Hey – where is Lisa, anyways?"

"She's in her room. She said something about an important science experiment," Mrs. Loud answered. As he began to head up the stairs, she asked him, "See if you can get anything more out of her."

After he left, Mrs. Loud sighed, picking up her fork and knife. "Well, alright, girls," she said, "eat your breakfast before it gets cold." As the sisters slowly did so (none of them had much of an appetite), Mrs. Loud looked to her five eldest daughters, all sitting on one side of the table, and told them, "You need to get ready soon, girls – our appointment's in two hours."

"Appointment? What appointment?" Lori asked.

"For your…" Mrs. Loud hesitated. "For… We're… going to the… clinic… today…"

"The 'clinic'…?" Luan went wide-eyed. "That's today?!"

Mrs. Loud nodded. As Luan and her other pregnant sisters erupted in shock and protest, she called out to silence them. "Girls… GIRLS!" She waved a hand in the air in a cutting motion. "I know it's sooner than you might have expected, but… but I say we'd better… we'd better just… just… get it over with now, before you start having second thoughts…"

The girls looked at each other despairingly. They were already having second thoughts…

Mr. Loud came back. As he sat back down, he asked, "What was all that commotion about down here?"

"The girls found out about their appointment," Mrs. Loud answered.

"Oh… I see…" Mr. Loud looked down at his plate, and said no more.

The Louds ate their breakfast in silence. Only Lana was bold enough to speak, and then only to ask if Mr. Loud had found out anything more about Lisa and her experiment. He hadn't.

After breakfast, the Louds returned to their rooms in silence. No-one could think of anything to do except dress, get ready for the day, and lie on their beds, feeling sorry for themselves. The five eldest Loud sisters all watched the clock, their sense of dread growing with each passing minute. When they had found out from the doctors, they were initially devastated, as anyone would be. But as time went by, for some strange reason, they began to feel a profound sense of happiness. They couldn't explain why, but they were ashamed of it nonetheless. Their conflicting emotions left them at a loss as to what to do, so they were relieved that their father had made the choice for them.

But now that they had had time to think about it, they wondered if they really were happy with that choice…

Finally, it was time to go. Mrs. Loud called each of them downstairs. They dared not disobey.

As Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, and Lynn gathered downstairs, Mrs. Loud went aside to talk to Mr. Loud.

"Have you called yet?" Mrs. Loud asked.

Mr. Loud nodded. "Yep. He should be here any minute now." He looked sadly at his daughters. "This… This is really happening, huh…"

Mrs. Loud put her hand on her husband's shoulder. "This has to be done, Lynn," she said. "You know that."

"I know." Mr. Loud shook his head, seeing them all gathered at the foot of the stairs. "I still don't understand how they all got pregnant at the same time…"

"Well…" Mrs. Loud struggled to explain the intricacies of female biology to her husband. "Well, you see, Lynn, when women of… a certain age live in close proximity for a long time, their… Well, their cycles line up, you see…"

"O… Oh." Mr. Loud still looked torn up. Mrs. Loud hugged him tenderly.

"You are not a murderer, honey," she whispered in his ear.

Mr. Loud gently hugged her back, trying not to cry. "Then why do I feel like one?"

Mrs. Loud kissed him on the cheek. "You're not." She released him, then turned to her daughters. "All right, come on, girls. Let's go."

One by one, the girls followed their mother outside, and reluctantly got into the car. Lori lingered outside her door, looking up at Lincoln's window.

"Lori, come on, sweetie," Mrs. Loud said.

"M…Mom…" Lori looked at her mother.

"Lori, sweetie, it's okay. You can do this. I'll be right there with you, the whole time."

Lori shook her head. "No, no, it's not that, Mom…" She looked back up at Lincoln's window. "Don't… Don't you think we should tell him about this?"

"Who…?" Mrs. Loud followed Lori's gaze. "Oh… Oh, Lori… no. I think, given everything that's happened… finding out about this would only make him feel worse."

Lori sagged. She understood, but she still didn't like it. "O… Okay…"

Mrs. Loud sighed. "Please, Lori… get in the car."

Lori obeyed. Mrs. Loud climbed into the driver's seat, looking at her despondent daughters through the rear-view mirror. Sighing, she started up the van, and drove off. She didn't want them to be late for their appointments…

(…)

Mere minutes after Mrs. Loud and her daughters left, the McBride family car pulled up into the Loud house's driveway. Clyde looked up at his best friend's house, then down at the comics in his hands. He took a deep breath.

"You okay, Clyde?" Clyde's father, Harold, asked.

"Yeah, Dad, I'm just… I wonder if Lincoln's really ready to see me again…" Clyde answered. After the incident, Lincoln had stopped talking to him. Clyde understood why, but he still felt lonely without his best friend. He and their other friends acutely felt the void Lincoln left. That's why he had been so surprised when Mr. Loud called and asked him if he wanted to come over and hang out with Lincoln. He was eager to finally see Lincoln again, but he couldn't help but worry.

"Oh, Clyde, I'm sure he'll be happy to see you," Clyde's other father, Howard, said. "You're his best friend, after all."

Clyde sighed, smiling. "Thanks, Dad." He and his fathers got out of the car, and his fathers walked him to the door.

"Now, son, if anything happens, you can call us at these numbers," Howard said, handing Clyde a long sheet of paper with various numbers on it.

Harold placed his hand on his husband's shoulder. "Howie," he said, "don't worry so much. He's just having a little play-date with his friend." He turned to Clyde. "Just call us when you're ready to be picked up, son."

Clyde nodded. "Okay, Dad."

Clyde's fathers hugged him. "We love you, son," they said. "Have fun."

Clyde hugged them back. "Love you too, Dads. I will."

Clyde's fathers returned to the car, waved goodbye, and drove away. Clyde saw them off, then took another deep breath as he knocked on the door. It wasn't long before Mr. Loud opened the door.

"…Hello, Clyde."

"Uh… hi, Mr. Loud."

Mr. Loud stepped aside. "Please, come in."

Clyde stepped inside, and as Mr. Loud led him upstairs to Lincoln's room, he asked, "Do… do you really think he's ready to see me?"

"I'm not sure," Mr. Loud said. "All I know is, he has to see someone."

Clyde nodded. "I hear that."

As they passed by Lucy, Lola, and Lana's rooms, they all peeked their heads out curiously. The two of them came up to Lincoln's room. Clyde looked at Mr. Loud, who nodded at him, urging him on. He gingerly knocked on the door.

"…Lincoln?"

Lincoln froze when he heard that voice. It was a familiar voice – one he knew he could trust.

"Lincoln, it's me, Clyde."

Lincoln slowly crawled off of his bed, inching towards the door. He knew it was Clyde, he knew Clyde would never hurt him – he knew Clyde was his friend.

"C… C… Cl… Clyde?"

"Yeah, man, it's me. I brought two copies of the latest of Ace Savvy over, do you want to read them together?"

Lincoln did want that. He wanted very much to see Clyde again, to laugh and play with him like he used to. Lincoln opened the door a crack, seeing Clyde and his father standing outside his door…

…and saw his younger sisters standing just beyond them.

Lincoln shrieked, slamming the door and locking it before jumping back onto the bed and cowering under the covers. It was a trick! They had used Clyde to try to get him to lower his guard!

Clyde, startled, knocked on the door again. "Lincoln?! Lincoln, what's the matter?"

Inside his room, Lincoln stayed under the sheets, whispering "Nonononononononono…"

Mr. Loud turned around to see Lucy, Lola, and Lana standing in the hall. "Oh… Girls?" He made a shooing motion. "You might want to, uh…"

The girls realized their mistake. "Oh…" Lucy looked at the twins, and motioned for them to follow her. They all went downstairs.

Mr. Loud nodded at Clyde, who nodded back and knocked on the door a third time. "It's okay, Lincoln," he said, "they're gone now."

Lincoln didn't listen to him. He was on their side. He couldn't trust him anymore. He didn't know who he could trust, anymore…

"Nononononononononono…"

Mr. Loud spoke up. "Son, it's okay, really. I sent them away. They're gone, I promise."

Lincoln stopped muttering to himself. He poked his head out from under the sheets. His father had always looked out for him – except for that one time… But he had defended him from his sisters just earlier, so perhaps he was telling the truth…?

Clyde knocked yet again. "Come on, Lincoln, you know me. You know I'd never lie to you." He leaned in close to the door.

"We're Clincoln McCloud, remember?"

Lincoln gasped. After several agonized moments, he finally got out of bed again, grabbed the doorknob, took a deep breath, then quickly threw the door open and scanned the hallway before shutting the door again, bracing himself against it and hyperventilating. He didn't see his sisters out there, but what if they were hiding? What if they were still waiting for him to let his guard down?

But Clyde…

He could always trust Clyde, couldn't he?

Clincoln McCloud… he thought.

Reluctantly, Lincoln opened the door a crack again, and motioned for Clyde to come inside. Clyde sighed in relief, but just as he was about to go inside, Mr. Loud stopped him.

"Oh, Clyde?" he said. "Before you go in there, I have to warn you – don't touch him. He really hates it."

"H-He does?" Clyde said.

"Oh, yeah. For the first couple of weeks, he wouldn't let me, or even Lily touch him. So, you know…"

"Okay, got it. Don't do that." Clyde grasped the doorknob. "Okay, Lincoln, I'm coming in…"

Lincoln hurried Clyde into his room, then took the time to place his breakfast plate outside before shutting and locking the door again. Mr. Loud stared dismally at the plate in front of him.

Once again, it had barely been touched.

He took it downstairs, where he saw Lucy, Lola, and Lana sitting quietly in the living room, depressed as can be.

"Um… are you alright, girls?" he asked. He knew it was a stupid question, but he thought talking about it might make them feel better.

Lola and Lana didn't respond, instead staring at the powered-off TV. Lucy looked down at her stomach, rubbing the area just below her navel.

"My scars are aching," she said. "Inside and out."

(…)

Mrs. Loud hadn't failed to notice the people recognizing the family van as they drove by, nor did she fail to notice how uncomfortable her daughters were to have passersby look at them the way they did. So, she decided to stay off the main roads and highways, and take the back roads to Huntington Oaks instead.

They arrived right on time. They parked "Vanzilla", and headed towards the entrance to Huntington Oaks Abortion Clinic. Just outside the entrance, a man was harassing a couple trying to enter.

"Please, ma'am," he said to the woman, "would you allow your child to die, before it's even been born? It's a parent's duty to care for their child – not to send it to Hell before it has even seen the light of the Lord!"

The other man held his partner's shoulders. "Don't listen to him, babe," he said. "Let's go."

"Infanticide is a sin! This is murder! A child should not suffer for the sins of the parent!" the first man said as the couple entered the clinic. He turned to the Louds. "You, ma'am! How can you…" The man trailed off as he looked at them. "Wait… I… I know you… I saw you on TV! You're the Louds…"

Mrs. Loud looked back at her daughters, who were holding and looking at their bellies and starting to cry. She glared at the man. "Are you going to preach to us, too?"

The man turned pale. "I…"

"Come on, girls."

Mrs. Loud marched into the clinic without allowing the man to answer, and her daughters followed her, eager to be away from that man.

As their mother checked in at the front desk, the girls looked around the clinic. It was clean, bright, and sanitary – but none of this made them any less comfortable. They sat in the waiting room, thinking about that man's words. They knew he was wrong, of course – in this case, at least. Their children were abominations in every sense of the word before they were even born, and if they were born, they would always be living reminders of their heinous crime.

So, why…?

Why did the girls want to keep them so badly?

Dr. Crowley stepped out of one of the rooms. "Ah… 'Loud'?" she called.

Mrs. Loud gulped. This was it. She turned to the girls. "Okay, well…" she said, "…does anyone want to go first?"

The girls looked at each other. None of them did. Finally, Lori, realizing that she had to step up again, did so.

"I'll go –"

"Wait!"

Lynn stood up, on the verge of tears, and Lori sat back down.

"Ah –!" Mrs. Loud started. "Uh… Lynn? Do you want to go first?"

Lynn shook her head violently. "No, Mom! I…" She looked at the others, who were still just as uncertain as she was. Lynn strengthened her resolve. She had to convince them now, before it was too late.

"I… I…" Lynn buried her face in her hands, sobbing. "I can't do this, Mom. I just can't…"

Mrs. Loud watched Lynn – strong, independent Lynn – cry, then turned to look at her other daughters. They looked back at her, eyes welling and lips quivering. She knew that Lynn was saying what they were all thinking.

She stood up. She had to do something, now. Kneeling to Lynn's level, she put a hand on her daughter's shoulder and said, firmly but gently, "Lynn, listen to me. Being a mother is not easy. Believe me – I would know. It wasn't easy for me with just one, and I wasn't thirteen years old. You are. Do you really think you're ready for that responsibility, at such a young age? Do you really think you can raise a child well, when you haven't even finished being raised?"

Lynn sniffled, drying her eyes. "I… I can be… for my child –"

But Mrs. Loud silenced her. "Oh, really? And just how are you going to provide for this child? What kind of place would hire a thirteen-year-old? Or do you just intend to foist it on your father and I – make us pay for it, and do all the hard work of raising it?"

"N-No, Mom, I –"

"And what about the future? Not just yours, but your child's? If word gets out that you had your brother's child – and believe me, word always finds a way of getting out – you, the both of you, will be ostracized, no matter how badly either of you try to convince others that you're still good people. Lynn…"

Mrs. Loud forced Lynn to look at her.

"Is that REALLY the kind of future you want for your child?"

"I… I…" Lynn stuttered.

Mrs. Loud sighed. "Please, Lynn… just do it."

Lynn looked to her sisters helplessly, but they couldn't offer her any support. She hung her head bitterly. It was over – she had lost. Turning to Dr. Crowley, who was patiently waiting by the door, she decided to get it over with first.

Hours passed, as each Loud sister followed the other into the room. Each one came out sobbing. After three hours, it was over. The girls and their mother left. The man outside couldn't even bring himself to look at them. They all drove home in complete silence.

Their children were all dead before they were even alive.