Author's Note (Exosphere): Well I thought this was going to be a short chapter that I'd finish in about a week. This is the first chapter of the story that hadn't been prewritten ahead of time! "Cool! Why is that important?"It isn't. I just wasted your time, and you let me.

*Rapping dog appears out of nowhere* It's party time!

A crisp and blissful autumn morning for most didn't open well for the Louds. The consequences of their stupidity had finally caught up to them in a way that rattled every one of their number, and all of a sudden that promised tranquility and attempt to return to a renewed, regulated normalcy escaped them like a cradle over an abyss rocked too far.

This is what troubled Lori the most. For all her life, she had tried to be a good guardian to her little brother. Always, she had been there for him. Until she wasn't. That one damn moment where she betrayed her brother and his trust in her had become her life's undoing.

And yet she knew that's how it often went. Most tragedies were not epic failures of being. They were the result of a single bad day, a single bad hour, a single bad minute unraveling everything one spent their whole lives building. Twenty years can die in twenty seconds.

If nothing else, as Lori looked into the mirror into her sad eyes, she knew that things were changing for the better. In spite of Lincoln's vindictive coldness and distance, there had been progress between them all. The three weeks since he's returned had proven three weeks of walking a long road to true forgiveness. Indeed, she was the first to doubt Lincoln had truly forgiven them when the sisters came to him, one by one, over the course of that time. She knew him well and knew that, for the first time, they had finally pushed him too far. This wasn't going to be something that would heal overnight or even within a few months. But heal it would. And what's more, she knew the role she had to play. It was her fault for hurting Lincoln; the least she could do was help him recover.

But this?

In her heart, she struggled to come to terms with her baby sister's sudden eviction. Every argument she developed had an equal, if not stronger, counter-argument.

''You can't kick out your sister.'

'My sisters kicked me out.'

'But that was before! We've learned!'

'Can't prove anything just yet. Do this and I'll believe you.'

'But she doesn't deserve it.'

'I feel she does.'

'But she's family!'

'So was I.'

'We've learned our lesson. It's not right to throw out a family member. We were wrong to do it to you, but it's not right to do it to her!'

'Did you really learn? Or are you just more protective of one of your sisters than your brother?'

There was a slight fire in her eye as a frustration of sorts swirled and burned in her. This was Lincoln taking out his frustrations on Lucy instead of something more constructive. Why did he have to ruin things?

Yet that frustration could not ignite fully, as the doubts she felt were too strong. What frightened the young woman was that she knew, she knew, that her feelings would have been so different a few months prior. She'd have made the twerp pay for trying to undo the family. Completely unironically, she'd have been unforgiving in her outrage that Lincoln could so casually kick out a beloved sibling over something so stupid as taking the fall for clogging the toilet. So much so that she convinced herself she'd have likely made true her threat to turn Lincoln into a human pretzel.

'Why didn't you choose me?' She looked up with even sadder eyes, losing herself further in thought. Lincoln was right to be cold. This family was a danger to him. And if she ever wanted to be trusted by him again… what did she have to do? She didn't know. She didn't know and it scared her.

A thought flashed through her mind: what if they did get rid of Lincoln?

"Hey, Leni," said Lori, looking over her shoulder. The fashionista had barely awoken.

"What's up?" she said groggily with a stretch.

Lori smiled gingerly. "I was wondering… Do you think Lincoln would be better off with another family?"

Leni gasped. "No way! He loves us!"

Lori frowned. "Yeah, that's kinda what I'm afraid of." She ran the possibilities through her mind. The last thing she wanted was for her little brother to be hurt by the Loud family again, and no matter how much they proved themselves to him, surely there'd always be that little doubt, that little understanding that it was always possible.

Then again, wasn't it possible with anyone? All people have their flaws and failings. No matter who he went to live with, there'd always been that remote possibility they'd do something just as awful to him as her own family did. After all, hadn't it been unthinkable only a few months prior? Perhaps even the McBrides could prove untrustworthy given enough time.

"You're afraid of him loving us?" Leni pondered this. "Is there something beyond love he could do?"

"No, Leni, no. I'm literally saying that I'd rather Lincoln live somewhere he could be the happy boy he ought to be."

"And that place is here." Both girls looked to the door, where Lincoln leaned, fresh in his underwear.

"Lincoln!"

"Morning, Linky!"

"Morning, Leni." He focused on Lori. "Trying to get rid of me again, are ya?"

"L-Lincoln, I—"

"It's cool. I get it. You want to take the easy way out." He walked into the room, a privilege he'd only had for three weeks. "There's a good reason I came back and gave you guys a second chance. You wanna know what that reason is?"

Leni raised her hand. "Oooh, oooh, I think I know!"

Lincoln snidely smirked at her and shook his head. Gosh, I love Leni.

"It's because I do love you guys."

"See, I told you!"

Lori scooched back and folded her arms.

"And sometimes, you just need to show someone you care about tough love to make them realize what they did wrong." He walked further in and stood directly against Lori. "If I just ran off with another family, sure, I'd be safer. Maybe. But that'd be too easy. Besides, you guys wouldn't be. How long would it be until you threw out another one of your siblings?"

"Lincoln…"

"Bup-bup-bup. I know. I know. I swear this is all gonna work out."

She looked away, then back to her brother. "You're too good for us, Lincoln. If you ran away and never looked back, that'd still be better than what we deserve."

"Maybe. And I know a lot of people feel that way. But screw 'em. That's not my choice."

It happened again. A false flashback went across Lori's eyes. A porch. A cereal bowl. A megaphone. A squirrel suit. The beach. And at that beach, the squirrel suit's head came off, and she blew out her cheeks and sighed in defeat. Meanwhile, her family lived it up, loud and proud without a care in the world.

'That's how it should've gone. That's what I deserve.'

"And you know, call me crazy, buu~uut, I get the feeling all you guys really needed was to face the consequences for once. You guys always got away with stuff that I didn't, and now it caught up to you in a big way. I wanted to see if you really did learn your lesson."

"But why are you sending Lucy to prison?" asked Leni.

Both narrowed their eyes and Lincoln said, "She's just… um, Leni, she's being adopted by another family is all."

She blinked. "Oh. But she's already wearing prison clothes!"

"Uh... Leni, she's always wears that." Ha, maybe living a charmed life with the Bierpongs will cause her to change. Maybe when I see her again, Lucy'll be… normal… Oh…

Lincoln gritted his teeth and rubbed his shoulder as he felt bad over the thought of Lucy, the born goth, being forcibly made 'normal.' How would that be achieved? A most terrible thought flashed through his mind: that of some overly strict parenting and an evil nanny hitting the girl with a cane. He gulped and brushed the thought bubble away: the very thought of any of his sisters suffering such a horrible fate was too awful to contemplate, no matter their wrongs against him.

Another thought also troubled him. Normal? She was born a goth. For her, that is normal. Or did he not think she had a right to individuality?

Ah. He must have been thinking too much.

"So we're already in prison? Huh! Totes makes sense. I guess that's why the food's been so bad lately."

Downstairs, Lynn Sr. sneezed.

Leni seemed to have a way of undermining even the most seemingly rational decisions with her innocent observations. Her eyes sparkled as she asked, "If Lucy is leaving," she asked, her voice wavering with uncertainty, "shouldn't Lynn go with her? I mean, they're sisters after all."

Lori and Lincoln exchanged confused glances. "Why would Lynn go with her, Leni?" Lori asked, trying to understand her sister's reasoning.

Leni glanced at Cliff and Charles, two of the family pets, who were resting on each other in the hallway despite their occasional squabbles. "Well, it's kind of like when you have two pets. They might not always get along, but they need each other."

Lincoln stared at the intertwined pets as well, momentarily lost in thought. As his gaze shifted between Cliff and Charles and then back to his sisters, he couldn't help but wonder if Leni was onto something.

His mind began to drift, recalling how things had been only two days ago. Today was supposed to be the big day, the day that would change everything. But had he really made the right decision? He guessed he had traded it all after all, and not even for the world.

Returning his attention to Leni, he found himself growing increasingly uncertain about his earlier convictions. He thought about the bond between Lucy and Lynn, and between all his sisters. They were family, bound together by love and a shared history, even if they didn't always get along.

The room fell silent as the siblings contemplated Leni's words, the air heavy with tension and doubt. Each of them wondered if they were doing the right thing, if maybe there was a better way to handle the situation.

In that moment, the Loud family's future hung in the balance.

In the quiet sanctuary of his room, Lincoln sat on his bed, gripping Bun Bun tightly in his hands. His eyes stared into the distance, lost in thought as the darker side of his mind wrestled with the decisions he had made. He whispered to his trusted stuffed companion, "I can't let them off the hook, Bun Bun. I have to be strong for us."

His voice was resolute, even as it trembled with the weight of his convictions. "They are my family, and I love them. But that's why I have to be strong and never let my guard down around them ever again."

Just as he finished his vow, his phone buzzed on the nightstand, breaking the heavy silence. Seeing Clyde's name on the screen, Lincoln felt a small smile form on his lips. He eagerly answered the call, his heart racing with anticipation.

"Hey, Clyde! What's up?" he asked, trying to contain his excitement.

"Hey, Lincoln. Just wondering if you want to hang out today. Anything new going on with you?" Clyde inquired, his voice casual and friendly.

Lincoln could hardly contain himself. "Actually, yeah! I finally stood up to my family on a big issue, and I won, Clyde! I can't wait to tell you all about it. You're going to be so proud of me!"

And so Lincoln told Clyde about the incident with his family and how he had finally stood up for himself. He told Clyde how he felt that he'd finally come into his own and was beginning to feel like the man he was meant to be. And how? By explaining that he had held them emotionally hostage, that he had forced them to disown his 8-year-old sister, and that the only available option for Lucy that did not involve her being sent to another state or to live in a group home was to be adopted by a shady man with a less than savory reputation.

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and when Clyde finally spoke, his voice was somber and serious. "This ain't it, chief," he said, his words striking Lincoln like a cold slap in the face.

The jubilant expression that had been plastered on Lincoln's face moments before fell, replaced by a mix of confusion and hurt. He had expected his best friend to share in his victory, to understand why he had made the choices he did. But Clyde's response made it clear that he didn't see things the same way.

As the weight of his friend's words sunk in, Lincoln's grip on Bun Bun tightened, and the shadow of doubt cast over his decisions grew darker and more persistent.

Clyde had always stood by Lincoln, unwavering in his support for his best friend. In fact, there was a time when Clyde was more than just a friend; he was like a brother to Lincoln. When the Loud family had treated Lincoln poorly, Clyde had been just as angry, if not angrier, and had made it his personal mission to refer to them as "Lincoln's ex-family" at every opportunity. He had even been the first one to back Lincoln's decision to forgive them when they finally acknowledged their mistakes and demonstrated their love for him.

But now, Clyde found himself unable to support Lincoln's latest actions. "Lincoln, you have to tell me why you did this," Clyde implored, his voice firm yet concerned. "You know I've always been there for you, but I need to understand your reasoning."

Lincoln sighed, hesitating for a moment before speaking up. "Okay, so remember that time I got blamed for clogging the toilet and missed the comic convention with the Ace Savvy contest?" he began.

Clyde nodded. "Yeah, I remember that. It was a really tough break for you."

Lincoln continued, "Well, it turns out that it was Lucy who was actually responsible. She clogged the toilet with a book, and I took the fall for her. I got grounded, and she never owned up to it."

Clyde frowned. "Okay, that's not cool, but..."

"And that's not all," Lincoln interrupted, his voice rising with emotion. "When my family kicked me out, she wasn't there for me either. She just stood by and let it happen."

Clyde struggled to find the right words, as he tried to process Lincoln's reasoning. "Lincoln, that's... that's about Princess Pony, right? Dude, you kicked your sister out of the house over Princess Pony. You can't be serious."

Lincoln's face reddened, and he clenched his fists, defensive. "Clyde, it's not just about Princess Pony! It's about everything she's done and how she wasn't there for me when I needed her most. It's about standing up for myself!"

Clyde sighed, his heart heavy with the burden of disagreement. As much as he wanted to support his best friend, he couldn't condone Lincoln's actions this time. He knew that what Lincoln needed now was not blind loyalty, but a voice of reason to help him see the bigger picture.

"Dude, I get it. Really, I get it. The spooky girl let you down. But don'tcha think you might be missing the forest for the tombstone with this one?"

At first, Lincoln felt a spittle-filled rant come to his lips as he prepared to shut down his best friend for his doubts. Yet try as he might, he could not bring himself to go through with it. What happened? Why was he suddenly so weak-willed? He knew how he felt. Was it Clyde? Was it that he couldn't shout down Clyde? Or was it the fact that he was unsure about his own convictions himself? Was Clyde making a good point?

It was times like this that the two shared some weird sort of psychic connection. He couldn't see Clyde's face, but the boy was absolutely thinking it: if he was kicking anyone out of that house, why not Lynn?

Lincoln rubbed his arm, visibly uncomfortable as Clyde struggled to comprehend the situation. The very idea of it seemed so preposterous that Clyde not only found it difficult to understand, but he also outright refused to accept it. With a press of a button on his phone, the video streaming app opened, anad looked into his friend's eyes, concern etched across his face, and said, "Lincoln, I think you need to go into your parents' room, tell them to tell Billy Bierpong to stay home, and seriously think this through."

At this, Lincoln's anger flared, his voice rising in frustration. "Clyde, don't my feelings mean anything to you? I gave her my time, my feelings, and it's like she wasn't even listening!"

"Dude, what?" Clyde's expression morphed into one of confusion and disbelief.

Lincoln quickly zipped his lips, realizing he might have said too much. Clyde, in turn, apologized, not wanting to upset his brother-from-another-mother. "I'm sorry, Lincoln, I didn't mean to make you mad. I just... I can't wrap my head around this. Something doesn't add up."

His voice laden with emotion, Lincoln insisted, "I swear, Clyde, I've told you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Clincoln McLoud remains strong, right?"

But Clyde couldn't shake the feeling that Lincoln was hiding something from him. The inconsistency gnawed at him, and it was clear to him that something was not right.

Just then, a beep interrupted their conversation. An old-fashioned family sedan pulled into the Louds' driveway, signaling Billy Bierpong's arrival. The situation had just become more urgent.

Lincoln's anger seemed to simmer beneath the surface, as if he were on the verge of boiling over. His voice was strained and unsteady, betraying the turmoil within. Clyde, ever the loyal friend, mentally stood beside him, but his doubts were growing. The subtle furrowing of his brow and the way he held himself, both tense and hesitant, revealed his concern.

Clyde's thoughts raced, trying to piece together the puzzle of Lincoln's actions. The weight of uncertainty hung heavy in the air, a palpable tension between the two friends.

As Lincoln and Clyde exchanged one last glance, facing the impending confrontation, their friendship was tested, leaving them both questioning what was hidden beneath the surface of Lincoln's anger.

The Loud family left the the living room, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their guest. The tension was palpable as the moment drew near. Finally, the front door swung open as they stepped out, revealing the much-discussed Billy Bierpong and his wife, Mandy.

"Hey, Lynn, you dog! How's it been?" Billy boomed, his voice full of energy and good humor.

Billy was a stout and rotund man, his portly figure filling the doorway. His bushy mustache framed his wide, beaming smile, and his rosy cheeks, reminiscent of Santa Claus, glowed with warmth. A curly black mop of hair adorned the sides of his head, just above his ears, improperly combed as if deliberately trying to invoke a sort of mid-20th century Father Knows Best persona. Despite the fact that he and Lynn Sr. were supposed to be school buddies, Billy looked like he was somewhere between Lynn Sr. and Pop-Pop's age.

Beside him stood Mandy, Billy's wife. She was a thin woman, save for her ample hips, and her appearance evoked that of a middle-aged Stepford wife. Her impeccably styled hair and neat, conservative outfit gave her an air of restrained elegance. A massive, unwavering grin plastered her face, a grin that seemed to have been etched in place, never wavering or faltering. In terms of age, Mandy appeared to be a contemporary of Rita.

As the Loud parents exchanged pleasantries with the couple, the contrast between Billy's boisterous demeanor and Mandy's restrained, ever-smiling countenance became all the more apparent. The living room buzzed with excitement and unease, a volatile mixture of emotions that left the family on edge.

In the midst of the introductions and polite small talk, Lincoln watched from the sidelines. Clyde's words echoed in his mind, adding to his growing sense of doubt and uncertainty

As Lincoln reluctantly approached Billy and Mandy to greet them, he couldn't help but notice the stark difference in their handshakes. Billy's grip was rough and vigorous, a testament to his boisterous nature, while Mandy's was delicate, almost fragile, much like her carefully maintained demeanor.

With an air of curiosity, Billy looked Lincoln up and down, then asked, "So, are we going to like your ol' sister, kiddo?"

Lincoln hesitated for a moment, the tension in the room palpable. "Huh! Well, I'm probably not the best person to ask right now," he replied, his voice strained with forced joviality as he gave a nervous, neck-rubbing shrug.

Lynn Sr., catching on to the awkward exchange, interjected, "Billy-boy, our son and daughter are sort of on bad terms at the moment." He motioned towards Lucy, who was partially hidden behind his legs.

Billy glanced down, only just now noticing the small, somber figure lurking in the shadows. "Ah, I see," he said with a hint of understanding.

The very verbal utterance that she and Lincoln were on bad terms visibly shook and frightened her, and Lincoln knew why. Oh he knew why, alright. If Lucy wasn't a proud goth, she would have been a perpetually quivering mess of insecurity and avoidancy. There was nothing Lucy feared more than the feeling of being hated and rejected– and he knew that. From behind those bangs, Lucy's eyes peered up at Billy, her expression a mix of curiosity and apprehension. From her perspective, he was a towering figure, blocking out the sun and casting an imposing shadow over her delicate frame.

Stooping down to her level, Billy asked gently, "Are you Lucy Loud?"

"Indeed, I am," she replied in her soft, monotone voice, appearing even more vulnerable and fragile than usual.

As the conversation continued, the room filled with an uneasy atmosphere, a subtle sense of dread lingering just beneath the surface. The Loud family members exchanged glances, silently acknowledging the discomfort but not daring to call attention to it.

Amidst the tension, Lucy's eyes flitted towards her brother, seeking solace or reassurance. But Lincoln merely closed his eyes and looked away, his expression betraying his internal turmoil. In that moment, the distance between them seemed greater than ever before, leaving Lucy feeling more alone and exposed than she had ever felt.

The other sisters, their curiosity piqued and concern heightened, emerged one by one from their hiding places to confront Billy and Mandy. With a barrage of questions, they attempted to gauge just how adept these newcomers would be at understanding Lucy's unique tastes and quirks.

"Do you live near a graveyard?" asked Luna.

"How good are you at making blood pudding?" asked Lori.

"I hope your house is haunted. It'd make Lucy so happy!" said Luan.

"Boo?" went Lily.

Billy merely laughed, a sonorous and deep sound that reverberated through the room, filling it with an unsettling warmth. "There'll be time for adjustment," he assured them, his eyes twinkling with a mix of mischief and genuine intention.

As Billy pulled Lynn Sr. aside for a private conversation, Mandy approached Lucy with a maternal tenderness that, under different circumstances, might have been comforting. "Are you going to be okay?" she asked softly, her voice barely audible above the din of the room. "Are you going to miss your family?"

Lucy hesitated, her gaze drifting once more to Lincoln, who still refused to meet her eyes. Clyde, sensing the deeply personal nature of the moment, decided to end the video call, allowing the family some semblance of privacy in their time of turmoil.

"What did you do to him?" Mandy whispered, her breath barely stirring the air as she leaned in closer to Lucy.

In a solemn tone, Lucy confessed, "I destroyed his trust in me."

Mandy's eyes held a glimmer of understanding; she had already heard the sordid tale of the Bad Luck Incident, as had the entire town. Lincoln took note of this, silently resolving to ask Dr. Lopez why the story had been news to her.

Lynn Sr.'s hand trembled as he shook Billy's, his face a mask of solemn resignation.

As Billy emerged from their conversation, he approached Lucy with a grave expression. "I have some bad news for you, Lucy," he said, his voice heavy with the weight of his words. "Billy will take you, but..."

"But what, Dad?" Lucy's voice wavered, her heart hammering in her chest.

"You're not a Loud anymore."

Lucy's brow furrowed. "Yes, that's... you already said that."

Senior rubbed the back of his neck and looked away before holding up his hands as he realized he had been misunderstood: "No, I mean... you aren't a LOUD anymore."

A pregnant pause filled the room as the gravity of his words sunk in. Then, with a paternal warmth that belied his earlier gruffness, Billy placed a heavy hand on Lucy's shoulder. "As long as you live in my house, you're a Bierpong, Lucy. I hope you like the name."

Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill over as she fought to maintain her composure. With a quiet, broken sigh, she managed to choke out, "I can live with that." The words echoed through the room, a mournful testament to the fractured bond that now lay between the siblings, the gaping chasm that separated Lucy from her former life as a Loud.

Lucy cast a forlorn glance around her, her thoughts drifting to her beloved pet, Fangs. She wished she could take him along, but all she could gather was what little she still had left. Unbeknownst to her, Fangs watched her from a distance, his mournful eyes reflecting her own sorrow.

Lynn, with a surge of desperation, pushed herself forward out of the house, propelling her wheelchair at a breakneck speed. Her momentum betrayed her, and she stumbled, collapsing face-first onto the floor. Her sisters, filled with concern, rushed to help her back onto her feet.

"Wait! Don't kick Lucy out!" Lynn pleaded, her voice straining with urgency. "Take me instead!"

Billy's curiosity piqued, while Lincoln seethed with barely concealed irritation.

Through a strained voice, Lynn confessed, "This is all my fault. Lucy doesn't deserve this. I do."

Leni, ever the innocent soul, chimed in, "Soo... is Lynn bad luck now?"

Billy shook his head, incredulous at the disarray that had consumed the Loud family. "Jeezum Petes, Lynny. You really let that family of yours fall apart over bad luck? Why didn't you just come to my sister Jennifer's Four Leaf Clover farm? Even if your boy's a bad luck charm, we could've turned that right around."

Lynn Sr. rubbed his head, his face flushed with shame as he gritted his teeth and averted his gaze.

But Billy held no grudge. "Trust me, Lynnard, I've met dads worse than you before."

With a self-deprecating chuckle, Lynn Sr. conceded, "Let's not make this a competition. I can own up to what I did wrong. Isn't that right, son?"

Smugly, Lincoln responded, "You bet, Pops."

"Ayyyy, attaboy."

As the moment of departure loomed, Lucy clung to Rita, her heart heavy with the unbearable weight of separation. Her reluctance was palpable, yet she knew that she had no choice in the matter any longer. The parallels to Lincoln's own forced departure were not lost on her. It hadn't been his choice to be expelled from the house either.

In this moment, the world seemed to hold its breath, time itself pausing to bear witness to the fraying bonds of family, the tearing asunder of what was once inseparable. The tragedy hung thick in the air, casting a pall over the Loud household that even the most eloquent of words could not fully capture, a tale of sorrow that would echo through the annals of history, a testament to the depths of the human heart's capacity for both love and loss.

Lincoln's expression was a conflicted mixture of guilt and frustration. Lucy, on the verge of being overwhelmed by her own impending sorrow, cast her eyes upon her siblings. She wondered if there might be a last-minute reprieve, a chance that someone else could take her place. Lynn had already offered, but could Lori? Lola? Luan?

Her gaze settled on Lincoln, whose eyes had adopted a more defeated countenance as they, once again, evaded hers. The realization hit her with a weight that could not be denied: it was she who had lost her brother's love and trust. Lincoln had chosen her, and no one else, to bear this consequence.

The moment was unforgiving, leaving no room for negotiation. The die had been cast two months ago when Lucy had voted to expel Lincoln from their home.

If Lincoln could not find it within himself to forgive her, then perhaps her only recourse was to accept her fate, to love him from afar. Her movements slow and resigned, Lucy released her grip on her mother and slowly walked into Mandy's waiting embrace, a lone tear escaping her control.

Billy and Mandy reassured her, promising to treat her as their own daughter – which, in a twisted sense, she now was. Their laughter rang hollow, underscored by the irony of the situation.

Luan, flatly retorted, "Where's the joke?"

Billy tugged at his collar, feeling the weight of the somber atmosphere. "Tough crowd."

They guided Lucy to their family sedan, which they affectionately called "Sedanarama," in a feeble attempt to lighten the mood. The Louds waved their farewells, each sibling grappling with the loss in their own way.

As Lucy glanced back at Lincoln one last time, he offered her a solemn two-finger salute, nodding in acknowledgment. It was a small, bittersweet gesture that spoke volumes.

The Sedanarama rolled away, turning the corner off Franklin Avenue and carrying Lucy into an uncertain future.

"Well... there she goes," Lynn Sr. murmured, his voice heavy with the gravity of what had just transpired.

Lincoln's frown deepened as the Sedanarama vanished from sight, the car and its passengers now obscured by the suburban landscape. Turning his attention to his family, he noticed their despondent figures retreating inside the house, save for one sibling.

Lynn sat on the front steps, her mouth agape, and her lip quivering as the weight of their actions became all too real. As he passed her by, Lincoln paused, casting a fleeting smirk over his shoulder before continuing on, leaving his sister alone with her emotions.

There, on those familiar steps, Lynn's mind churned with the enormity of her part in the family's disintegration. The realization crept in, like a cold wind seeping through the cracks, that it was her own misguided beliefs that had set this series of unfortunate events in motion.

Her hands shook, clutching at the fabric of her shorts as her heart constricted painfully, the sensation akin to a vise tightening around it. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, as the crushing responsibility for what had transpired bore down on her.

Lynn's eyes, usually alight with the competitive fire that defined her, were now dulled, haunted by the heart-wrenching consequences of her actions. She stared blankly at the ground, vision blurred by tears that threatened to spill over at any moment.

The world seemed to slow, fading away into a foggy haze, as she became acutely aware of each shallow breath and the bitter taste of regret on her tongue. The bustling energy that usually accompanied her had drained, leaving her feeling hollow and heavy with guilt.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a melancholy shadow across the once-vibrant household, Lynn remained rooted to the spot. A statue of remorse, she could not break free from the grip of her own despair, imprisoned by the knowledge that she had been the catalyst for Lucy's exile and Lincoln's mistrust.

Though she longed for redemption, for some way to undo the damage she had wrought, the reality of the situation clung to her like a shroud, muffling her spirit and suffocating any hope for reconciliation.

Time seemed to stretch as Lynn remained there for hours, tears streaming down her cheeks like a steady summer rain, each droplet reflecting her sense of loss and the fractured bond that now marred their once-close family.

Clyde, positioned at his window and watching the somber tableau unfold, couldn't help but sigh. His words, scarcely more than a whisper, echoed his sentiment: "Sorry, man, but... this ain't it, chief."

Inside the Sedanarama, the atmosphere was heavy, burdened by the unspoken heartache that suffused the car. The ride down the road was bumpy and slow, a metaphor for the emotional turmoil Lucy was experiencing. Billy adjusted his rearview mirror, casting a glance back at her and trying to offer a comforting word: "I'd say cheer up, sunshine, but it looks like you're only happy when it rains."

Lucy's gaze fell downward, or perhaps her body had simply succumbed to the weight of her despair.

"Now look, I get this isn't your finest hour. But you've got to leave that attitude behind you, eh," Billy said, his tone both empathetic and firm. "Lynn may have letcha run around feeling sorry for yourself, but what's done is done. You gotta move on, kid. You gotta move on."

Mandy, ever the concerned mother figure, turned in her seat to face Lucy, her hand gently pressing against the girl's knee. "Oh, don't cry, sweety! It's gonna be okay."

The journey across town felt interminable, as if they were traversing a vast expanse far greater than the distance between two homes. Lucy couldn't help but liken the experience to being ferried across the mythological River Styx, each bump and lurch in the road a reminder of the gulf that now separated her from her family.

As they drove, Lucy stared out the window, her reflection a pale specter in the glass. She contemplated what her life would be like with the Bierpongs, wondering if the ties that had bound her to the Loud family would ever truly sever or if, somehow, they might find a way to mend those wounds that seemed all but insurmountable. The road stretched onward, its path uncertain, just as the future that lay before her.

She had already burned in the fires of retribution before, willing to face the worst karma could deliver because of her love for Lincoln. How could she say she loved Lincoln and reconcile that with wanting to walk free? How could she say she loved him and expect to be forgiven so easily?

If she really loved him, she would gladly pay the price for her actions. And now that the true price was revealed, she couldn't dare declare bankruptcy. No matter what it took, no matter how much she had to sacrifice, she resolved to have him once again call her his sister. She just didn't know if she had the strength to do it.

"Be strong, Luce. It doesn't have to be forever."

She wanted to hold onto those words. She wanted to hold onto them far more than the other words. The seven words that eviscerated who she was. But alas, she had to accept those words as well.

Author's Notes (Inner Lithosphere): I swear I only went out to buy some cigarettes, and I got kidnapped by ninjas. True story.

Well, whatever momentum this story had last year is most definitely dead now, but that doesn't mean the story itself is. However, things have changed. When I last left you all, I had intended on rewarding your interest with a vastly expanded narrative. Big arcs, big events. And as a result, I put the story on hold to start plotting all that extra stuff out, as I didn't want to pants a 100-chapter-long epic. I figured that I'd start up again around August or September. Fmarcsthespot, writer of Reversal of Fortune, was helping me with some ideas (though I feel he was mostly just nodding along to my ideas at some points). At some point I realized that ALID was getting too big for its britches and put it on hold even longer, and it held off long enough that I came back around and realized that the original plan for a shorter and more condensed story was the best plan of action all along. So all that fluff about expanding the fic to lengths unknown? Ignore that. Retconned. I don't intend on this being more than 25 chapters long. Possibly not even that. Who knows!

Review comments: Instead of spending 2,000 words replying to them all, I'll just say this to everyone who reviewed last year and the few stragglers still commenting: thank you for your kind words!

I swear the next chapter won't take another year to come out.