AN: Finally got the ball rolling on this. Granted, not a ton happens in this chapter, but I think at least one portion of my readerbase will be quite happy regardless.

And because I know someone will ask, no, I'm not booting Lori from the story. I just wanted to advance the timeline a bit, and that means getting her off to Fairway. But she'll still be around when the story calls for it.

Oh, and I'd meant to mention this in the Age of Louds update, but for anyone who's following me on social media, I've made the switch to blue sky. So if you want to keep on following me, that's where you'll find me from now on.

Lori let out an exasperated sigh as she stumbled out of the front door of her family home, her last suitcase tucked tightly into the crook of her arm, and quickly slammed the door shut. Though, as she stood there, catching her breath the distinct sound of her family's wailing, clearly audible from where she stood outside the house, brought a fond smile to her face.

College was...big, and scary, and so, so very far away. And there was a part of her that desperately wanted to give in to the incessant pleading of her siblings and her parents, toss her luggage aside, and declare that not only was she not leaving now, she wasn't going to leave ever! She was going to stay right here, where it was nice, and familiar, and...here!

But...of course, she couldn't actually do that. Even setting aside the fact that agreements had already been signed, checks had already been cashed, and Fairway University merchandise had already been purchased and proudly displayed to anyone unfortunate enough to be in the proximity of the Loud house and in possession of a working set of eyeballs, and setting aside the fact that she did need to move on with her life, sad and terrifying though that may be, more important even beyond those things was that Lori was, above all else, a role model for her siblings. If she caved to the pressures of her anxieties and gave up before she'd even started, it was going to be that much harder for any of her siblings to do the same. So...she had to go. It wasn't just for her own sake, it was for all their sakes.

...Not that this knowledge made things any easier. Still, every journey begins with that first step, or however the adage went, so steeling her resolve, Lori took that step. And then another, slowly making her way to her car.

She did, of course, have one regret. Buried under a veritable sea of Louds as she had just been, she couldn't help but notice that one member of the family, in particular, had been conspicuously absent from the proceedings. To be fair, she couldn't blame him, had their roles been switched and Lori been the one who'd needed to send off someone she'd known for literally her whole life, and make every attempt to do so with a smile, she wasn't sure she could have managed that. And yet, a very selfish part of her was still very irate about the situation. These were literally her last moments at home for the foreseeable future, and all she wanted was one last chance to see...her…

Lori stumbled to a stop as her train of thought did the same. Early as it was, the morning sun was in her eyes, forcing her to blink against the oppressive light, but even with her vision impaired as it was, she could still make out a telltale blob of orange and white pressing against her car. And having registered that, she set off again, her heels clicking frantically against the pavement.

He turned at her approach, and Lori felt her heartbeat quicken as that big, beautiful smile of his parted his dirt smudged cheeks.

"Hey, Lori," Lincoln said, waving a damp, dirty rag in her direction. "I was hoping I'd catch you here."

"There you are," Lori grumbled. "Do you know what you put me through by not being in there? Emotionally speaking?"

"Sorry," Lincoln replied, wincing. "I kind of figured I'd just get trampled if I tried to join the rest of the family. And I wasn't exactly in a great headspace myself, so I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone if I waited for you out here and kept myself busy. What do you think?"

He enthusiastically gestured at the car behind him, which had been polished so thoroughly that it glowed with an intensity that suggested radiation was involved.

"I think you killed way more than two birds there, twerp," Lori deadpanned, shielding her eyes against the radiance on display. "Even so…"

She slipped past her brother and tossed the last of her luggage into the back seat before crouching down and putting her hands on his shoulders.

"Thanks for...seeing me off, Linky," She said. "It means a lot that you—!"

Before she could finish her thought, Lincoln lunged forward, threw his arms around her neck, and hugged her with all his might! Which...honestly wasn't a whole lot, even on the best of days. But Lori found that it was both strange and pleasant to be the one being smooshed against her little bro, rather than the other way around.

"...I'm going to miss you so much," Lincoln said, softly. And in an instant, the emotional walls Lori had been building all morning came tumbling down.

"I'm gonna miss you more!" She wailed, clasping her younger sibling close, quickly turning the event into a Hug o' War, with each trying to outdo the other. She was starting to seriously consider the logistics of just tossing her little bro in the trunk and driving off with him in tow. He was as tiny as he was adorable, surely she could find a place in her dorm room where she could squirrel him away. And once they got settled, she could send for the rest of the girls.

...Well, most of the girls. Actually, some of them. Leni for sure, but...they probably didn't need to let Lynn in on this…

Fortunately, before she could tumble too far down that particular rabbit hole, Lincoln squirmed his way out of her grasp. And it took ever ounce of self-control Lori had to refrain from immediately snatching him back up.

"Promise you won't forget us," Lincoln said, his eyes pleading. "Even though you're going to meet all kinds of cool people at college."

Lori snorted in amusement. "Lincoln," She said, placing one palm against his freckled cheek. "There's no possible way I could forget about any of you. Especially…"

She leaned down and gave him a very sisterly kiss on the cheek. "The best brother a girl could have"

He preened at the praise. Conventional wisdom said that now was the time for her to jump in the car and skedaddle, while both their emotional states were holding strong. But...she couldn't leave things like this. She couldn't leave him, with them like this…

"Hey, Linky," She said, nonchalantly, as she stood up and gently guided her brother around to the side of the car. "I never showed you what the driver's seat was like in my new car, did I?"

"Nnnnnooooo," Lincoln said, slowly, blinking in confusion. "But it's a driver's seat, right? I've seen them before."

"Not like this one, you haven't," Lori said, pulling the door open and gesturing inside. "Just check that out right there."

"Check...what out?" Lincoln said, sounding perplexed as he began to peer inside the car. "I don't see any—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Lori shoved him into the car, and dove in after him. Passersby would have only seen a set of long, shapely legs sticking out of the driver's side door, twitching and kicking on occasion. The way the car shook and rattled would be...somewhat more perplexing, but this was Royal Woods. Smart people learned to acknowledge an interesting sight, and then do their best to just steer clear around it. Which is exactly what happened until finally, several minutes later, the car stopped shaking.

"And...now, Lori panted, gazing down fondly at her little bro. "I know you won't forget me,"

"...Meep," Came Lincoln's reply. His eyes were glazed over, but with what was unmistakably a big grin plastered across his face.

"Bye Linky!"

His brain still rebooting from the rather...enthusiastic farewell he and Lori had just shared, remembering how to work his limbs had become something of a challenge. But he somehow managed to muster up a wave, however robotic it may have looked. Still, that appeared to be enough, because after sharing one last, parting look, Lori started up her car and began backing out of the driveway. Only stopping long enough to yell, "And check your phone!" out the window, before she zoomed off to the next chapter in her life.

Lincoln watched her leave, and then continued to watch the empty road long after her car faded from view, a strange melancholy overcoming him as he did so. It was possible that he may have just stayed there indefinitely, had it not been for the timely intervention of his phone vibrating in his pocket. Which, in hindsight, was a good thing. After all, for better or worse, it was his first day at his new school too.

Exhaling deeply, and trying to comfort himself with the knowledge that his big sister would be back sooner than later, he pulled out his phone and checked his messages.

...And froze in place.

"You get something good?" Leni asked as she walked up alongside her suddenly immobile brother. Not receiving an answer, she peered over his shoulder and squinted at the small screen.

"Oooooh!" She exclaimed, nodding approvingly. "So that's what she wanted with that bunny girl outfit. Totes cute!"