Lucy, can you give us a recap?
Lucy shook her head, "Quit stalling and start the chapter."
I got more chocolate.
"Okay so, Clyde had been missing for three months, Lincoln found out he was at Dr. Lopez's office, Grim got thrown across town by a vampire in white, and Dr. Lopez wants Lincoln to join a group of vampires."
Good job, Lucy!
"Start the chapter, now."
And now, the conclusion.
Interview with an Aspiring Vampire: The Conclusion
The sun was falling beneath the horizon as it burned the sky with a coat of orange and purple. Grim and Dracula watched it as they drove towards Dr. Lopez's office in Nurse Sue's stolen car.
"You know, I need to ask, how are you okay with sunlight?" Grim asked Dracula.
Dracula scoffed, "You think a little sun can harm Dracula?"
"The fire on your skin says yes."
There was indeed a small fire burning on Dracula's skin, but Dracula brushed it off, "Dracula's got powers, Skeleton Man! Dracula found a way to resist the death sentence that is the sun! Plus, a little sunscreen helps out, got any?"
"You won't need it soon enough...what on Earth?" Grim slammed on the breaks as up ahead in the mostly vacant plaza were a bunch of rotting corpses in tattered clothing shambling around. "Zombies?" Grim then asked.
Dracula shook his head, "Nuh-uh! These are ghouls! Remains of the dead and buried brought back to be used as an obstacle! Fancypants must've summoned them!"
"How is that any different from zombies?"
"Zombies are Voodoo magic, dummy! Tricking alive people into thinking they dead! Everybody knows that!"
Well, if you want to be technical.
Grim grumbled something to himself that couldn't be written down. He parked Nurse Sue's stolen car and got out.
"What are ya doin' you big dummy?" Dracula asked.
Grim summoned his scythe and approached the reanimated mob, "Listen up you freaks of nature! You will all return to the ground from whence you came, or deal with I, the GRIM REAPER!"
The ghouls paused a moment, then they all shambled towards Grim. Grim raised his scythe and cut one of them in half from the stomach. The ghoul's legs kept walking and its arms dragged the torso along the ground.
Grim nervously chuckled, "Uh...yeah...I can see you all are..." in a few seconds Grim was back in Nurse Sue's stolen car, and the ghouls started pounding on the windows.
"What was THAT? Did you really think that would work?" Dracula asked.
"I really wanted it to." Grim admitted.
...
Meanwhile, Lincoln and Dr. Lopez were still locked in eye contact and Lucy remained in Lincoln's grip.
"You want me to join your group?" Lincoln asked.
Dr. Lopez nodded, "The Order is a very powerful organization yet it's lacking in members."
"Are you open to take applications?" Lucy asked.
Dr. Lopez ignored her question, "Keep in mind, we are very selective in who we bring in. I hope you understand how generous this offer is."
Lucy grinned wide, "May I join The Order?" she asked.
"Lucy!" Lincoln shouted.
Dr. Lopez slowly turned towards Lucy, her cold gaze breaking away from Lincoln as she started laughing, "YOU? Join The Order? Ahahahaha!"
Dr. Lopez doubled over as she laughed. Lucy frowned as she could feel the rejection in the laughter. Lincoln felt some control come back into his arms and legs. He couldn't move much, however.
Soon enough Dr. Lopez's gaze was on Lincoln's eyes again, "Lucy...what makes you think The Order of Our Kine would have you?"
"I...I like vampires. I read all the-"
"And that's the first problem! For one thing, you keep using that DISGUSTING, derogatory, HUMAN word for Our Kine!"
Lucy gasped, "Oh! I-I'm sor-"
"Do NOT interrupt me! We already know all about your creepy obsession, brought on by reading those exploitive, badly written, piss-poor excuses of literature with highly romanticized and problematic caricatures of Our Kine only meant to make a quick buck off of dumb little girls like you!"
Lincoln wanted to say something, but he couldn't. Something about Dr. Lopez's gaze was stopping him from doing anything now.
Lucy couldn't say anything either. That was more because she was trying very hard not to cry. She sniffled a little bit.
"You are in no way qualified for The Order...Lincoln on the other hand-"
"No." Lincoln told her.
"Hm?" Dr. Lopez wasn't expecting him to resist her gaze this much.
Then again, she had made him mad.
...
The ghouls kept slamming themselves against Nurse Sue's stolen car. The window on Grim's side started to crack a little, "Well, this is a fine mess I got us in." Grim lamented.
I hope Nurse Sue has insurance.
Dracula cleared his throat as he reached into his suit jacket, "Relax Skeleton Man! Dracula know how to handle ghouls! We use humanity's greatest weapon!"
"Explosives?" Grim asked.
Dracula pulled out a CD, "NAH! DISCO!"
"You...you're serious?" Grim asked.
Dracula put the CD in Nurse Sue's stolen car's CD player, and Dracula rolled down his window as the jam started. Suddenly, the ghouls stopped attacking the car and Dracula calmly opened his door and stepped out, "Hey you ghouls! Wanna see Dracula dance?"
Dracula started dancing in the middle of the ghouls who watched his moves in a mesmerized state. In half a minute, the ghouls started to dance along with him, even the torso that hopped around next to its legs.
Grim had seen many things since his time as Earth's Grim Reaper began, but even he couldn't recall a sight like this. As the reanimated cadavers danced along, Dracula danced faster, and the ghouls began burning up.
"Hah! Dracula knew you couldn't handle these moves!" Dracula mocked.
Grim got out of Nurse Sue's stolen car when the coast was clear, "Gotta admit, mon, I wasn't sure what to expect."
"Nobody expects Dracula's Disco Inferno!"
Grim took out his scythe and walked up to the door. One swing later and the door was open. Carmine was at the desk playing solitaire when Dracula and Grim walked in.
Carmine didn't bother looking up and sighed, "What did you come back for, soul reaver?"
Dracula pointed at him, "You! Fancypants!"
Carmine looked up from his card game, "Dracula? Is that really you?"
Dracula folded his arms, "Who else, dummy?"
Carmine approached Dracula with a hand in his suit, "I have something just for you..." he pulled out a book and pen "Can I get your autograph?"
Dracula slapped Carmine with the backhand, sending him flying, "DRACULA DON'T DO AUTOGRAPHS!"
Carmine flew into the desk which broke from the force, sending the playing cards scattering, "...I just got slapped by Dracula! I'll never wash this face again!"
Grim approached Carmine, "What happened to your speed and strength?"
Carmine chuckled, "Heh, well soul reaver, it seems I overworked my powers erasing Lincoln and his sister...as well as summoning my ghouls."
Grim grabbed Carmine's collar, "You did WHAT?"
Carmine smiled sadistically, "Relax, they're still alive. You'd know it if they'd died. I merely erased their presence from this world like I did with Clyde. It's how We usually go about this. Someone can't go missing if nobody recalls they exist. With Clyde however, I made it so Lincoln would remember him, so he'd make his way here."
Grim shook him a little, "Where are they?"
"Why do you care?"
Grim then grabbed one of his fangs and broke it off.
Carmine's smile broke and he howled as he quickly tried moving his arms towards his mouth, Dracula had already restrained him though, "AAH! THAT'LL TAKE MONTHS TO GROW BACK!'
Grim grabbed the other fang, "Not very smart of you to underestimate Death itself. Now talk, or the other goes too!"
Carmine glared at Grim, "In the back, you cur! Where else? Not that it matters, I've already made the Call!"
"And what's that?"
"He's called for The Order to come around here, pick them up, and make it look like they were never here." Dracula explained.
Carmine laughed, "Glad to hear you remember that Dracula! You know we all want to rip you to shreds, right? I figured having your final signature would mean something!"
Grim released Carmine and turned for the door leading further into the office building, "Dracula, you-"
"Shut it, Skeleton Man! Dracula would look real lame if he left now!" Dracula told him.
"Yeah, you would."
...
Dr. Lopez and Lincoln glared at each other, Lincon slowly but surely releasing his grip from Lucy.
Dr. Lopez gritted her teeth, "No...you can't resist me! You're nothing but a mere human!"
"Where. Is. Clyde?" Lincoln forced himself to say.
"If you want to see him so bad, you should stop resisting!"
"I seem to be resisting you just fine." Lucy told her.
Dr. Lopez looked towards Lucy and reached out towards her, "Maybe it's because those silly bangs are in the way!"
"Don't touch her!" Lincoln yelled.
Dr. Lopez lifted Lucy's bangs and froze, "No..." she withdrew her hand, "No... your kind was wiped out!"
Lincoln shoved Dr. Lopez back, "GET AWAY FROM HER!"
Dr. Lopez caught herself a few steps back, "Huh! Hah! This changes a lot! You wanted to join The Order too, Lucy Loud?"
Lucy quickly got behind Lincoln, "No!"
Suddenly, the sound of a door being burst open was heard, and the three looked to see Grim and Dracula coming into the room.
"Grim!" Lincoln and Lucy called.
"Dracula too, dummies!" Dracula told them.
Dr. Lopez laughed, "Hah! Dracula? This night is getting better and better!"
Dracula walked past the kids, "Lopez, Dracula's been meaning to find you for years! Now Dracula sees you trying to convert children? You really sank low this time!"
"They know each other?" Lucy asked.
Grim shrugged, "Looks like it, now let's skedaddle!"
"Not without Clyde!" Lincoln told Grim, "He's still here somewhere!"
"And we can't just leave Dracula to fight her alone!" Lucy told Grim.
Dracula waved them off, "You all go and get! Dracula wants Lopez all to himself!"
The main trio left the room to search the rest of the office building.
Dr. Lopez approached Dracula, "Why are you always like this? Always throwing yourself in my way?"
Dracula smirked, "Because you love it, baby! Now, let's dance!"
...
"We should split up. It'll be faster to find your geeky friend that way." Grim suggested.
"What about that other vampire?" Lincoln asked.
"Dracula and I already took care of him."
"...doesn't Dracula seem...more active than when we first met him?" Lucy asked.
"He is. His whole personality seemed to flip a switch the second I told him about the vampire in white. Perhaps Dr. Lopez was the reason he came to Royal Woods in the first place."
"We can speculate later! Clyde is still in trouble!" Lincoln told them.
Suddenly the trio found themselves in a long hallway full of doors going in two directions.
"...how is this office building so big?" Lincoln then asked.
"It seems we've entered some sort of pocket dimension the vampires created, as in it's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside." Grim explained.
"Like that show about that time traveling alien who somehow solves everything easily and keeps getting women to fall for him?" Lucy asked.
"Oh, I can't stand that show, it just won't die!"
Lincoln took off to the left, "I'll take this side, you two take the right!"
"All by yourself, mon?" Grim asked.
"HURRY!" Lincoln yelled.
"Don't argue with him, let's go." Lucy started opening doors in the right hallway.
Grim followed her lead and started opening doors himself. Most of the rooms were empty, or even contained bits and pieces of odd junk or furniture. One door just led to a spring-operated punching glove that knocked Grim back. After a little while, Grim finally found something interesting.
There were three altars with a fire burning on each of them. Grim approached them to see photographs of Lincoln, Lucy, and Clyde on the altars.
"Lucy! Come here!" Grim called.
Lucy was right beside him, in awe of the room, "What are these?"
"Their presence. Grim, get Lucy closer."
Grim nodded, "The vampire from earlier said something about removing the presence of you, Lincoln, and Clyde from the world. This must be what he was talking about."
Lucy approached the altars, "This? I can feel something from them..." Lucy reached out to the fires.
And then, the fires all went out.
"Attagirl."
"I uh, I think you fixed it." Grim told her.
...
Back in the suburbs of Royal Woods, Mr. and Mr. McBride were brushing their teeth. They both spat out their toothpaste and looked at each other, "CLYDE!" they screamed.
...
Lincoln flung open door after door frantically searching for his best friend. He didn't care what was going on now. Dr. Lopez being a vampire this whole time? Vampires wanting him to join a vampire coven or cult or whatever? It didn't matter. The only thing that did was Clyde being in danger and Lincoln wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he couldn't save him.
Soon enough, one door led to an ornate well-lit room with a coffin in the middle of it. The walls were made of carved marble and the floor was tiled with porcelain. A golden chandelier shown a beam over the beautiful casket made out of pure mahogany and next to it was a stand that had a familiar pair of glasses on it.
"CLYDE!"
Lincoln rushed to the casket and forced it open. Clyde was in there. Laying down, eyes closed, arms folded below-
"A stake? Then he's...no, she said Clyde was just asleep! Then..."
Lincoln grabbed hold of the stake and gripped it tight.
...
Dr. Lopez and Dracula were gripping each other's hands as they swung around her office like a tornado, breaking everything they came in contact with.
"Your hair is greying again! Have you been neglecting to feed yourself?" Dr. Lopez asked.
Dracula chuckled, "Dracula ain't scared of a little grey! The ladies love it!"
"Oh, I'm sure! You never change, Dracula! Your disgusting attraction to humans makes me sick!"
"And your dumb elitism makes Dracula sick!"
"Well, your-" Dr. Lopez then stopped, "NO!" Dr. Lopez let go and flung herself out of the room. Using her supernatural speed, she quickly passed Grim and Lucy and headed for Clyde's room.
Inside, she saw Lincoln trying to pull out the stake.
"Lincoln!" she screeched, "You will stop this nonsense!"
Lincoln didn't turn around, "No I won't! I figured out your trick! You need direct eye contact, or it won't work!"
Dr. Lopez approached him slowly from behind, "Take a moment to consider what you're giving up, Lincoln Loud! This is your chance for a life without hardship, without heartache! You will be given all the things you never knew you wanted and more! You will have a spot at the highest of tables in the largest of halls! You will finally be appreciated! You will finally be held in high regard! No more would you be left out while your sisters are celebrated for each of their meager achievements! No more would you be kicked out of your home over the belief that you are bad luck! No more will you get caught in the crossfire and blamed for your family's petty disputes and violent outbursts! No more would you be called such awful things like a Life-Ruiner BY YOUR OWN FLESH AND BLOOD!"
Lincoln paused for a moment, making Dr. Lopez smile.
"There are things greater in this world for you right within your grasp! Clyde will be there with you! You two will be heralded as Kings among Our Kine! You know that's what you want!" She was inching closer to Lincoln's neck.
"If you really knew me, you'd know my family really drives me up the wall..."
Lincoln pulled the stake out of Clyde, and quickly shoved it into Dr. Lopez's chest.
"But I wouldn't trade them for the world!"
Dr. Lopez fell backwards, and her body hit the floor.
Just then, Lucy and Grim entered the room.
"Lincoln!" Lucy cried out.
"He...he got her?" Grim was amazed.
Dracula then entered, panting as he did, "Hah...hah...Dracula's done too much today..."
"Lincoln?"
Lincoln turned to see Clyde wake up, "Clyde! You're okay!" Lincoln cheered.
"What...where am I? AM I IN A COFFIN?" Clyde screamed.
"It looks very nice." Lucy admired.
"Yeah, uh, look, it's been a long day, I'll explain later. We gotta get out of here!" Lincoln told him.
Clyde tried to get up, but being still for three months doesn't do your motor controls any good, "My whole body feels numb!"
"I gotcha buddy, oh, and here's your glasses." Lincoln helped Clyde out of the coffin and put his glasses on.
With his glasses on, Clyde could make out the body on the floor, "Dr. Lopez?" he asked.
"Yeah, she's apparently a hoity-toity vampire lady." Lucy remarked.
"She's a WHAT?" Clyde asked.
"Like I said, I'll explain later!" Lincoln told him, "Grim, can you open a portal?"
Grim tried creating one with a swing of his scythe, but nothing happened, "This place...when that vampire told me my powers are useless here, he meant it."
"Then we just gotta get outside! Help me carry Clyde!"
Lincoln, Lucy, and Grim picked Clyde up and carried him out of the room and headed for the exit.
"Mr. Dracula, come on!" Lucy called.
Dracula shook his head and pointed at Dr. Lopez, "That was always your problem girl, you never believed humans could do much to you."
Dracula followed after the others.
Soon after they left, Dr. Lopez opened her eyes.
...
The group found their way back to the entrance. Carmine was gone.
"Where's the vampire in white?" Lucy asked.
"Must've run off or something. That doesn't matter now." Grim told her.
"I knew Fancypants was a wimp." Dracula remarked.
Lincoln let out a sigh of relief as they finally exited Dr. Lopez's office, it was now night outside, "Thank God! We're free! We're out! We're-"
"Surrounded." Lucy pointed at eight figures standing in the road.
"Woah..." Clyde gasped.
The eight figures were a mix of men and women from Royal Woods, they slowly approached in the moonlight. They all had pale-skin, sunken blank eyes, no hair on their head, and pointy ears. One was wearing a police uniform while the rest all wore regular clothes.
Dracula shook his head, "This is bad Skeleton Man, The Order created pawns!"
"They created what?" Grim asked.
"Think a mindless vampire. They grab some poor sap, knock 'em out, turn 'em, and send 'em to do their dirty work and let the sun burn 'em into salt!"
"That's insane! That's evil!" Clyde cried out.
"That's why Dracula left them!"
"Wait, so are they weaker than Dr. Lopez and that other guy?" Lincoln asked.
"Yeah, but they're still vampires, dummy! Dracula can handle one vampire, maybe two, but eight? Shoot, Dracula may as well stake himself."
"Grim, get us out of here with a portal!" Lucy told him.
Grim nodded and pulled out his scythe, "On it!"
Grim gave his scythe a swing, but nothing happened.
"...what?" Grim was dumbfounded.
"You aren't leaving..."
The group turned to witness Dr. Lopez approach, her left hand extended towards them which had a glowing crimson pictogram on her palm. With her right hand, she grabbed the stake and pulled it out with a pained grunt.
"None of you are!"
"Is that magic?" Lucy asked.
Lincoln quickly averted his eyes, "No way! I put that stake in you!"
Dr. Lopez pointed the stake at him, "You should have aimed for the heart!"
"Your heart? I didn't know you had one!"
Lincoln ducked because as expected, Dr. Lopez threw the stake at him. What wasn't expected was the stake striking one of the pawns in the chest, and ricocheting off of him and hitting another in the chest.
The rest of the group watched in awe as the stake somehow kept ricocheting off each of the eight pawns, like a pinball hitting eight bumpers. It finally stopped when the pointy end got stuck in the chest of the once-policeman.
The policeman pawn looked down at the stake lodged in his chest, "...ouch." he muttered as he fell forward.
The other pawns weren't any better, the stake had really done a number on them all, some of them were on the ground while others seemed to just cling onto their possibly broken torsos.
"That...was a lucky throw." Grim remarked.
"...you tricked me." Dr. Lopez gasped out.
"Get to the car!" Dracula yelled.
"You tricked me!" Dr. Lopez shouted, her eyes started to glow red.
The group ran for Nurse Sue's stolen car, but before they could get to it, it collapsed under a powerful force. The force of the crash knocked everyone back, Clyde ending up being dropped onto the ground.
"YOU TRICKED ME!"
Dr. Lopez had leaped onto Nurse Sue's stolen car, destroying it, she let out an ear-piercing shriek as she lurched over and the sounds of bones snapping in and out of place could be heard as a huge pair of bat-like wings shot out of her back. Her ears had grown much bigger and pointier, her body became much larger, and her eyes became a deep crimson which looked down on the group.
Lincoln couldn't help but recall Lucy's form as a vampire. He quickly grabbed her arm, and she naturally used him as a shield.
"Oh great! Dracula would've rather taken eight weak vampires than one really pissed off one!"
"DRACULA!" Lopez grabbed Dracula with her right claw and raised him up off the ground, "I'LL RIP YOUR HEAD OFF, MOUNT IT ON A PIKE, AND DISPLAY IT IN MY THRONE ROOM!"
Dracula laughed in her face, "Dang girl! You're still as nasty as ever!"
Dr. Lopez shrieked again as she readied her left claw to strike.
"We gotta do something!" Lucy yelled out.
"Yeah, but what?" Grim asked.
Just then, a loud horn sounded off, drawing the attention of everyone. Dr. Lopez hissed in pain, especially. A black van with stakes on the front bumper guard zoomed onto the scene.
The policeman pawn from earlier finally got up from the ground just to be staked in the back from the bumper guard as the van abruptly parked. "Oh come on..." he muttered.
Suddenly, a tall and thin figure wearing a black jumpsuit and black motorcycle helmet jumped out of the van through the sunroof. He landed on the hood of the van and held onto a sheathed katana on his side, he crouched and aimed for Dr. Lopez as he began to unsheathe the sword. It showed off a bright shine.
"SILVER!" Dr. Lopez shrieked in primal fear as the hunter launched at her. Dr. Lopez dropped Dracula and launched up into the air, flapping her wings. And just like that, she was gone.
The hunter spun around and landed with a crouched slide, "Harry, Dr. Lopez got away!" he yelled.
"Forget her, Howie! Are the kids okay?"
The hunter looked over at Grim and the kids, "Grim is with them! None of them look hurt!"
"Great, but there's still a LOT of vamps. Try to get to them! I'll take care of the rest!"
Clyde knew exactly who had shown up to rescue them all, "Dads!"
"The Junior Morticians Club are not going to believe this." Lucy mused.
"I'm seeing it and I still don't believe it!" Lincoln remarked.
"What is even happening anymore?" Grim asked.
The backdoors of the van opened up and a ramp came out. Down the ramp came one of Clyde's dads wearing a silver fire proximity suit, and carrying a flamethrower. He aimed it at one of the pawns away from the group and set it ablaze.
Meanwhile, Clyde's dad with the silver katana made his way to the group, cutting through the vampires that got in his way. Every vampire that got run through with the silver blade started to melt into salt.
Clyde was in awe, "Woah! I mean, I knew my dads were in great shape, but I didn't think they'd be able to do stuff like this!"
Grim turned towards Dracula, "You should get out of here Dracula, you might-"
Dracula however, wasn't there.
"He's gone." Lucy stated.
"He must've left the moment Dr. Lopez flew off." Grim figured.
"I don't blame him, this is getting way too crazy." Lincoln remarked.
Clyde's dads made quick work of the eight pawns. Granted, the weaker vampires were damaged by Dr. Lopez earlier, and the two hunters had overwhelming firepower.
Soon enough, the two got to the kids and Grim. They set down their weapons and took off their headgear, "Clyde!" the two cried out.
"Dads!" Clyde was scooped up by the duo as they hugged him.
"I see you two decided to be less subtle this time." Grim remarked.
Howard nodded, "Clyde was in danger, we had to save him!"
"Consequences be damned!" Harold agreed.
"So...how long have you two known about the vampires?" Lucy asked.
Harold gently let go of Clyde and focused on the main trio, "Lucy, Lincoln, Grim, we're sure you all have a gauntlet of questions for us, and we have questions for you. But right now, all we care about is getting Clyde and you three to safety. Can we save it for another day?"
"That's uh...that's reasonable." Lincoln answered.
Grim nodded, "Yeah, we should start wrapping up this chapter now."
"Harry, I'm not sure we can fit everyone in the van." said Howard.
Grim swung his scythe, opening up a portal, "No need, mon. I can get us back my way now."
"Look!" Clyde pointed at Dr. Lopez's office.
Everyone turned to see not just the office phase out of sight and the rest of the empty plaza with it. In a few seconds, the entire plaza vanished and in its place was an empty lot.
"So...was this entire place just an illusion?" Lincoln asked.
"More like camouflage for- well, that's another question for later." Harold answered.
Lincoln nodded, "Alright. Good to have you back, Clyde. See you later!" Lincoln walked into the portal.
Lucy followed after Lincoln.
Grim gave a wave, "Have a safe trip home, I rather not see y'all again tonight."
Grim went into the portal and it closed itself.
The McBrides all looked at the empty lot again for a moment.
"Welp, looks like we need a new therapist now." Howard remarked.
...
Now safe back at the Loud House, Lincoln laid in his bed. They got back when everyone was asleep, as if nobody had noticed that he and Lucy had been missing for the past while. Then again, with their presence gone, it was easy to see why.
Lincoln sat up and turned towards the audience, "So...as you all probably know, today was a long day. On the bright side, we were able to save Clyde and nobody got hurt...physically at least. I know I lost my cool a lot..." Lincoln looked down, trying not to look at the audience.
He laid back down and put his pillow over his face and let out a bit of a cry. He held it there for a bit. His bedroom door opened.
"Lincoln?"
Lincoln removed the pillow and sat back up, "Lucy?"
Lucy was there, holding her pillow, "Uh...Lincoln, can I spend the night with you?"
"Why? Can't fall asleep, Lucy?" Lincoln asked.
Lucy looked down, "Today was...a lot..."
"Yeah, it was...there should be enough room."
Lincoln moved and turned towards the wall to make room and Lucy climbed into the bed and hugged his back.
"Huh? What's up, Lucy?" Lincoln asked.
"It makes me feel safer." Lucy answered.
"Goodnight Lucy."
Grim shut the door and headed for the attic. A familiar voice going through his skull again.
"They're adorable kids, aren't they?"
Grim grumbled, "They're a lot of trouble. All you Louds are."