33. Emotional Shift(1)

A/N: Glad to see most enjoyed the special chapter that occurred previously, with some even making comparisons to Marvel's Civil War. Of course, I watched the movie, but didn't use it as a source when making that entire thing. Naturally, this means the next dream should be just as interesting, but that will take a back seat for the time being. Also, for anyone who claims they didn't get a warning that much of the chapter was a dream sequence, you obviously didn't see the hint in the chapter title nor read the BOLDED note at the beginning of the chapter before anything started, so their complaints are void. They know who they are...

Anyways, with Lincoln growing dead set on making some kind of contact with his sister, we'll see if he is able to apply the actions in his dreams to reality; though, he may find that it is much harder than he believes.

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from the Loud House.

Clyde opened his bedroom door with a yawn, rubbing one eye underneath his glasses with the other pressed along the wall as he shuffled towards the kitchen. Blinking out of his left eye, the boy gave a content sigh to another well-rested night; although it did leave him to be a little befuddled. It wasn't his usual fantasy of having a nice date with Lori, which (if he had to be honest with himself) stopped occuring ever since Lincoln revealed what happened with his sisters. Instead, the girl in his dreams...Clyde couldn't remember her name too well. He knew it was someone in their grade, but he couldn't place the name. Maybe it was Haiku? After all, they still chatted from time to time ever since they met each other at the dance. Or, maybe it was that other girl that came up to him before running off as it seemed like she couldn't say anything. Not that Clyde didn't think she wasn't cute, but he hardly knew much of anything about her.

"Maybe I can ask Linc-" Clyde paused mid-thought as he noticed the guest room's door was cracked open. Raising a brow, the nerdy child peeked inside to find the bed sheets having been left strewn atop the mattress. "Oookay? Lincoln didn't wake me up if he had another nightmare..." Clyde walked in and checked the closet, finding nothing but hung clothes and shoes neatly paired on the floor. "And he's not hiding in the closet again..."

A faint sound of applause reached Clyde's ears, making him glance back at the hallway. Continuing down the hall, Clyde came into the living room and spotted a rerun of Dessert Storm on the TV. He was about to voice his confusion before spotting Lincoln snoring on the couch; the remote was lightly grasped in his hand as a trail of drool left his mouth.

"Sure...I'll have another piece..." Lincoln muttered in his sleep.

Clyde had to resist the urge to chuckle. "Well, at least he's not having one of those dreams." Looking at the clock, the near-sighted boy knew he'd have to deal with the displeasure of pulling Lincoln out of his food dream. Clyde shuffled over to the couch and started tapping the boy's shoulder. "Hey buddy, you gotta get up."

Lincoln groaned and weakly shooed his hand away. Clyde was about to try something different when Cleopawtra meowed her presence, walking over from the kitchen. She brushed against her owner's legs, which the boy smiled and gently stroked the back of her neck. He started to wonder where Nepurrtiti was, but figured she was still asleep. The orange cat purred before noticing Lincoln on the couch. She walked over and jumped onto the seat, sniffing his cast arm for a few seconds. The Loud was completely unaware of what was going on until he felt a small weight pressing on his legs and chest, followed by something nuzzling and licking his face.

Lincoln scrunched up his face a bit as he was pulled from whatever dream he currently had, one eye creaking open just enough to see Clyde's pet nibbling at his cast. Lincoln smiled a bit before scratching Cleopawtra behind her ears, to which the cat purred and licked his fingers.

"I wish I had my camera." Clyde chuckled, making Lincoln open his eyes fully and stare at him. "Guess you slept well last night."

Lincoln's smile faltered a bit. "Sort of..." His voice trailed off. "While I was eating chocolate with Ronnie-" The boy slapped a hand over his mouth before he finished that sentence, a red hue forming across his face.

Clyde gave a knowing smirk. "Go on?" He spoke in a teasing way.

"A-Anyway, I had a whole different dream earlier." Lincoln replied as he sat up straight. "It was so...real, and kinda scary..."

Clyde's mouth started to grow into a frown. "What happened? Was it as bad as the others?"

Lincoln shook his head. "Well...not really. I'd say it was more..." He paused, raddling his brain to find the proper phrase. "More like both sides nearly dealt each other in."

"Dealt each other in?" Clyde repeated, growing even more confused. As he recalled the last few themed dreams Lincoln told him about, Clyde's eyes almost popped out past the lenses as a gasp escaped him. "You actually fought back?!"

Lincoln nodded. "It didn't end well..." He noticed the time and got up, heading back to his room.

Clyde followed, eager to get more answers. "So how'd it go? You didn't wake us up in the middle of the night if it wasn't that bad."

"That's because I'm still confused about it myself." Lincoln pushed the door open, making a beeline for the closet. "I'll tell you more on our way to school." He reached in and pulled out one of his orange polos. "Just a heads up buddy: It's gonna be a long story to get through."

"Oh," Clyde waved his hand dismissively, "It can't be that long, right?"

Oh how wrong he was...

Lincoln took his time going over every detail of his Ace Savvy dream, to the point Clyde wondered if he was telling a whole different story altogether. Ever since the two left the McBride's house, Lincoln just talked and talked and talked from start to finish; he didn't even bother stopping during their two class periods, nearly getting them into trouble for being disruptive. If anything, Clyde would say that the teacher was being a bit hypocritical because, being the true friend he was, Clyde hung onto every word as Lincoln spoke about the complex scenario his brain painted for him. However, it still got long enough to where Clyde had to take notes just to keep himself on track. The rest of their friends had gotten in on the action too once lunch time rolled in, winding up in a state of shock whilst Clyde continued his note taking; part of this was due to being unaware of Lincoln making heroic personas of just about everyone, so the spectacled boy wanted to list everything he could and ask on it later.

"And then..." Lincoln stopped himself for a moment, wiping a couple tears from his eyes as he just finished recalling the savage beatdown Strong Suit gave Ace. "The whole place started catching fire because the bombs that fell from Mad Bomber's backpack had went off."

"Hold on," Zach cut in, tilting his head to the side slightly in confusion. "How did I end up liking explosions again?"

"Shhh!" Rusty frowned at the shorter redhead. "Let him finish man."

No one said anything after, which Lincoln took as a sign to continue. "At that point, everyone just stopped fighting each other and focused on making sure we made it out alive. And at that point," The Loud grimaced a bit, "It was easy to tell just how bad both teams damaged each other...L-Lori was shot multiple times," Ronnie Anne looked a bit crestfallen, "Leni was unconscious," Zach winced a bit, "Luna and Luan weren't too bad, but they had to help Lori and Leni escape since they couldn't do it on their own. Lucy was partially deaf I think thanks to Luna, Lola took a nasty bullet to the shoulder and her crown was destroyed..." Lincoln drew in a breath through his nose. "Lana was ok too, and Lisa was mostly ok." He then glanced at all of his friends. "But you guys weren't any better..."

"How so?" Liam asked, sipping a drink from his soda can.

"For starters," Lincoln pointed to both Liam and Clyde, "You guys were practically getting your butts handed to you by Luna," He pointed to Rusty, "Luan finally caught up to you, but I guess she didn't hurt you too much."

Rusty gave a light chortle. "Guess my charms managed to sweet talk her."

Everyone else looked amongst each other before shaking their heads, with Liam making a deadpanned look before slapping his palm against his face in annoyance and Lincoln looking a bit squeamish for that image being put into his head.

It took a couple minutes before the Loud managed to get his thoughts together. Upon pointing to Ronnie Anne, she spoke for him. "I already know I'd have the worst of it since you already said I took a crystal, or whatever, to my leg and hand..." The tomboy nervously rubbed her shin with one of her feet. "But what about you though? And for that matter, Lynn and...who else?"

"Oh, right. Lily didn't get hurt too much when she fought Lisa. As for me and Lynn..." Lincoln bit his lip, the others sitting at the edge of their seats in anticipation. "She...she was carrying me towards the exit. I thought that..." The boy swallowed a little, his eyes starting to redden a little as he remembered one important detail he accidentally left out. "I thought after she beat me down, she was going to kill me...and make my dream end just like all the others..." The boy sniffled a little. "I begged her not to do it since I realized just about everything she said was true..." A couple more tears slid down his face. A few of his friends opened their mouths to voice their opinions, but Lincoln continued. "I thought I should've stood up for what I believed was right; and nearly got everyone killed for it..."

Lincoln took a second to clean his face again. "But...then she just let me go and watched me lie there on the floor. When the whole factory started to catch fire, I don't know what was going through her mind, but she just picked me up and started running towards the loading area. Everyone else thought we had died, but Lily was the first to notice us."

Lincoln twiddled with the fork in his hand. "Lynn took a lot of burns just trying to keep me safe, but I woke up when part of the ceiling started coming down on us, so I don't even know if we really made it..."

"Hmmm." Everyone turned their attention to Clyde, who tapped his chin with his pen. "Do you think this had anything to do with what happened yesterday?"

The Loud gave a light shrug. "Maybe? I mean, Lynn left me thinking about a whole lot of things. I was thinking that maybe we could," He gave a short pause, somewhat unable to believe what he was about to say. "Approach her as a group so I could talk to her, but after last night...I'm not certain if that's a good idea. Soooo...I think I'd just have to talk to her alone..."

Liam gave an uneasy look at the Loud. "You sure that's a good idea? You just said that she beat you up in yer head when she managed to corner ya."

"She did..." Lincoln lightly tossed the plastic fork onto the tray. "But she also tried to save us both instead of leaving me behind."

"Did you ask Dr. Lopez if she could arrange a meeting between you guys?" Clyde added.

The Loud gave a quick nod. "That's my backup plan if this one doesn't work."

"You know we're gonna have your back no matter what you do, right?" Ronalda chimed in, to which thy boys voiced their own approval. "Besides, if you decide to go solo, we can still hide around nearby."

"True, but I also don't want to risk making her nervous."

"She's made you nervous just for being around you," The tomboy shrugged, taking a bite of her sub. "So I'd say you'd both be even."

"Speaking of which, are you gonna get that," Rusty pointed at Lincoln's cast, "Removed any time soon?"

Lincoln moved his left elbow a bit. While it still felt somewhat sore, that was nothing compared to the sheer pain he experienced when it was first broken. Now that he thought about it, the Loud recalled that he hadn't had to take his pain medicine for almost two weeks now. The doctor said it could take months, but there was a chance he may have been exaggerating. Lincoln knew Lynn broke parts of her arm, including the elbow, on an irregular basis; yet, while she was supposed to wear a cast or brace for a few weeks would be cut down to 7 or 8 days at best. Who knows, maybe Lynn just had some weird healing factor that Lincoln read about in his comics. Still, he ought to ask his doctor when the cast will come off; it felt like he was carrying dead weight with his arm bent in the same position for 14 days straight.

"Last time I was checked by the hospital, they said I'd have to wear it for a couple weeks. I guess it might be time to dump it since I don't really feel much pain or anything on my elbow."

"Now remember Lincoln, just because the cast is off, doesn't mean your arm is fully healed. Remember the time I sprained my wrist and had to have that brace for a week?" Clyde told them, to which the white-haired child nodded. Clyde massaged a spot near the middle of his arm. "I still can't twist it all the way without feeling something aching."

Lincoln raised a brow. "But that was months ago."

"Same point. You'll likely have a dud elbow for longer than you think."

"Way to crush his dreams Mcbride…" Ronalda half-joked, very familiar with her own list of injuries.

"Pshh-shaw, that's nothing. Remember the time I got mah face kicked in by mah goat cuz I accidentally on its tail too hard?" Liam rubbed his nose. "This darn thing still aches somethin' fierce if someone tries to twist it."

Zach stifled a laugh. "Really?" He reached over and grabbed the bridge of Liam's nose, giving it a light twist to the left. The farm boy gritted his teeth as a not-so-dull ache coursed through his face before he slapped the redhead's hand away.

Pretty soon, the table came alive with the group discussing what kind of injuries they attained either from stupid stunts or pure accidents. Lincoln couldn't stop the little smile that appeared on his lips. So far, Ronnie Anne and Clyde were beating the others with skateboard stunts gone wrong and coincidental accidents respectively; Lincoln himself thought he might trump all of them with the numerous incidents he had dealt with, not counting the bodily harm he endured from most of his sisters a little over a month ago. However, he decided not to dwell on that and let his friends share their own tales; it felt nice to hear odd competitions like these once in a while.

Still, it did little to calm the sinking feeling Lincoln had in his stomach, along with a moderate chill creeping up his spine. The Loud had a good grasp of Lynn's Tuesday schedule, and the short amount of free time she had would be approaching soon.

Almost an hour later, one certain brunette with an affinity for sports exited the doors to the gym with a bag slung over her shoulder. Today, Lynn wore a simple black T-shirt with white shorts, her hair flowing down to her upper back as it wasn't in its usual ponytail; she had been in such a rush due to waking up late that she simply decided to brush it til' it looked decent. A few drops of sweat covered Lynn's forehead as she evened out her breaths, taking one, long frustrated sigh as she trudged through the playground; running multiple laps around the gym was usually trivial for someone like her, especially when you can overlap the class more than 3 times. However, and Lynn hated to admit it to herself, she had been out of shape for the past few weeks. Although she quit participating in sports ever since Lincoln was first admitted to the hospital, the athlete still found jogging as a way to de-stress and mentally monologue about her family's problems; this often made her slow to a steady walk whilst reminiscing about the fun times Lynn used to have with her brother, until Lynn smacked face first into a road sign or telephone pole.

Unfortunately, Lynn never had much of a chance to do her usual runs as of late due to school work becoming a bit more tedious and working with her sisters on regaining Lincoln's trust.

"Man, I was slow as heck today..." The teen groaned, guiding herself past some classmates playing tetherball. "I shouldn't be mulling around the middle of the class, especially with those weird stares they keep giving me." Spotting an empty bench, Lynn dropped her bag on the seat before plopping herself right next to it. Giving another sigh, "At least I'm not being called "She-Hulk" anymore."

While somewhat of a reference to the actual character, Lynn knew those in the same grade were targeting her for her temperament and strength. Polly Pain used it once before promptly ending her friendship with Lynn, and the name stuck for a couple weeks since. It noticeably died out when Lincoln came back to school, but Lynn couldn't tell whether it was because of that or everyone else finally grew enough brains to stop caring. Either way, it was a stroke of good will, since Lynn thought she'd no doubt give a few hecklers a reason for her to 'hulk' out.

The brunette unzipped her bag, pulling out meatball sub wrapped in foil. Pretty easy to make since there were some meatballs left after dinner; all she needed was some bread and instant-lunch. She undid the wrapping and bit into the sandwich, taking a moment to savor the taste and the chance to temporarily ignore world as it was. Lynn huffed a little, feeling content as the first chunk sat in her gut before taking another bite. She was completely unaware that she was being watched from afar by a snow-haired child trying to keep his nerves in check.

Lincoln rubbed his arm a little as he continued to stare at his sister from his spot by a slide. His legs shook every few seconds like they'd give way at any moment, being in sync with his shaky breaths. The boy flinched a bit as he whipped his head to the slide, watching it vibrate strongly as another student had their few seconds of enjoyment. He wasn't by himself either; Rusty had a hand leaning against the underside, a bored expression on his face, whilst Zach drew some lettering in the wooden chips along the ground with a stick. Unfortunately, they were the only two guys who were able to help the Loud as Ronnie Anne was busy taking a test and Liam and Clyde were in the middle of a project.

"So, not to rush ya or anything man, but..." Rusty spoke as he rubbed some dirt off one of his fingers, "Are you gonna go and talk with her? We've been standing here for 5 minutes, and I don't think Ms. J is gonna buy the whole bathroom excuse this time."

"I-I'm working on it..." Lincoln stuttered, shifting on the spot. "Dang it...I thought this would be easy..." He muttered to himself.

"Well, why did think we're here?" The tall redhead smirked, standing up straight. He started walking out from their hiding spot. "I'll just go and introduce us, then-" He was cut short when Lincoln grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him in.

"No, you're not." Lincoln said sternly.

Rusty glared at the Loud. "Come on Lincoln! We agreed to come help you with this since everyone else is busy, but we can't stay out here for too long. I don't wanna get another detention slip for nothing..."

"I know, I know..." Lincoln sighed. "I wanna to try and do something, but whenever I see my sisters...I just freeze up ok?" The Loud looked back towards Lynn, who was halfway done with her sandwich. "I don't know if she's gonna hurt me again, if something in my dreams might actually come true, or..."

"She didn't do anything yesterday, so why would she now?" Zach pointed out.

"Yeah, and you said she saved you, in your dreams." Rusty added.

"So, if she isn't doing anything besides sitting there, you can at least walk up to her and say 'hi', right?" Zach raised a brow. "It'll be short, but it ain't like you can't talk to her later. Besides, you might even get used to being around her again by playing the short game."

Lincoln stayed silent as he contemplated this. He was too focused on trying to get answers to his dreams and what was really going on with his sisters, that he hadn't even considered a simple greeting. If he could sit near Lynn for 15 minutes, surely it wouldn't hurt to say 'Hi' for two seconds.

"Then again..." Lincoln thought to himself as his lips curled into a frown, "Knowing my sisters, nothing is ever simple with them. They'll always want something..." He recalled yesterday's surprise visit once more, watching as Lynn formed a glare and started waving her hand in a random pattern around her lunch, likely swatting at a fly. "Or...maybe I don't really know my sisters at all. Lynn still has her hair down, kinda messy too...and I haven't seen my other 4 sisters in WEEKS." Lincoln furrowed his brows. "Now that I think about it, Lori hadn't texted me since that last message I sent..."

Lincoln took a deep, calm breath and exhaled slowly. "This really is something I'll have to do on my own...I won't always have my friends around to help me, even if they say they will. Maybe my sisters just weren't thinking straight." He stared at the ground in sadness. "Like I wasn't the day I kept blabbing those dumb secrets. And..." The events of his last dream filled his mind. "I don't want to drag them into another bad situation. That would make me feel even worse..."

The Loud was pulled from his thoughts when someone tapped his shoulder. He raised a brow at Rusty.

"You ok dude? You were spacing out there."

"Yeah, yeah..." Lincoln nodded. He allowed himself a short pause before continuing. "This might sound awkward but...why don't you guys head back to class? I'll handle this myself." The boy spoke in a firm tone, jerking his thumb in his sister's direction.

Both redheads glanced at each other before giving Lincoln a quizzical look. "You sure? Cause you wouldn't march over there even with us being here."

"D-Don't worry about it." Lincoln tried to put them at ease, though his confidence was beginning to falter. "I HAVE to do this...if I don't, then I won't know anything..."

Rusty and Zach didn't look too convinced, but they didn't want to ruin this for Lincoln if he was trying to be strong on his own. "We'll try to keep ya covered from Ms. J. No promises though." Rusty stated before they left.

"Call us if you need backup!" Zach shouted, his voice getting a bit distorted from the ambient noise of the playground.

Lincoln watched his friends, and potential backup, run back to the building for a few seconds before redirecting his attention to his sporty sister. Lynn munched on the last piece of her sandwich whilst balling up the used foil and tossing it into a nearby trash can, without leaving her seat; it landed almost dead center in the opening. Fearing that he may lose his chance, Lincoln pursed his lips into a thin line before coming out into the sunlight.

"Ok Lincoln, you can do this..." He muttered to himself. "All you gotta do is walk up to her, say hi, and...try, not to let it drag on for too long..." The air of confidence he had faltered a bit at that last sentence. Nonetheless, the Loud boy curled his hand into a fist, narrowed his eyes slightly in a show of determination, and with a steady breath, he started at an even pace towards the athlete.

Brushing past some of the older students, Lincoln was a bit relieved that Lynn hadn't moved from her spot yet; she had her eyes glued to her phone. He was certain that if she happened to look up, he would definitely be spotted; sometimes he hated how much his hair made him stand out, unless it was winter.

"Ok...so far so good...she hasn't noticed me yet, but that shouldn't be a problem." The 11 year old spoke inwardly. As he got within 15 yards of Lynn's bench, he noticed there was a lack of people sitting between him and his occupied sister. A few beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he stepped into no-man's land. "O-Ok, there's no cover for me r-right now...but it shouldn't be too bad...right?"

Lincoln's breath started to become uneven as he moved closer, slowing himself to a shuffle as he continued on. He could feel his heart begin to beat faster as the distance closed, his legs becoming a little wobbly as the boy found it hard to contain the shivers coursing though his body. Lynn suddenly looked to her left, making Lincoln freeze like a deer caught in headlights. He saw her lips move into a small smile as she greeted someone, which made Lincoln a little confused. Upon following Lynn's gaze, the boy felt as if his heart dropped down into his stomach, his eyes becoming the size of dinner plates while his pupils shrank.

Luan walked up to Lynn as she returned her greeting, taking a seat next to her younger sister. She was dressed in her usual blouse (minus the joke flower), and unlike the last time Lincoln saw her, the comedian had her hair fixed in its usual style. They started chatting with each other, completely oblivious to the fact their brother was within walking distance.

"W-Why is Luan here?...She looks happy right now, b-but...what about that meeting last week? Did Lynn call her here?..." Lincoln looked between his two sisters, confusion quite evident on his face. He bit his lip as he suddenly wished he hadn't sent his friends away. "What if...what if Lynn knew I was coming out here? But, she couldn't have known unless..." Lincoln let a gasp escape him. "WHAT IF THIS WAS ALL A TRAP?! Lynn was probably stalking me this whole time!"

The boy whirled his head around frantically to spot any of his other sisters, his rapid breathing becoming more uneven by the second. None of his other siblings were in sight, and Lincoln was sure he'd be able to spot them easily since they were terrible at picking hiding spots. Or, they could be waiting for him to get closer to Lynn and Luan before springing their trap...

Without a word, Lincoln immediately back pedaled into the crowd of students, feeling like a total idiot for sending his friends away when they had a perfect opportunity to help him.

Lynn felt a chill run down her spine before looking out at the playground. Luan raised a brow at her sister's sudden jolt. "You ok?"

Lynn gave an uneasy stare at the crowd of students going every which way and doing whatever they liked. "You ever get that feeling you were being watched?..."

Lincoln looked behind him in case his sisters took notice. Upon seeing that Lynn was staring in his direction, Lincoln's blood ran cold before he broke into a full sprint. He nearly bumped into a few other students, gaining the ire of the older middle schoolers before the boy finally reached the safety of one of the school entrances. Lincoln didn't stop as soon as he got through the doors, continuing to run through the halls and taking sudden turns into parts of the school he wasn't too familiar with as a precaution in case he was being followed. With his lungs burning for air, the boy's pace slowed to a crawl before planting a hand on the wall for support. Lincoln gave exhausted pants as his ears rang a bit from his heart beating rapidly. The beats slowly died down upon recognizing the body was no longer in motion.

The 11 year old gave a weary eye at his surroundings before finally letting himself slide to the floor. He brought his knees to his chest, rocking a little on the spot as a sense of dread kept flowing through him. "I'm such an idiot...why did I think I could handle this by myself?..." Lincoln chided himself in a broken voice. "...I could've used my friends' help, b-but I turned them down...then I ended up blowing it on my own, just like in my dreams!" Stray tears of anger and frustration poured down his cheeks along with light sniffles coming from his nose.

A solid buzz went off in Lincoln's pocket, temporarily pulling him from his self-deprecation. Fishing out his phone with a shaky hand, Lincoln pressed the power button to see there was a text from Clyde.

[Dude, where are you? Ms. Johnson is about to send a hall monitor]

Lincoln glanced at the floor for a bit before closing the message out. He went to his contacts to find a certain number, hastily scrolling down the list before dialing it in. Lincoln put the phone to his ear as the dial tone began to ring.

"Dr. Lopez, how may I help you?" Came the woman's calm, business-like voice.

"Mrs. Lopez?..." Lincoln replied while doing his best to make his own voice sound clearer.

"Lincoln?" Miranda answered, dropping the professionalism in clear concern. "What's wrong?"

"I need..." The boy paused for a moment to clear his eyes. "I need help..."

If you were just a random person who told Lynn she'd be the first person to talk to her brother in a one-on-one meeting, she'd most likely give you a scowl and tell you to go screw yourself; there was no way Lincoln would purposely arrange something like that on his own, and the Loud sisters already had their next plan set in motion on getting Lincoln to at least be less fearful of their presence. Luan's job was to approach Lincoln in a manner that wouldn't spook him and try to start up some small talk. There were some concerns about how her overall height could intimidate him (while unknowingly making Lynn self-conscious about her own), but the girls hoped the friendly vibe she would give could keep their brother calm.

However, that 'vibe' was a bit debatable if you knew Luan's habit of pulling extreme pranks, especially when April Fools rolled around; everyone in the house made a mental note not to bring up that certain holiday as the comedian still buckled under the guilt she had for the torment she had been causing to everyone. However, Luan knew she'd have to steel her nerves when it came to Lincoln; last April Fools Day was something that she knew would be fresh in his mind, especially after she outright admitted she made him go through all that hell and expected Ronnie Anne to finish the job when she came over. And she was the one who invited Ronnie Anne over the day before everything took place.

Talk about overkill...and Luan was certain that if Lincoln wasn't so terrified of her right now, he'd most definitely hate her for using his feelings for Ronnie Anne as a trap for her own enjoyment. Because of that, the main objective on her to-do list was to apologize for her actions on that day.

Unfortunately, everything was thrown out of focus that Tuesday afternoon when the parents got an interesting call from Dr. Lopez. Rita nearly dropped the phone not because the psychologist told them that Lincoln was going to have another session on Saturday, but the fact that he wanted Lynn to be there. Both parents were uncertain about the news, wondering if she was referring to the patriarch; yet, Miranda confirmed that she was talking about their athletic daughter.

First reaction after hearing it? Lynn had to be given the Hiemlich Maneuver due to choking on her portion of turkey loaf. Second, and straight from the storm prediction center, was the hurricane of questions everyone tried to ask the doctor. Unfortunately for them, Miranda didn't give any other indication about knowing what would happen, but gave some hope that it would be a little heart-to-heart. Putting the parents at ease, they didn't pry further, but the girls weren't so easy to sate.

Henceforth, the current sister meeting. The only sibling not present was Lily as it was too late for her to be awake.

"Ok, this is just an unexpected variable in our plan, but it shouldn't be too much of a challenge to pass." Lisa spoke calmly, writing up some notes in her book.

"What do you mean UNEXPECTED?! How did you NOT see this coming?!" Lynn shouted at the 4 year old.

"Chill a bit sis." Luna put a hand on Lynn's shoulder. "Wasn't like most of us expected this plan to work anyways."

"You could totes say it worked a little too well." Leni added.

"Well Lynn, looks like you're up to bat again." Luan half-joked as she ruffled her sister's hair, only for the shorter girl to smack it away after a few seconds.

"Why is it always me though? Why can't Luan go next?" Lynn whined as she jerked her thumb towards the comedian.

"I thought you're the one who can handle anything under pressure." Lori piped up with a slight smirk on her face.

The athlete cast a glare at the oldest sibling. "That's with sports! This isn't sports! This is our brother's life on the line here!"

"Trust me Lynn," Luan started, a neutral look on her face. "If you think you're having a hard time dealing with Lincoln, you don't want to know what I have to fess up to."

"You mean pranking him til next Thursday?" Lynn replied, giving the tall 14 year old a half-lidded stare. "Pretty sure all of us went through that knowing you."

Luan gave a solemn look. "Yeah..." A hint of guilt was evident in her tone. "But during this past April Fools Day...Lincoln got more than his fair share of pranking..." The comedian winced a little as that image of a partially shaved and missing eyebrowed Lincoln came to mind. "Way more..."

A few of the girls raised a brow, promptly looking among each other for an answer. "Did it have anything to do with the fact our rooms were trashed?..." Lola asked in a somewhat threatening tone.

"Wait, Lincoln came back an hour after we found Leni, and he looked ok. Aside from being mad at Luan that is. And he wasn't covered in blue paint." Lucy stated, staring in Luan's direction. The comedian gave a sheepish smile as a couple beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

Knowing her sisters well enough to know where this was going, Lori pinched the bridge between her eyes and gave a slight groan. "Alright," She gave a authoritative stare at her 7th youngest sibling. "What did you do?..."

Luan gave a guilt riddled frown. She knew she'd have to come clean eventually, but at the same time, she also wanted to avoid drawing more ire from her siblings. Actually, Luan knew very well she'd wind up doing just that at this very moment, so it was a lose-lose situation. "I...I lured him out of his room by telling Ronnie Anne he 'loved' the holiday, so I invited her over. He sprung all the traps in the house so she wouldn't get pranked, then I gloated to his face by telling him I was the one who set him for a massive pranking, then expected Ronnie Anne to finish it off with a pie to the face..." A quick glance around and she could see the disproving stares from her siblings, and the sad part is, Luan wasn't finished. "He had a few bruises, a shaved head, bite marks, and his foot was stuck in a bucket by the end of it all..."

It was so silent in the room, you could hear Mr. Grouse tending to his garden outside. That is, until Lola lunged at Luan and pressed her tiny hands against her windpipe. "Have you lost it woman?! Did you even think about how much Lincoln would've lost because of you?!" The six year old screeched whilst shaking the comedian's head rapidly.

"Clearly, I...wasn't!..." Luan choked out as her face started turning blue.

Leni quickly grabbed Lola by her shirt and tore her off the brunette. The six year old was quick to escape her grasp, and would've resumed her strangling if she wasn't tackled to the floor by her twin with Lynn assisting her.

"Time out Lola. No use of excessive force!" Lynn ordered as if she was a referee.

"Excessive? I'LL SHOW YOU EXCESSIVE!" The princess yelled whilst clawing at the air in front of Luan, whose face was returning back to its usual color as she gasped in air.

The comedian rapidly crawled backwards until she was pressed up against Lori's bed, shuddering every few seconds. Who knew a six year old could be so terrifying?

"Guess we now know what sort of 'job' our make sibling was referring to." Lisa piped up with her usual tone, though she was squinting her eyes at Luan as if she was personally offended.

"So, Lincoln set off all those pranks to protect Ronnie Anne?" Leni asked out loud. She put her hands to her cheeks as a huge smile formed on her lips. "LIKE, OH MY GOD! THAT'S SO ADORABLE!"

"Lola's got a point Lu. What you did was just low, real low, even for you." Luna added, shaking her in disbelief. Leni dropped her smile when it seemed clear no one else shared her sentiments.

"I know..." Luan brought her knees to her chest. "I only thought about how I could drag Lincoln out of his room since it was the only place I hadn't set up pranks...I got too focused on the fact he knew he was going to get a prank-free day and rub it in my face that I just..." She knitted her brows in frustration. "I just had to do something, ok?!" A few hot tears left her eyes. "So go ahead and say I'm the worst sister ever! I'm already sure Lincoln would hate me if he wasn't so scared of us right now!"

No one spoke for a few moments after that statement, including Lola who stopped struggling enough to be let up off the floor. She still kept her glare trained on the comedian, and Lana kept a gentle, yet firm grip on her wrist in case she decided to pounce.

"He might." Lori started, getting everyone else's attention. "But he didn't hate you for it right after. Or, if he did, he didn't show it." She sat on her bed. "What I don't understand is if Lincoln knew Ronnie Anne was coming over, why didn't he just tell her not to come?"

Luan shook her head. "I wouldn't know the answer to that, even though I did try to figure that out myself..." She wiped an eye with the palm of her hand. "Hard to get an answer from Linc when he pretends you don't exist for 3 whole weeks...and even then, the only answer he gave me was that it was 'none of my business'..."

"Did you think to ask Ronnie Anne?" Lynn chimed in. "Wait..." She quickly added as she thought her question over. "Nah, she'd likely act like Lincoln and just ignore you. May be worse for bringing her into it."

"So where did Lincoln go after you gloated?" Lori pressed, wanting to end this mystery.

"After Ronnie Anne gave me my just desserts, she took Lincoln out of the house and mentioned drawing new eyebrows on his face and a milkshake. So I'm gonna assume her house." Luan leaned her head back so she could look up at Lori. "But why are you guys just hearing about it now? I thought Lincoln would've blabbed about it at some point before."

"He didn't." Lori started, keeping a neutral face, though her lips curled into a frown. "And we didn't think to ask how he got away 'scot-free'. We just assumed he managed to undo all of your pranks without getting caught, not actually springing them on himself..."

Luan gave an unamused stare at the oldest sibling. "I hardly believe Lincoln's room is that soundproof with all the noise going on in this house."

"You're right, it shouldn't." Lisa stated, flipping the pages of her notebook before jamming her finger on one particular page. "Which is why last week, I decided to inspect the thickness of Lincoln's door along with the amount if insulation in the walls."

"Hold on. If the walls are hard to hear through, why did he have those ear buds then, hmmm?" Lola looked heatedly at Lisa, still working off some of her rage.

"Uh, maybe cause we kept opening the door?" Lana spoke as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

Lola was about to launch a rant at her twin, but Lisa was quick to cut her off. "That is factual, but after comparing the measurements from Lincoln's room to ours and our parents, I've found the closet door is made of a different wooden material that has substantial thickness to block out sounds under a moderate level. Added to that, there is an odd ratio in the amount of insulation spread throughout the house, which I believe mother and father should definitely get in touch with the home contractor and inquire about."

"In English, please?" Lynn asked, rapping her fingers against her arm.

"Our brother's closet-turned-room is capable of suppressing most of the sounds in our house on a level comparable to that of our parents' room, making it one of the only truly private quarters in this abode." Lisa finished, flicking back to her previous page in her notebook.

"ANYWAY," Lori called out, wanting to get the topic back on track. "Luan..." The younger girl turned towards her. "It's good that you realized what you did was wrong and want to fix it. But like Luna and Lola were saying, it was still very underhanded and wrong on so many levels. You can't use someone's feelings for another person against them, especially for a stupid prank." The blonde glowered at the brunette, who shrank under her gaze.

"You know very well how Lincoln feels about Ronnie Anne like the rest of us, and like I said before, he might not forgive you for it. The fact you probably never apologized for it after all this time makes it worse. Not only that, you could've literally wrecked their relationship! What if Ronnie Anne thought Lincoln set up all those pranks instead of you? She would've dumped him, then he'd definitely hate you for the rest of your life!"

Luan winced a little at that realization.

Lana leaned in close to Luna. "She really does sound like mom." The musician gave a curt nod.

"Now, if you had used Bobby as bait, I'd LITERALLY tear those braces out of your mouth and not care if mom and dad made me pay for new ones." Luan sucked her lips in on instinct as her pupils shrank to the sizes of peas. Lori softened her gaze, laying a hand on Luan's head. "But that doesn't mean there isn't any hope of Lincoln eventually forgiving you. Lynn broke his arm when this mess started, and he didn't freak out yesterday when she sat with him."

"Doesn't mean he won't snap on Saturday..." Lynn muttered unenthusiastically.

Lisa gave a light huff. "If it helps, you have approximately 80 hours to prepare your opening statement."

The sporty Loud whipped her head at the prodigy, her brows partially knitted. "This isn't a court case."

"Why don't you just, like, talk to him from your heart? It's not like you can apologize for all of us." Leni piped up, reaching towards a small case on her nightstand. "If Lynn is going first, we'll get a chance too, right?"

If it weren't for the fact it was known that Leni could focus more when under the influence of her medication, the girls would have their jaws wide open. Lynn gave a subtle nod before jumping to her feet. "Guess I better start practicing then. And if it goes well," The jock looked at Luan, "I'll ask Lincoln if he can talk with you next."

A small smile found took form on Luan's face. "Thanks..."

Lana raised a brow as the older tomboy walked toward the door. "Wait, where are you going?"

"I think better when I'm moving." Lynn's voice carried on as she strolled down the hall, intent on finding the running shoes stashed somewhere in her room.

"Guess we gotta wait 'n see...again..." Luna groaned.

"I think this will be quicker than before. After all, weren't we supposed to get Lincoln to want to talk with one of us?" Lucy spoke with a hint of confidence. She thumbed through her poetry book, her mouth dropping a little as she came across a few tear-stained pages.

"Actually, our goal was to instill a sense of indifference so our male sibling no longer becomes hysterical in our presence. And (as stated before) while this does require some shuffling to do, we can still make this work. However, it appears we'll be more reactive to Lincoln's decisions unless the metaphorical ball shifts into our field." Lisa laid her pen flush with the notebook pages. "And that may be a concern if we fail to react accordingly."

"So, business as usual then." Lori surmised before looking over those who remained. "Anyone else have anything they want to talk about before we close this meeting?" She was quick to glare at Lola before adding, "That ISN'T about last April?"

Lola squinted her eyes before shutting her mouth and crossing her arms. Lana glanced at her twin, with one particular issue on her mind. A light snort came from her as a devious thought came to the center of attention; given that Lola gave Luan a hard time over a near 6 month old issue, the upcoming mechanic felt the princess deserved to be in the hot seat for a bit.

"I got one: why do you keep trying on my overalls?"

Lola's face fell as a visible chill ran through her. She looked back at her twin before turning aloof. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Lola..." Lana warned, a scowl forming on her face. "Remember that talk we had weeks back about being honest? And I know you wore two of them because there's some glitter on the straps."

At this point, the younger twin knew she couldn't lie her way out of this even if she wanted to. Everyone was staring at her with Lana giving her the stink eye, likely doubting Lola would actually fess up to her claims.

Lola gave a long, frustrated groan. "Fine...I don't have much in the way of wardrobe ever since most of my gowns were taken away. So, I started to get bored wearing the same plain old clothes every day." She looked back at Lana. "Is it a crime that I want to accessorize?"

"Actually, I thought you were trying to look like her twin." Leni stated almost immediately.

Lori couldn't help the eyeroll that instinctively occurred whenever her roommate said something stupid. "Leni, she-"

"I know that." Leni cut her off. "I meant like a Saimeise Twin or something. She already has shorter hair now after Lana cut it, and if she had a hat on, I don't think I'd be able to tell whose who."

Both twins raised a brow before looking at one another. Physical appearance was a dead give away that they were identical, but personally-wise they were polar opposites. A yin to a yang, a red to a blue. However, they weren't without their likes, such as favorite food, a secret fondness of being girl scouts, and ratting out their siblings if they had a common goal. You know, six year old stuff. And the longer Lana kept staring at Lola, it became easier to see how someone could easily mistake her for her sister.

The cowlick on her head was a dead giveaway though. To test this theory, Lana took off her hat and placed it on Lola's head. The other girls started to giggle whilst Lola cringed. "Please tell me you washed this..." She pointed at the red baseball cap.

"Washed it yesterday." Lana grinned. "Nothin a good ol' spit shine couldn't fix."

Lola's pupils shrank before she gave a shrill scream and threw the hat to the floor, then rapidly brushed the top of her head to rid it of contamination.

Lana snorted with glee. "Just kiddin'. It was with the laundry." She picked up her hat as the other girls started laughing. Lola made a pouty face and folded her arms again, giving a low growl at being humiliated. Lana wrapped an arm around her twin. "Ah come on. It's all in good fun. Besides, maybe tomorrow we can try to get everyone to mix our names up."

Lola gave an eyeroll before muttering, "I guess..."

The rest of the week passed by relatively quick, bringing in another weekend for everyone to take a breather from the stresses of work and school. Lana and Lola put their prank to use after the tomboy scrubbed down some of her overalls for Lola to wear, and even forgoed the use of her hat as it was an easy mark. While they still wore different colored t-shirts, it was almost impossible to tell them apart. To make the scheme even more enticing, the twins requested that their sisters give them $10 for every time they got their names wrong.

The first people to fall for their trick were their own parents, who had to double take on their words to make sure they weren't seeing things. Lynn Sr. promptly rushed to find a camera after spouting how he hadn't seen the twins look so alike since they were in diapers.

School was where the real fun started, with several students getting their names wrong and two of the teachers wound up making that mistake as well; the 3rd teacher started freaking out, thinking the girls were from The Shining and promptly went to hide in the janitor's closet. Even Lucy accidentally referred to Lana by her twin before quickly catching herself; the emo begrudgingly forked over her cash at the end of the day. To that end, the twins continued to mislead people all the way into the weekend, with three other sisters falling prey to their prank; Lynn lost a Hamilton due to not paying attention when greeting one of the six year olds, Leni lost three on account that her pills had worn off during the other two times (one was given back to her out of generosity), and even Lisa had to give one up on simple request to ask for the pepper.

However enjoyable the week was for most, it may have come too quickly for the likes of a couple Louds. Lincoln hadn't seen his sisters ever since Tuesday, which suited him just fine as he had been trying to prepare himself for the arranged meeting on Saturday. Lynn had done the same, thinking up some words to give Lincoln to think about when it was all over while also working on her opening apology. She grew frustrated with how it never seemed to sound right to her no matter how many times she wrote it down, and Lynn's waste bin was eventually overflowing with discarded papers.

Leni once again reminded Lynn she should speak from within, and it seemed like that was all Lynn could hope for that Saturday morning. The sense of dread that had been filling her gut over the week was reaching its tipping point, making Lynn more fidgety than crunch time during her games. That's nothing to say how Lincoln was feeling today; he began having second thoughts as the hour drew near, and Clyde had to convince him to go with the usual "you'll regret it if you don't" speech.

The rest of the Louds and Lincoln's social circle held an anticipated breath as 11 o'clock rolled in, and silently wished for the best possible outcome. Or at least some headway with Lincoln becoming his old self.

And that brings us to now...

"So, how have things been going at home?" Miranda asked a timid-looking Lynn, who sat in the lounging chair twiddling her thumbs.

"Good, if you can say that." The tomboy replied, seemingly distracted as she glanced at the door.

"I can safely assume that you're quite antsy about this meeting?"

"You don't know the half of it, sister. I thought WE were supposed to get Lincoln to come to these, not the other way around." Lynn shuddered a little, gripping her shoulders tight. "I know the last time I saw him, he didn't manage to freak out; but I was only around for a few minutes, and he had his friends with him."

Miranda gave a light smile. "Well, whatever you did seemed to have worked. Although, " Her smile dropped into a low frown. "He sounded like he had been crying when he asked to have this session. Do you know why that might be?"

Lynn shook her head. "I can think of a number of reasons, but it ain't anything good."

"Fair enough. So, how's school and everything?"

The jock knitted her brows a bit. "Sucky..."

Miranda pursed her lips a bit. "Some of the students are still upset at you?"

"It died down after a while, but I still get a couple mean looks now and then." Lynn leaned on her arm as she got comfortable. "My friend Margo started talking to me around the time Lincoln got out the hospital; she was still a bit mad-wait, no." She paused before snapping her fingers. "Disappointed. She was still disappointed in what I did, but it looks like she got past throwing insults and whatever faster than others."

"And what about your sisters? Do they still get heckled at school?"

Lynn gave a small huff. "The younger ones? No. My former friend Polly once called me She-Hulk not too long ago, and anyone who started to mess with my sisters gave me an excuse to get live up to the name." She folded her arms. "Now, I've chased off bullies before, but this felt more personal since..." Lynn went quiet as the sound of footsteps reached her ears. They didn't sound heavy and deliberate, but light and trepidatious.

The girl sat up straight as the knob turned, her breath hitching ever so slightly as anxiety filled her chest. As soon as the door was pushed open, a timid Lincoln stepped in, almost immediately locking eyes with his sister. The snow capped boy held his left arm straight to his side with his right, his lips pursed into a thin line whilst his legs locked in place from his position in the doorway.

Lynn studied his stance, her eyes locking onto his left limb before they widened to the of dinner plates. Just as she thought her brother couldn't surprise her even further, one of his most visible injuries was now nothing but a memory. "He doesn't have his cast anymore. Then again...it's been like, what? 3 weeks?" She mentally noted, her lips curling earthward slightly. "Crap...now he's gonna be even MORE defensive if he thinks I'll break his arm again..."

When it became clear neither children were going to address each other with words, Dr. Lopez decided to help ease the tension. "Glad you could join us Lincoln." She spoke, drawing his attention before flashing a warm smile at him. Motioning towards the little couch on her left, "You can sit on the loveseat for the time being. I know you would typically sit on the chair, but given the circumstances..." Her voice trailed off a bit.

Lincoln gave a quick nod. "T-Thanks." His body shook slightly to get rid of the stiffness he felt before making his way over to the couch. He sat up straight before turning his attention to Mrs. Lopez, being sure to keep Lynn within his peripheral.

"So," The Hispanic woman folded one leg over the other. "What was the reason why you wanted to have this session today?"

"Last night..." Lincoln paused for moment. Bringing a few fingers to the bridge of his nose, "Wait, it was earlier in the week." He paused again to get his thoughts together. " Anyway, I had another dream about me being Ace Savvy. It felt...kinda real because of everything that happened in it, and I'm still surprised I can remember all of it with how long it felt..."

"Ace Savvy?" Lynn thought to herself. "That doesn't sound horrifying. Actually, it sounds like something Lincoln would dream about with all those geeky comics he has."

"Interesting. Now, as I recall, you told me that the previous dream you had was about you and your friends planning to confront your sisters." That got Lynn's attention immediately, leaning in slightly so she could hear every word. "So, was the next (that is, the last dream you had) a continuation on that?"

Lincoln nodded again. He opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but paused upon looking in Lynn's direction. The tomboy leaned back a bit, her leg bouncing with energy as she fought back another buildup of anxiety. "Am I gonna have to step out for this?..."

As much as Lincoln wanted that to be the case, he knew just as much as anyone else that Lynn needed to hear this. After all, it was one of the main reasons he specifically asked for her attendance. "Nononono!" He spoke quickly, surprising his sister before he calmed himself. "Y-You can stay...it's kinda...complicated."

Miranda raised a brow. "How so?"

Lincoln tapped his index fingers together, giving himself a moment before he spoke again. "It started out simple, but quickly grew into something else..."

The next few minutes were spent with Lincoln giving a rough draft of his last dream, being sure to keep in the key parts while managing to skip over those that held little importance. Lynn felt a little lost until the action really started to pick up; it also at this point that Lincoln's dreams were much, much more complex than a simple 'at school in your undies' deal. She and the rest of her sisters were aware of Lincoln having bad dreams involving them, though this dream didn't seem as bad given Lincoln's past reactions. That is, until Lincoln came to the part where he and Lynn (who was apparently named Strong Suit) started their own brawl. Lincoln had to pause every couple of moments as he talked; whether it might've been because he had a difficult time talking about it due to Lynn's presence, or because it was just so hurtful and soul breaking for Ace himself was a debate on its own.

By the time he got through most of it, Lynn had her knees to her chest as she was biting her knuckles. Hot tears sat at the corner of her eyes, her mind stuck with the image of beating her brother to near death and somehow convincing him everything was his fault. The fact this Lynn in his dreams was enjoying every second of it was making the athlete sick to her stomach. As it stood, Lynn wouldn't even consider that notion of doing such a thing; how could she even be able to live with herself if she nearly killed one of her siblings over something that, from the sound of it, was a problem she and most of her other sisters blew out of proportion given what she knew now about Lincoln's dreams?

Wait...

Lynn's lip quivered as she began to see the similarities of from the dream and the world of crap they currently live in.

The sisters develop a problem on their own? Check.

Lincoln tries to fix it? Check.

The girls are stubborn about wanting to resolve it their way and refuse their brother's help? Check...

Lincoln grows frustrated because his siblings are frustrated? Double check...

Both sides end up arguing which leads to a fight? TRIPLE check...

Lincoln loses said fight, gets beaten to near death, and believes it was his own doing that led to it? BIG. FUCKING. CHECK...

Lynn's body started to convulse a little as she took in shaky breaths, her eyes forming a pink tint as more tears started to run down her face. "I'm a monster...h-he thinks of me as an uncaring, whack job of a sister..."

So caught up in her thoughts that Lynn didn't hear Lincoln say, "But she didn't finish me off...she just put me down, and it seemed like Lynn was back to her old self; well, more-so shocked that she had beaten me up badly..."

Miranda was about to voice her opinion when both of them heard sniffles coming from the sporty teen. While it may have been the dumbest question to ask, the doctor knew she'd have to say it regardless since it'd be rude not to. "Are you ok, Lynn?"

Lynn shook her head. "I need..." She sniffled again, her voice breaking and becoming raspy. "I need to be alone right now..." Getting off her seat, the 13 year old shuffled to the open door and walked out into the hall. She didn't bother closing it behind her, which allowed the therapist to hear another door slamming shut seconds later.

"Sounds like she went into the bathroom to clean her face." Miranda surmised internally before turning back to Lincoln, who had a mix of surprise and guilt plastered on his face.

"I...I didn't mean to make her cry..." Lincoln looked a bit lost as he spoke, with his tone sounding as if he was having another internal argument with his emotions.

Miranda could see why: in a situation like this, she knew Lincoln was trying to find some peace with his sisters in spite of what they did to him. However, there were also more, vindictive emotions that may see it as a form of revenge for the hurt and trauma that befell him. The doctor could tell from the first day they sat together that Lincoln wasn't a violent person, nor did he even wish to enact vengeance on his siblings.

"I'm sure she'll be fine." Miranda assured him, keeping an air of confidence for his sake. "And I have a feeling there was a particular reason you asked for Lynn to join us today. Now, you said that Lynn didn't attempt to finish you in your dream, whereas your previous visions involved you getting the axe by your siblings one way or another. Is there something else that happened in your dream that defied the norm?"

"Yeah...as the whole building started to go up in flames due to Zach's bombs going off, everyone else made it out besides me and Lynn. They started thinking we died, but at the very end, Lynn was carrying me towards the exit."

Miranda's eyes widened a bit. "Really?"

"Yeah. From what I remember, she took most of the burns when making our escape. She could've easily just left me behind..." Lincoln bit his lip. "But she didn't. A piece of the roof started falling towards us right when we would've made it out, and I woke up before I could know for sure..."

"Ok." Mrs. Lopez wrote something down before clasping her hands together. "So, referring to the dream, you said you kept having nightmares about your sisters coming to end you. And with this new dream, it looked like it was about to be the same story with just a different tale. But it didn't end that way, and you had this dream when?"

"Last night." The 11 year old replied.

"And the day before, you called and told me that Lynn came to your group table during lunch. Do you think that meeting had something to do with it?"

Lincoln tapped a finger on the seat, searching his brain for an answer. He had a hunch it might have been what was needed to break the mold, but didn't want to assume. However, he couldn't deny that his last dream broke the standard where he'd always end up paying the ultimate price for crossing his sisters, even if he wasn't so sure if he did survive the last dream. "Lynn didn't act the way I thought she would've on Monday when I first saw her...and she went completely against what I originally thought she'd do despite being very close..."

"It would also appear that your sisters are vaguely unaware of how you picture them in your dreams."

Lincoln raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Given how Lynn is most likely crying in the restroom right now, I believe it's clear that she took the idea of beating you in the way you described as means of seeing how you view not only her, but your other siblings as well. They are at least aware of your night terrors, but they do not know the full extent of them."

Lincoln gave a downcast look. "My parents don't know either, and I didn't want to tell them about it..."

"You also specifically asked that I do not relay this to them as well." The doctor added.

"Yeah...though I'm starting to wish I hadn't..." Lincoln's eyelids narrowed a bit, feeling as if he was forgetting something. The boy adopted a curious look upon recalling one other important fact from his dreams. "Speaking of mom and dad, I have another problem I don't understand."

"Hmm?"

"My parents...they're dead in my dreams, but I know they're doing ok right now. Especially since I talked with Mom yesterday and heard from Dad this morning. I thought they'd at least be able to do something in my dreams, but they can't. And I have no idea how, or why, it's like that."

Miranda tapped her pen against her chin. She reflected on a few words the parents said in their sessions regarding their relationship with Lincoln, with Lynn Sr. coming to the conclusion that he wasn't as close to his son as Rita. However, from Lincoln's perspective, even that may not be true. "It does sound strange, but I think I can see the whole picture as to why." The doctor thought aloud. "I had asked you about your relationship with your sisters previously, but didn't question the one you had with your parents. So, what kind of relationship do you have with them? By that, I mean, do you guys go and hang out at fun places occasionally or...?"

"Sometimes," Lincoln started, glancing up at the ceiling in thought. He started to count off his fingers as he listed each activity. "A few times we've went to Dairy Land, though other times it was just me and my sisters. We took a road trip to the state park last summer, went to the beach a few times, every year we end up going to Scratch Bottom Camp Grounds even though myself and my sisters hate going there, and..." The boy tapped his foot when he started drawing blanks. "They're usually there for us when we need them, though I do remember one time when they had to schedule time for each of us since we all needed help with something."

"Such as?"

The boy started counting his fingers again. "I needed help with building a volcano for class, Lynn needed help with her pitching technique, Lori needed mom's help with a magazine quiz, Leni needed help putting on make-up, Luna needed dad's help in making some kind of song (I think it was jazz from what I remember), and Lana clogged the toilet so dad could teach her how to fix it." He caught Mrs. Lopez giving a look of disbelief at the last one. "That's what she said, and it's not too surprising to be honest..."

"Ooookaay, I believe I'm seeing a pattern here. From all the places you listed, were these family events or just one-on-one times?"

Taking a moment to reflect, "Yeah, they were all family events. It's kinda hard to only take a few people to those places without the others feeling jealous, unless they're busy like the one time Luna didn't come since she had a gig to do."

"Ok. Were there any times your parents spent time with you without your sisters being around?"

"When I was in the hospital, they visited me every day; Dad even brought me food from home since the stuff at the hospital was pretty stale. Mom would be there for me to make sure I was doing ok, sometimes even telling me about the new novel she's working on. She also brings Lily with her because she wanted to hang around me a lot."

Miranda pursed her lips, giving a slight nod. "Uh hmm. What about before then?"

"Um..." Lincoln started to draw a blank again. He searched his memories to find any other times he hung out with his parents without any of his other sisters, but those memories appeared to be almost nonexistent. "I..." He scratched at the side of his head. "I can't remember...I still know about the time Dad taught me how to ride a bike when I was only 3, and there may be more things we did together that I'm having trouble remembering." The boy gave a light hum as he thought about the time he went to his mother's job during 'Take Your Daughter To Work Day'; whilst he ruined the first novel she had, Rita didn't mind it was a total dud and it allowed her to focus on a new, more exciting story. "Now that I think about it, I haven't really hung out with Mom since the time she took me to work with her."

"Is this because you didn't have an interest in doing so, or were they just busy?"

"A bit of both I think. I usually hang out with Clyde and spend time in my room reading comics or playing video games. When I'm not doing that, they're usually either at work or helping my sisters with hobbies or something." A light frown formed on Lincoln's face. "Sometimes I end up getting dragged to their stuff in support of them since they claim I'm not really doing anything..."

"Ok. Now, let me ask this: do you feel you have a good connection with your parents?"

Lincoln looked at the doctor as if she grew a second head. "Well, yeah. I can always depend on them for help and we don't always have to go out and have fun every time."

He thought about the circumstances surrounding his dream and why his parents weren't around in it. Heck, even he somehow managed to fit Ronnie Anne's mom in his dream and she was still alive. His thoughts shifted again to how his parents would often help his sisters out with their activities, while he had very little else to do besides what a boy like him usually does. Added to that, he only recently started to realize he could draw quite well, but it wasn't noticeable long before his current situation.

The boy's eyes drooped a bit as he slumped in his seat. "But it would be nice if we hung out a lot more...they probably didn't spend much time with me because my sisters were being successful in their own hobbies while I just sat around and did nothing..."

Miranda gave a low hum. "I see. Now, based on this, I believe the reason why your parents have little impact is caused by two reasons. First off, it's because as we all know, you're very concerned about what your sisters might do to you and they've been the topic that's been keeping your mind occupied for a while now. The second reason, and I have talked with your parents to understand this too, is that you are at least subconsciously aware of how little time they spend with you in comparison to their daughters. That's likely the reason why they have little to no appearance in your dreams, as you felt they wouldn't be of much help and it may distract from what you're really distressed about; at least that's how I'm seeing it."

Lincoln's frown increased a bit after hearing that, but the doctor wasn't finished. "However, they are very much aware of this, especially your father as he felt he doesn't know you very well outside of the few hobbies you've been seen doing. Your mother has stated you both are quite close though."

The Loud boy smiled a little. "She isn't wrong."

"However, your subconscious thinks otherwise. And, drawing back to our last meeting, you said you believed that you felt inferior to your siblings because you lacked a talent. Given what you've been telling me about your dreams at this point however," Miranda gave a light laugh as she spoke, "You could be following in your mother's footsteps at being a writer yourself. I mean, I've personally never heard of someone describing a dream like that in such detail. Whenever I have one, I only remember bits and pieces of it and eventually forget about it."

Lincoln blushed a little as he smiled sheepishly. Rubbing his arm to stave off some embarrassment, "Funny you should say that...I'm actually more of an artistic person, at least that's what my friends tell me."

Miranda raised a brow. "An artist?"

"Y-Yeah." Lincoln took his phone out and scrolled to the file that held pictures taken from the camera.

Upon finding a particular picture, he tapped on it so it could be displayed on Full Screen. Passing the phone to the therapist, Mrs. Lopez's eyes became about the size of her lenses as she looked at the detailed picture he drew in art class.

"Guess the whole family is full of talented people huh?" The Hispanic woman spoke in awe, using her fingers to zoom in at certain parts of the picture to see them more clearly.

Lincoln let a little laugh escape him. "Everyone except Lily that is, but she might find something to do when she's older."

Miranda glanced at the time shown on the device, a small frown forming on her face as she noticed Lynn hadn't returned yet. There was also no indication that she was on her way back from the lack of footfalls in the hallway. "Excuse me for a second Lincoln," She handed the phone back to him. "I'm gonna go see what your sister is up to."

As Miranda walked out the door, a wave of nervousness began to build up inside of Lincoln. It wasn't as strong as before, but for those few minutes he spent talking with Mrs. Lopez, he nearly forgot Lynn was here as well. The boy bit is lip and gripped the seems of his pants as determination began to set in. He still needed to figure out how the sister fight protocol came into practice and why he wasn't aware of it until that very weekend. It might even give him some insight as to why his sisters acted so hostile and demanded he not get involved.

Miranda walked down the hallway, idly listening to the few conversations she could hear through doors she passed. Typical physical therapy, skin care specialists, and regular check-ups were the norm around her place of business. There was even another therapist in her section a few doors down that was specified in Marriage Counseling. As the Hispanic woman walked past a single-room bathroom, she almost didn't catch a few quiet sobs forcing their way past the thick wood.

Backtracking a little bit, the doctor lightly rapped her knuckles on the door. "Lynn? Are you in there?"

"...Y-Yes..." Came the teen's meek reply.

"You're not using the toilet are you?"

"No..."

"Can I come in?"

A few moments later, the doctor heard a soft clicking from the doorknob as the lock was undone. Turning the knob, she gently pushed the door open to find Lynn sitting on the toilet seat cover, using the toilet paper to clean her nose. Her eyes were red and puffy as a few tears leaked down her already tear-stained face. The waste bin was half full from the used paper.

"Ok, negative on the face cleaning." Miranda sighed inwardly before kneeling in front of the girl. "What's wrong Lynn?"

"I can't do this..." Lynn squeaked out, blinking more tears away. "I can't do this knowing Lincoln thinks of me as someone whose there to break him down...how am I supposed to fix that?!"

"Lynn, I know it's hard right now, but Lincoln doesn't see you that way."

The jock glared at the therapist. "He said I was going to kill him! How in the HELL can you say that he doesn't when I was sitting right there?!"

Miranda flinched back a bit due to the screams reverberating around the tiled room. "Look, Lynn. I know you're upset, but did you hear what Lincoln said immediately afterwards?"

Lynn gave a deadpanned stare. "What else would I need to hear that isn't about him seeing me as some kind of murderer?..."

"Well, if you were paying attention before you left, you would've heard him say that you didn't kill him in his dream."

The sporty Loud blinked twice, her curiosity growing. "What do you mean?..." Lynn then grabbed more slips of toilet paper before blowing her nose.

"He said that you initially thought about killing him, but you seemed to revert back to you usual state and let him go. Then, after some events happened that aren't important right now-"

"Just tell me what happened..." Lynn sniffed before tossing the snot-riddled paper into the bin without looking.

Miranda gave a light sigh. "Long story short, the factory everyone was fighting in started catching fire and everyone began to evacuate. You and Lincoln were the only ones missing, but then at the last moment, you come bursting through the flames carrying your brother to safety. Even Lincoln was still confused about it because you could've easily left him for dead; but you didn't. He's unaware if you both made it since he awoke before knowing for sure, but the fact he dreamt about you saving him makes it clear about one thing: you performed something that started changing his opinion about you. And he might be starting to realize you aren't a danger to him."

Lynn cast another glare at the doctor, thinking this had to be a lie. "Yeah right. I bet whatever chances I have of getting a sports career that Lincoln dreamt about me tearing him a new hole to poop through whenever he fell asleep! I knew this session had to be a hoax anyway, and it was probably something made up by little Mrs. Lopez herself. Like, honestly, she had the nerve to create this whole meeting out of nowhere, and-" Her internal rant was cut short when the psychologist spoke again.

"I know you think I'm lying to you Lynn; that look on your face says it all." Miranda gently placed a hand on Lynn's. "But I've been honest with you since we first spoke to each other weeks back. I couldn't do anything to help any of you unless you let me. Lincoln surprised me as well when he requested this meeting, and I highly doubt he would've went through with it if he didn't think you were someone he could confide in. I know he's most likely scared and uncertain about all of this, but I know I can trust his sister to help guide him through his troubles."

Lynn reflected on the psychologist's words to see if they held sincerity, along with studying her face for any signs of a facade. As the tense moments passed, Lynn gave a sigh of defeat when she couldn't find anything. "Are you sure he really said all of that?..."

"Positive."

Lynn nodded. "Ok..." She got off the seat and started for the hallway.

"Wait," Miranda stated softly, making the short teen glance back. The woman grabbed some paper towels before wetting them in the sink. "You can't have a heart-to-heart with your brother with a dirty face like that, right?"

Lynn touched her face, feeling the dampness from the tears and almost clear snot that left her sinuses. "Guess not."

Lincoln waited patiently in the room, keeping his ears trained towards the door whilst glancing around the room. Actually, to tell you the truth, his patience was beginning to run out. And along with it, his urgency to get whatever he could from Lynn.

"Is she still in the bathroom? Or if she's not..." The boy thought to himself. Lincoln's eyes widened a bit as one possibility came to mind. "Did she leave the whole building?"

Hearing two pairs of footsteps, the Loud got his answer as Dr. Lopez walked in with a somewhat better-looking Lynn in tow. Her eyes were still pink and the puffiness hadn't died down yet. Knowing she'd have to let them talk it out, Miranda sat back in her chair, folding one leg over other.

Upon sitting down, Lynn looked directly into her brother's eyes. "All those things you said about your dream...are they really true?..."

Lincoln nodded.

"Including the part about me saving you?"

Lincoln nodded again, averting her gaze for a few seconds. "...I still don't know if we made it..." He stared back at her, clasping his hands together over his lap. "But there are a couple things I really need to ask."

"What is it?" Lynn spoke, leaning forward a bit.

Lincoln breathed in. "Here goes..." He mentally prepared himself. "How did the Sister Fight Protocol come up...and why wasn't I told about it until after it started?"

For Lynn, this would be a relatively easy answer. After all, she was one of the sisters who designed its initial stages. However (and the jock grew a little nervous about this), it may be a difficult pill for her brother to swallow; particularly when she gets to the part explaining why no one told him anything.

The brunette took a moment to gather her memories so she could be as accurate as possible. "...It came up some time after all of us had a series of arguments with each other a few months back. You probably remember a couple of them, especially that one time Lana used some of your comics as cage lining without asking you."

Lincoln frowned a little. "I do...and I recently paid for those. I know you girls had been fighting a bit more than usual, but I tuned it out since I felt it was none of my business."

"You're right, it wasn't. So, during the time you were camping with Clyde at the B&B all weekend, we had a sibling meeting about our issues; all of us were just tired of fighting...and we needed to figure out something before we ended up trashing the whole house again. Now, we thought about waiting for you to get back before discussing it, but there was one thing all of us agreed on."

Lynn paused when Lincoln decided to voice his opinion, a downcast look on his face. "That I'm the reason you guys kept fighting over stuff?..."

"Wh...What?" The jock spoke in surprise, looking at her brother as if he grew a third limb. "N-No! That wasn't it at all! We all agreed that you don't get into constant arguments with any of us, so you had a pass. While we were thinking of strategies to solve our problems, I mentioned the time you helped me and Lucy make up. They asked us how it happened, and we just told them that I slept in your room until me and Lucy were ready to talk."

Lincoln bit his cheek. "I believe I remember that I had to secretly get you guys to make up since you wouldn't do it on your own..."

"Yeah...that was also floated around..." Lynn admitted. "So, seeing how that worked out, we thought the best way to avoid fighting was to just avoid each other until we were ready to work it out. From there, we put together a system where if two people were in a heated argument and needed to cool down, we'll make sure the arguing sisters didn't see nor hear each other for at least a day depending on how serious it was. Lisa even developed a chart to note how bad the situation gets and what kind of measures we'd have to take."

Lincoln raised a brow. "Such as?..."

Lynn crossed her legs. "The lowest threat was Field of Daises, which meant everything was A-Ok. Thunderstorm was the second, meaning that at least two sisters are having a fit, but they might not require being separated; the twins mainly. The third one was called Hissing Cat, and-"

"Wait...how is a cat more dangerous than a thunderstorm?" The boy asked.

"I asked the same thing, cause unless a cat shoots lightning, I doubt Cliff is that much of a threat. But, Leni suggested the name and Lisa said a Thunderstorm mostly requires attention if it's around while an angry cat is something you want to distance yourself from. Lori pointed out how that didn't make much sense, especially since our area can get some pretty nasty weather; like that tornado back in mid-April. Anyway, we decided to just leave it before we ended up arguing about it all day."

"Oookay?" Lincoln replied, giving an uncertain look.