17. Finding A Lost Past

A/N Hey guys, how's life? Me, I'm dealin' with some random ideas and school! Luckily, this was one of the 7 chapters I wrote earlier, which made this chapter way easier to write! Also, I should've mention this earlier, but guys, some of the Louds are younger (Age-wise at least) because this is supposed to take place before the events of the show proper. I'm just making sure that's clear.

R&R!

Chapter Seventeen: Finding A Lost Past

"Ugh…" Slowly, Lincoln tries to open his eyes, "What happened?" And yet, he finds his eyelids unwilling to give way to his command. Instinctually, he tries to groan, only to find that his mouth refuses to obey as well. "What's going on?!"

Panic begins to fill his body, "Where is everyone? Where am I? Why can't I open my eyes?!" His breathing hastens, allowing a strange smell to fill his nostrils, "Wait… is that… alcohol?" if his heart were not already beating as quickly as it could it would no doubt speed up to compensate for the fear beginning to weigh down upon him.

"Move out of the way!" A man shouts, before a loud *bang* echoes in his ears.

"I have to find what's happening." The boy steels his resolve, "I need to see if the girls are all right! Or at least where I am!" And so, with all of the focus his exhausted body can muster, he forces his eyes to open ever so slightly.

Suddenly, the harsh lamps attack his eyes, nearly forcing him to shut them once more. However, his willpower proves strong enough to force their opening, allowing his gaze to fall upon a strange man dressed in a light blue shirt pushing the gurney along. He would take note of his pants, but notices that he can't move his head. "I'm… I'm in a hospital?"

Quickly, another man- this one dressed in a white lab coat and a white polo shirt- rushes to his side and joins them, "What are we lookin' at here, John?"

"Minor, age eleven." The man- whom Lincoln assumes to be an EMT- responds, "Passed out from smoke inhalation, with minor cuts and burns as well…" He notices the man glance down, "Those ankles don't look that good either."

"Poor kid…" The man responds, glancing at the boy as he does so, before turning back to the EMT, "Know how he ended up like this?"

"Bystanders told me he got thrown from a car crash and somehow mustered the strength to rush in and save them…" He pauses for a moment, as if trying to grab onto his thoughts, "He probably breathed in a lot of smoke." The EMT continues to squeeze a strange plastic tube, though in his exhaustion, Lincoln can't really tell where it leads.

For a moment, the man- whom Lincoln assumes to be a doctor- stares at the boy, concern filling his gaze, before he looks back at the EMT, "Are you sure? This kid doesn't look strong enough to pull someone from a car."

"Doc, you've known me for years, you know I don't BS about what I've heard." The EMT's voice fills with sincerity. "Currently, from what I've seen, his body is reeling from adrenaline and smoke exposure."

"I… I did it." Lincoln mentally smiles, "I saved them… I saved my family… I think at least…" he feels the gurney turn, only to stop in some random corner. "I guess they-" Yet, before he can finish his exhausted thought, what seems to be an army of nurses rush to his aid, working quickly to tend to his injuries.

"Please, what's going on with our son?" A familiar voice resonates through the chaotic scene.

"Is that… Mr. Loud?" The boy forces his gaze to move to his side, allowing it to fall upon several figures waiting nearby.

"Please!" A woman begs, "We need to see him!"

"Ms. Loud?" For a moment, Lincoln hesitates.

"Please!" Several voices follow, before their disjointed cries fill the room.

"They came for me…" He thinks, before mentally smiling once again, "They're my family… I saved them and they saved me…" Suddenly, the boy can feel everything grow dark, before he shuts his eyes once more.

"Ahh, what a dream…" Slowly, the young boy opens his eyes, "It's like I was really there." For a moment, he lies there, simply contemplating his next move. For many, mornings such as this are exhausting, and this young boy is no exception. Rather than stand up and move to begin the day, he simply smiles and tucks himself under his sheets further- choosing to enjoy the heat they provide.

Or well, he would… if a certain sound doesn't echo through the soft, morning air.

*Beep!* *Beep!* *Beep!* *Beep!*

The boy's eyes slowly open once more, before he raises his hand and slams it down upon the alarm clock, "Heh, well, I guess I gotta get up anyway." He smiles. As much as he doesn't like to admit it, he is the morning person between him and his twin sibling.

With that, he turns in the bed, bringing his feet down to the floor as he does so, "All right, I just gotta figure out what to do today." Slowly, he turns, and gazes out the nearby window. Soft sunlight filters through the barrier, illuminating the room for its two occupants, as well as filling it with a soft, warm atmosphere. "It's beautiful today. I can't wait to play outside!"

He stands up after that and turns. A small, Blarney-Themed calendar hands on the room's door, with the day's date circled with red ink. Suddenly, the young boy's eyes go wide, "Wait, is today the day?!" The young boy's heart races in surprise as he rushes over to the piece of paper. "It is!" He immediately turns to the young girl sharing the room with him, before shouting, "Liberty, wake up! It's our birthday!"

"Zzz." His sister snores in response.

"Heh, of course she wouldn't wake up yet." The boy chuckles, before strolling to her side, "You've always been a heavy sleeper." He leans in and whispers, "Heck, if we ever shared a bed, I could probably get out in the middle of the night, and you wouldn't realize it till mornin'!"

She continues to snore in response, eliciting a smile from her brother.

"Hmm," Lincoln rubs his chin, before snapping his fingers, "Ok then, if you don't wanna get up the easy way, I'll have to do it the hard way!" He straightens his back and stands at attention for a moment, before turning to face his sister's head. Then, with robotic and precise movements, he takes hold of the pillow her fragile head rests on, and pulls.

Now, must people would immediately wake up. After all, people don't take kindly to having their head suddenly jerk in their sleep. But Liberty is an exception. Immediately, his sister's head hits the soft bed… and she continues to sleep as if nothing had happened.

"Well dangit." Lincoln goes, before rubbing his chin. "How to wake up my extremely heavy sleep sister up?" He snaps his finger, before running into the nearby closet. Without hesitation, he digs through its contents and pulls out a small, light blue stuffed horse with a rainbow mane and wings. "This should work." Wordlessly, he raises his finger and licks it, before touching it to the Pegasus' side.

"Lincoln!" Liberty jolts to her feet and grabs the stuffed animal from him, smacking him as soon as it is freed from his grasp, "What the heck are you doing?!"

"Heh, just gettin' you up sis." The boy chuckles, rubbing his cheek as he does so, "You know you sleep harder than a rock, right?"

Liberty's face goes red in embarrassment, "So?! That doesn't mean you get to lick my princess ponies!"

"I didn't lick it." The boy chuckles in response, "But if it gets you up, I think I'll do it next time."

"Eww!" The girl grimaces in disgust.

"Haha!" He then throws his arm around her, "Besides, you don't wanna miss today, do ya?!"

"Huh?" Liberty raises an eyebrow and tilts her head in confusion. "What's today?"

"It's our birthday!" He answers, flailing his arms at his sides as he does so, "Today's the day dad is gonna take us to Dairyland!"

"Really?!" Her eyes go wide in shock. "We're finally old enough for Dairyland?!"

Lincoln nods, "Yeah, now come on! Mom's probably downstairs makin' breakfast!" He turns and sprints away, "Last one down gets to eat a rotten egg!"

"Hey, no fair!" Liberty chuckles, before giving chase to her brother, allowing both of them to rush down the home's stairs.

Once they reach the kitchen, they find their father- a small man with pure white hair, in a long-sleeved button-down and tie- waiting for them. "Hi kids."

"Mornin' dad!" Lincoln responds, while Liberty turns and runs over to the sink and greets their mother- a stout woman with soft, light blonde hair. "Mornin' mom."

"Heh, you two are sure excited today." Their father quips with a smile, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think it were Christmas!"

"But that's what it's like!" Lincoln flares his arms for emphasis, "We're goin' to Dairyland today!"

He raises an eyebrow, "Oh really now?" Before he lovingly rubs his son's short, white hair, "If we're goin' today, then that can only mean one thing." Liberty comes over to his side, before the man picks up the two soon-to-be six-year-olds and places them on his lap, "That means my twins here, are growin' up!"

"Yeah dad!" Liberty smiles, running over to the man as she does so "Today's our birthday!"

"We're six-years-old now!" Lincoln shouts as well, only to follow that up by flailing her arms in excitement.

"Come'ere you two!" Their father smiles and pulls them into a small hug, with the twins doing their best to surround him. "You to are getting bigger by the day! Haha! Soon I don't think I'll be able to carry ya!"

*Yawn* "What's the commotion about?" Another young woman enters the dining room; her messy blonde hair reaches her lower back. "I mean, isn't it Saturday? Why's everyone up so early?"

"It's our birthday today!" Liberty answers in a way only a five-turning-on-six-year-old can do.

The young woman smiles, "Huh, ok then." She yawns once more, "Do you guys have anything planned for today?"

"Yes." Their mother turns around, plates of bacon and eggs in hand, "We're goin' to Dairyland!" She smiles at the teen, "How about you go get your brother? He's probably still asleep."

Their sister yawns once more, "Fine. Max really needs to set his alarm though!" She then turns and heads upstairs. A few moments pass, before their final family member descends- a young man with slightly darker blonde hair comes down and joins them.

"Man, things must be serious." The young man's voice cuts through the room's softness. He yawns and rubs the twins' hair, "What'd I miss, everyone?"

"Nothing yet, Max." His father chuckles, "But your mother and I wanted to get everyone ready to go to Dairyland early today. You know how bad those lines get when you come late!"

The family shivers at the thought of having to wait in one of Dairyland's infamous near-mile-long lines, though the title is just a metaphor, everyone who has visited the park knows just how close that is to reality.

The young man rubs his chin for a quick moment, "Hmm, a trip to Dairyland, huh?" He smiles, and squats between the two, "That could only mean one thing!" He wraps his arms around the twins- who respond by hugging him back, "My baby siblings have a birthday today!"

"Yeah!" Lincoln flares his arms, "I can't wait to be six!"

Yet, not to be outdone by her brother, Liberty flares her arms as well, "Yeah, now we get to finally play with the big kid toys!"

"I already have ideas for them!" Lincoln continues.

Yet, none of it really matters to their brother, who chooses instead to simply smile, "That sounds great, you two." He stands up, "Dad, is everything set up?"

The man closes his newspaper and nods, "Yes. Your mother and I want you and Alexis to eat breakfast and then help the twins get ready, ok?"

Max nods, before taking a seat across from the twins, with Alexis taking a seat next to him- albeit with a cup of coffee in hand.

"All right dad, all right." The young woman takes a sip, and immediately perks up- though much to her dismay, the twins finish eating their breakfast after that.

"Race you upstairs, Lincy?" The young girl asks.

"Yeah!" The young boy counters, "last one there has to shower first!" Before the duo hops out of their chairs and rushes up their home stairs, leaving their family simply sitting in joy.

A few moments after that, the two young children reach their room- with Lincoln just narrowly beating his sister into it, "Haha! I win! That means that you gotta shower first!"

The white-haired girl pouts for a short moment, before sighing, "Fine." She playfully punches his arm, before undressing herself and grabbing a nearby towel. She stands by their front door for a moment, before turning back to face her brother.

"Lincoln, can you…" Liberty awkwardly rubs her arm, "You know…" She looks away in embarrassment, "Share the shower with me?"

For a moment, the young boy is tempted to hold his sister to the unofficial rules of their shower race, though instead Lincoln smiles, "Anything for my sis." He quickly strips and grabs his towel as well, before together, they walk into the bathroom, and bathe together. Not only saving water, but also time that could be spent at Dairyland!

A Few Minutes Later…

After they getting ready, the family heads out onto the road. The town of Royal Woods seems so simple and yet so open for young minds, like their own, to ponder. Though, soon enough the quiet, sleepy tower fades into the surrounding forest, signaling that they are on their way.

Now, for this small family, car rides are typically not too chaotic- especially given how their older children prefer to stay quiet, while their mother knows just how to put her younger children to sleep just before they head off, allowing some peace and quiet to what is to be a loud day.

And after an hour of driving, the small family van comes upon its destination- a small, milk-themed park situated just a few miles from the nearest town.

"All right kids, we're here." The young mother declares, before motioning for their older children to wake up the younger ones. "You know how, right?"

"Course mom!" Alexis waves her mother off, before turning and simply shaking Lincoln, bringing him back to his senses… as well as causing him to push his younger sister ever so slightly, causing her to wake up as well.

"Ugh, Lincoln, what happened?" The young girl rubs her exhausted head. To think, just an hour prior, she was jumping off the walls, now both she and her brother had found a way to fall asleep on their birthday!

"We're here." Max declares."

Instantly, the twins' eyes go wide in surprise, before Liberty shouts, her voice filling with excitement, "I can't wait to ride everything!"

"Haha!" Their father chuckles, "Ok kids, don't get separated now." His voice fills with a fatherly care, "And remember to watch your backs, you never know when an accident is just waiting to happen!"

"Whatever." Their older son goes, while their daughter nonchalantly shrugs.

"Now Alexis and Max, watch out for Lincoln and Liberty, ok?" Their mother continues, worry filling her expression, "We're letting you two take them around because I know that if we did, we'd end up stopping them at every turn."

"Hey, don't worry." Max grabs hold of the van's door and opens it up, allowing him and his siblings to step out, "We've done stuff like this before, just a short trip to Dairyland isn't gonna be a problem." With that said, he makes sure to grab a hold of Lincoln's hand… just to make sure the little ball of energy doesn't wander off, while Alexis grabs onto Liberty's hand.

"Ok kids, go have fun!" Their mother commands, "Your father and I are going to go look for a parking and come in after you!"

"Got it, mom!" Alexis gives her a thumbs up with that, prompting the two parents to nod, before driving off, leaving the four children alone.

"Heh, now how about we-" Max tries to start. Yet, while he does so, Lincoln pulls his hand out from his older brother's grip, and turns, "I'm gonna go ride everything first, Libby!" Before he bolts towards the park's opening.

Suddenly, the young man's eyes go wide in shock, "Lincoln!" Prompting him to give chase to his brother, leaving the two girls by themselves.

"Hehe." Liberty pulls on Alexis' grip as well, trying to beat her brother to the punch, yet, unlike her inattentive brother, Alexis holds on as tightly as she can, making sure that she would not break free. "Looks like Lincy and Max are getting away."

"Yes, yes they are." The young woman readies herself, "How about we go catch up? After all, we can't let them go have all the fun!"

The duo nods at each other, before chasing after their brothers.

A few moments later, the young, white-haired boy stops at a fork in the road, with one path leading up and another heading down. "Hmm, now which one do I take?" He rubs his chin in contemplation, "They both have fun-"

"Lincoln!" Max rushes over to his side, though his does a good job hiding his exhaustion from the unexpected run.

"Hey Max!" The young boy cheerfully responds, though Max answers by grabbing his arm and waving his finger at him, "Don't run like that! You could get lost!" He then holds Lincoln's hand, "And you don't wanna get lost, do you?"

For a moment, the young boy hesitates, "I didn't think before running off…" He sighs, before shaking head, "No… I'm sorry…"

Max pats his arm, "Good, now let's wait for our sisters to catch up, ok?"

Lincoln nods in response.

Then, the young man stands up and looks around, only for his phone to go off. "What the…" Quickly, he pulls the device from his pocket and answers.

"Hey Max!" Alexis greets.

"Yeah, sis?" Max raises an eyebrow in confusion, "We're by the fork just up ahead, are you-"

"You two go on ahead." The young woman declares, "Liberty and I are gonna go enjoy some rides, ok? You have fun with Lincoln and we'll meet up later."

The young man shrugs, "All right." Before he hangs up the phone and turns to his little brother, "Heh, well then, it looks like it's just you and me today, all right?"

Lincoln's eyes light up. In a home as small and as close as theirs, it would be rare that the young men of the family would be able to spend some quality time without their sisters and parents being with them.

"So what do you wanna do?" He runs his hand through his little brother's white hair and smiles at him.

For a moment, Lincoln looks around. They're surrounded by countless rides and games designed for people of all ages. "What should we go on?" Suddenly, a large tower with a massive slide comes into view, "How about that one?" He points.

And his brother smiles, "Ok."

And so, a few moments later, both him and his brother stand at the top of the tower, waiting for the lifeguard to push their raft down the long, yellow tube.

Lincoln shivers, "Why'd I suggest this one? It's so high and I have to hold on for so long!"

"Hey Lincoln, you ok?" Max tilts his head in curiosity.

Lincoln quickly nods, desperate to put up a façade of strength in front of his brother.

Though, he isn't easily convinced.

For a moment, Max considers his options, "I could make him hold on there, but if he is as afraid as he looks, I'm sure he's gonna lose his grip pretty easily." Suddenly, his eyes go wide in realization, "Hey Lincoln, wanna sit in my lap?"

"W-what?" He looks at his brother in confusion.

"For safety. Ya know, so you can hold onto me instead of the raft." He holds up and flexes one of his biceps, "I'll definitely be able to hold onto both you and the raft.

Now, to many, the mere idea of this would be embarrassing- after all, only babies sat in someone's lap while they rode along. And yet, Lincoln finds himself smiling and crawling over to his brother, willingly sitting in his lap.

The young man placed a soft, yet strong arm around him and smiled, before the lifeguard takes a hold of their raft and pushes them along, causing the duo to scream in excitement.

Later...

"Those were fun, don't ya think guys?" Alexis looks at the two twins in their care.

"We loved it!" Lincoln shouts.

"Best birthday gift ever!" Liberty adds, turning to face one of the nearby booths as she does so. "Ooo!" A small, golden pendent catches her eye; it's no doubt made of brass painted to be gold. Liberty tugs at her sister's arm, "Alexis!"

"Yes?" She looks down at her sister.

"Can we get that?" She points at the locket.

Alexis immediately looks at her brother, who proceeds to shrug in response, "I don't mind." He looks down and nudges his little brother, "Do you mind Lincoln?"

"Not at all!" The boy cheers, pulling on his brother's arm as he does so, "I wanna win it too!"

The two elder siblings chuckle, while their brother quips, "You two sure know how to have fun around here." Before their sister adds, "Heh, I guess that's why mom and dad have trouble always keeping you in check!" And after that, the siblings approach the booth.

"Step right up!" The carney- a strange man with a wrinkled face, wearing a white and red plaid shirt, as well as sporting a weird wooden cane and barber's hat- motions for them to come along, "It's time to have some fun playing carnival games!" With that, he drops three baseballs on the table in front of him.

"What game is this?" Max takes hold of one of the balls.

The carney uses his cane to motion towards the stacks of bottles, "Just knock down the bottles and win a prize! Only five bucks for three balls!"

"How many do we have to knock down to win that?" Liberty climbs up to the counter and points at the locket.

The carney gets on one knee and whispers, "For you, little lady, just knock down one of em and I'll hand it over!"

Liberty's face beams with excitement as he hands the balls over. She quickly takes one in hand and throws it… yet; sadly it misses its mark by about three feet.

"Aww." Liberty goes, turning to her brother as she does so, "How about you Linc? You should throw one!"

Lincoln smiles, "Sure sis!" And the carney hands him the second ball. "Here I go!" He winds up, his arm in the way only a child would, before throwing. This time the ball comes close to its target… missing it by three feet in the other direction.

"Aww, I missed." Lincoln pouts, looking down at the ground in defeat, "Dangit!"

Max and Alexis turn to each other and nod, before the young woman asks, "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

In response, the boy simply turns and gets on one knee, "Hey, " He looks into his twin siblings' eyes, "Why don't you two throw it together?"

Alexis continues, leaning on the young man as she does so, "After all, it looks like your throws were perfect mirrors of each other."

Lincoln and Liberty look at each other, "Ok!" then, the twins interlock their hands- Lincoln right and Liberty's left, before Max puts the ball in them. "K guys, throw!"

The twins both nod, before together, they throw the ball at the stack of bottles, hitting them and causing them to fall to the ground.

"We did it!" Liberty cheers, throwing her arms around her brother as she does so, "Thanks Lincoln."

"Heh, no problem sis!" Lincoln responds with the same.

The carney doesn't hesitate to take the locket from its resting place and hand it to the girl… who promptly opens it.

"Aww… there's no picture…" Liberty goes.

Max pulls out his wallet and takes out a small picture of their family, "Will this work Liberty?"

"Yes!" She cheers as the boy places it in her locket, and returns the container to her.

A Few Minutes Later…

"So did you enjoy the trip kids?" Their mother asks as they get in the car.

"Yeah!" Lincoln responds, "It was awesome!"

"What about you, Liberty?" Their father continues.

Liberty holds up her new necklace, "I loved it! I got this cool locket too!"

The parents look at their older siblings, wordlessly prodding them to explain themselves.

"We won it." Max shrugs, before waving the duo off, "And don't worry, we only spent five bucks on it." He rubs the siblings' heads, "After all, it's more fun and meaningful when you earn something, ya know."

"Heh, you learned." The man chuckles, "That gives me even more stuff to be happy about today."

"Well then, we have one stop left and then we'll go home, ok kids?" Their mother cuts in, "Buckle up!" before she playfully punches her husband's arm, "You can have your nostalgia trip later."

"Ok, ok." He laughs, before setting the car in drive.

The children comply and fasten their seatbelts, before the small family gets on the road again.

"So what's next mom?" Lincoln asks, tilting his head in confusion. "We went to Dairyland and stuff…"

"Why, the party of course!" She answers, her voice filling with excitement. "There's gonna be cake!"

The twins turn to each other and smile, before cheering, "Cake!"

Lincoln faces forward, "Will it be chocolate?!"

"Haha!" Their mother laughs, "It'll be chocolate and strawberry! Your favorites!"

"Awesome!" Liberty cheers are well.

Max looks back at his siblings, "But, you gotta behave or else you won't get your presents too!"

"Got it." The twins sit back into their seats.

Their father then turns onto the clear Route 107. The sunset glows on their right, illuminating the car with soft, red light.

The glowing star at his side, catches the young boy's eye, and he turns and leans up against the window and taps his sister, "Liberty, look!"

"Whoa…" The young girl goes, leaning up against the window next to him.

"Calm down you two." Their mother calmly orders, and they comply by doing so.

A soft silence of the van overtakes the family. Bringing a peaceful calm to the vehicle. The wheels growl squeal as they move against the hard road, filling the cabin with their soft song.

And so, the woman takes a breath, "Summer in the hills, those hazy days are to remember!" She sings, her voice filling with a motherly grace, "We were runnin' still, had the whole world at our feet! Watching seasons change; our roads were lined with adventure! Mountains in the way, couldn't keep us from the sea." Her voice fills with a softness that lulls her youngest children into the slumber they so desire to fight off. And yet, her voice enthralls them to accept it. "Here we stand open arms, this is home where we are, ever strong in the world that we made…" She turns back and simply gazes upon her four children. Max and Alexis sit in the front row, while the twins sit in the back.

"I still hear you in the breeze, see you shadows in the trees, holding on, memories never change." She finishes, her voice giving off a soft, motherly air.

Their father looks away from the road and smiles, "That was nice honey. Which song was that?"

"Monody." She looks away as well, and towards her husband.

They both glance back, only to find their children now calm, their soft gazes looking upon their parents.

Suddenly, *Crash!*

A car veers off course and smashes head-on to their van. Causing Lincoln to black out.

"Ugh…" The young boy groans as he pulls himself from the mud, "W-what happened?" He looks around for a moment, allowing his gaze to fall upon the wreckage of their family car. "Where am I?!" His heart begins to race, "This can't be happening!"

"Lincoln!" A familiar voice calls out.

Suddenly, the young boy's eyes go wide in shock, "Liberty!" he counters, desperately trying to force himself to his feet. "Don't bother, you won't be able to save her!"

And yet, when he tries, his legs give way, causing him to falls to the ground. "See?! You're too weak to do anything! Just watch her die!"

"Lincy, please help me!" She shouts. From what the young boy can see, the car is beginning to engulf in flames.

In response, the young boy claws at the ground, desperately pulling him towards her. "No… Liberty…"

And yet, before he can reach her, his vision grows dark, while she screams his name in fear. "Lincoln!"

Slowly, Lincoln opens his eyes once more. Unlike the previous scene, he finds himself in a hospital bed, with a set of soft sheets covering his body. "What happened?"

Weakly- though admittedly less so than before- he glances around. Now, there is a syringe buried in his right arm, while his left is wrapped in bandages. "I'm… in a hospital again?" He tries to turn his head further, only to feel a plastic tube stop it from moving. Suddenly, Lincoln's eyes go wide in shock, "There's a plastic tube in my throat?! What's going on?!" His heart begins to race, causing the nearby monitor to start beeping loudly.

"Lincoln!" A familiar voice shouts, before his body is surrounded by the worried gazes of the ten girls whom he had grown to care for.

Before he knows it, what seems to be an army of nurses rushes into the room, before one of them grabs onto the other end of the syringe in his arm and injects a needle into it. "Calm down…" Another one whispers, placing a soft hand on his abdomen as she does so, "You're going to be all right."

"We're glad to have you around." He hears of them go, though given his state, he can't really tell who said it… "Unless they all said it."

And with that, Lincoln's world grows dark once more.

Suddenly, Lincoln finds himself sitting in the back of an unfamiliar car, with his sister clinging onto his side.

"Just stay calm Lincoln, just stay calm…" He thinks, while returning his sister's embrace, "Don't worry Libby… we're going to be fine…" His pained voice falls into a whisper, though he would rather not be reminded by the accident, which claimed his parents just a few weeks prior.

Instead of responding, Liberty simply looks up at her brother with a fear-filled gaze that screams, "Please, don't leave me!"

The young boy responds to the silent cry by enveloping her in his arms. Now, to most this would be seen as simply an older brother doing his best to care for his defeated sister… but they both know that they hurt inside. "Hey Libby, don't worry." He whispers, eliciting the slightly younger girl's attention. "Every little thing's gonna be all right. Mom and dad and Alexis and Max would want us to be happy."

Yet, the young girl simply continues to sniffle, as if nothing her brother could say would be enough to put her at ease.

Lincoln sighs in response, before fighting the fear building in the pit of his stomach and turning to face the window. Outside the small car, the town of Royal Woods passes by- seemingly unchanged despite the residents that had left and come to take their place.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry about your loss." Their driver- an old social worker with dark skin- speaks with a soft tone. Deep down, the boy can tell that she wished to talk about her line of work.

"She doesn't mean it." Lincoln thinks in response.

"But, I was able to get you placed in a group home for the time being. You'll be living with other orphans until we can find a new family for you two." The fake sorrow in her voice is instantly replaced by an uncaring nonchalance. Neither child is surprised however. Ever since the accident, they had been passed around social worker to social worker while they tried to find a place to live. On more than one occasion, they had seen their handler drinking from a flask and ending up more intoxicated than one should be in front of children.

"No family can replace the one we lost." The boy thinks in response, while the girl simply closes her eyes, allowing the boy's heat to envelope her, using it to calm her down, "Liberty is the only family I have left."

"Try to behave, ok?" The woman continues, "If I've learned anything after working at this job for years, you'll have an easier time finding a new family to take you in if you look as well behaved as possible."

The two children respond with silence, eliciting a groan from their driver. "Anyways, we're here." She stops in front of a quaint home made of dark would, with old paint covering its outsides.

Lincoln and Liberty wordlessly stepped out of the vehicle, making sure to grab their luggage as they did so, before coming up to the curb and standing in front of the door.

The social worker rings the bell after that, "All right you two, behave now, ok?" Her voice remains nonchalant- almost as if she had said the phrase countless times prior.

The two young children nod, clutching their luggage as they do so.

And after a few moments, an old woman answers the door.

For a moment, the twins scan her, suspicious of the woman. And yet, after a moment, they relent, taking nothing of note about her.

"Mrs. Sherman, correct?" The dark-skinned woman asks, not even bothering to look the old woman in the eye while she digs through her bag for the paperwork she desires.

"Yes." The old woman nonchalantly responds, tilting her head ever so slightly as she does so, "How may I help you?"

The social worker produces a clipboard, "I have these two children here, you agreed to take them in until a suitable family can be found for the."

"I see." She smiles, and quickly fills out the paperwork, "There you go." Before she motions for the two children to enter, "Now come along, we have some prep to do."

And wordlessly, the twins walk into the home, while the social worker nonchalantly takes the paperwork and walks away.

The old woman then turns to face her new charges. "How are you doing.?"

To Lincoln and Liberty, she seems foreboding. Her age and height when compared to them does not help matters. And so, instead of responding, they choose to remain silent, hoping that she would not pressure them further.

Yet, their fear of her quickly fades when she kneels down to their height and whispers, "Do not worry, you will be all right." She then wraps her arms around them, as if trying to provide a comforting shield from whatever worries could be upon them.

The twins remain silent however, unsure of just how to help them further.

"I apologize…" She stands up after that, "I must attend to the other children…" She sighs, before calling, "Cristina! I need you to help our new guests!"

Immediately, a young, red-haired girl rushes into view, saluting as she stops in front of the old woman. "Yes, Mrs. Sherman?"

The old woman motions towards the duo, "Please, show them to their room."

Cristina nods, before turning to face them, and as soon as her eyes fall upon Lincoln, her face goes red, while she rubs her arm in embarrassment.

"So you're Cristina, huh?" Lincoln looks up at the young girl, responding by doing the same.

"Y-yeah…" She stammers, before turning around, "I'll… take you to your room…"

Lincoln prods Liberty, before pulling her along, "Don't worry, we'll be fine…"

The young girl nods in response, before they head up the old orphanage stairs.

A Few Days Later…

"Come on Liberty! You just gotta keep your head up!" Lincoln keeps his arm coiled around his sister, seemingly trying to protect her from whatever dangers could befall her. "Things are gonna get better, I just know it!"

Liberty chooses not to look up, instead, she simply stares at the locket they had won just a few days prior, "I know… I know… But what about mom and dad… Max and Alexis…"

For a moment, the young boy hesitates. He had written about this topic only once before- and even then, he had the character come back eventually. But this… this is their life. "I don't know…" And so, with uncertainty filling his body, he grabs his sister's shoulder and turns her to face him, "Hey don't sweat it sis, they'd want us to be happy. And I'm sure we'll be fine!"

"No matter how scary this is, I need to stay positive… for her…" The image of his sister calling out his name from their burning family van rushes to the forefront of his mind, "I need to… they'd want me to…" He gulps, before taking a step forward. Over a month had passed since the accident and their subsequent hospitalization. Thankfully or regretfully- Lincoln still doesn't know which to think- their social worker was able to get them placed in an orphanage near their old home.

Every since they were taken into the home, the director gave them all the privacy a young person would desire, in order to allow them to unpack and allow their nerves to calm down.

"Hey, look who we have here." A slightly younger boy with red hair approaches the duo, a smug smile on his face.

Lincoln nudges Liberty, "Come on, this is our chance to make a friend!" He then turned to the young boy, "Hi, I'm-"

"I don't care who you are." The young boy declares, "Just know that I run things around here, and that no matter what happens I will. So don't make things harder for yourselves and just follow everything I say."

Lincoln's heart began to race. "And what'll happen if we don't."

The young boy stares at him for a moment, before shoving the young girl into a puddle of nearby mud, though, Liberty had closed her locket the moment the young boy had arrived, thankfully protecting the image held within.

"Hey!" Lincoln shouts. "Great, he's trying to hurt Liberty!"

"What are you going to do about it?" the young boy crosses his arms, "I rule things around here, and you are nothing to me!"

"What? Are you just gonna let him hurt your sister like that?!" Lincoln grimaces, before clenching his fists, "You weren't able to protect her before, and now you're gonna just let that bully push her around? You're worthless!"

"Oh?" Chandler turns around, "You suck-"

Yet, in a blur, the white-haired boy grabs him by the shoulder and forces him to face him, before sending his fist into his abdomen, "Don't mess with my sister, or else."

"Or else what?" Chandler quickly counters by grabbing his face and pushing him away, following it up with a push, which Lincoln takes.

"Grr." Lincoln holds his pained stomach for a quick moment, before kicking at Chandler, who attempts to dodge the attack, only for their leg to get caught, causing them both to fall to the ground in defeat… only for both boys to try and attack each other once more.

"Lincoln! Chandler!" Mrs. Sherman angrily grabbed the boys by the collars of their shirts, "You two must behave! You want to get adopted don't you?! Now, go to the corner!"

And with that, the duo follows the command, making sure to walk to other sides of the yard. Though Lincoln can't help, but think, "I may not have much going for me, but I promise, I will protect her."

Yet, Liberty simply holds her locket close, "Lincoln… please be careful…"

After that, Lincoln closes his eyes. "Those girls are my family…" ˇHe thought crosses his mind, "And I will protect them…"

"I will protect my family… And the louds are my family…"

Slowly, Lincoln's eyes slowly open once more, "Ugh." He groans, moving his left hand over to his head, "What happened?"

Suddenly, the quiet hospital bedroom heats up, while ten nearby girls look on in surprise.

The soft sniffles soon fade, while surprise fills the air… though the girls can't help, but go in unison. "L-Lincoln?"

*Cough* *Cough* The boy hacks, signaling that he is indeed awake.

Immediately, the ten Loud daughters rush to their feet and surround the bed.

"Lincoln, you're ok!" Lana rushes on top of the boy's bed. And yet, before Lincoln can even respond, Lola jumps to her twin's side and responds, "Yeah! I'm sorry I couldn't stop them from putting you in those icky hospital clothes!"

"Ha-" The boy can't help, but at least try to laugh at the girl's quip… though given the chaotic nature of the family, it isn't long before the next sisters cut in.

"You literally had us worried there, Linc." Lori crosses her arms, though she doesn't frown- choosing instead to put a relieved smile on instead.

Luna chooses to respond by strumming her acoustic guitar and declaring, "Viva La Vida Linc! Viva La Vida!"

Luan immediately turns to her musician sister, "Uhh Luna, that song doesn't make sense." Though, thinking fast, she makes sure to add, "But hey, it looks like Lincoln's really, livin' the life!" Before she throws her head back in laughter, much to her sister's annoyance; though Lincoln doesn't mind.

"Haha, heel girls, heel!" The boy chuckles, doing the best to hide the aching headache he feels, before he looks around, only to find himself sitting in a hospital bed, "What's, uhh… going on?" He quickly scans his body, only to find his ankles, now covered in bandages, while other parts are covered.

Yet, unwilling to let the commotion die down so quickly, the young women surround him with hugs, nearly choking the living daylights out of him… not that he minds of course. "Ok, ok, uncle, uncle!" Lincoln shouts in fear, prompting the girls to let go of him.

"Sorry." Leni awkwardly rubs the back of her head. "We're just glad you're, like, all right!" She flares her arms as she does so.

Lincoln tilts his head in confusion, "Uhh… why's that? I haven't been gone for too long, have I?"

"Due to the car crash and your subsequent hospitalization, you were rendered unconscious." Lisa checks her watch; "You have been so for over two days at this point."

"Two days?!" Lincoln goes in shock, eliciting nods from the young girls.

"Yeah." Lynn blushes and holds her hands behind her back awkwardly while she answers him, "You pushed yourself so hard that your body just couldn't handle the stress. Thankfully, the doctors were able to help you out."

"From what we heard, you were close to dying." Lucy appears at her side, a blush visible on her face as well, "Luckily, we were able to get you here just in time…."

"By the way, thanks." Lori runs her hand through the boy's short- albeit slightly singed- white hair.

He looks at her in confusion, "For what?"

"Saving us, silly!" Leni waves him off. "You like, were totes awesome."

Lynn rubs the back of her head, "Yeah… I was surprised just how strong you were… I… Thanks…"

"Heh… I did it… I really did." For a moment, Lincoln considers accepting the praise- after all, he had fought the voice that had tormented him for years and found the strength to save them all. And yet, he chooses instead to wave them off, "Don't worry about it. You're my family and I promised myself that I'd never let anything bad happen to my family."

"Eeee!" The girls squeal, before hugging him again.

"Heh… I can get used to this." Lincoln smiles and closes his eyes, allowing the girls' collective heat take him in.

"Haha! It looks like you've already made your choice, huh." A familiar voice echoes through the room, before Lynn Sr. steps inside, "I'm glad you're all right Lincoln, thank you for saving us."

"H-hi, Mr. Loud." Lincoln awkwardly greets and waves him off. "It was nothing."

"Now Lincoln, I don't think there's any need for formalities or modesty right now." He steps over and pulls out a small clipboard, while Rita follows. "Heh, you've earned a break."

He rubs the back of his head in response, "All right." And smiles. Mrs. Loud responds by coming up his side, opposite her husband.

The two adults look at each other for a moment and nod. The woman declares, "It's time."

"What's uhh… going on?" The boy tilts his head in curiosity, though deep down, he can feel exactly what would be coming next.

"Lynn and I were talking…" The woman looks at her husband with a smile, "And well, we wanted to know something…"

"What?" disbelief begins to fill his voice, while his mind quickly follows suit, "Are they saying what I think they are?!"

For a moment, the man hesitates, seemingly unsure of just how to say his next words. And yet, with a soft, fatherly tone, he looks into Lincoln's eyes. "Lincoln. When we first met you, I'll admit." He chuckles, "We thought you were Lynn's boyfriend.

"Hey!" The young woman cries out in frustration, while the young boy and her sisters can't help, but laugh at the idea, "Heh, I wonder if she has a crush on me."

"Haha, all right, all right." The man motions for them to calm down, "Anyways, ever since then, you've done amazing things." He glances around his young daughters, anticipation filling their eyes, "You've helped us become a better family, and well…" He looks at his wife, a soft smile already having formed on her face, "We've helped you move on from what happened."

He then turns back and looks the young boy in the eyes.

Lincoln's heart monitor begins to beep faster, while adrenaline and excitement rush through his veins, "Is he saying what I think he is?!"

"Would you like to become a part of our family?"

And rather than answer, Lincoln simply smiles, prompting the girls to squeal in delight once more, before hugging the boy.

"Welcome to the family bro!" Luna shouted, before pulling back, "I need to write a song to celebrate this!"

Lori responds by taking out her phone, "While you do that, I literally have to take a picture of this moment!" Then, before anyone can react, she comes up and poses at Lincoln's side. The young boy only has a moment to react, before the phone goes off, taking a burst of photos to commemorate the scene. "He's worth it."

"I like, totes am gonna go get more polo's!" Leni declares, before rubbing her chin, "But what color should I get?"

"How about orange?" Lola tilts her head in curiosity, causing Leni to hug her, "Perfect idea sis!"

Meanwhile, Lynn and Lucy blush madly, choosing instead to just rub their head and arms, unsure of just how to react to the idea.

"These girls are amazing." Lincoln smiles, "I belong here."

Suddenly, the room's air fills with a familiar heat. A voice calls out, "Haha! Looks I missed the party!"

Lincoln's eyes to go wide in shock, "It… it can't be!"

The young girls break their embrace, allowing him to turn his eyes towards the source- a young girl dressed in a simple orange polo as well as a blue skirt. A blue bow rests calmly in her soft, white hair, which had been tied into a familiar ponytail. "L-Libby?"

"Hey Lincy." She chuckles, walking over to the group of girls as she does so.

"You're, Liberty?" Lori's eyes widen in surprise.

"Poo, poo?" Lily tilts her head in confusion, "Linc-y?"

"Haha." The young, white-haired girl chuckles, "No, no, I'm Liberty." She looks at the young boy resting in the bed, "I'm Lincoln's twin sister."

"Sister?!" The Louds shout in unison, before Lola rushes to the girl's side, "You're Lincoln's sister?!"

Lana, meanwhile, chooses to jump on the bed once more, "Why didn't you tell us you had a twin sister?!"

"Yeah! You've got a double-take ya know!" Luan cuts in to pun, though Lincoln laughs at the joke anyways.

He motions for the now excited girls to calm down, "All right, I'll tell you all." He takes a deep breath, "The reason I didn't tell you guys is well…" He sighs and rubs the back of his head, "before I met you all, she got adopted and it hurt me to even think about her." He then looks at the young girl, "But now, I think I'll be fine."

Liberty gives a knowing smile in response, though the girls look on in concern anyway.

"Heh, so what are you doing here, sis?" Lincoln looks on in disbelief, before hugging his sister.

"What? You think I'm gonna let you spend our birthday alone?" She hugs her brother in response. "I came by two days ago, but Mrs. Sherman said you were out with the Louds! Then everyone got worried when you didn't come home so I had take over for the day!" She chuckles, "Luckily, Mr. Loud here told Mrs. Sherman which hospital you were in.

"Heh, of course." The boy smiles in relief… only for the Loud Girls to cut through the sibling bonding moment.

Immediately, the Louds shout in unison, "Birthday?!" before Lori steps forward, "Why didn't you tell us it was your birthday?!"

The twins awkwardly rub the back of their heads, before Lincoln answers, "Well our birthday hasn't really been the best of days for us, you know… given what happened to our family on it…" He then looks back up, before looking down at his white-haired sibling and nudging her, "Anyways, meet my new family." Lincoln motions towards them all, "We've got Lily, Lisa, Lola, Lana, Lucy, Lynn, Luan, Luna, Leni and Lori!"

"Have we met before?" The girl tilts her head in confusion, while rubbing her chin in contemplation.

Lincoln nods, "Yeah, these are the girls we met at the park!" He chuckles, "Turns out they're all a part of the same family."

"Heh, well then." Liberty smiles, "Nice to meet you all."

"And nice to meet you as well." Lynn Sr. quickly looks around, only to find his daughters on the edge of their seats, ready to pounce upon the duo,"Come on girls, we should give them some privacy. After all…" He looks back at the twins, "They've got some catching up to do."

And the girls groan, though they choose not to deny their father's wishes.

Soon enough, the Loud Family steps out of the room, leaving only silence and the lone pair of twins waiting for the other to break the silence.

"So Libby…" Lincoln breaks the ice, "I know that there's more to it…" before he looks at her with a begging gaze, "Why'd you leave? We refused to go all the other times, so why now?"

Liberty sighs, "Of course that's the first question you'd ask, Lincy." She takes a seat by her brother's side. "I don't know how to put it…"

"What do you mean?" Lincoln tilts his head in curiosity.

"Really…" She rubs the back of her head, "After that night, I started to think…" She sighs again, "And well… I decided that it was time that we moved on…"

The young boy remains silent, prodding his sibling to continue her explanation.

She turns to him, making sure to look into his eyes for a short moment, before she looks away and rubs her arm, "Before I got adopted, I realized that neither of us had been able to move on since the accident…" Hesitation fills her voice, "I thought about it… and well, Mrs. Sherman convinced me that breaking up would be better for the both of us." She looks at the door, "And from the sounds of it, things really have changed since I left. My new family loves me, a lot. What about you?"

For a moment, Lincoln hesitates his answer. He can go on for what would seem like hours about the Loud family- their antics, their talents, their home- and yet, finds only a single question resting upon his tongue, "Your parents were never gonna adopt me, huh?"

The young girl shakes her head, "No. Mrs. Sherman explained to them that it would be better if we were broken up." She looks up at her brother, "Before you barged in, she had whispered that we hadn't left each other's side since the accident and well… we needed to move on."

Suddenly, the realization hits Lincoln. Mrs. Sherman had protected them for years, raising them together and doing her best to make sure that they would never be alone. And yet- even she understands how dangerous a protective mindset could be! "And to think, here I was overly protecting my own sister… heh, I guess I learned my lesson."

"And so… she asked my parents to take me only… though she asked that if something bad happened if they were willing to take you too, which they were." Liberty continues, "Though from the looks of it, things have gotta better, huh?"

"She's right." Lincoln nods and smiles, "You're right, things really have changed. After you left, I was finally able to figure out what I was good at." He looks towards the door as well, "I ran into those girls while looking for you and now they're planning to adopt me too!"

"Heh, from the way you're making it sound, I'm sure there's a long story behind it all." The young girl playfully punches her brother's arm, though he doesn't mind of course.

"There is and I'd love to tell you it." The boy playfully punches his sister back, "But, right now, I'd rather just get some rest. After all, spending time with families this huge are exhausting."

"Given the fact that you ended up in the hospital, I can tell." Liberty chuckles, before leaning back in her seat, "You've still got my locket, right?"

Lincoln quickly looks around, allowing him to spot the heart-shaped container resting on a nearby table, its previously broken strap now repaired- no doubt by Leni's handiwork, "Yeah sis..." He smiles, "If it wasn't for her pendent... I don't think I would've been able to save them all." He turns and looks her in the eyes, "Thanks for giving me it."

And with that, the young girl smiles, "No problem." Before she turns away from her brother, "So what's next, bro?"

"Next?" He chuckles, "First we say goodbye, and then…" He turns away as well, "Who knows?" He rubs his chin, "But… how about, goodbye?"

The young girl nods, "It's about time we said it, huh?"

The young boy playfully punches his sister's shoulder, "Don't worry we have our families to help us out."

"We do." She chuckles, before wrapping her arms around him, with the boy doing the same in response, "We do."

1 12-15-3-11-5-20 19 16-9-3-20-21-18-5 16-18-15-20-5-3-20-5-4 6-18-15-13 6-9-18-5. 8-9-19 20-1-12-5 8-1-19 2-5-5-14 20-15-12-4 4-15-23-14 20-15 20-8-5 23-9-18-5. 1-14-4 14-15-23 6-18-15-13 13-5-13-15-18-9-5-19 20-8-5 20-23-9-14-19 19-8-1-12-12 1-19-3-5-14-4, 1-6-20-5-18 1-12-12, 20-8-5-9-18 10-15-21-18-14-5-25 19-8-1-12-12 19-15-15-14 5-14-4.

A/N So how was that?! I thank Wolvenstrom and Sunblast-X for their help! In other news, I'm planning on writing a story for National Novel Writer's Month soon, so stay tuned for it! Lastly, the next chapter ties up loose ends!

Songs used:

TheFatRat - Monody (feat. Laura Brehm) Link: (YouTube) v=B7xai5u_tnk

Guest Replies (C16):

Guest (C1): Three things- 1: If you look at the date of publishing, you'll notice that this story was started months before "Not A Loud" was even announced, meaning that I had no way of knowing that the theory would be debunked. 2: Ok, "Not A Loud" proves he's not adopted, so what? Do you expect me to drop everything and cancel this story because "Oh, it's no longer able to be canon!" Seriously mate, if I cared that much about adhering perfectly to canon, I would've canceled this after "The Whole Picture", you know, given the fact that a baby Lincoln and Lynn appear in it! 3: I respect your opinion to call my story pointless, really I do. The problem is, you don't explain your reasoning beyond "it's not able to be canon" leading me to believe you genuinely don't like this story; to which I respond: ok, I'm still going to write it and you're free not to read it.

For reference, I adhere to canon as much as I can, but when it can't I'm willing to make the bends that need to happen.

Loalincon4 (C1): Heh you were close! Thanks for the support!