27. Attempting To Move On

A/N: After taking a month long hiatus to get some things sorted out, I'm finally back into my groove of writing. Thank you all for being so patient. Now then, after visiting Dr. Lopez for the first time, Lincoln may truly start to question his own phobia. As stated many times before, communication would be the first vita step towards reconciliation. How that will work, is up for Lincoln himself to decide.

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from the Loud House.

Lynn Sr. returned home shortly after dropping his son at the McBride residence. Stepping out of the van, his eyes scanned over the yard, noting how clean it was. The last time Lynn saw his front lawn in such a state was before Lynn Jr. was born. By then, Lori and Leni knew how to ride a bike; but as it became clear they would continue to have more kids, the parents became pretty lax about their children leaving their toys in the yard. As long as they knew where it was, there wouldn't be any problems. Now...just about all of the girl's favorite hobbies had been locked into a storage unit. And along with a clean lawn, came the unending silence.

Since it was still a regular school day, the patriarch knew his daughters would be away until the afternoon. That was particularly good for Lynn since he didn't want to be bombarded with questions about Lincoln's session as soon as he walked in the door. Still, not a day went by that Lynn didn't feel a little awkward coming home. Although the sisters had been more talkative lately, the father could tell they still weren't themselves. Why would they be? Everyone was still reeling after Lincoln's hospitalization and subsequent phobia after all. It's not like this was a problem that could be easily fixed. And to add onto that plate, each of the Louds had a personal demon they hadn't mentioned to anyone until sitting with a therapist.

A heavy sigh escaped the patriarch as he shut the van door and walked to the house. "What has my family become?..." He moaned to himself.

Lynn opened the door to find his wife lying on the couch, watching the TV with a half-lidded stare. Lily was on the floor, chewing on her teething ring. The mother made sure to keep her within her perifrial vision in case the baby wondered off.

Rita glanced away from the TV after noticing the door open. "Hey honey." She sat up. "So, how'd it go?"

"He said it was 'interesting', but Lincoln didn't say much else about it." Lynn walked over to the couch, sitting down next to his wife. "Guess our son has a lot to think about."

Rita raised an eyebrow. "How was he this morning?"

"Nervous, unsure of how it would go." Lynn felt something tap his foot. Looking down, Charles lied on his side as he waited to be petted. Rolling his eyes a little, the father used his feet to lightly rub the little dog's belly. "When he came out, he looked a little better; but I guess you could say he was conflicted? He fell asleep on the way back and stayed like that until I dropped him off at the McBride's." Lynn leaned back into the seat. "Guess we'll just have to wait and see what Lincoln will do..."

There was a pause between them, the show on the TV filling the void temporarily. Rita looked back towards the TV while Lynn stared up at the ceiling. "Do you think we're doing the right thing Rita?"

The matriarch shifted her focus back to him. "What do you mean?"

"It hasn't felt like home since all of this started. Sure, the girls are being more out and about after talking to Dr. Lopez, but I can tell they're still all tense and whatnot whenever I see them in the upstairs hallway. It was one thing to punish them for beating up Lincoln the way they did, but then to find out that all of our daughters have serious personal issues? And that Lincoln probably has more problems that being afraid of the girls?..." Lynn rubbed pinched the bridge between his eyes. "I know we talked about this before, but I still feel like this is entirely our fault..."

"You aren't the only one Lynn. I still feel like I shouldn't have signed Lola into those pageants 2 years ago. If I didn't, she might be a bit nicer. But then, I wouldn't know the daughter I have now. And, there's the fact we always leave Lori in charge of everything when we're not around. We've done it so many times over the years thinking she could handle it, not knowing that it actually stressing her out. I don't want to have to do it, but we gotta work those long hours so we can support all of our kids." Rita folded her arms. "I hate that we literally made Lori grow up faster than she needed to...and even worse, we've been out of the game for so long we proved that we're next to useless when it comes to the kids arguing."

Lynn nodded. "Given how we can barely keep Lana and Lola from fighting each other, we were practically deadbeats when the girls came up with their own system. And that brings me to another thing..." He shifted his body so that he was facing Rita. "Do you think I should cut down on their punishments?"

Rita rapped her fingers on her shoulder. "I...I guess? I mean, the reason you gave back Lucy's poetry book was because it's an outlet for her depression."

"Its also because it was clear she was suffering from it. I just don't want the others to end up like her. I mean, when I think about it, it's possible their hobbies are also ways to let out their frustration." The father started counting his fingers. "Luna had music, Lynn had her sports or workout equipment, Leni focused on making a dress out of stuff in the house to keep herself happy sometimes, Lori was always on her phone when she needs to vent, Luan..." He paused. "I'm not sure if comedy is exactly an outlet, but given how she gets on April Fools Day, I'm willing to say it is. And that's just the teens."

"So, it feels like we're punishing the girls twice as hard than necessary." Rita surmised, to which her husband nodded.

The blonde pursed her lips in thought. On one hand, the girls fully deserved the punishments each sibling received. You couldn't get away with putting one of your own in the hospital and not expect to receive your comeuppance. That'd be like running a car off the road then driving away, thinking no one would remember your car model and license plates.

On the other, it was clear since the very beginning that the gravity of the situation had taken its toll on the girls. Occasionally, the girls would find a way to hope for things to get better. But almost each time their mood began to improve, that feeling was harshly ripped away from them due to an unforeseen revelation. Such was the case when discovering Lincoln's phobia. Along with having their hobbies denied to them, it was so quiet in the house you could actually hear footsteps from the second floor from outside. It's like being in a ghost town, except the inhabitants are still there.

Before having therapy, the girls were essentially husks of their former selves; well, besides Lucy (she just got worse). No one said a word to each other outside of small chat. The girls even shied away from their parents more than usual, not wanting to draw their ire. After having her own session with Miranda, Rita was also hoping the girls' grades hadn't been suffering due to their moods. The family had gotten better over the past week, but that depression was still there. As long as Lincoln remained fearful of his siblings, things would never go back to normal (if at all).

"We should dial it back some...but even if that happens, will they ever return to being themselves? I remember you said that Lola can't act like a princess anymore on top of no longer attending pageants. Apparently, she was so angry at herself that she refused to look at any mirrors. I had to help her get ready for school several times because she couldn't properly groom herself. Now, Lola has gotten better since therapy; but sometimes I can see her just staring at her reflection, almost to the point she wants to punch the mirror."

Lynn frowned a bit, casting a side glance at the floor. "I doubt anyone will be themselves until Lincoln comes home, honey. All we can do right now is try to ease the pain and hope for the best."

A barking sound momentarily grabbed Rita's attention. Looking at the floor, she spotted Lily playing around with Charles. Well, more like Lily was chasing after Charles with an irate look on her face since the dog walked off with her teething toy. The infant babbled something not too nice at the mutt as she fiercely ran after him.

The matriarch closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. "Alright..." She looked back at Lynn. "But we'll have to sit down with the girls first to talk about it, after you tell them about Lincoln's session. I wouldn't be surprised if that's all they've been thinking about today."

Lily finally caught up to Charles and was playing tug-o-war with the dog for her toy. Unfortunately, Charles once again yanked it out of her grip before running up the stairs.

"Dan it..." The infant uttered.

Lori tapped her foot on the ground, her brows furrowed as a low growl escaped her throat. She glanced down the street in both directions, her arms folding up as the patience she had was beginning to wear thin. "Where are they?..." She muttered to herself, wiping some sweat off her forehead.

The eldest Loud stood on the side walk next to the road that went by their school. Most of the students had already taken the bus, but a few lingered around just to chat it up with their friends over weekend plans. Her other two sisters stood along side; Leni was fidgeting in anticipation while Luna was keeping herself distracted with her MP3, her head bobbing every few seconds to the beat that blasted through the tiny earbuds. Normally, they would've taken the bus or Vanzilla to school; but since Lynn Sr. needed it, and the parents wanted to pick up the girls from school, the trio was stuck waiting in the heat.

Not only that, they were well aware of what was happening today; hence the reason why Lori was growing steadily more irate as time went on.

"Is that them?!" Leni asked in excitement as she spotted a family van coming. However, it was the wrong color and make. "Wait, that's not mom and dad..." She frowned as it passed, but soon smiled as another family wagon approached. "What about that one Lori?" The 16 year old pointed.

Lori glanced to her left, giving an unamused look at the oncoming car. "Leni, Vanzilla is bigger than that. And that's a station wagon."

Leni's finger curled back, her mouth curling down in disappointment. Giving a small huff, she looked down the other side of the road, spotting yet another van coming. "Uh, Lori? Why does Vanzilla have a ladder on it?"

The 17 year old raised an eyebrow as she looked to the right. Her eyelids dropped half way before she slapped her hand to her forehead. "Leni...that's a construction van. Did you take your pills today?"

Leni stayed silent for a few seconds. "Uh...no?" She smiled nervously.

The eldest sibling gave a sigh before digging into her purse, taking out a water bottle. She then reached into Leni's lengthy hair and found her pill case. Lori handed her sister both objects, watching her closely as Leni popped one of the pills in her mouth. Leni cringed a little as her tongue poked out in disgust; her taste buds detecting the foreign object before quickly washing it down. The 16 year old blinked a few times as her pupils adjusted slightly, the pill's effects kicking in after a few moments.

"As much as I like having to remind you to take your medicine, you really should stick a note to your head so you don't forget Leni..." Lori spoke in a scolding tone.

"Sorry..." Leni put her pills back in its usual spot, shifting it around until she was sure it was hooked into her hair. "If I could stay focused for most of the day, I would. I mean, seriously? I totes know what Vanzilla looks like..."

"You can still ask mom or dad to find you a stronger pill."

"Lori, we already talked about this. I mean, do you know what kind of side effects I could get? I don't want to wind up with zits, a rash, or even a stroke!" Leni rubbed her arm. "It's already bad enough I won't know what it feels like to have a tan..."

Lori gave a sad gaze at her sister. She apologized to Leni about the remark towards her skin earlier in the week; seems it was more than just a hot button that wasn't meant to be pressed. "What about Lisa? Maybe when we're no longer grounded, you could ask her."

Leni hummed as she stared up at the sky. A list of past events came to mind, counting each one on her fingers. "Even though she made my head the size of a beach ball, turned my skin blue, and she tried giving me some weird bloating cream afterwards as an antidote? Never mind all the times she made fun of my brain." Her brows furrowed as she stared back at Lori. "Sometimes I wonder if she sees me as just a toy to play with."

"She's only 4 dude." Luna started, making the blondes glance at her. "Yeah, she's done a lot of weird stuff, but remember what the doc said? She may be smart, but she's still a kid. I know you're still holdin' onto those incidents sis, but if you can forgive Lori for making fun of your skin, can't you forgive Lisa?" The musician stuck her hands in her pockets. "Heck, she forgave me for the times I constantly interrupted her business with my tunes, which made her accidentally blow up her room (including a time I broke her glasses); and I forgave her for the time she used my axe for a test that broke it to pieces. I mean, it's not like you have anything left to lose."

Leni's lips narrowed a bit. She gave a side glance at a random object on the other side of the street before glancing back at her sisters. "I don't, but what she said was mean..."

Luna shrugged. "You can always let her know that, but you shouldn't hold onto grudges sis. I'm pretty stumped you two haven't talked it over yet."

The fashionita spotted a car coming up behind the musician, noting the familiar dents and dings in it from her past driving episodes. "Ok, I'm totes sure that's them."

"It better be..." Lori groaned, twisting her head around. Thankfully, Leni was right this time.

Once the van pulled up, the girls hopped into the first two rows behind their parents. "You know we could've taken the bus dad." The eldest blonde chided, letting out a small sigh once she was in some shade. She sat next to Lily, who was asleep in her car seat, while Luna took the seat next to her and Leni sitting in the second row.

"Yeah I know, but I wanted to tell you all as soon as I could. Plus, I didn't want to risk you girls breaking down the door and asking too many questions."

"We don't do that all the time." Leni replied with a hint of annoyance. "Right?..."

Lori and Luna avoided eye contact, preferring to distract themselves with menial things.

"So, how was school?"

Luna kept her attention focused on the passing scenery, resting her head on her hand. "Terrible, as always."

"I literally don't have much of a social circle to speak of, mom."

Rita raised an eyebrow before glancing back at her daughter. "Wait, I thought you still had friends you could talk to."

"Not since I texted Bobby about what happened weeks ago, before I was barred from speaking to him." Lori stared at the floor, traces of sadness appearing in her eyes. "Not that it would've mattered because we broke up a while before dad came back home that Sunday. Then, over the next few days, it got worse. Becky found out from Bobby, and so did my other friends and nearly everyone in the school. The only good thing is that the teachers at least care enough to not let it derail the class..." Lori paused, taking in shaky breaths as if she was trying to keep herself from crying. "Everywhere I go, someone is looking at me like I'm a creep, or some murderer. Just last week, someone wrote "bitch" and a few other things I'd rather not say on my locker..."

"My friends pretty much act like I don't exist, or are just afraid of being near me..." Leni took a sip of the bottle Lori gave her. "I get the first part, but not the second...is that normal?"

"You're always nice sis. You being angry just isn't you."

Lynn Sr. and Rita stole a glance at each other. "Did...did anything happen with you Luna?" The father asked as he eyed his daughter through the rear view mirror.

"Yeah..." The musician turned her head towards him. "Got kicked out my band, and one of them said some pretty nasty things to me..." She looked back out the window, noticing the combined grade school in the distance. "Chunk still talks to me occasionally though."

"Well...you all seem to be taking it well." Lynn spoke in a hopeful tone.

"Oh, that's cause we pretty much stopped crying about it. During the first few days, I hid in the bathroom during my music class so I could be alone..." Luna stated monotonously.

"Lets just say, I had to visit the restroom several times to clean my face..." Lori added.

"I cut myself at one point." Said Leni, causing everyone to look at her in shock. The fashionista looked at them in confusion before realizing what she said. "Well, it was just a paper cut during one of my classes. But, I was a bit happy everyone was ignoring me for a while."

"Since you girls had these problems in school, why didn't you say anything earlier?" The matriarch asked as the van pulled to a stop outside the K-8 school.

"Would it have made a difference?" Lori started. "We pretty much deserved what we got for the pain Lincoln is going through right now, and nothing is gonna change that until he's back to his old self. And at this point, and pardon my words, but I literally don't give a shit if the school hates me forever. I just want Lincoln to be his comic book loving self again..."

"I certainly stopped giving a hoot after a week." Luna added. Spotting her younger sisters coming, she unlocked the door.

"Mmmm..." Lynn Sr. hummed, tapping a finger on the steering wheel.

Luan opened the door, noticing the look on everyone's faces. "Uh...did we miss something?"

The 3 teens shook their heads. Luan shrugged and got into the second row, the younger girls occupying whatever seats they could.

"So dad..." Lynn started as she tried strapping her seat belt on. The sporty Loud knitted her brows as the darn thing refused to lock in. "Did anything happen with Lincoln's therapy?"

Each of the girls were on edge as they waited for their father's answer. Lynn Sr. hesitated a bit. He knew his daughters were waiting all week to hear some good news come out of this, having high hopes that Dr. Lopez would somehow cure their brother. However, therapy doesn't work that way.

"No, not that I know of that is." He could see the hope beginning to drain from their faces. "Lincoln...didn't say much about it after he was done, and he fell asleep on the way back to the McBrides. At this point, I guess it's up to him as far as what he wants to do."

"But what if he doesn't do anything? Are we doomed to be his eternal trepidation?..." Lucy stated, hugging her book.

"Now girls, I'm pretty sure he'll do something. He was nervous about speaking with Dr. Lopez, and when he came out, he looked like he was mulling over options. Who knows? He might send a text or something."

"Sure. He'll be happy to talk to the people who nearly beat him to death..." Lola folded her arms. "Excuse my sarcasm, but I doubt that'll happen dad."

"Shouldn't we be the ones who call him in this case?" Lana asked.

"I don't think you should, sweetie. That would probably just scare him." Rita replied.

Lori developed a sullen look. "Guess were back to doing literally nothing then..."

"Well..." Lynn Sr. paused, waiting for a car to pass before he could drive the van into the local college parking lot. "I wouldn't say that."

Luna paused her music, raising a brow. "What do you mean pops?"

Lisa stood patiently by the steps outside the main doors, her backpack slung over her shoulders in a slightly uncomfortable position. Upon seeing Vanzilla, she waved at the car to catch their attention. The patriarch pulled to a stop in front of her.

"Hello everyone." Lisa greeted as she opened the door. Everyone responded in kind as the child genius shuffled along the side to reach the back seats where Lucy and Lola were seated.

"What I mean is...given how hard things have been for you girls since we were first told about Lincoln's phobia, it felt like you guys were getting punished twice as hard than I intended. I mean, it's one thing to have all of your hobbies taken away, but losing all your friends and being hated by almost everyone in school? Not even the bullies I grew up with had to deal with that."

The girls looked at one another. It was already obvious they were at rock bottom, but where was their dad going with this? Was he going to lighten the load on the burden they share? Or did he sign them up for some activity that was supposed to help them more?

"Me and your mother had talked about it, and we decided to roll back some of your punishments. Now, that doesn't mean you get to do everything you used to do, but we will allow you to do your respective hobbies. Tomorrow, we can go by the storage place to pick out stiuff you can take home with you." Lynn Sr. turned his head slightly. "Does that sound ok?"

The sisters were left speechless, their faces giving mixed emotions. Lisa was wide-eyed as she had apparently missed a heavy conversation, Lola and Lynn looked to be determining whether they should be somewhat relieved or not care much, Luna and Leni had their mouths hanging open in surprise, Lori thumbed her purse open and stared at her phone (the only thing she was allowed to keep since the grounding) before closing it, Luan and Lana were a tad indifferent for certain reasons, and Lucy just raised an eyebrow.

"I know it's probably shocking to you all, but I realized that your hobbies could also be ways you vent your frustration. By barring you from doing them, it could cause a huge amount of damage I doubt even Dr. Lopez could fix..."

"We just don't want you girls to become permanently damaged emotional wise. We ended up doing that to Lucy and..." Rita paused, unable to find the right words.

"I know, and I forgave you guys for the Home Alone incident." Lucy replied. "I know you didn't mean to do it on purpose, so I couldn't hold it against you. I'm still grateful that you let me write again..." The 8 year old opened her book, flipping through a few pages. "I've been feeling better now that I could unleash my inner turmoil into my poems."

Luna pursed her lips before speaking up. "...That day we put Lil bro in the clinic, I lost my will to make any songs pops..." She gripped her MP3 with both hands as she stared out the window. "Yet, I still had the itch to make a song about how crappy our lives have been. I even wanted to write something for Lincoln and send it to him, even though it might be pointless now..."

"Well one thing is for certain, I'm definitely off pageants forever." Lola folded her arms as she sank in her seat, putting a hand to her forehead. "I can't even bare to show myself to the public after what I did..."

"Doesn't school count as public?" Lana asked.

The younger twin glared at her older opposite. "Not now Lana..."

"And I can't play sports for two reasons: 1) I lost the will to do them anymore, and 2) I doubt I'll be let on any teams since most of my sports friends know what happened..." Lynn added.

"And I can't find anything that's funny about our current standing. If I tried doing Funny Business right now, I'd run my reputation into the ground, or more than it already has..." Luan pointed out.

"You don't have to be in pageants anymore sweetie, and you don't have to do sports if you want to Lynn. But it would still help that you have some kind of outlet. I mean, you might find something creative to do Lola; and you could set up your punching bag and hammer it in Lynn. You always did that when you were frustrated."

The sporty Loud sighed through her nostrils. "I guess..."

"...I'll think about it..." Was Lola's response.

"You could do the same thing Luan. Sorry to remind you about it, but your pranks on April Fools are very...creative?" Lynn Sr. added, hoping to spur something in his comedian of a daughter.

"..." Luan gave a low shrug and opt to follow Luna's example and stare at the passing scenery.

"While I do find the idea of requisitioning my chemistry set as a way to channel my own inner feelings, it has found great use to the college. Also, I am more inclined to take time away from science to spend time with family." Lisa finally spoke when it seemed like no one else would say anything.

The patriarch scanned each of his daughters in the rear view mirror. They were mostly saddened or indifferent to the aspect of having a means to ease their pain. "That went over smoothly..." He groaned inwardly. Lynn Sr. glanced at his watch, noting it was close to 4. "Well, I don't feel like cooking anything and I doubt pizza would be an option right now..." He muttered to himself. "How does everyone feel about eating out today?"

A chorus of 'meh' approval answered. It wasn't like they had anything else to do.

At the McBrides residence, Lincoln was lying on the couch trying to read one of his comics for the last hour. Key word tried. After his dad dropped him off, the boy used the spare key to get inside. The Loud knew he was going to be alone for a while. Howard and Harold would be at work until 5, and then it would take them an hour to get home. As for Clyde, Lincoln glanced at the clock. It was a little after 2, so he should be home soon; along with whatever homework they would have to do this weekend. Occasionally, Cleopawtra and the new kitten the McBrides recently adopted would cuddle up to him for a few moments at a time. It was mostly out of curiosity before they'd go off doing whatever it was cats do.

To try and ease his troubled mind, Lincoln hoped some Ace Savvy would distract him for a while. This didn't last very long, because he wound up reading the same page for 17 minutes. For 3 whole weeks, he was dead set on avoiding his sisters as much as possible. Now, it felt like two sides of his brain were warring with each other. The Loud came to trust Dr. Lopez after their meeting, but following said advice was proving to be difficult. Of course, Lincoln was still hesitant to be anywhere near his sisters. If they weren't gonna kill him, they could still try some sort of bodily harm. But every time his fearful self brought this up, he was constantly reminded of what Luan did for him yesterday.

Giving a frustrated sigh, Lincoln sat up, placing the comic on the armrest. He bit his lip, drumming his fingers on the seat as he reflected over everything knew at the moment.

"I've been hiding from my sisters for weeks, and nothing has happened to me...well...aside from the occasional nightmare." Lincoln thought to himself as he glanced around the room. "I thought that being at school would be a death trap...and I was really certain it was." His fingers gripped the edge of the seat. "Lola was out there...somewhere...a-and Lucy could've been in any dark place. I stayed away from any garbage cans in case Lana was near, and I'm thankful my arm prevents me from taking gym class..." Lincoln glanced down at his arm cast. "I had no idea where Luan was...until I bumped into her. And even then, she...she didn't do anything to hurt me."

Lincoln looked towards the kitchen, spotting the main house phone nestled in its cradle on the wall.

"None of them had tried calling me since I got my phone a week ago...do they actually know I'm afraid of them?..." A small shiver went down Lincoln's spine. He gripped his shoulder with his good arm for comfort as he glanced at the floor. "They c-could be doing that just to scare me..." The Loud looked back at the phone. "But dad and Ms. Lopez said I need to be more 'open minded'..."

Lincoln stared at the phone for what seemed like hours, before he finally got the courage to get off the couch. The 11 year old shuffled his way to the phone, mixed opinions continuing to direct his actions. Lincoln reached for the phone, his hand stopping a few inches from the receiver. His fingers curled inward as he began to doubt the validity of what he was about to do. Before the deal with the Sister Fight Protocol, hearing the voice of his 9 sisters would range from happiness to irritation. Since then...it might as well have been Death calling to claim his soul.

However, there was a significant difference between past incidents and now. Back then, Lincoln didn't have any sort of barrier to protect him from a potential thrashing; his sisters would either be only a few steps away or somewhere within the same building, ready to seek him out if needed. Even though his friends vowed to protect him, Lincoln still wasn't very confident in their plan; especially when he considered how aggressive his siblings were when things didn't go their way. With a phone, he had distance; and at best, the girls could only verbally assault him.

"It's not like they could attack me through the phone, right?..." Lincoln told himself as he took the receiver out of its cradle.

The dial tone droned on as it waited for a command. Lincoln gingerly dialed in his house number, each button pressed increasing his anxiety. Drops of sweat flowed down the side of the boy's head as the line rang. He silently prayed that it would just go to voicemail, but like always, the universe likes to be sadistic.

"Hello?" A feminine voice answered, one that the Loud boy recognized all too well. Lincoln's pupils shrank a little as his blood started to run cold. That voice was too young to be his mother, and was very adolescent-like.

"Hellooo?" The voice answered again. "Anyone there?..."

Lincoln stayed silent, finding it hard to say anything to her. His breathing was starting to become uneven and labored, which were the only sounds the phone could pick up.

"What the...is this some kind of prank call?!" Lincoln could feel the venom in his sister's tone.

Lincoln shut his eyes as he got his breathing under control. An audible gulp escaped his throat as he tried to swallow his fear. Just when it seemed like the female Loud was about to hang up, the middle child finally uttered two words. "H-Hi, L-Lori..."

There was a loud noise on the other end of the line, as if the phone had been dropped. Lincoln could hear as if someone was quickly scrambling to answer before it finally cleared up. "Lincoln?...Is that really you?" Lori's voice was hushed and nearly trembling.

"...Yes..." The boy replied.

"So...how are you?..." Lori sounded like she didn't know what else to say, and Lincoln could hardly say much else. "Never mind, that was a stupid question..." Lincoln heard Lori give a heavy sigh. "I know this probably isn't the best time to tell you this, but we're really sorry Lincoln. We know you've been afraid of us since that...day...and we just want nothing more than for you to come home. We won't hurt you ever again..."

Lincoln gazed at the floor, unsure whether he should trust Lori or just hang up in silence. He opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but at that moment, another voice cut in. "Yeah. We just want you home Linky."

"Leni?..."

"Just come home to us bro. We'll take good care of you..." Luna's pleading voice cut in.

"We miss you Lincoln." The twins joined in.

"I promise I won't wrestle with you anymore bro." Lynn spoke up. "Just come home Lincoln."

"Uh..." Lincoln started to sweat again. "I don't think-"

"Just come home Lincoln. Just come home Lincoln." All of the girls said at the same time, their voices becoming more distorted by the second. This little chorus repeated itself over and over, making Lincoln begin to quake on the spot. Suddenly, he felt something poke his ear the phone was on. Pulling the device away, the boy's eyes became the size of dinner plates as a finger was sticking out of the small holes in the receiver.

"W-What the?..." Was all Lincoln said before an entire hand pushed the top of the phone off.

"Just come home Lincoln." The line kept repeating as the hand grabbed Lincoln's arm. The middle child screamed as he threw the device to the other side of the living room. The gesture was not well received, as almost immediately, 8 other hands sprouted from the phone, all reaching towards their target. Lincoln screamed again before taking off towards the guest room. His momentum was immediately cut short as Luna and Leni's hands grabbed his legs, dragging him back towards the device. Lincoln dug his nails into the carpet to slow them down, but it was proving useless. The boy's heart was racing. He experienced something like this during school, where he was effectively cornered with no way out. This time however, he was inside a house with plenty of places to hide, and he wasn't about to make it easy for his sisters.

Twisting around, Lincoln sat up and bit Luna's hand before promptly clawing at Leni's. They immediately released him as the hands recoiled in pain, giving him the chance to run for it. The other hands reached out to him at lightning speed, chasing their prey through the wide hallway. Lincoln made a sharp left into the bedroom and promptly slammed the door shut. The 11 year old was pushed forward a few feet as 8 hands slammed against the door. Lincoln took several cautious steps back as the hands continued to pound and claw at the wooden barrier that separated them. He bit his lip in an attempt to hold in a scream as he noticed the door cracking inwards; it wouldn't hold for long. The middle child looked towards the window. He could try climbing out of it, but he doubted he could get the window open in time. Glancing to the bed, there was a choice of hiding there. Lincoln shook his head; that would be too obvious and surely get him caught. Looking over near the door, there was the bedroom closet. Lincoln gripped his hair, twisting his head to and fro as he weighed his options. He didn't have much time to think on it either, as the door was starting to splinter.

Finally deciding on what to do, Lincoln sucked in a breath through his teeth as he made a beeline for the closet. He shut the door as quietly as he could, hoping the sounds of the girls' hammering would drown it out. Seconds after he sealed himself in the closet, he could hear the door to the bedroom finally give way. Lincoln put his hand over his mouth in an attempt to quiet his screams. The closet was filled with the sound of his shaky breaths as he heard things being rummaged around in the bedroom, including one or two things being overturned.

Then, the knob of the closet door started to jiggle. The color drained from Lincoln's face as he fought hard to not yell out in panic. He looked up at his clothes that hung on the shelf. Being the quick thinker he was, Lincoln stretched his arm up several times, pulling clothes down in a haphazard manner.

The 11 year old lied down, arranging the clothing to make it appear that they had been lying on the floor for a while. Once his body was covered, Lincoln placed a few shirts over his head before lying flat. His body became deathly still once he heard the door open. The Loud boy held his breath as his sister's hand searched the closet, picking up various pieces of clothing and moving the hung clothes in search of its prey. Lincoln took a sharp breath once he felt the hand move onto the pile. It trailed along the pile, pressing down on certain spots to see if anything was under it. Lincoln's eyes began to water as he felt the hand touch a couple shirts that lie on his head. He shut his eyes and let out a small whimper as he waited for the inevitable to happen.

Just when it seemed like Lincoln was found, a sudden buzzing sound forced his eyes open. Looking around, the boy found himself back on the couch, still looking in the general direction of the house phone.

Lincoln blinked a few times. "Did I just have a daydream?"

The buzzing occurred again, making Lincoln jump for a second. Realizing it was coming from his pocket, the Loud fished out his own phone. Upon seeing the Caller ID, the white-haired child calmed down a little.

Lincoln pressed a button and put the phone to his ear. "Clyde?"

"Hey Lincoln, can you open the door? I can't find the spare house key." Clyde asked as he scratched his head. The doormat was overturned, and the nerdy kid was currently looking under the rocks in the garden.

Lincoln glanced at the small table to his right, seeing the house key lying there. "Yeah...sorry about that..." He replied as he got up. He sat the phone on a small table before heading to the door.

Clyde was still looking around the front porch when he heard the door open. "So, how was your-" Clyde paused upon seeing the pink tint in Lincoln's eyes. "Were you crying again Lincoln?"

Lincoln felt his cheeks, noting that they felt a little damp. He gave a small frown. "Yeah..."

Clyde stepped through the doorway, shutting it behind him. "Did you have another nightmare?"

"More like a day-mare."

"Wanna talk about it?" The African American sat his bag on a chair in the kitchen.

Lincoln breathed in through his nose and exhaled from his mouth. "My mind was stuck on what Dr. Lopez told me during our talk. She said I should try to keep an open mind, because what I see in my nightmares is much different from what's really going on. Then, she suggested that I try to get in touch with my sisters by phone." The Loud boy cast a weary glance at the house phone. "I thought about calling them, but then I just imagined my sisters literally pulling me through the phone to get me back home."

"Wait, so they attacked you through the phone? As in stuck their arm into the receiver?"

"Yeah..." Lincoln sat down on the side of the couch that was furthest away from the kitchen. "It was way too freaky..."

Clyde pursed his lips. "No offense Lincoln, but that sounds impossible. I mean, our life isn't like that one episode of Spongey Joe where he tries to karate chop Stoney through the phone."

Lincoln couldn't help but smile a little. "That was funny."

Clyde walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge. "If talking on the phone is making you uneasy, you could always try texting."

Lincoln raised an eyebrow. "What good would that do?"

"Can't hear them talking if it's just words." Clyde came back out with two sodas. "I mean, what's the worst that could happen? The words themselves jumping out the screen and attacking you?" He handed one to Lincoln.

Lincoln popped the can open before taking a sip. "That does sound rather crazy." He stared at his reflection on the can, his eyelids drooping a little. "You guys are telling me this is just all in my head...but I can't stop thinking about the worst. Even just as you came home, I had a daydream-"

"Day-mare."

"Day-mare while I was awake. Even Dr. Lopez didn't give much of an answer as to how to make them stop." Lincoln leaned backwards. "Makes me wonder if I'll eventually go crazy..."

"Not necessarily. In situations like this, it's something you have to figure out on your own." Clyde sipped his drink, giving a small burp. He covered his mouth immediately. "Excuse me. At least, that's what she keeps telling me. But still, just try it and see how that works for you."

Lincoln swung his foot as he let Clyde's words sink in. Considering how unrealistic his dreams are appearing to be, it would be foolish of him to not try anything in order to break the ice. The white-haired child looked over to his phone, the feeling of uncertainty swelling in his chest. Lincoln flared his nostrils as he fought down his anxiety, reaching over towards the small device.

At Giovanni Chang's Italian Chinese Bistro, the Louds were enjoying their dinner. Royal Woods was well known for having alleged 'fusion' restaurants that included a mix of two (sometimes vastly) different cultures. One such example was Jean Juan's French Mex, or a lesser known restaurant called Aloha Comrade. Such restaurants tend to stand out better than their typical single culture competitors, thus gaining more monotony to attract a wider range of customers. Being that this was the first time the Louds had eaten there, it lightened the mood for them to a degree.

Still, it was unanimously shared that they wished Lincoln could enjoy this with them...

Whilst everyone else was busy chatting, Lori was idly browsing through her phone. Since her punishment had been lifted, most of the parental settings had been removed from the small device. The only one that remained was a plug-in that blocked 'explicit' content. Lori didn't mind though; even with most of her phone functions available to her, one thing still remained: her social life was in the gutter. It wasn't like she could text Roberto all day since they had remained separated for almost a month. Added onto that, much of Lori's social circle refused to speak with her for weeks. The teen considered Lynn, and Luna by extension, to be lucky that at least one of her friends decided to stick by her side. If they ever decided that she was worth talking to again, it'd have to be by some miracle, cause all Lori had was herself and her sisters at this point.

Not taking her eyes off her phone, Lori lazily reached for her drink and started taking small sips from it. She guided her finger over the EyeTube app, hoping that watching some videos could put her mind at ease. However, right as she was about to activate the app, her phone buzzed as the text message icon appeared. Raising an eyebrow, she wondered who on Earth would want to speak to her. Opening her message box, saying Lori was surprised would be the biggest understatement of the year.

As soon as the 17 year old saw the name on the message, she promptly spit out the soda she was drinking. Unfortunately, she spat to her left, where Luan was sitting.

The comedian was eating some breadsticks when Lori suddenly spat on her. The brunette looked at her ruined shirt before casting a hard glare at her sister. "Gee, can I get some ice with that?..." She rubbed her face with a napkin.

Lynn and Lynn Sr. held their mouths to stifle their laughter, prompting Rita to glare at them.

"Any reason for the spit take sis?" Luna asked.

Instead of speaking, Lori fumbled with her phone and turned the screen to the rest of her family. Upon getting a good read at it, they had similar reactions that ranged from nearly choking on food to having their mouths hanging open, leaving bits to fall out.

On Lori's phone was a message that had been sent from Lincoln; and with it, was a simple, short message.

Hi... - Lincoln

A/N: After having gone through being an emotional train-wreck and hiding from a majority of his family members out of a reasonable about of fear, Lincoln has finally made the first move towards his recovery: messaging his sister. Time will tell how well this would go. While I know some may be divisive about the girls getting some relief from their grounding, no amount of precious items will replace the one thing they truly yearn for. It may help them cope, but sometimes it won't be enough.

Also, Lincoln's dream in this chapter was inspired by the episode Karate Choppers from SpongeBob, particularly the scene where he tries to chop Sandy through his phone, only for it to backfire.