Author's Note: Um… hey, guys. Uh, if you haven't noticed, there's a warning in the summary about this fic being depressing now. That, uh… that was a personal favor from a friend. Now, without naming names, here, this friend had another friend who read this story and became depressed.

And it was only recently that I found out… just how bad the depression was.

Finding out about that was part of the reason this was so late. I honestly almost quit writing this fic because of that, but, uh… I was talked out of it. (The rest of the reason is, well… you know me. And this chapter was a tough one.)

I, uh… I just wanted to say that I never intended to hurt anyone with this story, okay? I just wanted to tell a good story. To the friend of a friend that I'm speaking of, if you're reading this, then I just want you to know that I'm sorry I hurt you like that. I had no idea.

So, uh… yeah. If you want to keep reading, then let me say… just… hang in there, okay? Who knows? Things might just turn out all right in the end. And besides, this chapter's a bit lighter on the drama (or, at least, not much is happening in it), so, there's that.

I know I say this a lot, but I really mean it – thank you, and have a nice day.

(…)

The Louds drove back to the house in silence. Even Luan ceased her incessant giggling. Everyone felt conflicted over what had just transpired. On the one hand, they had finally seen Pop-Pop again and made peace with him. On the other hand, they had done so when he was on the verge of death. The conflicting emotions raged inside them all, ultimately leaving them stymied when they finally arrived home.

The Louds all got out of the van, went inside, flopped down on the couch (or in Lincoln's case, in the armchair) without saying a word, and sat there for the longest time.

The minutes crawled by. Finally, Lynn decided to break the silence. "So…" she said, "…now what?"

No-one had an answer to that, although they all started thinking one up. A minute passed, and eventually, Lily was the first one to have an idea. "Ooh! I know!" she said. She grabbed the remote control. "Let's watch the Pretty Pony Princess Christmas special!"

Everyone else looked at each other. For lack of an idea of something else to do at the moment, they shrugged and agreed, to Lily's glee. She turned on the TV, found the Christmas special in the DVR, and played it.

As the show started, Lynn scratched her head. "So, is this show like Princess Pony?" she asked.

"Actually, this show is Princess Pony," Lana said. "They renamed the brand."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm… How did you know that?" Luan asked.

Lana blushed. "Um…"

Luan and Lynn sat up, suddenly interested. "What?"

Lana looked away, shifting her jaw. "Don't laugh."

That alone made the two of them start snickering. "No promises…" Luan said.

Lana growled angrily. "In that case, I'm not telling you!"

Lynn, who was sitting next to Lana, caught her in a headlock and prepared to give her a noogie. "You'd better, if you know what's good for you!"

Lana struggled to free herself from Lynn's grip, but she was too strong. As Lynn rubbed her knuckles roughly against Lana's scalp, Lana gave in. "Argh…! All right, all right! Enough! I'll talk!"

She rubbed her neck as Lynn released her, sighing. "I… watch Pretty Pony Princess."

Lily was overjoyed to find out that one of her sisters was a fellow fan. She paused the recording, but before she could launch into a discussion about all things Pretty Pony Princess, Luan and Lynn started laughing. "Oh, give me a break!" Lana said. "You know, this franchise has moved on from its 'girly froo-froo' stage! Ever since that new animator lady, Laura Goethe, took over, this show's gotten a lot more mature! I mean, it's got solid humor, fun adventures and plotlines, relatable characters, and appreciable themes!"

Neither Lynn nor Luan were convinced, and they continued to laugh. Lana rolled her eyes. "Just watch this episode, you'll see what I'm talking about…"

Lynn scoffed. "Tch! I doubt it. I saw that one Princess Pony book you fished out of the toilet that one time. Remember that? I mean, that book was diabetes-inducingly sweet." She chuckled. "Speaking of, despite, you know… everything that's happened… I still can't believe Lincoln used to read Princess Pony."

Lincoln's expression darkened. He briefly wondered if he should tell them, but quickly decided to. After all, she was dead – what did she care?

"…I didn't," he said. "Lucy did."

That stopped Lynn dead in her tracks. "Wh… What…?"

"Lucy was the one who read that book. Lucy was the one who flushed it down the toilet to avoid getting caught. It was Lucy."

The older Loud sisters all gawked at Lincoln. "That's… impossible," Lynn said. "Lucy would never –!"

"She told me so herself – even she needed a break from the darkness every now and then. But she knew she would be mocked by you guys if you found out – just like you mocked me. Just like you just mocked Lana. I knew she couldn't handle that. That's why I took the blame, and the ridicule, and the punishment."

Lynn sank into her seat. Was that part of the reason why Lucy killed herself? "Sh… She… couldn't…"

Lincoln sighed. "…No. And you know what? I thought I could. But there's only so much a guy can take…" He chuckled bitterly. "It's mockery like that… mockery I couldn't handle… that chased me out of the house that night… that brought me to the park… to the fountain…"

Luan suppressed her laughter; Lily was confused. Everyone else was dead silent.

"L… Linky…" Leni said.

Lincoln got up. "…If anyone needs me, I'll be in my room."

"But what about Pretty Pony Princess?" Lily asked.

Lincoln sighed again. "Lily, I'm sorry, but… I don't like Pretty Pony Princess, or Princess Pony."

He turned and went up the stairs to his room.

In his room, Lincoln sat in his beanbag chair and started brooding. The way he said that, it was unclear whether he was blaming the girls or himself for the cause of the incident. His doctors always told him that it was EROS Industries' fault, but he remembered what Lisa said – without someone bonded to it, the pheromone was inert. Someone had to be unfortunate enough to come into contact with it to affect others… and that someone happened to be him. Why? Because his sisters had driven him out of the house with their taunts and their laughter? Or because he, who prided himself on being thick-skinned, let himself falter long enough to be hurt by said taunts and laughter? And over such a trivial thing…

Well, if Lincoln was so upset by his sisters, couldn't he have hidden his shame in his room? If not, could he have gone somewhere other than the park for a breath of fresh air? Did he really need a breath of fresh air? He closed his eyes, musing on the possibilities… only to be startled out of his reverie by a tap on the shoulder.

Lincoln turned to see that it was his father. Frowning, he said, "Dad, come on – have you ever heard of knocking?"

"I did knock," Mr. Loud retorted. "You didn't hear me."

Lincoln sighed. "…What is it?"

"Son, Lily is downstairs, bonding with her sisters. Why aren't you?"

Lincoln sighed, shaking his head. "Okay, Dad, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you didn't hear me back there. I don't like Pretty Pony Princess, okay?"

"Well, not all of your sisters do, either, son, but they're down there, spending time with Lily and Terry. Why aren't you with them?"

Lincoln set his jaw. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize that I had to spend every waking moment with my sisters while they're here…"

Mr. Loud shook his head. "I… No, son, I… You don't understand, I just want you to spend some time with them…"

"And I will. Dad, we've got the whole holiday season ahead of us. That's at least nine days – plenty of time. What's wrong with having a little time to myself?"

Mr. Loud didn't answer, but Lincoln saw the look on his face. "…Dad, if you've got something to say, then just say it."

Mr. Loud rubbed the back of his head. "It… It's just…" He sighed. "It's just that… you seem to have a lot of time to yourself…"

Lincoln grimaced. He knew his dad was right – Lincoln didn't socialize as much as most of his peers, and not nearly as much as he himself used to. But knowing that that critique was accurate didn't make it any less biting – if anything, it only made it bite more. "…I know, Dad. I know. But… just don't worry, all right? I'll spend time with them, I swear…"

Mr. Loud looked at his son, then shook his head again. He didn't want to force the issue. "All right, son." He turned to leave, but then remembered something. "Oh, and before I go… I just wanted to tell you how proud I was of you back there."

Lincoln was taken aback. "P-Proud? Of what?"

"You showed the others just how wrong it is to tease each other for their interests and hobbies. That's good." Mr. Loud smiled. "You… You acted like a good brother back there."

Lincoln rubbed the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. He honestly hadn't thought that what he said had done much good. "Y-You think so?"

"Mm-hmm." Mr. Loud opened the door. "Just goes to show how much progress you've made…" He turned to face Lincoln as he backed into the hallway. "…and how much progress you're making."

He closed the door, leaving Lincoln alone in his room. He looked around, seeing how alone he was, as a mixture of pride and shame filled him. He looked at his phone, ready to play music for him, and only him.

"'Progress', huh…"

(…)

The next hour passed quietly – well, perhaps "quiet" was not the best description of it for Lincoln, as he whiled the time away sitting at his computer, listening to music, and meditating. The doctors recommended these tracks to him, always going on about how therapeutic music could be – and they may very well have been right, as Lincoln found himself drifting calmly in a serene void as the sounds of How To Disappear Completely gently droned into his ears. Funny name for a music group.

And… it perfectly described what Lincoln wanted to do, sometimes.

Once again, however, Lincoln was snapped back to reality by someone shaking him gently. He paused the music player, removed his headphones, and looked up at the one who interrupted him.

It was Terry. "Hey, Lincoln," he said. "Sorry to bother you."

"It's okay, Terry," Lincoln replied. "What is it?"

Terry started drumming his fingers on the desk. "Well, me and the girls were just about to start a game of poker, and we were just wondering if you wanted to join us?"

Lincoln sighed, swiveling his chair to face Terry. "Terry… did Dad tell you what I said to him earlier?"

Terry shook his head. "No, he didn't."

Lincoln took a deep breath, then continued calmly. "Well, I told him that I would have plenty of time to spend with the girls over winter break, so I can afford to allow myself some time alone. Okay?"

Terry scratched the back of his head. "Uh, yeah, well… okay, but I just thought that, you know… this could be something we could enjoy together, you know? Something to bond over."

"We could do that another time, Terry. Don't worry."

"I'm not worried, Lincoln. I just thought…" Terry sighed. "I-I mean, I know today has been kind of heavy, so… I just thought… we could use this opportunity to unwind, together."

Lincoln shook his head, waving Terry's worries off. "No, no, it has nothing to do with that – I just want to enjoy some time alone right now, is all…"

Terry sighed again. "…Okay, Lincoln. Okay. I understand."

He started to leave, and Lincoln, satisfied, turned back to the computer. Before he could put his headphones back on, though, he heard Terry say:

"Just… don't forget about your happy place, okay?"

Lincoln stopped dead in his tracks as the realization hit him again. Of course – how could he have forgotten? His happy place…

For a few moments, he wavered between his two choices, until he finally made one. He stood up and exited into the hallway, going down the stairs to the dining room.

"Sorry, girls," he heard Terry say as he came to the foot of the stairs, "looks like Lincoln won't be joining us."

He heard the girls express their disappointment. Wearing a little grin, he stepped out into the open. "Actually," he said, "he'll be joining you after all."

The girls all turned to him, lighting up. "Lincoln!"

Lincoln nodded awkwardly at them, then turned to Terry, who was smiling at him warmly. "I saved you a spot, partner," Terry said, patting the chair next to him.

As Lincoln took his seat, Lana said, "Lincoln, you… you came. You actually came…"

Lincoln chuckled. "Well, sure. It's just a game. Why is that so surprising?"

"Because you came to us," Leni said. "To play with us…"

Lincoln looked at Terry and shrugged, and Terry shrugged back. "Okay, well," Terry said, shuffling the deck of cards, "the name of the game is Texas hold 'em poker, ladies and Lincoln."

"Why do they call it 'Texas hold 'em'?" Leni asked.

"Because you're supposed to speak in a Texan accent while you hold your cards! Duh!" Luan replied.

"Really?"

Although Lynn, like the others, was amused, she still spoke up. "Um, no, Leni. Not really."

Leni pouted and glared at Luan, who laughed out loud.

Lily raised her hand. "Ooh! Ooh!"

"Yes… Lily?" Terry said.

Lily looked embarrassed. "Um…" She fidgeted in her seat. "How… How do you play this game?"

As Terry explained the rules of Texas hold 'em to Lily, Lincoln glanced at his other sisters – and noticed something different about one of them. "Oh! Lana…"

Lana looked at him. "Huh?"

"You, uh…" Lincoln pointed at her hair. "You… changed your hair?"

"Oh! Uh, heh, yeah…" Lana combed her fingers through her ponytail. "I just, y'know… felt like doing something different, is all…" Her lips curved upwards. "I, uh… I'm… surprised you noticed…"

Lincoln nodded. "I like it. It, uh, seems more, uh… you."

Lana gasped quietly, and her eyes widened almost imperceptibly. She stole a quick glance at Lincoln before she looked away, smiling.

"O M Gosh, Linky, you are totes right!" Leni added. "Lana, that look is so you!"

"Heh, heh, heh… Hm? Oh, uh, thanks, Leni."

"…So, you think you got it, Lilster?" Terry said.

Lily nodded. "Um… I think so…"

"Great!" He turned to the rest of the table. "So, we all ready to play?"

He was answered with a chorus of "Mm-hmm!"s and "Yep!"s.

"Okay!" As Terry shuffled the deck, he realized something. "Oh, wait – chips." He leaned towards the kitchen. "Hey, Mr. Loud!" he called. "We're playing poker – where do we keep the poker chips?"

"Poker chips?" Mr. Loud called back.

"Yeah!"

"We don't have any of those!"

"Why not?"

"They're a choking hazard!"

"They WERE – do you see any babies left in this house?" Terry sighed, turning back to the others. "Well, looks like we've got no poker chips. What else can we wager with…?"

"Money?" Luan suggested.

"Come on, Luan," Lana said, "I'm only twelve! I've got to hold onto every loonie I've got! I'm not betting money against Lynn."

"Yeah, and how much money do you think Lily has, huh?" Leni added.

"Ooh! Ooh! I could go upstairs and break open my piggy bank!" Lily said.

"No, Lily," Terry said. "We're not playing for money. Hmmm, let's see…" After a few more moments of thought, Terry snapped his fingers. "I've got an idea! We've all got things we want to ask each other, right?"

"Yeah?" the others said.

"Why don't we play for that?"

The others all stared at Terry, confused. "Huh?"

"Information! We'll play for information! Whoever wins the hand gets to ask one question to whoever they want. Sound good?"

The concept was intriguing – no-one could deny that. It only took a moment's thought for Lily and the girls to agree. Lincoln, on the other hand, was more apprehensive. What would he ask the girls? What would the girls ask him?

He worried about this, dithering for several moments, until the others began to take notice. "Linky?" Lily said.

Lincoln looked around the table and read the disappointment on everyone's faces. He slumped his shoulders. He wanted to play with them. They wanted to play this way. How could he refuse them?

And besides… he knew what he was getting into when he decided to do this.

Lincoln shrugged his shoulders. "…Fine by me."

His sisters all beamed excitedly. Terry chuckled – this promised to be an interesting game. "Atta boy, Lincoln!" he said. "Way to get into the game spirit!" With dexterous motions, he shuffled the deck over and over. "All right, boy and girls, once again, the name of the game is Texas hold 'em. Lacking chips, there will be no blind-posting requirements, you only bust out when you choose to, and the pot will always consist of one question asked to any player of the winner's choosing." He cut the deck. "Y'all ready for this?"

"Mm-hmm!" the girls said. Lily and Lincoln agreed with them with a "Yeah!" and an "Uh – Uh-huh."

Terry grinned. "Let's deal."

Terry dealt the cards… but every other card got its edge or corner caught on the tablecloth and flipped over. After everyone promptly got rid of the tablecloth, he deftly dealt a hand to each player rounding out the table clockwise – first Lily, then Leni, followed by Lana, Lynn, Luan, Lincoln, and finally himself – then set the deck aside. Everyone peeked at their cards, Lincoln included. A 3 of hearts and a 5 of diamonds – not a promising start.

Everyone looked at Lily, who stared back, uncomprehending.

"Lily?" Terry said.

"What?"

"It's your turn."

"Oh!" She looked at her cards. "Um…" She looked at Terry. "Terry, what's the thing…? When you check…?"

Terry chuckled and tapped the table twice with two fingers.

Lily copied him. "I check!"

"Check," Leni said, as did Lana.

Lynn looked at her hand, then sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, I just… I just don't think this will work without betting. I mean, where are the stakes? What have we got to win, or lose? Why would we be inclined to fold? How do we bluff, or make interesting showdowns?"

"The 'stakes' are burning questions you want to ask," Terry said. "Winning means you get to ask them, losing means you don't. And you fold if you think you can't win, simple as that. And this is just a friendly game of poker, Lynn. No need to get too competitive…"

Lynn considered his words for a few moments, then shook her head and sighed again. "…Fine. I check."

"Check-o-roonie!" Luan said.

Lincoln still didn't like his hand, but he decided to see where this would go. "I… check."

"And I check." With that, Terry dealt the flop. A 2 of spades, an 8 of spades, and a jack of clubs. Once again, everyone checked. The turn and the river revealed a 7 of hearts and a queen of diamonds, and the final round began.

"Okay, Lily," Terry said, "think you can win?"

Lily grinned confidently. "Yep!" She checked.

"Hmmm… I don't know…" Leni said, looking back and forth between her hand and the community cards. "Ummm… W-When you fold, you don't actually fold the cards, right?"

"Right," Lynn said. "You just say that you fold."

Leni nodded. "Okay, I fold."

"I don't," Lana said.

"Me either," Lynn said with a confident smirk.

Luan shook her head, pushing her cards away. "I've got nothing."

Lincoln did the same. "Me too."

Terry maintained an impressive poker face. "I check."

It was time for the showdown. Lily went first, proudly displaying her cards. She had queen high. Luan burst out laughing.

"What? What is it?" Lily asked.

"Oh, nothing, nothing… pffft –!" Luan attempted to stifle her laughter.

Lana, feeling more confident in her hand now, revealed it. A pair of jacks.

"Not bad," Lynn said. She gave a devilish grin. "But not as good as… this!" She showed her hand. An eight and a queen – two pair. "Beat that, Terry!"

Terry scratched his chin. "Hmm… I'll try…" He showed his hand. Both cards were eights – three of a kind. "Will this do?"

Lynn pounded her fist on the table. "Ah, ostie de sacramente!" she exclaimed.

Lincoln, Lily, and Terry all stared at Lynn uncomprehendingly. "…Huh?"

"Oh, Lynn has a friend from Montreal," Luan said. "They were on a hockey team together when she was in high school. She taught her some Québécois."

"What did she just say?" Lincoln asked.

Luan smirked. "Oh, I think you can guess…"

"Well, sorry, Lynn, but to the victor go the spoils!" Terry clapped and rubbed his hands together. "All right, question time, question time…" He thought about his question for a moment, then leaned forward. "Why don't we start simple, hm? Do you girls have any jobs?"

Luan grinned. "Oh, that's an easy one! Yes, we do."

"What do you do?"

"Sorry, Terry, but you already used up your question. Next hand!"

"Luan! Come on!" Lynn sighed. "I'm a student teacher at a local elementary school. I teach PT – uh, gym, that is. Oh, and I'm a math tutor too, sometimes. But mostly I teach gym. Just because I can't live my dream of being a world-famous athlete doesn't mean I can't share my love of sports with others! Who knows? Maybe one day, when I'm a fully certified teacher, I might just pass my dream on to someone better…" She leaned back, smiling fondly at the thought.

"Wow, that's noble of you, Lynn!" Terry said.

Lynn shrugged. "Yeah, well, that's what being a teacher is all about, eh – being a role model for future generations." She chuckled. "You know, we, as students, never really appreciate our teachers enough for everything they do for us…"

"We do sometimes!" Leni offered.

"Yeah. But only sometimes."

Terry nodded slowly. "Hm. Food for thought. Cool, Lynn! What about you, Leni?"

"Me?" Leni said. "What about me? Oh! I work at the mall!"

"Where?"

"I just told you – at the mall!"

"I know, but where at the mall?"

"Oh! Well…" Leni looked away and bit her lip, embarrassed. "All over the place, really. I… keep getting fired."

"What?! Why?"

"Because Leni can't do anything right!" Luan said with a laugh.

While everyone else shot Luan an angry glare, Leni nodded glumly. "I know. I know I screw up a lot…" She brightened up. "But it's okay! I always try my best! And that's what really matters, eh?"

"Right!" Terry said.

"Besides, there's another guy at the mall who's always getting fired, too! What was his name, again…? Jeffrey? Joshey?"

"See, Leni? You're not alone!" Terry put a hand on Lincoln's shoulder. "No-one's ever alone."

Lincoln looked at Terry, then around the table at each of his sisters. All of them were giving him meaningful looks. He cleared his throat, looking down at the table. "R-Right."

Terry kept his hand on Lincoln's shoulder for a moment more, then took it off. "…Right." He cleared his throat. "So, anyways, what about you, Luan? Do you have a job?"

Luan twirled her ponytail with her finger. "Well, I don't have a job per se, but I do make money on the side…"

"How?"

She shrugged. "I make art – drawings, paintings, sculptures – then I sell it online."

"Oh, cool! You make a lot of money?"

"Eh, some."

Lincoln perked up, intrigued. "Huh? Wh… What about, uh… d-don't you have Funny Business, Inc., Luan?"

Luan waved dismissively. "Oh, I gave that up a long time ago."

"Well, uh… what about your stand-up acts?"

"Nope."

"But… Luan, I thought you loved comedy!"

"Are you kidding? Comedy is my life, Lincoln!" Luan leaned back in her seat, putting her hands behind her head. "I just realized what real comedy is, that's all."

"Wha – uh, what's that?"

"I'll tell you what it's not – it's not wearing a colorful wig while juggling pins and riding a unicycle! Or dressing in black and white and pretending to be stuck in a box…"

"Hm. Interesting," Terry said, as Lincoln scratched his head in confusion. Terry turned to Lana last. "I don't suppose you have a job, though, do you, Lana?"

"Actually," Lana said, "I help out at the pet store. I might not do plumbing or fixing cars anymore, but I still love animals. That much hasn't changed. I get paid a little for my work."

"Nice. All right, well, I guess that about answers my question." Terry gathered the cards back into the deck. "Let's go again."

He started reshuffling the deck. "Now, normally, the deck would go around the table, but seeing as how we're not posting blinds, there's really no point."

"Huh? What do you mean, 'go around the table'?" Lily asked.

"That means someone else would deal the cards every time."

"What?" Lily started bouncing in her seat. "I wanna deal the cards! I wanna deal the cards!"

Everyone laughed at Lily's display of childish enthusiasm. "All right, Lily," Terry said, "you can deal." He got up and gave her the deck. "Start by shuffling."

"Okay!" Lily picked up the deck, grinning… and her expression quickly changed to confusion. "Um…"

"Something wrong, Lilster?" Luan asked.

"No, no, it's fine!"

Lily's grin returned – only this time, it was a nervous one. She started shuffling in a painfully amateurish fashion, separating the cards into two stacks of varying shapes and sizes and jamming them together over and over, often spilling several. Finally, once she was sure that the deck was sufficiently shuffled, she stacked the cards neatly and started dealing them. Or rather, she tried to, but her aim was always off, and her clumsy tosses caused the cards to both miss their marks and turn over in midair more often than not. Every time the latter occurred, the players patiently returned the cards to Lily who, after several tries, finally simply got up and handed two cards to each player, then returned to her seat, deeply embarrassed.

Everyone politely applauded Lily's effort. "Good job, Lily," Lincoln said.

"Yeah," Leni added, "you did good."

Lily didn't buy it, but she still appreciated the gesture. "Thanks. Um, guys, could I, um, skip dealing from now on?"

Terry nodded. "If that's what you want, Lily. And hey – I can show you how to shuffle and deal properly later, all right?"

Lily smiled and nodded. "Okay."

Leni peeked at her cards. "Ugh. Even I can tell these cards are bad," she said, and folded.

"Same," Lana said, folding.

"Sorry!" Lily said.

"Oh, no, no, no, no!" Leni said. "It's not your fault, sweetie!"

"Yeah – it's just the 'luck of the draw'!" Luan added with a laugh.

As Lynn and Luan both checked, Lincoln peeked at his hand. Two 7s – better, but whether or not it was a winning hand remained to be seen. He checked.

Terry checked as well, then looked at Lily. Lily sat still, until she noticed that everyone's eyes were on her. "What?" she said.

Terry sighed. He stood up and reached for the deck. "Lily," he said gently, "is it okay if I deal for the rest of this turn?"

Lily nodded. "Okay."

Terry took the deck and dealt the flop. An ace of clubs, a three of diamonds, and a king of clubs. Everyone checked, first in that round and then the next, which followed with a queen of hearts as the turn. At the river, Terry folded, and in the end, Lincoln had a pair of 7s, Lily had a pair of queens, Lynn had two pair, and Luan had a pair of kings.

"Lynn wins!" Terry said.

Lynn fist-pumped. "Yes! Booyah!"

"All right, Lynn, you may ask one question."

Lynn immediately started thinking. There were a million questions she wanted to ask Lincoln – she had trouble picking just one. Eventually, the others started to get tired of waiting.

"Uh, Lynn, if you're having trouble thinking of a question, we can come back to you," Terry said.

"…What? Oh, no, no, no! H-Hang on!" Lynn sent her mind into overdrive. Think, think, THINK! she thought. Then, it happened upon her – what Terry had said earlier. 'Start simple'…

Lynn cleared her throat. "So, Lincoln, Terry… do you guys play any sports?" she asked.

"Oh, sure!" Terry said. "I'm on the Royal Woods High basketball team!"

"Ooh, the Roadrunners?" Leni said.

"Yup!" He and Leni shared a cheer of "Go, Roadrunners!", then laughed.

"Sweet!" Lynn interjected. "So, what position do you play?"

"Small forward. Fitting name for a small position…"

Lynn turned dead serious. "Hey. There are no small positions – only small players."

Terry chewed on that. "Huh… Yeah, I guess that's true…"

Luan arched an eyebrow at Lynn. "Hey, did you just appropriate a theatre proverb?"

"You bet your a – uh, butt I did!" She looked at Lincoln. "So, what about you, Lincoln?"

Lincoln twiddled his fingers. "Uh… no. I'm, uh, not much of a sports guy." He shrank a little. "Not much of an anything guy, really…"

"Oh, uh… I…" Lynn shared a concerned glance with Leni and Lana. "…O-Okay."

The deck then passed to Leni, who shuffled and dealt with surprising skill. As she did so, Mrs. Loud came in from the master bedroom, having finished mourning the imminent death of her father.

"Girls, Terry," Mrs. Loud said, "we're going to the –" She stopped when she saw Lincoln at the table. "Why… Lincoln…"

"Wh-What is it, Mom?" Lincoln said.

Mrs. Loud placed a hand over her heart, a quivering smile forming on her lips. "I… It's… Oh…" She blinked back tears. "You're… you're playing a game… with your sisters…"

Lincoln blushed. "Yeah, I am, okay? Can we please stop making such a big deal out of this?"

"Lincoln's right," Terry said. "It's just a family playing a game together – nothing unusual about that, is there?"

There was a meaning in his words that it took Mrs. Loud a few moments to realize. Her smile turned warm. "No… No, there isn't. Uh – ahem. Kids, your father and I are going to the store to buy some refreshments for the party tomorrow – do you want anything?"

"Candy canes!" Lily said. "And gingerbread men! And cookies for Santa! Ooh! Ooh, wait! Gingerbread men for Santa! And me… b-but also Santa!"

Mrs. Loud laughed. "Okay, sweetie. Anyone else?"

Everyone looked around the table, but no-one wanted anything. "We're good," Terry said.

"All right." Mrs. Loud fished the keys to the van out of her purse. "Your father's in the van – he's letting me drive it for the first time. Have fun, kids!"

"We will. Bye!" Terry said.

"Bye, Mom!" the Loud children all said together.

The kids and Terry all waved goodbye to Mrs. Loud, then turned back to the game after she left. "Anyways… where were we?" Terry said.

Lana looked at her cards. "Hmm… check."

"Check," Lynn said.

When Luan looked at her cards, her eyes popped. "Wow…" She looked up. "Leni rigging card games? Who'da thunk?" She pushed her cards away. "I fold."

"What…?" Leni said, hurt by the accusation. "I… I didn't –"

"We know you didn't, Leni," Lynn said. "Luan's just being Luan again."

Meanwhile, Lincoln looked at his hand. This time, it seemed that Lady Luck was on his side – he had a king of clubs and a queen of diamonds. Perhaps, this time, he would win the hand? "Um… check."

Terry checked, and a 10 of spades, a jack of diamonds, and a 10 of diamonds came with the flop. Only one pair for Lincoln, and everyone else shared it. Everyone stayed in the game. The turn put a 7 of clubs on the table – absolutely no help for Lincoln. No-one bowed out. And finally, the river – a 6 of hearts.

Lincoln sagged in defeat. Somehow, his strong hand had managed not to benefit him at all. Although it pained him to do so, he folded.

"Giving up now, Lincoln?" Terry said. "So close to the big climax?"

"I can see the writing on the wall," Lincoln responded. "I don't have a chance."

Terry shrugged. "All right. As for me…" He checked. "I'm in to the bitter end, now."

"Me too!" Lily said.

"Me three!" Lana said.

"I'm in 'til the end, and I'm gonna win in it!" Lynn boasted.

"Well, we'll just see about that!" Terry said. He looked around the table. "…Hm. Déjà vu. Lily? Why don't you go first?""

Lily showed her hand – a pair of 10s. Lana also only had a pair of 10s.

"Ha! Losers!" Lynn displayed her hand – a jack of clubs and a king of clubs. Two pair. "Check that out!"

Terry blinked, dumbfounded. "Uh… wow…"

"Heh… I know, right?"

"Yeah, I mean…" He chuckled. "…really, talk about déjà vu…"

Lynn stopped grinning. "Wh… What…?"

Terry revealed his hand – a 10 of hearts and a 5 of spades. Three of a kind. "Read 'em and weep."

This time, Lynn slammed both fists on the table. "Are you kidding me?! AGAIN?!"

As Lynn tore her hair out in frustration, Terry indulged in some laughter at her expense. "Jeez, Lynn, have you always been this sore of a loser?"

"No, not always," Luan said. "In the past, she actually managed to be worse. She was also a sore winner, too."

"Really?"

"Yep," Lana chimed in. "She would win every game we played together, and then she'd rub it – and her butt – in our faces."

"Seriously?"

"Oh, yeah," Lincoln said. "She was insufferable."

"Well, it's good to see that you've matured a lot, eh, Lynn?"

Lynn folded her arms, refusing to look at him. "Feh!"

"Relax, I'm just messing with ya," Terry said, laughing. "All right, now, my turn again… Hmm, questions, questions, questions…"

At this point, Lily was looking quite downtrodden. "Um… Terry?" she said.

Terry turned to her. "Yes, sweetie?"

Lily got up and crossed over to him, whispering in his ear. Terry burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?!" Lily demanded.

"Nothing, nothing, it's just…" Terry fought himself for control. "I… I was about to ask the exact same thing!"

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

Lily started laughing right alongside Terry. Lincoln and his other sisters, however, were just plain confused. "Um… what's going on?" Leni asked.

Once again, Terry had to actively calm himself down. "Ah… Oh, well… Lily wanted to know about Luna. And you know what? So do I." He planted his elbows on the table and rested his chin in his hands. "Tell us about Luna. What's she like?"

"Yeah! Yeah!" Lily said, now back in her seat.

Lincoln leaned forward and listened intently. He couldn't say that he wasn't curious himself. Luna, the only one of his wayward sisters not to return from exile… what had become of her after all this time?

"Ah, Luna…" Lynn said. She turned to Luan. "Luan, you know Luna better than any of us. Why don't you tell them?"

"Ahhh…" Luan sighed, leaning back in her chair and tenting her fingers. "Luna… of course you'd want to know about Luna. Well, Lincoln, you knew Luna before all of this, eh?"

Lincoln nodded. "Y-Yeah, I did."

"Well, then you'd be surprised by how much she's changed. Even before Lori had her little appointment with a razor, she was shaping up to take her place, on account of how Lori was, well…" She drew a circle around the side of her head and whistled like a cuckoo. "After that, well, she really stepped up as a big sister. She never quite achieved the same amount of success that Lori did, what with her not having the role since she was little, but she also never developed the same crippling insecurities as a result. Oh, but the sense of failure is still there, don't you worry…" she added with a chuckle.

"Luan, enough." Leni sighed. "Don't listen to her. Luna does a great job taking care of us all. We all look up to her. She's so smart, so responsible… She manages to balance work, school, and family!"

"What does she do for work?" Terry asked.

"Oh! She's an intern at an IT company."

"Three times the responsibility means three times the pressure!" Luan laughed.

Lynn glared at her. "Laugh it up, Luan. I'd like to see you do better."

"Oh, I can't. None of us can. Just you wait – without Luna around to keep us in line, things are gonna go right down the gutter."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Terry said.

Luan laughed. "Just you wait."

Lincoln sat back in his seat and closed his eyes, processing this new information. Luna… from what he remembered of her before the incident, she was a kind, yet loud, rowdy, and fun-loving sister. He couldn't imagine her being anything like Lori – but from the others' tones, it sounded like they respected Luna just as much as they used to respect her.

Lincoln sighed. So much had changed…

"Lincoln?"

Lincoln snapped to attention. "Huh?"

"You okay?" Leni asked.

"F-Fine, fine, just, uh… thinking…"

Leni looked at him curiously but left the issue there. She passed the deck to Lana, who passed it to Lynn in turn. "Uh, Lynn," Lana said. "you mind? I'm no good at shuffling…"

As Lynn reshuffled and dealt the deck, the cards reminded her of something. "Hey, guys," she said, "remember when Lincoln put us in his Ace Savvy comic?"

"Oh, yeah!" Lana said. "I remember that! The Full House Gang!" She checked. "What ever happened with that, Lincoln?"

"That sounds an awful lot like a question, Lana!" Luan said.

"Yeah, so?"

"So, you'd better win this hand if you want an answer!"

"Wha –?! But –!" Lana looked at Lincoln pleadingly. "Lincoln!"

Lincoln was at a loss. He turned to Terry, who thought about it, then shook his head. He turned back to Lana. "Uh… sorry, Lana."

Lana pouted. She bent over until the table was at eye level, peeking at her cards. She was going to win this hand, no matter what.

The game proceeded without incident until the turn, at which point Lana developed a devious idea. "Say, guys," she said, "are you sure we can't bet in this game?"

"We don't have anything to bet with, Lana," Lynn reminded her.

"Well, what about turns?"

"Huh?"

"Why don't we bet with turns? We bet a number of turns, and each of us either has to fold, call, or raise. Whoever loses the, uh… the… thing… at the end…"

"The showdown," Terry said.

"Right, the showdown – whoever loses the showdown loses the same number of turns that they bet."

"Hey, that's actually not a bad idea!" Lynn said. "What do you guys think? Should we bet with turns from now on?"

"Sure!" Leni said.

"Okay, why not?" Luan said.

"That oughta make things interesting," Terry said. "Okay, I'm in."

Lincoln thought about it. "Uh…" He shrugged. "Okay, sure, I guess…"

"Okay!" Lily said. If everyone else agreed with it, then she did, too.

"Well, all right, then," Lana said. "I bet one turn."

Lynn narrowed her eyes at her. "Oh, is that how it is? Hmph. Fine. I raise. Two turns."

Luan had already folded by this point, as had Terry. Lincoln looked at his cards. A 2 of hearts and a 10 of diamonds. On the table, a 3 of clubs, a 9 of clubs, a king of hearts, and an ace of spades. This did not look good for him. "…You don't lose any turns if you fold, do you?" he asked.

"Nope," Lana replied. "Only if you lose the showdown."

Lincoln pushed his cards away. "Then I fold."

Before Lily could even say anything, Lana looked directly at her. "Now, Lily, remember," she said, "if you lose, you forfeit two turns."

"…What does 'forfeit' mean?" Lily asked.

"That means you don't get to play for two turns. Which means you don't get to win, which means you don't get to ask any questions."

Lily peeked at her cards nervously, then glanced at the community cards. "Umm… Uh…" After a few indecisive minutes, with great reluctance, she folded for the first time since the game started.

"I… I fold, too," Leni said.

"And I call," Lana said.

The river came. A 2 of diamonds. Lynn checked.

"Oh, what's the matter, princess?" Lana said with a mischievous smirk. "Not up to the challenge? Then what do you say we turn up the heat a little? Three turns."

Scowling, Lynn looked back and forth between her cards and the cards on the table. Deciding that the high risk of losing three turns was not worth a slim chance of victory, she folded.

"What's this?" Luan said. "The almighty Lynn Loud, Jr., giving up?"

Lynn shrugged. "Gotta know when to hold 'em, and know when to fold 'em."

"Well, you should know, Lynn…" Lana said, "…that I was bluffing! Ha-HA!"

Lynn raised a clenched, trembling fist. "Why you little…!"

"Uh, Lana?" Terry said. "Word of advice? I understand if you want to indulge in a little gloating, but just so you know, doing so will make us more likely to call your bluffs in the future."

"Tch! Whatever, pal! I win!" Lana turned to Lincoln. "All right, Lincoln, now tell us – what happened with the Full House Gang?"

"Oh, uh…" Lincoln scratched the back of his head. "Y-You know, the, uh, the Full House Gang actually, uh, became so popular that they, uh, heh… became regulars in the comic."

The girls were all astonished – even Luan. "No way!" Lana said. "Really?!"

Their excitement brought a small smile to Lincoln's face. "Heh… yeah…" Just as quickly as his smile had appeared, however, it disappeared. "But, uh… Well… After the, uh… incident… most of them were killed off."

Luan snorted. The others were crestfallen. "Oh…" Leni said. "W-Wait, most of them?"

"Yeah, um… the Queen of Diamonds, the Card Counter, and the Deuce ended up becoming villains in this, uh, unpopular storyline. Turns out they weren't dead – they were just kidnapped and brainwashed."

Lynn chuckled bitterly. "Lola would have hated that… So, were any of them redeemed?"

Lincoln shook his head. "No, they were all killed at the end of the storyline. Except, well, uh, they weren't really killed – you know how comic books are. They became recurring villains after that."

Luan snapped her fingers. "Oh, hey! What about Wild Card Willy?"

"Hm? Oh, he, uh, well… he went back and forth between hero and villain over the years. It's in his name, after all – Wild Card Willy."

"Do you still read those comics now, Linky?" Leni asked.

"Yeah, they, uh…" Lincoln rubbed the back of his neck. "Ace and Jack have gotten me through some… tough times…" Noticing how downtrodden his comment made his sisters, he cleared his throat. "B-But the series is still good! Don't know for how much longer, though, now that Bill Buck died recently… I, uh, I used to read the comics to Lily when she was little, you know!"

"Really?" Leni reached over and took Lily's hand, squeezing it. "Oh, do you like that, Lily? You like reading Ace Savvy with your big brother?"

Lily took her hand back, folding her arms. "…I used to," she replied with a pout, "but not anymore. I can't believe they made me a villain…"

The hurt in Lily's voice resonated with Leni, and she passed a pained look over to Lana, who relayed it to Lynn. "Y… Yeah, Lily, we know," Lynn said. "It's… It's just not fair…"

"Sounds like that 'house of cards' fell a long time ago," Luan said. "Just like the one it was based on!"

Luan's comment only saddened Lily more, and when the others conveyed their displeasure with her in their looks, she merely shrugged, picked up the deck, and played another hand.

Lincoln looked at his cards. A 4 of diamonds and a 7 of diamonds. With this combination and more than a little luck, he might be able to get a flush. But… for some reason, he just didn't feel lucky this time.

Lincoln pushed his cards away. "I… fold."

The girls all looked at him, surprised. "What?" Lynn said. "Lincoln, aren't… aren't you playing?"

"Of course I am. I just, you know… don't think I'm gonna win this time, you know?"

"But the – what do you call it?" Leni asked. "The three cards…?"

"The flop," Terry answered.

"The flop hasn't, like… happened yet!"

"I know. But I still don't think I'm gonna win. That's all."

The girls were unappeased, but Terry stepped in. "Guys, it's okay. He's playing – he just doesn't feel lucky this time."

The girls looked at each other, worried, then slumped their shoulders and accepted it for now.

"Hmm… I check," Terry said.

"Check," Lily said.

Leni peeked at her cards. "I… check."

"Check," Lynn said.

"'Check, please!' Hahahahaha!" Luan said.

The flop came, and with it an 8 of diamonds, a 7 of clubs, and a jack of diamonds. Terry and Lily both checked again, but Lana bet another turn. "Time to separate the champs from the chumps," she said arrogantly.

Lynn narrowed her eyes at her younger sister. "You could be bluffing again," she said.

Lana merely smirked at her. "And I could not be, too."

"Hmph. We'll see. I call."

"I call," Luan said.

"Call," Terry said.

"Me too!" Lily said.

Leni glanced at her cards. "I, um… I… Mmh…" She pushed them away. "I… fold."

The turn brought an ace of diamonds to the table. Lincoln grimaced – it seemed that he had folded too soon. Or perhaps not – out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lynn faintly smirk for a moment. Everyone played it safe that turn and checked, and with a river of a king of spades, the scene was set for a showdown.

"I'd like to cash a 'check'," Luan said with a chuckle.

"I'll check," Terry said.

"I check," Lily said.

"I raise," Lana said. "Two turns."

Lynn wore a calm, yet confident, expression. "Is that so…?" she said quietly. "I see… Well, if that's the case…" She looked directly at Lana. "I reraise. Three turns."

Lana started. "Wh-What?"

"Whoa-ho-ho, look out, folks – Lynn's in 'chicken dinner' mode!" Luan said.

"'Chicken'—what?" Terry said.

"Doesn't matter. Point is, it'd be wise to fold now." Luan then did just that.

Terry pored over his hand, as well as the cards on the table, then set his jaw. "…I don't think so. Call."

Luan started laughing. "Your funeral, honey…"

"I call, too!" Lily said, just as determined as Terry.

Lana started grazing the back of one finger with another and bit her lip as she looked at her cards again. Lynn caught the tells, just like Lincoln. "Ooh, what's the matter, champ? You talk a big game, but can you play it?"

Lana glared defiantly at Lynn. "…You could be bluffing again," she said.

"Yeah – and I could not be, too," Lynn responded.

Lana gritted her teeth and agonized over the decision. Finally, she took a deep breath. "…All right, Lynn, you're on. I call."

Lynn guffawed. "Okay, high rollers – show me what you've got."

Terry revealed an 8 of spades and a jack of hearts. "Two pair."

Lily showed her cards, then started throwing a fit. A 9 of hearts and an ace of clubs. Whoever was going to win this hand, it wasn't going to be her.

Now confident again, Lana revealed her hand – a jack of clubs and a king of hearts. "Two pair – king kicker." She folded her arms and looked at Lynn smugly. "And you?"

Lynn shrugged. "Oh, nothing…" She laid her cards on the table. "…except an ace high straight."

Lana gaped wordlessly at Lynn's hand – a 10 of spades and a queen of spades. Terry uttered a low whistle. "…Well played, madame," he said, clapping slowly.

Lily started stomping her foot. "Dang it, dang it, DANG IT!" she cried.

"Lily!" Lincoln said with a sternness that surprised his other sisters. "Do we need to ask you to leave the table?"

"I don't…!" Lily shook her head, fighting back tears. "I don't get this game! How come everyone keeps beating me?!"

"Well, Lily," Terry said, "this is a nuanced game, you know? It takes time and patience to learn and master all the tricks."

Lily only shook her head again. "I just don't get it! I just wanna…" She sniffled. "I… I just wanna talk to my sisters…"

"You will, Lily," Lana assured her, "you wlll. You'll have plenty of time to talk to us over the holiday. This… this is just a game, okay? It's okay if you're not good at it. You're still learning more about us, eh?"

Lily huffed. "I guess…"

"Right," Lynn said. She got an idea. "And hey, you know what? This time, I've got a question for you!"

Lily gasped. "Me?"

"Uh-huh!"

"What is it? What is it?" Lily started bouncing in her seat.

"This one's an easy one…" Lynn looked at Lincoln. "What do you think about your big brother?"

Lily got out of her seat and walked over to Lincoln. "Linky is always so nice and patient with me… I wish he'd play with me more, but when he does spend time with me, he always does his best to listen to me, and make me happy." She took Lincoln's hand, then turned to Terry. "And I know Terry isn't really my brother, but, well… he acts like one, and that's good enough for me. He's so funny, and nice, and he plays with me a bunch." She took Terry's hand as well. "They're… They're my big brothers, and I love them a whole lot."

Lily's words brought a smile to Lincoln and Terry's faces. "Aww… Come here, sweetie…" Lincoln said.

Together, he and Terry sandwiched Lily in a great big hug. "Aaaah!" Lily squealed. "Help! I'm being hugged to death!"

Lincoln and Terry released her, laughing. Terry ruffled her hair. "Silly Lily," he said.

Lily stuck her tongue out at him playfully. "Scary Terry," she retorted.

Although the girls were moved by the heartwarming scene, they were confused by Lily's last line. "Why does she call you 'Scary' Terry?" Lynn asked Terry.

Terry shrugged. "It rhymes?"

Everyone laughed at that. Then, Terry stood up, stretching. "Ah… Well, as long as I'm out of the game, I might as well take the opportunity to get a drink. Lily? Do you want a juice box?"

Lily nodded. "Grape juice, please!"

"Sure. Anyone else want a drink? A soda, maybe?"

"I'll take you up on that," Lynn said.

"Yeah, me too," Lana said.

"Comin' right up!"

The deck passed to Lincoln, who tried to remember who was still in the game. He shuffled and dealt to Leni, Lynn, Luan, and himself. As he did so, he heard a distinctly low, lazy meow behind him, and he turned around to see Cliff the cat lurch slowly into the room.

"Oh, hey, Cliff," he said, "you're up. Finally."

"Cliff?" Lana practically jumped out of her seat and ran around the table, where she saw the fat cat stop and look at her warily. Lincoln wasn't kidding earlier – Cliff had really put on weight, looking almost so fat that his legs shouldn't have been able to support him, and the fur around his whiskers was greying. "Cliff! Hey, boy! Oh, it's been so long…!"

Lana reached out to pet Cliff, but the cat backed away, arched his back as much as he was able, and hissed at her, taking her aback. "Cliff? What's the matter? It's me, Lana, don't you remember?"

"Lana," Lynn said, "it's been six years – of course he's forgotten you. He's forgotten all of us."

"A-And besides," Lincoln said, "he's, uh… he-he hasn't been the same since, you know… s-since Charles, Walt and Geo died."

"Gee, why does that sound familiar?" Luan said, smirking at the other girls. Leni looked mournful, while Lynn merely rolled her eyes in frustration.

Cliff retreated back into the kitchen and towards the basement as Terry returned with the drinks. "I miss anything exciting?" he asked as he handed Lily a juice box and Lana and Lynn each a soda.

"No," Leni said as Lana returned to her seat. "In fact, we haven't even started yet." She peeked at her hand. "I check."

"Che – Oh, wait, I'm not playing," Lana said. "Heh, heh, never mind."

"Check," Lynn said.

"Check City, U.S.A.," Luan said.

Lincoln looked at his cards. A 2 of hearts and a 6 of clubs. He sighed. "I… check."

The flop produced an ace of clubs, a queen of diamonds, and a 4 of hearts. Everyone checked around the table except for Luan, who bet one turn. Lincoln looked at his cards again. "Ugh. Fold."

"Not me," Leni said. "I call."

"As do I," Lynn said.

The turn and the river put an ace of hearts and a four of clubs on the table, and no-one dared to bet any further after the last hand. In the end, it came to a showdown.

Leni revealed an 8 of diamonds and a jack of spades. "Two pairs."

Lynn revealed an ace of spades and a 9 of diamonds. "Full house, baby!"

"Huh. That's funny…" Luan said. She showed her hand – a queen of spades and an ace of hearts. "I've got a full house, too – only, with queens instead of fours. How about that?"

"Oh…!" Leni cried.

Lynn slapped the table. "Maudit criss de calvaire!"

Luan rubbed her hands together. "Oh boy, oh joy! Finally, it's my turn! And oh, I've been waiting to ask this question all game!" She turned to Terry and Lincoln. "Terry, Linc? There's something I'm dying to know about you two…"

"Yeah?" Terry said, taking a sip of soda.

Grinning impishly, she asked, "…Who gives head?"

Terry choked on his drink, and Lincoln blushed deeply. "LUAN!" Lynn shouted. "That is so not an appropriate thing to ask!"

"I know – that's why I asked it!"

"You –! Lily is right there!"

"Huh?" Lily said. "Wha… What's going on?"

"N-Nothing, sweetie!" Leni said. "Just, uh, um, uh…" She got up, walked around the table, and took Lily's hand. "L-Let's just, uh… go upstairs for a little bit, okay?"

"Why?"

"Because we're about to have grown-up talk, Lily," Terry said.

With that, Lily instantly understood. "Ohhh…"

Lily allowed Leni to lead her upstairs, then Luan leaned in intently. "So? Which is it? Is it Lincoln? I bet it's Lincoln…"

Lincoln looked at Terry, deeply embarrassed, and Terry put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Taking a deep breath, Terry said, "…No."

"So it's you, then? Huh… Well, I guess that makes sense. I mean, it does seem like Lincoln would be sort of passive during –"

"No."

"'No'?" Luan looked between Lincoln's flushed and Terry's frowning face, and realization dawned on her. "Wait… Oh my God, have you two ever done it before?!"

Lynn and Lana, although still mortified by the turn the conversation had taken, now seemed curious. Terry started drumming his fingers on the table. "…For your information," he said testily, "I was raised not to engage in premarital sex."

"But you don't actually believe that bunk, do you?"

Terry exhaled sharply. "I understand where it's coming from…"

"Hmmm…" Luan stroked her chin in an exaggerated fashion. "…So, is that a 'no' on the gay sex?"

Rubbing his eyes wearily, Terry nodded. "…That's correct."

"Ah, I see." She paused. "…Saving that for the wedding, huh?"

"LUAN!" Lynn bellowed, pounding her fist on the table. "Enough!" She looked at Terry, making a 'hurry it up' gesture. "Just… deal the next hand, would you? And someone call Leni and Lily back down here."

Lana ran to fetch Leni and Lily, and Terry shuffled and dealt to Luan and Lincoln only. Lincoln looked at his cards carefully, determined not to let Luan ask another question. And holding a 4 of diamonds and a 4 of spades, he stood a decent chance.

"Check," Luan said.

Lincoln narrowed his eyes at her. "…I bet one turn," he said.

Luan merely smirked in response. "I call."

The flop put a 2 of spades, a queen of hearts, and a 3 of spades on the table. Nothing helpful, but Lincoln still had one pair. He tried again to intimidate Luan into folding. "I bet another turn."

But Luan kept that same smirk on her face. "…I call."

Next came the turn, and with it, a 7 of spades. Lincoln glanced at his cards again – one more spades suit, and he'd have a flush. He tried to project an air of unease as he checked.

Luan raised an eyebrow at him, but kept her grin. "I check, too."

Finally, the river – and to Lincoln's immense relief, it was a jack of spades. "I check," Lincoln said.

Luan let a little giggle escape her lips. "I check, too."

Lincoln began to worry if Luan had a better hand than him, but his fears were unfounded, as she revealed a queen of diamonds and a queen of clubs. "Three of a kind."

Lincoln wasn't deterred. Confidently, he laid his cards on the table. "Flush."

Lynn slapped the table again, only this time, it was in triumph. Everyone except Luan cheered at the conclusion of the tense hand in Lincoln's favor.

"Yay! Go Linky!" Leni cheered.

"All right!" Terry said, clapping Lincoln on the back. "Well played, Lincoln!"

"Heh… uh, thanks," Lincoln said.

Luan initially looked disappointed, but then she laughed it off. "Heh… guess I shouldn't have expected any different. When will I learn…?"

Lincoln thought that that was a curious thing to say, but his thoughts were interrupted by Terry. "Okay, Lincoln," he said, "one question. Let's hear it."

Lincoln froze. He had gotten so caught up in the game, he had neglected to think about what he would do if he actually won. "U-Um… Um… Uh…"

Lincoln desperately tried to think of a question to ask, but the harder he tried, the more his mind drew a blank. He was snapped out of his brainstorming session by Terry putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Lincoln," Terry said, "if you can't think of anything, it's okay. We can come back to you if you want."

Relieved, Lincoln nodded. "Yeah, sure. Okay."

"All right." Terry passed the deck to Leni. "Leni?"

Once again, Leni dealt to herself, Lynn, and Lincoln. Lincoln was so preoccupied trying to think of a question that he barely paid any attention to the game, calling or checking as the situation called for. In the end, he didn't even notice when the showdown came.

"…Lincoln?" Lynn said.

Lincoln snapped back to awareness. "Huh?"

"What have you got?"

"What have I –?" Lincoln looked around the table and saw that everyone else had shown their cards. Leni had a pair of queens, and Lynn had another full house. Lincoln looked at his cards, then the community cards. His hand was good, but not good enough to beat Lynn's. "Uh… two pair."

"Guess that means I win!" Lynn said, leaning back and putting her hands behind her head. "Okay, so, I want to know something…" She looked at Lincoln. "Lincoln… what do you like most about Terry?"

"What do I like most about him?" Lincoln said, looking at Terry. "Well… I mean, that's an easy one. It's… He's… He's just so… I-I mean, it's his personality, you know? He's always there when you need him, always happy to help…" He smiled fondly. "He's just so… selfless."

"Especially with you, Lincoln. Especially with you." Terry leaned in close and rested his forehead against Lincoln's, closing his eyes and smiling.

"Aww, that's… sweet…" Leni said.

"Yeah…" Lynn nudged Lana. "All right, Lans, could you pass me the deck?"

Lana passed the deck, and Lynn shuffled and dealt to herself, Terry, Lily, and Lana.

"Hey, don't I get any cards?" Lincoln said.

"No, don't you remember?" Lana said. "You lost two turns."

"O-Oh! Right…"

"Must not have noticed, being too lost in thought, eh, Lincoln?" Terry said. "Bet you were thinking about what question to ask, right?"

Lincoln looked away, smiling – Terry knew him so well. "Y-Yeah…"

"Well, did you come up with anything?"

"Uh, well…" Lincoln shook his head. "Not yet."

"Well, now that you're not playing, you've got nothing to distract you, eh?" Lynn chuckled. "I check."

"Check," Terry said.

Lily tossed her cards to the center of the table. "I'm done."

"You mean, you fold?" Terry asked.

"No, I mean I'm done. I'm not playing anymore."

"Why not, sweetie?" Leni asked.

"What's the point? I never win. And I'm never going to, either. I'll just watch."

The girls looked at each other, then shrugged. "…Okay, Lily," Lana said. "I check."

"Check," Lynn said.

Since Lily wasn't using them, her two cards were borrowed for part of the flop – a 9 of clubs, a 7 of diamonds, and a king of diamonds. The turn brought a 5 of clubs to the table, and the river an ace of clubs. At the river, Terry bet one turn, and Leni folded, as did Lana and Lynn.

"Okay, so…" Terry leaned over the table. "Hmm… Oh! I know! What are you college girls studying in school?"

"I'm working on getting my teaching certificate," Lynn said.

"And I'm majoring in art history," Luan said. "Thrilling stuff."

"I'm studying to become a nurse!" Leni said.

"Really?" Terry said, interested.

"Yeah! I mean, like, I love taking care of people, eh, so I thought, why not make that my job? I'd be doing some good while I'm at it…"

"You would be. Good for you, Leni. So, what about Luna?"

"She's working on getting her degree in programming. Like I said, she works in IT."

"Cool." Terry turned to Lincoln. "So, Lincoln? Think of anything yet?"

"Hmm… Well… There is one thing I'm curious about…" Lincoln said.

The girls all leaned in. "Yes?"

"How did you all, uh… end up in Toronto? Like, what made you decide to live there, and, uh… yeah."

"Oh. Well, first of all, we went to live at Great-Aunt Ruth's," Lynn said. "And along with all the other reasons why it usually sucks, Great-Aunt Ruth had heard all about what had happened, and she was disgusted with us, eh, telling us that we should be ashamed of what we did to our only brother, and stuff…"

"Not even Lori killing herself in the bathtub made her change her tune," Luan said, laughing.

"…Yeah. So, everyone else had heard about us, too, and Mom just decided that no place in the U.S. was safe. So, we packed our stuff into a van and drove across the border, looking for a place to put down roots. We thought we'd start by staying a week in Toronto and moving on, eh, but at the end of that week…" Lynn shook her head, smiling. "We knew that that was where we wanted to be."

"Nice city?" Lincoln asked.

"Oh, beautiful. Like you wouldn't believe." She sighed contentedly. "So, we found a place to settle, and, uh… we got settled, eh? Lucy, Lisa and Lola, they, uh… you know… b-but the rest of us kept on keeping on, and, well, after three years or so, we all got our Canadian citizenships, and… yeah. Here we are."

"I see… Um… d-did anyone ever, you know… find out… about you guys…?"

"A couple of people," Lana said. "But they were really nice about it. Real understanding, eh? Not like everyone down here in America. Buncha hosers…"

"Oh, I… I see… A-All right, then."

Terry nodded. "Yeah, all right. Cool story, girls. Well, except for the… I mean… never mind. Let's keep playing, huh?"

Luan shuffled and dealt to herself, Terry, Leni, Lana, and Lynn. The game proceeded without incident until the river, when Luan bet one turn. Terry, Leni and Lana folded, but Lynn remained in.

Luan revealed her hand. "Two pair."

Lynn glumly revealed hers. "…Nothing."

"Oh boy," Terry said, "here we go…"

"All right, Lincoln," Luan said, "I want to know – just how long did you stay in your room after we left?"

Lincoln blinked. "W-What?"

"You know – did you rush out of your room the moment we were gone out of your life, shouting 'FREEDOM!', or did you stay inside, wondering, thinking about how we might still be out there, lurking, waiting to strike –?"

"LUAN! ENOUGH!" Lynn shouted.

"What? I'm just trying to get a sense of how broken he was! I mean, to fix something, you need to know how badly broken it is first, and he still doesn't seem perfectly fixed now!"

"You –!" Lynn turned to Lincoln. "Lincoln, you don't have to answer this question if you don't want –"

Lincoln held up one hand. "No, no, Lynn, that's okay. It's… It's alright." He sighed. "I… I stayed inside… for a couple of weeks."

"I knew it!" Luan declared. "Hahahahaha!"

Everyone else glared at her. "…That's not funny, Luan," Terry said.

"'Not funny'? It's hilarious!"

As Luan continued to laugh, the girls and Terry all groaned in frustration. The reasons for it might have changed, but Luan still managed to elicit the same reaction from her siblings after all these years.

"…Let's just play the next hand, okay?" Lynn said. "Lincoln?"

Lincoln shuffled and dealt to everyone except Lynn, and the game continued. Terry checked, and Leni bet a turn right off the bat. Lana and Luan cautiously called, as did Lincoln, who had a king of diamonds and a 4 of spades. Terry folded right away, complaining that fate had dealt him a nasty blow this hand. The flop produced a 2 of diamonds, a 4 of hearts, and a queen of hearts. Once again, Leni bet a turn.

Lana sighed. "I fold."

"Hmm…" Luan said, "there's a chance that Leni might be bluffing, but there's a bigger chance that she just has no idea what she's doing. I'm gonna call."

Luan may not have been nice about it, but she still had a point. "…Call," Lincoln said.

The turn put a jack of hearts on the table. Leni bet yet another turn.

"I don't like where this is going…" Lana said.

"Me either," Terry said.

Luan laughed. "You can't scare me, Leni. I call."

Lincoln shook his head. The risk of losing three turns was just too much for him. "Sorry, but…" He threw his cards away. "I fold."

The river came, adding an ace of hearts to the community cards. To everyone's astonishment, Leni bet one last turn.

"Leni, that's four turns!" Lynn said. "Are you crazy?!"

"No – I just want to win!" Leni replied.

"Well, you'll be sorely disappointed, I'm afraid!" Luan said. "I call your bet. You're going down, cinnamon roll." With supreme confidence, she laid her cards down for everyone to see. Two queens – one of clubs, and one of spades. "Three of a kind. Check it."

Leni hung her head and started shaking. Little whimpers escaped from her mouth. Lana started rubbing her back. "Leni, are you all right?" she asked.

Leni sniffled. "I… I just… I just want to know something…" she said, "…but I… If I don't win, then I can't…!" She threw her cards on the table. "I've got NOTHING! Nothing matches!"

Everyone looked at Leni's hand… and their collective jaws hit the floor. A 10 of hearts, and a king of hearts.

"I-I know – it's awful, isn't it?" Leni said.

Lynn weakly raised a finger to point at the cards. "Leni…" she said, "…that's a royal flush."

Leni looked up. "H… Huh…?"

"Leni, that is the best hand in the game."

"W-Wait, really?! So… So that means –!"

"That's right, Leni," Terry said. "You win!"

Leni squealed with joy, while the others all laughed – especially Luan. "Oh, Leni," she said, "you always find ways to surprise us…"

"All right, so? What's your big, important question?" Lynn asked.

"My –?" Leni's eyes widened as she remembered her question. "Oh! Um…"

She fell silent. Everyone waited patiently. "Well, Leni?" Lynn said.

Leni didn't respond.

Now the mood started becoming tense. "…Leni?" Lincoln said.

Leni remained quiet for another minute more. Finally, she sighed. "…Lincoln?"

"Y-Yes?"

Leni looked him straight in the eyes.

"…Are you happy?"

That question brought everything crashing to a halt. It was so simple, yet had an inferred meaning that boggled the mind. Lincoln stared at his elder sister, mouth agape. "Wh… Wh… What?"

Leni shrugged. "Just… overall, you know? After everything that's happened… After everything you've lost… everything you've gained… I mean, you're still here, aren't you? And you've got a loving boyfriend, a loving dad, and a loving sister, and, like…" She sighed. "You've got four – five, actually – sisters and a mom back, ready to be a family with you again…" She shrugged again. "So, like… after all of that… are you happy?"

Lincoln stared at her, completely floored. She said it as gently as even someone like her possibly could, but at the same time, there was something in her voice, something in her eyes, that seemed hurt. No, not just hurt… accusatory? Was she saying that he shouldn't be happy – that he didn't deserve to be – after what had happened to Lori, Lucy, Lisa, and Lola? Was Leni – sweet, innocent Leni – saying that he should be ashamed of himself for allowing all of this to happen?

"…Well, Lincoln?" Leni said.

"Uh, I…" Lincoln rubbed the back of his head. "I… I… I… I… don't…" Finally, he slumped his shoulders. "I… don't know."

Leni kept looking at him in that odd way for a few moments, longer, then slowly nodded. "…Okay."

For what felt like an eternity, no-one said anything. Luan was smiling to herself, intrigued, while Lily was trying to figure out why everyone was so sad. Leni personally felt a bit guilty for killing the mood. Eventually, Terry took the deck from Lincoln.

"Why don't we… play just one more round, huh?" he said.

Everyone agreed.

Terry reshuffled and dealt to everyone except Luan. Lincoln looked at his cards. Two aces. A good hand, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to win anymore.

Leni tapped the table twice. "…Check."

Lana pushed her cards away. "Fold."

"Check," Lynn said.

Taking one last look at his cards, Lincoln shook his head and tossed them in. "…Fold."

"Check," Terry said.

The flop consisted of a 10 of hearts, a 9 of spades, and a 5 of clubs. Leni checked.

"I bet one turn," Lynn said.

With that, both Terry and Leni folded, giving Lynn the victory. "Okay, Lynn," Terry said, "final question. Make it count."

Lynn wondered if she should ask this question, but ultimately decided that she might as well – the good humor that had been worked up by the card game was gone. "Lincoln…" she said, "…have you forgiven us? And if you haven't, will you ever forgive us?"

Lincoln sighed. He'd often wondered that himself the past six years. And even now…

He shook his head. "…I don't know. I… I still don't know."

Lynn nodded. "I understand, Lincoln. We all do."

For several moments, everyone sat still, not saying anything. Then, Terry stood up. "Well…" he said, "…that was fun."

Lynn stood up too, stretching. "Yup. Great idea, Terry."

"Thanks, Lynn."

Everyone else stood up as well. "So," Lana said, rubbing her hands, "what now?"

"I'm going outside," Lily said.

"Now?" Terry looked out the window. "It's dark out, Lily!"

"Not with the Christmas lights on, it's not!" She walked around the table to Luan. "Hey, Luan, do you wanna build a snowman? It doesn't have to be a snowman…"

Luan smiled warmly at her. "Sure, kiddo. Sure."

"What about us?" Leni asked.

Terry scratched his head. "…TV?"

Lynn shrugged. "Yeah, okay."

As Lily and Luan put on their outdoor wear, the others all filed into the family room. Terry turned to Lincoln. "Lincoln, you wanna watch with us?"

Lincoln shook his head. "I'm good."

"All right."

As Lincoln headed back upstairs to his room, Leni, Lynn, and Lola found seats on the couch, and Terry sat down in the armchair, taking the remote and turning the TV on. After flipping through the channels for a little while, he found an old, classic Christmas movie playing and settled in to watch that as he reviewed everything that had occurred. All in all, he was pretty satisfied with the game. Everyone (well, mostly everyone) had had an overall good time, including Lincoln. Getting him to enjoy his sisters' company was key. And the past might have been brought up, but really, that was inevitable. And after all, wasn't the whole point of this trip to settle the matter once and for all? Lincoln and his sisters might have to be eased into the issue, but the sooner they resolve it, the better.

Terry settled into his seat. There was still a lot of work to do, but they were making progress.

(…)

Lily hauled another armful of snow over to the base of the snowman that she and Luan were building, dumping it on top of the budding mound and packing it in. "Um… thanks for doing this with me, Luan," she said.

Luan came up with another armful of snow, smiling at her. "Aw, for you, Lils? Anytime."

As Luan dumped the fresh snow on the mound, Lily seized the opportunity to ask whatever she wanted now that the game was over. "So, um, Luan… you know Luna better than any of the others, right?"

"Yeah?"

"So, you knew what she was like, um… before, right?"

Luan fought back a chuckle. "Mm-hmm?"

"So, um… what was she like, before?"

Luan squatted to face Lily at eye level. "Well, Lily," she began, "you might not believe it, but at one point, Luna wanted to be a rock star!"

Lily gasped. "Really?!"

"Yeah! She played guitar, wrote songs – she even had her own roadie!"

"Wow! Was she any good?"

"She was great!"

"Whoa…" Lily looked down. "So… if she was so good, why did she give it up?"

"Because the music went out of her life a long time ago, kiddo."

Lily looked at Luan. "The incident?"

Luan nodded.

Lily shook her head. "I wish… I wish someone would tell me about it. Anyone. Would… Would you tell me about it, Luan?"

Luan thought about it for a while, then finally shook her head. "Hmm… no. Sorry, kiddo, but you're young. You've got to hold onto your youthful naïveté for as long as you're allowed." Seeing how disappointed Lily was made her reconsider, however. "But… maybe I could show you what it was like?"

Lily perked up. "Really?"

"Sure! Are you sure you want me to, though? It won't be pleasant…"

Lily nodded vigorously. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Luan laughed – such young curiosity might lead to pain later on, but it was endearing all the same. "…All right. Close your eyes."

Lily shut her eyes and eagerly awaited the surprise – she loved surprises. As quietly as she could, Luan gathered up a bunch of snow, crept up behind Lily…

…and dumped the snow down her pants.

Lily's eyes shot open, and she began frantically hopping up and down. "Ah! AH! COLD! Cold, cold, cold, cold, COLD!"

Luan laughed out loud as Lily tried to dig the snow out of her butt, then slowed down once she succeeded and started glaring at her. "See that?" she said. "That. It felt like that."

Lily was too angry at Luan to understand the metaphor. "Ooh, you…" She gathered up a handful of snow and packed it into a ball. "Take this!"

She hurled the snowball at Luan, landing a direct hit. "Oho, is that how you want to play?" Luan said, smirking mischievously. "All right!"

Soon, Luan and Lily had forgotten all about their snowman and were engaged in a snowball fight. A couple walking by saw the two of them tossing frozen balls of water at each other, laughing playfully.

Aww, that's sweet, the woman thought. As she saw the little girl playing with the young lady, a thought occurred to her. …Wait a minute, isn't that the Loud house? "Kyle?" She turned to her boyfriend. "Isn't that the – ugh! KYLE!"

Kyle didn't look away from his phone. "What?"

"Would it kill you to put that thing away for five minutes?!"

"No!"

"Then put it away! We are on a walk here – together!"

"I will!"

"Right now!"

"I WILL, honey, just – hey!"

Kyle's girlfriend tried to snatch his phone away, but he fought her off. "Gabby! Would you –?!"

Gabby started sulking. "…Is your phone that important to you, Kyle? Are these festive Christmas decorations not enough for you? Is MY COMPANY not enough for you?!"

"No! God, no! I-I mean, it's not that, honey, really! You are the most important thing to me, I promise!"

"Then put that thing away and enjoy this walk with me…!"

Kyle sighed. "…Okay, Gabby, I will. Just one more thing, all right? One. More. Thing. I'll check my social media, and then I will devote all of my attention to you, okay? I promise."

Gabby sighed heavily. She was really starting to think her boyfriend had a problem…