A storm wafted over Royal Woods, the town was wet and dark, and everyone was indoors waiting out the weather or else rushing to their destination to find dry shelter.

Two girls, a pair of Latino ladies were trying to make their way back to their friend's place when they had to make a short stop beneath a bus stop shelter.

"Ugh, my hair is all wet, and it'll take a whole week to style it back again," Carlota muttered in annoyance.

Ronnie Anne rolled her eyes, "Blah, blah, blah, whatever Carlota, it's not like you won't look bad for the whole year."

Carlota groaned, "You know Ronnie Anne, you could learn to appreciate being fashionable more."

"Maybe when pigs fly, Carlota." Ronnie Anne retorted.

As the girls set about drying themselves up, waiting for the rain to lighten so they can be on their way, a newcomer rushed to the protection of the shade, similarly looking for respite from the downpour.

"Sorry to intrude… Ronnie Anne?" said the newcomer, in familiar shock.

"Hey, Ronnie Anne, I think the rain's letting up, let's…" she noticed Ronnie Anne speaking with the new arrival.

"Lincoln?" she replied, a name she hadn't heard from in a while.

…

Carol Pingrey was a wealthy child of old money, though her parents wanted to instill a sense of fiscal responsibility during her formative and adolescent years, and it made her a wise and resourceful lady when they decided to leave her as the responsible caretaker of their enormous mansion while her parents left on their little Eurotrip.

Carol was well-known for her reputation as the most popular, prettiest, and most successful member of her class, no small feat for a high schooler who did her darndest to prove that she had the moxie that her parents wanted from her.

Now, she was living up the dream, cozying up in a posh mansion, and even making a small income renting out her large estate to some friends and colleagues of hers.

Ronalda Anita Santiago and Carlota Casagrande had both decided to stay with her to relieve the worry from their tight-fisted grandfather, who complained about not making enough from his bodega, and "gently" nudging his family members to go forth from the nest, or in simpler terms, find their own lodgings.

Other residents included Whitney, Becky, Dana, Mandee, Jackee and Fiona.

Whitney was of a similar breed as Carol, but was more prone to wanderlust and go about from place-to-place, wanting to meet new people and see new places, but with some encouragement from her friend, Whitney decided to settle down at her mansion for a while, at least until she had the time and funds needed to take a trip someplace luxurious and fun.

Dana and Becky just liked hanging out with Carol as much as they did with Lori Loud, they didn't care much for the initial animosity between her and the eldest Loud sibling, and were silently thrilled when the two decided to make up their differences and became good friends, since it meant being able to hang out with either girl without an hang-ups between them.

Finally, Jackee, Mandee and Fiona were more well-known as Leni's friends, the first two from High School and the last one from her job as her coworker at the Reininger's clothing outlet. After some time bitching about each other over which pair of friends were better for Leni, they finally made up after realizing their own selfishness, and things have been going great ever since.

Jackee and Mandee were close to Carol as well, and introduced Fiona to her once they were able, and she's acclimated fairly well into their cadre.

"I hope Carlota and Ronnie Anne get here, the pizza's not going to stay hot forever," Dana complained.

"Relax, Dana dear, they will come when they come, besides, the pizza's only just ready, they'll be here any minute now."

"They'd better, I'm starving," Fiona complained.

The doorbell rang, and Mandee was one her way to answer it, "That's probably them now, come on."

As expected, Carlota and Ronnie Anne were there, and a third one she didn't quite expect.

"Hi Mandee!" Carlota greeted as she moved in to give her friend a hug, which Carlota likewise returned.

"Hey Mandee," Ronnie Anne greeted, "Sorry we're late, we just had some unexpected company with us."

Ronnie Anne gestured for their third party to come closer.

"Hi there" he said.

"Hey, I know you!" Mandee said in surprised realization.

The party entered into the parlor room where their activities were expected, and similar reactions of surprise were had from those present to the one that was unexpected.

Carol was the first to respond, "Lincoln? Lincoln Loud?"

"Lori's younger brother?" Dana asked.

"Ronnie Anne's boyfriend?" Becky added snidely.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Ronnie Anne responded with vehement fervor.

"Hey, girls," Lincoln responded shyly.

"Hey Lincoln," Carol replied, "What brings you here?"

"Oh, you know, things are getting way out of hand at home, so I decided to go find my own place. I was actually on my way to my Grandpa's place until I ran into these two."

"Out of hand?" Fiona asked, puzzled, "The way I see it, it's always out of hand in the Loud House."

Lincoln shook his head, "Well, not like this. It's a long story and I'd rather not think about it right now."

"Well, you're welcome to stay here with us, if you want to, of course." Carol offered.

"Well, sure, it wouldn't be a problem for me at all, seeing as I'm used to living with a lot of ladies to begin with."

"Just don't go getting handsy in my hamper, Whitey," Fiona quipped.

"Fiona!" Carol chided as the girls turned to her with a mean look.

"What?" she asked confused.

"It's all right, me and Fiona had rocky first impressions, and you know how those stick." Lincoln remarked.

"Anyway, I have another guest room that's vacant, you can stay there as long as you want to Lincoln, now follow me." Carol guided Lincoln up the stairs and down the hallway to the room in question.

She opened a door and gestured for Lincoln to enter a posh room; it had a comfy twin-sized bed, a medium-sized flatscreen television, a small refrigerator, a closet, and a small side table with a chair.

"Wow, this is definitely a step-up from my converted linen closet room back home." He remarked.

"My, you're easily impressed, I actually consider this one of the less-luxurious rooms in the house." She said with a giggle.

Lincoln plopped himself over to the bed, closing his eyes to rest.

Carol prepared to leave as soon as she saw him get cozy, "If you need anything, just give me a holler, me and the girls will be in the living room watching Dream Boat, hope you won't get lost around here."

Lincoln sat up and shook his head, "Nah, I think I can manage navigating a place this big, but thanks."

Carol moved further to the side, giving Lincoln one last, soft look, "All righty; by the way, Lincoln… it's good to see you again."

Lincoln blushed, "You too, Carol…"