Upon hearing someone knocking on the door, Lincoln opened it to see Lynn's friend, Margo, looking rather sheepish. "Oh, hey uh...Lincoln was it? Um, do you know what happened to Lynn?"

"She's competing in an intergalactic softball tournament." Lincoln said irritably, not really in the mood for this.

"Okay, um...it's just that we have a really important softball game in a couple days so I was wondering if you have any idea when she's gonna come back?"

"Nope." Lincoln said, curtly.

Margo slumped. "Ugh, great. Guess we'll just have to do the game without her then." She sighed. "Well, at least we'll be able to go to the can before the game for once."

Lincoln gave her a slightly grossed out look. "I'm sorry, what?"

Margo's eyes widened. "Oh, sorry. This is gonna sound kinda gross but Lynn never lets us take a dump before a game. She says it's 'bad luck'."

"Riiiight." Lincoln said, looking slightly disturbed.

"Yeah, pretty weird, right? She gets kinda mad when you argue with her about it so we just kinda put up with it. But hey, we win most of the time so maybe she's onto something? Anyway, sorry for bothering you. Oh and don't tell Lynn I said any of this, ok?" Margo said before walking off.

"Got it." Lincoln said before closing the door. He then frowned as he thought about Lynn's odd luck obsession. How long has this problem been going on for and how come none of them saw it? He supposed they all thought it was just a sports thing though it's clear it went deeper than that. Even went it came to just watching games, her luck obsession came up as she usually forced whoever came with her to help her in her odd rituals. It's no wonder none of them wanted to go with her to watch a game.

"Lincoln. Lincoln?" Lincoln heard Rick call for him from the garage.

"Rick?" Lincoln made his way to the garage. Upon entering, he saw no sign of Rick. "Rick, where are you?"

"On my work bench, Lincoln." Rick responded.

The only thing Lincoln could see on Rick's work bench was a pickle. "Is this some kind of prank?"

"You see the pickle, Lincoln? Flip it over. You're not gonna regret it. The payoff is huge." In case this was a prank, Lincoln picked up a screwdriver and used it to flip the pickle over. His mouth gaped open as he then saw Rick's face on it. "I turned myself into a pickle, Lincoln! Boom! Big reveal: I'm a pickle. What do you think about that?"

For just a brief moment, Lincoln had the urge to stab Rick with the screwdriver. "Rick, what are you doing?"

"What's it look like? I turned myself into a pickle! W-What are you just staring at me for, bro. I turned myself into a pickle, Lincoln!"

Lincoln glared at Rick. He was still irritated with him over the Vindicators incident and this certainly wasn't helping. "So, instead of going out and trying to find wherever Lynn is, you decided to turn yourself into a pickle today."

Rick frowned. "Oh, give me a break, Lincoln. I spent all morning trying to find her. Don't I deserve a break at some point? Besides, Crocubot's helping now. He's got this."

Lincoln pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ok, but why would you do this? What's the point?"

"The reason I'm doing this is because I can, Lincoln. It's the same reason why anyone would turn themselves into a pickle."

Luan then came into the garage. "Lincoln, come on, we'll be going...soon..." She then noticed Rick on the work bench. "Um, what's that?"

"It's me, Luan." Rick replied. "I turned myself into a pickle. I'm Pickle Rick!"

Luan stared at Rick for a moment before bursting out into laughter. "Ha! Wow. And you said my sense of humour was bad."

Rick scowled. "Oh, up yours, Luan. How's this worse then telling a shitty pun?"

"Well, in my opinion, this kinda seems like a low-hanging fruit. Turning yourself into something and then yelling what you are with your name seems pretty basic. Sure, it's a little absurdist but it's really just playing to the lowest common denominator."

Rick blinked in surprise before frowning. "Oh, so now you're a professional on comedy."

Rita then entered the garage, along with the rest of the family. "Lincoln, Luan, we have to get going, or we're gonna be late." She then noticed Rick. "What the heck is that?!"

"It's me, Rita. I'm a pickle." Rick replied.

"What?! Why would you-" Rita pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, we're running late. We have to go."

"Where are you guys going?" Rick asked.

"Don't you remember, Dad?" Lynn Sr. asked. "We have an appointment with Dr. Lopez that was set a week ago. We all agreed to go, including you."

Rick groaned as he recalled that event as the family had received a call from the McBrides, recommending Dr. Lopez to them. "Sorry. Must have slipped my mind. Geez, oh, man. I'm a pickle. I mean, I don't know if I can go, ooh, geez."

"Rick, did you do this on purpose to get out of family counselling?" Lincoln asked.

"Lincoln, I assure you, I would never 'find a way' to 'get out of' family therapy. I hope my lack of fingers doesn't prevent the perception of my air quotes."

"Can't you just turn yourself back into a human?" Lori asked.

"Great question, Lori. The unfortunate answer is I did this to challenge myself. And it could take hours or even days before I'm able to figure out how to return to human form. But, I mean, you know, you guys could put me in a purse or a pocket, you know, if you guys really need me to go."

Rita gave a frustrated sigh. "It's fine, we'll just go without you then."

"Hey Rick, why is there a syringe of mysterious fluid hanging directly over you?" Luan asked. "Also, why is the string attached to it running through a pair of scissors attached to a timer? And why is the time set to 10 minutes from now, exactly when we would have left for therapy?"

Rick was silent for a moment before answering. "Well, Luan, if you know must know, the syringe is completely unrelated to this discussion, and, therefore, it does not warrant further explanation."

"Ok." Luan said before cutting off the syringe and putting it in one of her pockets.

Rick seemed alarmed by this. "W-W-What are you doing there, Luan?"

Luan shrugged, feigning ignorance. "What? I'm just making sure you don't get pierced by a needle full of liquid unrelated to your situation. You don't want that to happen, right?"

A defeated expression appeared on Rick's face. "Can't argue with that."

"Mother, perhaps I should stay behind to ensure that nothing else possibly happens to Grandpa Rick while he's in this state." Lisa then said.

Rita sighed impatiently. "Fine. Come on, everyone, let's go."

"Hey, hey, be careful with that. It's for something else. It's really important, so don't break it." Rick called out to Luan as everyone then got into the van and drove off. As they rode off, the siblings gave each other unsure glances as they all wondered how much they should bring up Rick in this session.

After they left, Lisa turned to Rick. "You did this to get out of therapy, didn't you?"

Rick sighed. "Yeah, well, so what if I did?"

"I have no issue with this. To be frank, I'm not particularly interested in partaking in therapy myself. No need to waste time discussing what I already know about myself, right? Besides, there's something I need to ask you. Something of utmost importance."

Rick started to get slightly nervous. "Um, ok. Shoot."

Lisa readjusted her glasses. "Grandpa Rick, do you ever intend on dying."

Rick's eyes widened in surprise. "Whoa! Where'd this come from?"

"I'm just wondering, you have the means to live forever, correct? If so, is that not your intention?"

Rick sighed. "Let me put it like this: Ultimately, what people do in a lifetime doesn't matter. In the chronology of the universe, our existences are so minuscule and brief, they won't be measurably significant in any way. So it doesn't matter what you do. It won't count. We are born only to die. So, to answer your question, as of now, I don't intend on dying because if dying is how we lose, then I'm not gonna make it easy for them."

Lisa slowly nodded. "I see..."

"What brought this up, anyway?"

Lisa sighed. "Something came up when my parental units brought over Pop-Pop last night."

...

The previous night, Albert was sat at Lisa's bed, reading her a bedtime story. "And that's why you never mix radium and terbium. The end."

Lisa yawned. "I love a happy ending."

Albert laughed. "Me too. Oh, how's your project going? Your mom said you had a big break through."

Lisa smiled. "Indeed I have, if my work continues to progress at this pace, the ability to use teleportation with only our minds should be a reality in seventy-three years."

"That's fantastic kiddo," Albert praised, giving Lisa a boop on the nose. "I'm sure sorry I won't be around to see that, but I know you can do it." Lisa frowned at this. "Now, where's my Lisa hug?" Lisa got up to give Albert a hug before he turned Lisa's lamp off and tip-toed out of the room. "Night sweetie."

As soon as he left, Lisa sat up and turned the lamp back on. "Won't be around to see that? But, I'd already penciled him in to be my plus one for the Nobel prize reception. I need to make sure Pop-Pop will still be around in seventy-three years."

...

"So basically, you're scared of your grandpa dying." Rick summarised.

Lisa nodded. "But of course. If death is such a negative, why wouldn't I worry? It is as you have said. In the end, we all die alone."

"Oh, Jesus..." Rick groaned. "Look, if you want to live forever, that's fine. I can make that happen for you. But, you know, I wouldn't exactly force someone to live forever if they don't want it."

"Then perhaps we could go over and simply ask him then?"

Rick sighed. "Sure, why not. Not exactly much else I can do like this." Lisa then picked up Rick before picking up a portal gun, putting in the coordinates for the Sunset Canyon Retirement Home.

...

After dropping Lily off at the McBrides, the Loud family had made it to the therapy building and were currently sat in the waiting room outside Dr. Lopez's office. Lori sighed. "Is this really family therapy if Rick, Lisa and Lynn aren't here?"

Rita then also sighed. "It's a shame they couldn't come but don't worry about them. I think this could still really help the rest of us considering what's been happening lately."

The door then opened up as Mr. Goldenfold exited Dr. Lopez's office. He gave the family a surprised look. "Oh, wasn't expecting to see Lincoln and his family here today. Man, you really do got too many sisters."

Rita smiled. "Oh, you must be Lincoln's math teacher, Mr Goldenfold. So, you go to therapy too?"

"Oh, I've been going ever since the Galactic Federation destroyed my home town so I can accept the fact that the life I once had there is gone now." Mr. Goldenfold said cheerfully.

Rita's smile dropped. "O-Oh."

Mr. Goldenfold waved them goodbye as he left. "Well, y'all have a good one."

After he left, Dr. Lopez stepped out of her office. She was a hispanic woman with long black hair. She wore brown shoes, a green overcoat, and a yellow scarf. "Ah, you must be the Loud family. Please, come in." Everyone got up and followed Dr. Lopez into her office before taking their seats. "Now, why are we here today?"

"Well, we received a call from the McBrides recommending you to us." Rita started. As she spoke, Dr. Lopez was taking notes in her notepad. "I'm not sure why they did but after thinking about it, it sounded like a good idea to come. Me and Lynn feel that something has been off about this family lately. Especially after the whole Galactic Federation thing."

Dr. Lopez gave her a sympathetic nod. "I understand what you mean. Ever since then, I've been getting a lot more patients than before. It was a hard time for all of us. One question before we go into that though. I was told there would also be a grandpa and another daughter that would be joining us. Were they unable to make it?"

"My dad, uh...got wrapped up in an experiment." Lynn Sr. answered. "He's a scientist. You know, the one that took down the Federation? Rick Sanchez? My other daughter is staying at home to look after him."

"He turned himself into a pickle." Lori then said, plainly.

"He probably did it to get out of going to therapy." Luan then added. "Think he also called himself 'Dickled Prick' or something."

Dr. Lopez slowly nodded. "I-I see."

Rita gave Dr. Lopez an apologetic look. "Sorry, this probably sounds completely insane to you, doesn't it?"

Dr. Lopez sighed. "Considering what's been happening recently, I can believe it. It's just strange to hear about something like that in a session is all."

"Speaking of Rick, that's something else I wanted to bring up." Rita continued. "Ever since he moved in, he's been taking the kids on these weird 'adventures' to who knows where in the universe."

"Where is it that he takes them?" Dr. Lopez asked.

"I don't know. Whenever I ask, he just says we 'wouldn't find it interesting'." Rita replied. "I usually just gave it a pass since the kids have never come home injured. But I'm really not sure if they're a good influence on them. My kids have changed since going on these adventures."

"That, I agree with." Lynn Sr. added. "Luan used to make puns and tell jokes all the time. Now she never makes any puns."

"That's a bad thing?" Lana snarked.

"Lana!" Rita chastised.

"No, she's right." Luan then said. "I couldn't just make bad puns forever. If wanted to make it as a comedian, I needed to move on. That's why I don't make them anymore."

Lynn Sr. seemed saddened to hear this. "But...I loved your puns."

Luan sighed. "Sorry Dad, but I'm not a little kid any more. Most people just don't find that stuff funny."

"Change isn't necessarily a bad thing." Dr. Lopez then added. "If your children wish to improve or better themselves, I believe that should be encouraged."

"Yeah, at least she doesn't do that April Fools junk any more." Lana added.

"What's this about April Fools?" Dr. Lopez asked.

Rita sighed, slightly annoyed that they've gone off topic away from Rick. "Every April Fools day, Luan set up these insane, dangerous pranks all over the house that usually ended with the house a mess and some of us getting hurt. However, as of last April, me and Lynn have put a stop to it."

"Even Dad got pretty banged up last April from what I heard." Lynn Sr. added.

Dr. Lopez seemed alarmed to hear about this. "Goodness, Luan, what made you want to pull those kinds of pranks?"

Luan started to get uncomfortable. "I-I dunno, I...I guess..." She sighed as she looked down in shame. "I guess I've always taken a lot of pride in my comedy skills. It always stung whenever my family called my jokes annoying. So April Fools day kinda just became my way of getting back at them." She shrunk back as she could feel everyone staring at her. "I-I'm sorry, guys. I guess I've never really been good at taking criticism."

"Acknowledging the problem is the first step to solving it." Dr. Lopez remarked. "It's good that you've been able to reflect on yourself and see that."

...

Upon exiting the portal outside the retirement home, the first thing Lisa and Rick saw was an old man, holding a box full of his belongings, being pushed out of the building by a hefty nurse with brown hair, tied back into a bun. "But..but...but...but..." The old man stammered.

"If you would've had your butt home by curfew, you'd still have a place to live!" The nurse said without a shred of sympathy.

"Geez. Brutal." Rick remarked.

...

After making her way over to Albert's room, Lisa knocked on the door before he replied. "Come in." She entered his room to find him lying down in his bed. "Lisa? Wasn't expecting a visit from you today." He then noticed Rick. "Uh, what's that you got there?"

"It's me, Rick!" Rick replied. "I turned myself into a pickle. I'm Pickle Rick!"

Albert stared at Rick for a moment before he started laughing. "Oh ho ho, a pickle! Now that! That is the funniest thing I've ever seen!" He continued laughing.

"Ah he he...yeah...um..." Rick started to feel awkward.

Lisa then cleared her throat to get Albert's attention. "Pop-Pop, I come to you today with a proposition. As you are aware, Grandpa Rick is a genius, therefore he has the means for immortality. If you wish for it, he can make it so that you can live forever. How does that sound?"

Albert's eyes widened in shock. "Live forever? He can do something like that?"

"Of course I can. I'm the smartest man in the universe." Rick responded.

Albert frowned in thought. "Geez. It's not like I've never thought about it but...I don't know. I don't want to see all my friends and family die before me."

"Not if they also wish to live forever." Lisa argued.

"Uh, that's if they want to, Lisa." Rick added.

Albert scratched the back of his head. "I don't know. I feel like I've lived a pretty fulfilling life already. And if I never die, I'd never get to see my wife again."

Rick rolled his eyes at the last reason. "So your answer's no then?"

Albert sighed. "Sorry, Lisa, but I don't think living forever is something I really want."

Lisa started to get distressed. "B-But, Pop-Pop, surely you must consider-"

"Lisa, he said no. Just accept it already." Rick interrupted.

"U-Understood." A downcast Lisa responded.

"Hey, what are you doing in bed anyway?" Rick then decided to ask. "Little early for sleep, isn't it?"

Albert rolled his eyes. "Oh, it's Sue and her rules. Sue says I have to take nap time and Sue knows best."

"Jesus, seems kinda strict, doesn't it?"

"You're telling me! She thinks we're a bunch of frail, old fossils. She never lets us have any real fun!"

"Man, that's kinda messed up. I mean, personally, I'd rather die then ever live in a retirement home but you know, I think people should be able to enjoy the last few years of their lives at least."

"Believe it or not, she's actually gotten even more strict after the whole Galactic Federation incident."

"Yeah, well, hell with her then. You know what? I say we go out and have a fun day out on the town. What do you say?"

Albert grinned. "Ok, you sold me. Let's blow this popsicle stand!"

Lisa sighed. "I don't exactly approve of trying to defy authority but I suppose if it gets Pop-Pop more exercise then consider me in."

...

Sue was riding on a kart, monitoring the lobby before she noticed Albert and Lisa about to leave. "Where are you two Peppy Pete's off to? Albert, shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Pop-Pop has already gotten a sufficient amount of sleep." Lisa responded.

"Oh, I didn't realise we had a geriatric expert on the premises." Sue said sarcastically, folding her arms.

"Well as Pop-Pop is a fully grown adult, I believe he has the right to go where he pleases. Even if it is just to engage in merrymaking. Street name: fun." Lisa argued.

Sue got out of the kart and approached them, giving them an unsettling grin. "Well, that sounds like a good way to miss our 6:00 PM curfew. And you know what happens if you miss curfew." Her expression changed into one of anger. "You'll be out on your proverbial keister!"

"Jesus, who hired this bitch?" Rick asked.

Sue's eyes widened in horror. "Did...that pickle just talk?"

"Yeah, what of it? I'm Pickle Rick, bitch!"

"Ah! AAAAAHHHH!" Sue then ran off, screaming.

Albert frowned at Rick. "You know, you really shouldn't swear in front of the kids."

Rick rolled his eyes. "Come on, Albert, can you really imagine Lisa swearing?"

...

"I wouldn't exactly say all of these changes have been for the better." Rita argued. "After all, Lola used to be a pageant queen but after somehow turning into a demon on live television, her pageant career is over and she's now an outcast at her school."

"But, like, that wasn't Grandpa Rick's fault." Leni argued.

"To be honest, I kinda brought that on myself." Lola confessed. "If I had listened to Leni didn't get so angry at Lincoln and Lana, it wouldn't have happened. Besides, it's not all bad. There was so much blackmailing and bullying with me and the other girls at those pageants. I'm kinda glad to have gotten away from all that." She then frowned. "Though it sucks that I don't get any money from it any more."

Dr. Lopez gave Lola a concerned look. "I remember hearing about that incident. It's unfortunate that something like happened to someone your age. I know how cruel kids can be."

Lola sighed. "Yeah..."

"It's a difficult situation but popularity in school isn't everything. I believe you'll eventually find some real friends who'll accept you as you are. After all, your family does, don't they?" Lola nodded in response.

Rita sighed. "I just...find it a bit odd how a 'demon' just showed up in our town some time after Rick moved in here. Bit of a coincidence, wouldn't you say?"

"Mom, I know you have issues with Rick but you can't just blame him for everything that's gone wrong recently." Lori argued.

Dr. Lopez gave Lori a questioning look. "You sound like you're talking from experience."

Lori sighed. "When the Galactic Federation took over, I kinda blamed Rick for everything that had happened. After thinking about it, it wasn't exactly fair to when a lot of what happened was out of his control."

Dr. Lopez nodded. "I see. I can tell a lot of you seem to have a complicated relationship with Rick, correct?" Everyone nodded in response. She then turned to Lynn Sr. and Rita. "Could you both tell me more about your relationship with him?"

...

Lisa, Rick and Albert were at the Dine 'N' Dance diner. Lisa held up Rick to the very confused looking cashier as he took his order. "Yeah, uh, I'll take two cheeseburgers, two fries, and uh, two chocolate shakes."

"Oh, not for me. I'll just have the cottage cheese and melon slices." Albert then noticed Rick giving him a confused look. "Sue says I should stick to food that's a little easier to digest."

"Ah, come on. Live a little! I heard that you cleared out a whole Chinese buffet."

Albert chuckled at the memory. "I took it to 'em. Ah, what the heck? I'll have what he's havin'. And put chili on everything!"

...

After the three finished their meals, Lisa and Albert sat back while Rick just lied on the table. Albert then passed gas. "Who stepped on a frog?" He laughed. This got a chuckle out of Rick while Lisa just rolled her eyes.

"Hey, hap cats and kittens! It's time to do the twist!" A waitress announced as rock and roll music from the fifties started playing. Another waitress then came up to Albert, offering to dance with him.

"Uh, thank you, but I really shouldn't. Sue says dancing is a great way to slip a disk." Albert said, rubbing his back.

"On the contrary, dancing is a great way to exercise and elevate your heart rate. I would wholly recommend it." Lisa argued.

"Hmm, well they did call me 'Jitterbug' in the Army." Albert then got up and decided to dance with the waitress anyway.

"You're still set on the whole 'living forever' thing, aren't you?" Rick then asked Lisa.

Lisa sighed. "Even if immortality doesn't interest Pop-Pop, if I can get Pop-Pop to adapt to a healthier lifestyle, I could still make sure he survives for another seventy-three years."

Rick rolled his eyes. "Jesus, Lisa, give it a rest. Let the guy just live his life the way he wants to."

"I don't understand. You yourself said that death was a negative."

"Yeah, well, I guess some people have come to terms with that. He's found a way cope with the inevitable and he's happy with that so who are we to take that away from him?"

...

After spending the rest of the afternoon just having a fun day out, Lisa was now at a hot dog stand, getting some hot dogs before bringing them back to Albert and Rick, who were both now chatting with a biker who was leaning against his motorbike. "Lisa, my new friend T-Bone here was just telling us about a mechanical bull riding competition." Albert explained as he took one of the hotdogs.

"Pop-Pop, I strongly suggest we head back to the retirement home. We're approaching 6pm and-"

"Aw nuts to that." Albert said, interrupting Lisa. "Sue got me thinking I'm an old geezer. But I still got some pep in my step." He then showed off some dance moves to prove his point. "Huh? Huh?"

"While your dancing skills are impressive, I recall Sue stating that if you miss curfew, you will 'be out on your proverbial keister'." Lisa warned as Albert finished eating his hot dog.

"You let me deal with Sue. Now, you ready to saddle up?" Albert said as he got on the motorbike with T-Bone.

Lisa started to get worried. "Pop-Pop, I strongly disapprove of this."

"Ok, worrywart, then I'm outta here. Let's ride, T-Bone!" Albert said before T-Bone rode off, taking Albert and Rick with him.

"Pop-Pop!" Lisa called after him. "I may have made a miscalculation."

Lisa chased after them, eventually managing to find T-Bone's bike outside a bar. Upon entering, she saw no sign of Albert or Rick though she did manage to find T-Bone. "Motorcyclist. Do you know what both my grandfathers' current location is?"

"Oh, you mean Cowboy Al and Pickle Rick? Haven't seen them since Al won the competition." T-Bone then showed a video of Albert riding on the mechanical which he recorded on his phone.

"YEE-HAW!" Albert shouted in the recording.

"Where could they have gotten off to?" Lisa asked herself.

"Martinez goes back for the catch, and...what in blazes?" Lisa heard from the sportscaster on TV. She looked up at it. To her shock, Albert was running across the field. "There's an old man holding a pickle on the field, in his boxers! And there go the boxers."

Lisa covered her eyes before announcing to herself. "To the ballpark!"

Upon reaching the ballpark, she had made it just in time to see Albert (thankfully fully clothed) getting kicked out before getting carried off by a crowd that came out after him. After another chase, she found him skateboarding on a half-pipe. He rode off of it and managed to land with style on a breakdancing stage as he struck a pose. Before Lisa could reach him, a heavy metal band riding a van took him away.

Lisa eventually found him again, playing a saxophone with the band before stage diving and getting carried out of the theatre. She tried to follow him out, only to see no sign of him. "At this rate, there's no way he'll make it in time for curfew." Lisa said to herself. She then looked up, only for her mouth to gape as she saw a plane skywrite 'Pop-Pop and Pickle Rick rules'.

"LOOK OUT, WORLD! ALBERT'S ABOUT TO TAKE IT TO YA!" Albert shouted as he put on some goggles and a parachute backpack before jumping out the plane. "YAHOO-AH!"

Lisa yelped before rushing over to where she predicted he was going to land. Luckily, he activated the parachute and landed somewhere in a forest. She soon found him hanging from one of the trees. "Pop-Pop, this may have been a little too much activity for you today."

Albert chuckled before sighing. "Sorry, kiddo. I think I overdid it a little today."

Rick scoffed. "That's what you call overdoing it? You should see what my nights out are like."

Lisa sighed. "No worries, we may still be able to make it back in time."

...

Rita sighed. "Honestly, I've never really gotten along with Rick. Everything about him just sets me off. His attitude, the way he talks, the way he swears just about every other minute. On top of that, I'm really not sure about letting the kids go on adventures with him. Sure, they never come back injured but he's so secretive when it comes to what happens on them. He never gives me a straight answer whenever I ask about them." She then folded her arms as she gave her children a pointed look. "Though, the kids don't seem to want to talk about them either."

Dr. Lopez nodded. "Interesting. So neither of you have ever gone with Rick on one of his adventures?"

"I did once. Though I don't think I'm really allowed to talk about it." Lynn Sr. said as he recalled the warning that the President gave him.

"Could you at least say if you think that adventure had a negative effect on your children?"

Lynn Sr. thought about it for a moment. Watching an entire planet get blown up was rather disturbing but it's not as if Rick was responsible for that. If anything, Luna was causing more of a problem than Rick. "I wouldn't say anything that happened was Rick's fault."

"What does that mean?" Rita asked.

"I told you, Rita, I'm not allowed to talk about what happened."

Dr. Lopez hummed. "Lynn, could you tell me more about your relationship with Rick?"

Lynn Sr. sighed. "Well, he's my dad. But I didn't really know him all that well. He and mom split up when I was really young and when mom remarried, I pretty much just saw my step-dad as my dad. Mom even had us both take his surname. Rick came back into my life over a year ago when he came to live with us."

"So, before then, you hadn't seen him at all since you were a young child?"

"Well, not exactly. He's been in and out a few times. He's even met the kids when they were younger a couple of times."

"That's another issue I have with Rick." Rita then added. "He was never there for most of Lynn's life and now he decides he wants to get involved and live with us? That isn't right."

"Come on, Rita, I'm sure he had a good reason to." Lynn Sr. argued. "Like what about the Galactic Federation? Maybe he didn't want me to end up getting wrapped up in all of that."

"Even if that were true, he barely even gets involved with us today. He seems more interested in hanging out with the kids than either you or me."

"May I ask, have either of you ever confronted Rick about any of these issues?" Dr. Lopez asked.

Lynn Sr. and Rita were silent for a moment before Rita answered. "Not...exactly."

"I'd recommend being more assertive with him then. After all, the key to any relationship is honesty." Nobody noticed Lincoln and Luna squirming in their seats.

Both of the parents nodded in agreement. "You're right, Dr. Lopez." Rita said.

Dr. Lopez then looked over at the children. "Now there's something else I've been wondering. Would any of you like to tell me what Rick's adventures are like?"

All of them were silent for a moment, unsure what to say before Lana eventually said. "They can be kinda fun sometimes."

Dr. Lopez frowned before an idea then came to her. "Lynn, Rita, would it be okay if I could talk to your children privately for a moment?"

Lynn Sr. raised an eyebrow. "I guess."

Rita let out an annoyed sigh. "Fine."

Both of them then got up and left the room, leaving Dr. Lopez with the eight Loud siblings. "Now, just to remind you all, everything you say in this room, stays in this room." Dr. Lopez then said. "Nothing you say will be told to anyone. Not even your parents. Unless of course there may be a risk to you or someone else. With that in mind, could you please tell me more about Rick and his adventures?"

...

Lisa, now holding Rick, and Albert made it back to the retirement home thanks to Rick's portal gun. Before they could go in though, they noticed Sue making her way to the door and dived out of the way. Sue looked at her watch as she got out her keys. "Ah, close enough." She then locked the door.

Lisa then attempted to open the door. "Dang it. We're too late!"

"Attention, residents! Time for room check!" Sue's voice could be heard from the voice box.

"Double dang it." Albert cursed.

"Psst! Al! Up here!" The three looked up to see Scoots and two other residents sticking out of their windows. "We saw you at the ball game on TV. Didn't know you were a boxers guy." One of the old men said.

"I saw your name in the sky, Al. You really do rule!" The other old man said.

"We're not gonna let 'Shrew' kick you outta here. Come on, you old farts! I need your canes!" Scoots ordered to the other two. Lisa and Albert gave each other hopeful smiles.

Meanwhile, Sue was checking on all the rooms as she opened up one of them. "Evening, Melba. Ah ah ah! No liquids before bed." She closed the door before heading to the next room.

Lisa and Albert climbed up a bunch of canes hooked together before climbing into Scoots' room. They then noticed the door handle shake.

Sue opened the door to Scoots' room, only to see Scoots' by herself. Scoots chuckled. "Just workin' on my cat puzzle."

Sue glared at Scoots before leaving. Once she left, Albert and Lisa, along with Rick, popped out from behind the sofa. All three let out sighs of relief. "Albert?" They then heard Sue call out.

Before Sue could go in, one of the old men came out of his room, wearing a bath towel and holding a broken shower head. "Sue! Help! I can't turn my shower off!" Sue scowled before going to help the old man.

Lisa and Albert then tip-toed over to Albert's room, only to realise that it was locked. Albert then checked his pockets. "Nuts. Can't find my key."

"I got ya. You gave me a spare." One of the old men said as he gestured for them to come into his room.

They followed him in before he got out a spare key from his drawers and gave it to Albert. "Thanks Bernie." Albert and Lisa then tip-toed back out before Albert unlocked his door and went into his room. Albert let out a triumphant laugh. "Ha ha! We sure took it to Sue."

"Oh, did you, now?" The three looked over, only for their mouths to gape as Sue was lying on Albert's bed, waiting for them, giving them a cruel grin.

Unsure of what else to do, Lisa held up Rick. "Oooh, look at me! I'm a talking pickle! Blah!"

Sue scowled. "You think I can't put two and two together? I know you're that crazy scientist that lives in town."

"Dang it."

...

Sue had Albert collect all of his stuff in a box as he was now in the lobby, about to be kicked out of the retirement home. "I find your reasoning for eviction quite preposterous!" Lisa tried to argue.

"Well, I don't care what you think. You missed curfew and it's out on your keister!" Sue stated.

Rick sighed. "Sorry man. Didn't mean to get you kicked out and all. I mean, this place is kinda awful, but still."

"Ah, you ain't so bad, Rick." Albert said as he put down his stuff. "I regret nothing. You see that day we just had? I don't wanna be livin' in a place that makes me feel like an old geezer anyhow."

"Who cares? Let's get moving." Sue ordered.

Before they could leave, Scoots then rode up in front of them. "Hold on there, 'Shrew'. If you kick Albert out, then you gotta kick me out, too."

"With pleasure." Sue said, mercilessly.

"And us, too!" Sue's eyes widened as a bunch of other residents arrived to stand by Albert.

"Yeah! You won't have much of a seniors' centre without seniors! Zing! That's a burn from Bernie!" Bernie taunted.

There was intense stare off between the seniors and Sue before Sue eventually caved in. "Fine! Albert stays! NOW GO BACK TO YOUR ROOMS!"

"We'll go back when we're good and ready!" Albert stated. "We're not babies and you're gonna stop treating us that way!"

Sue growled as she viciously snapped her clipboard in half before storming off. The seniors all the cheered for Albert. Albert chuckled. "We showed her!"

"Pop-Pop, I must apologise." Lisa then said.

"What for?" Albert asked.

"After seeing how Sue treated you, I realise it may have been wrong of me try and get you to live your life differently. I thought it would have been for your benefit but...I suppose it was mostly for my own." Lisa explained, looking slightly downcast.

Albert chuckled. "Well it's sweet you want me to live forever, but honestly, I just wanna enjoy the life I have left. But don't worry about me, I won't be croaking any time soon. I still got lots of great years ahead of me, and spending time with my grandkids is the part I look forward to the most."

Lisa smiled. "Aw, I'm looking forward to that too. Lisa hug?" The two gave each other a hug until Lisa heard Rick's muffled as his face was pressed into Albert's shirt. "Oh, sorry Grandpa Rick."

Rick groaned. "Hey uh, now that you got your issues worked out, can we get Luan? I wasn't exactly planning on staying a pickle this wrong. Probably don't have that much longer to live actually if I don't get that serum."

"By my calculations, they should still be in the therapy session." Lisa deduced.

Rick groaned again. "Seriously? How long has that session gone on for? Ugh, fine, let's go."

...

All the siblings were unsure what to say for a moment until Lori spoke up. "Ok, to be honest, some of Rick's adventures can get pretty messed up. And Rick himself isn't the nicest person in the world."

Dr. Lopez nodded. She had a feeling that might've been the case. "Go on."

"Like, some of what's happened to us is like something out of a sci-fi horror. I once had to kill evil, possessed clones of my family from another dimension."

This caught Dr. Lopez off guard. "I'm sorry?"

Lori rolled her eyes. "It's a long story."

"Are all of you on the same page on this?" Dr. Lopez asked.

"Like, I get that some of the stuff that's happened was a little scary but I don't think Rick's a bad person. He's done some nice things for us too." Leni explained.

"Yeah, he's been teaching me about his ship and how to run maintenance on it." Lana added. "Besides, the adventures aren't that bad. Being scared is part of what makes some of them fun."

"I see. But has anything ever happened to any of you that you would consider traumatising?" Dr. Lopez asked.

A few events flashed through Lincoln's mind. The purge planet. The Vindicators incident. Lynn getting her eye sliced out. And those were just some of the more recent events.

"Sigh. I should also point out that some of the stuff that happened was only because we did things that Grandpa Rick told us not to do." Lucy added.

"It's good that you'd recognise what is and isn't your fault in those situations but I still can't help but question someone who'd put children like you in those kinds of situations to begin with." Dr. Lopez argued. "I must ask, does Rick force you to go on these adventures?"

Lori sighed. "Truthfully, no he doesn't. He does give us a choice if we want to come with him or not."

This was a surprise to Dr. Lopez. From what she's heard, she expected Rick to have been forcing them to come with him. "Oh? So despite the things that have happened beforehand, you still choose to go with him anyway?"

"To be fair, not every adventure's ended in disaster. Sometimes, nothing that major happens. We just don't talk about them much." Luna argued.

"And it's not like we can't get Rick kicked out if we really wanted him gone." Lori admitted. "Though I have come close a few times."

"You seem to have a lot of resentment against Rick." Dr. Lopez remarked.

Lori sighed. "Honestly, it's less the adventures and more about his general attitude. His worldview is so warped and messed up and he's always talking down to us. He acts like he's the smartest man in the universe when he clearly isn't perfect. It's not that he just takes us to bad places. It's that he has such a toxic attitude which is what I think causes most of the problems."

Dr. Lopez hummed in thought. "Have you ever confronted Rick about these issues? If you have the power to get him kicked out then surely, you could ask him to have a better attitude towards you and your siblings."

"Well, I've told him off before but I haven't exactly confronted him about any of this." Lori admitted. "Though, I have been meaning to."

"Hmm. It seems that, like your parents, you just need to be more assertive with him. Just let him know what he can and can't do."

Lori started to look uncomfortable. "It's just...you're right but...I don't think I should be the one to do it."

"What do you mean?"

"It's just that...I'm..." Lori shook her head. "No you're right. Next chance I get, I'm gonna confront him."

"Was there something else you wanted to say?" Dr. Lopez pressed.

Lori shook her head. "No, it's nothing."

Dr. Lopez then got up and stuck her head out of her office door. "You can come back in now." Lynn Sr. and Rita followed her back in as they all took their seats again. "So, I think that the two things that this family needs to focus on is assertiveness and honesty."

Before Dr. Lopez could continue, a portal then opened up in the office as Lisa stepped out of it, holding Rick. Everyone stared at her and Rick as she then went to take a seat with her siblings.

"So, you must be Rick?" Dr. Lopez asked.

"Mmm-hmm." Rick hummed.

"I've heard quite a lot about you today. You seem to have some very interesting relationships with each of your family members. At first, I heard that you didn't want to come to therapy. Why is that?"

"Because I don't respect therapy, because I'm a scientist. Because I invent, transform, create, and destroy for a living, and when I don't like something about the world, I change it. And I don't think going to an office to listen to some agent of averageness explain which words mean which feelings has ever helped anyone do anything. I think it's helped a lot of people get comfortable and stop panicking, which is a state of mind we value in the animals we eat, but not something I want for myself. I'm not a cow. I'm a pickle. When I feel like it. So...you asked."

"I see." There was a lot Dr. Lopez could have said based on that statement alone. However, since she hadn't had that much time to really know the kind of person he was so she simply chose to say. "Well, I suppose therapy isn't for everyone. Though, wouldn't you have been better off if you had just been honest instead of turning yourself into a pickle to get out of it?"

Rick sighed. "I guess."

Dr. Lopez then gave Lynn Sr. an expectant look. Noticing this, he turned to Rick. "Dad, there's something I want to get off my chest. You've been missing from most of my life and now that you're in my life again, it just seems like you're here more for the kids than your own son."

Rick blinked in surprise before speaking. "Well, Lynn, the reason for that is like I said, I'm trying to teach these kids about the universe. You already have your life in order. You got a family, you got your own restaurant. You've somehow managed to make marriage work out for you. What else do you need?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we can't hang out more." Lynn Sr. argued. "We barely do anything together. I think we should hang out a bit more regularly. Why not take me on one of your adventures? I wouldn't mind going to space."

Rick groaned. More time he'd hang out with Lynn meant less time he'd have to search for the other Lynn. Still, it wasn't as if he could just say no to him. "Sure, fine, whatever."

Dr. Lopez smiled. "Now do we see where a bit of assertiveness and honesty gets us?" Her watch then beeped. "That's our time. I'm going to give you guys my card and hope to hear from you again. We could have an over-the-phone session or (more preferably) we could set up another appointment if you wish."

...

After leaving the session, Lynn Sr. was driving the family home with Rick seated next to him. "I um, I'm sorry I lied to get out of the thing. I-I shouldn't lie to you." Rick apologised to Lynn Sr..

Lynn Sr. sighed. "It's fine. It's just...you really should've been more honest with us."

"You did say at one point that there was gonna be clear communication between us." Rita added.

"Yeah, I know. I-I just didn't want to do anything that would upset you guys. I promise that there's gonna be nothing but honesty from now on. Also, I am literally going to die, can you give me that syringe now, Luan?"

Luan got the syringe out of her pocket and reached in front of the seat to inject Rick with it. Immediately, he transformed back into a human, though to everyone's disgust, he was naked and covered in pickle juice. "Jesus. Jesus Christ!"

"Geez Louise, are you okay, Dad?" Lynn Sr. asked.

"I'm okay." Rick said before taking a few more gasps of breath. "Man, I missed having hands and blood and a stomach. We should get a drink."

Lynn Sr. smiled. "Now that, I'd be happy to do...after you wash yourself and put some clothes on."

"Yeah, and like I said. It's gonna be nothing but honesty from now on. I promise." Rick said.

Lincoln couldn't help but frown as he knew full well that that was a lie. After that session, he couldn't but feel extremely guilty about all the things he was keeping secret. He could only hope that they don't end up backfiring on him.

Lincoln wasn't the only one thinking about the session. After hearing about how honesty was the key to healthy relationships, she couldn't help but think about Sam and how much she was keeping secrets from her. She couldn't help but wonder what Sam would think if she knew about what she did on Valentines day.

Lori was also thinking about the session as she was more determined than ever now to confront Rick about all the issues she had with him. She realised that she needed to be honest with both him and herself. After all, she didn't believe for a second that Lynn was at some intergalactic softball tournament.