As Lincoln and his father discussed opening up the café, something the Loud patriarch was coming around too. Lynn felt his passion for owning his own restaurant bubbling forth, and while the café itself would be small, it would be an easy first step in testing how well he is at cooking for profit. His mother was having other ideas.

Rita watched the two for a few minutes before she interjected, "Lynn, you cannot be serious about letting our son do this."

Her husband looked at her with a grimace, "Well, I don't like it. But I made a mistake when I didn't put my foot down with Luan those months back."

"Dear, he's twelve, he can't just," Rita started to argue before Lynn cut her off.

"Well actually Lisa has a point, she's a college professor, she isn't required to go to elementary school anymore. This is also Lori's last year of high school and she's done so well in her courses she's going to graduate early," Lynn began to explain his reasoning. "I've been meaning to keep this a secret but the company I work for is merging, that was the big presentation, why the merger is a good thing. They already told me I would be laid off with a small severance package."

"Laid off, oh honey," Rita walked over and hugged her husband.

"I know it stinks, I put in over a decade with the company and they had me work myself out of a job, but it happens. This might actually be a good thing if we can make this motel as successful as possible," Lynn added.

"But what about their education, how will that work," Rita asked.

Lisa came back in the room with a headset on, "I'm on hold with the local ISP, but if I might interject. Lincoln being twelve years of age is allowed to work in a family business, so would any of the siblings older than him. I myself have been granted extra permissions by the government seeing as I work with NASA and the D.O.D. from time to time." The genius said as she walked over to her brother and parents.

"If this becomes a regular source of revenue, based on annual average earnings of a motel, this being so close to the famous university, could earn up to a quarter million a year," Lisa said as she plugged numbers into the calculator. "Now normally overhead encompasses the employees but if we keep this to as few people outside the family as possible, then, we only have utilities, insurances, taxes, the mortgage, supplies and so on."

She adjusted her glasses, "Huh, considering that the property tax is less than half that of Michigan now that we are in Indiana, it's actually roughly the same we are paying for the house."

Rita raised an eyebrow. "You can't be serious, this place is so much larger and it's about the same in cost," She looked at her daughter in doubt.

"Yes, and if we take advantage of the various incentives offered by the government, this area being one under a revitalization effort. We could even wipe out as much as twenty-five to thirty percent of the amount owed under these programs," Lisa further explained.

Rita processed the information she was given. It was a lot in such a short amount of time, her son running away, the motel, the finances. "I, I don't know what to do?" she slumped her shoulders in defeat.

"Let me give this a try mom," Lincoln said as he rubbed her arm. "I've been doing good for the last few days, I think I can manage for the week while we come up with a better strategy," Lincoln proposed.

"Okay, you have a week," Rita caved. "We'll see how you do for a week, but you can't stay here alone, your father," she glared at her husband for kicking off this whole ordeal. "Will be staying with you."

Lynn Sr. was prepared to protest but Lincoln grabbed his dad before he could say anything. "Great, dad I need you to inspect the cafe, see what works, what doesn't and if you can think of a breakfast and lunch menu to prepare for guests, keep it simple but awesome," Lincoln said as he pushed his father into the attached dining area.

Rita quirked an eyebrow at how commanding her son was being. When Lincoln returned to his counter she thought of an important question. "What have you been eating?" she asked her son.

"Oh I've been going to the Roadkill," Lincoln answered. "It's a diner a little way down the road." Lincoln stopped to look at the clock on the wall. "Actually, it's getting on and I need to get lunch at some point, since I'll be working all day," Lincoln pondered. "I hope Belle is working again, oh wait, it's Monday and she'd be in school," he absentmindedly said.

"Belle?" Rita said in confusion. "Who is Belle?"

"She's a hostess over at the diner and she's been really nice to me these last couple days, we had some nice conversations," Lincoln answered. "But she's in high school so I'd guess she wouldn't be working until later tonight."

"Hey Linky, we're done," Leni said happily as she skipped into the office, Lori, Luna and an angry Lynn trailing behind them.

"Great, I'd like it if one of you could man the desk, while I go get something to eat," Lincoln requested as he hopped to the floor from his chair.

"So we're literally doing this then?" Lori asked her mother.

Rita nodded. "Unfortunately, we don't seem to have much of a choice in the matter," the mother lamented.

Lincoln walked over to his sisters. "How would you all like a job, I hear there is a motel, run by a handsome manager who could use some help," Lincoln waggled his eyebrows.

"Handsome, more like a handful, get it," Luan laughed as she entered the room with a stack of papers. "Here's some more of the legal documents to go over," she informed Lincoln as she set them down on counter. "You know if you hosted some events here, we could really draw in the locals," Luan suggested.

"Great idea, we'll need to make some fliers and stuff to put out, but a grand opening event would really get attention," Lincoln agreed.

"Ooh, Ooh, I'll make uniforms, they'll be totes cute," Leni offered as she walked behind the counter.

Lincoln nodded to his family as he walked out the door. As he got a few steps away from the building he heard the jingle of the bell behind him. "What do you want?" Lincoln groaned as he saw Lynn Jr. quickly walking towards him.

The brunette athlete shrugged, "Hungry, figured I'd keep an eye on you."

Lincoln rolled his eyes as he walked down the road and safely crossed over to the Roadkill. As the paired walked in silence, they carefully crossed the road after looking both ways, like responsible children. Getting seated in a booth as opposed to at the counter like he had done for the last few days, Lincoln stared across at his Sister. "So," Lincoln hummed as he tapped his fingers on the table.

"So, what?" Lynn responded.

"Anything you wanted to say," Lincoln asked. "Maybe something you might want to apologize for?"

"Mmm, no, don't think so," Lynn innocently responded as she pulled up the menu. "So are the hushpuppies here good or should I just get a stack of pancakes, bro?"

Raising an eyebrow at how blasé Lynn was being Lincoln grit his teeth. "Nothing, you don't think you've done anything that might be considered, wrong, pig headed or mean?"

Folding the menu shut, Lynn groaned. "What, I don't know what you're even talking about."

"The game, the bad luck, locking me outside," Lincoln restrained himself from shouting. "Any of that ring a bell to you."

"Well yeah, but I didn't do anything wrong," Lynn answered.

"Didn't do, nothing wrong, LYNN," Lincoln rose for him seat. "You kicked me out of the house over your silly superstition."

"No, you used my superstition to your advantage to get out of doing things with your family," Lynn said standing to challenge. "It's no different than you taking advantage any of the other weaknesses our family has. And you ended up in a bad situation because of it."

"Only because you turned everyone against me," Lincoln shouted.

"You played into it, how is that my fault?" Lynn shot back.

"Because you're supposed to be more rational than that," Lincoln hissed as he waved his arms around.

"Superstitions aren't rational, that's why I have them," Lynn screamed.

"FAMILY DOESN'T TURN ON EACH OTHER," Lincoln yelled back.

"Hey," Curtis the chef shouted from the kitchen. "Keep it down or I throw you out."

"Sorry," the two kids responded quickly.

"Lynn, I," Lincoln took a deep breath. "When you and everyone locked me out, I, I felt like you didn't want me, that you guys didn't love me anymore," Lincoln sniffled. "What was I supposed to do, last year Mom and Dad promised they'd never get rid of any of us and then I couldn't even come back in the house."

"Geez Linc, I, I didn't think of it like that," Lynn sighed. "You know we love you to pieces, how could you think something like that?"

"I'm twelve, I don't have all the answers, despite how much I try to seem like it," Lincoln admitted.

"And I'm fourteen, we're kids, we do dumb things and sometimes those things hurt the ones we care about," Lynn said. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have thought you were bad luck, that was real dumb of me, because even if you were," Lincoln glared at his sister. "Hey I said if you were, that doesn't mean anything, you're my brother first."

"Yeah, I should have also just been honest about how I wanted free time, instead of trying to trick everyone to get my way," Lincoln accepted culpability in how his actions affected the outcome.

"Aww, that's hecka nice," Charlene said as she came over to take the orders. "Now, waddaya want," she barked at the two siblings who had made up over a quick fight.

About an hour later the two walked back in the office. "So, how was lunch," Rita asked.

"Well the food kind of sucked, but I think me and Lynn aren't mad at each other anymore," Lincoln shrugged.

"Aww, my babies are getting along," Lynn Sr. sniffed. "It's so beautiful."

As the day dragged on and the family talked to each other and reconnected, they decided that one big meal together before they left the men in their lives to stay at the motel. Pushing the crowd into the Roadkill once again, Lincoln was greeted by Belle. "Howdy, welcome to the Roadkill, and that's with two l's," Belle sing songed another slogan. "Well I'll be, hey sug," she smiled as she saw Lincoln come in.

"Hey Belle," Lincoln happily said when he saw the waitress. "Belle, this is my family," he introduced. "Family this is Belle," he gestured to the curvaceous teen.

"Let's get you all nice big table, come on," the waitress waved before walking through the mostly empty diner.

"Well, I can see why our brother likes her," Lynn coughed as they followed.

Luna gulped as she looked away from the generous rear end of the waitress. "Ye-yeah, she's definitely noticeable."

"I believe the urban American vernacular is, thick," Lisa commented as she pushed up her glasses.

"Guys," Lincoln groaned. "Can you please not," he pleaded.

"Aww," Leni cooed. "Linky doesn't want us picking on his crush."

"I don't have a crush on Belle," Lincoln blushed.

"You don't," Belle teased as she posed with her hand on her hip. "Something you don't like?"

"What," Lincoln shouted. "No, you look amazing, I mean I haven't stared at you, no wait, I haven't not stared at you, ugh, they don't know what they're talking about," he quickly said before burying his head in his hands and hiding his face on the table.

"Aww, I'm just teasin' darlin'," Belle giggled. "If it makes you feel better, you'd be pretty hard to forget too, not many people have snow white hair you know."

And like most families, they fight, they fix and for Lincoln his only regret was that it didn't happen sooner. But that dice was rolled and his fate changed. Now it became a wild ride to see where it all ended.

Author's Notes: Amazingly, I'm not dead. I know, 10ish months for an update, who do I think I am.

Well long story short, I was lazy and couldn't think of anything, so I worked on other things and in some cases nothing. Now I finally seem to be getting over my writer's block (Fingers crossed) but I've been putting out other works and some on my Ao3 account by the same name, so maybe I can keep the momentum going.

I think I have a nice plan for this story going forward so it shouldn't be that long between updates anymore. Here's hoping I didn't lose all my readers in the hiatus.