Chapter 2 - Lincoln to the Rescue

A/N: Nickelodeon and Chris Savino own The Loud House and related characters. No copyright infringement is intended. This story is merely a work of fiction and written under the fair use policy.

Luna ascended the stairs slowly, taking one step at a time, and considered her options. Each of her sisters had given their input, in their way, but none of the advice she had received particularly satisfied her. The only sibling left to approach was Lincoln, but he was male. She wasn't confident that he would truly understand how she felt. Still, he had been of great help to her and her sisters over the years. Sighing, she decided that she would give him a chance.

She stood outside the door to Lincoln's room for a moment, listening intently and preparing herself. The faint sounds of pages turning came from within, clueing her into what her younger brother was doing. Softly, she knocked on the door and called out, "Lincoln, do you have a moment?"

"Sure," came the reply, "come on in."

Luna turned the knob and opened the door. Stepping inside she saw that her suspicions were correct. Lincoln had been reading his Ace Savvy comics in his underwear again, though these had now been put away neatly on the nightstand. He propped himself up with a pillow and motioned for Luna to take a seat.

"So, what can I help you with Luna?" he inquired.

Luna prepared herself. She had never really discussed romance with Lincoln before and was unsure where to start. "I'm not quite certain," she announced. "I've decided on telling Sam how I feel, through song, but I've become overwhelmed with all the emotions. The lyrics are not coming."

"I see," acknowledged Lincoln. "What have you tried so far?"

"Well," his older sister began, "I am nearly through with the musical part of the song. It has high energy, but not so much that it detracts from sincerity. I even have a great melody for it. When I try to put my feelings on paper though, that's when things begin to fall apart."

"Hm," the white-haired boy mused, "so it isn't merely a problem with rhyming then?"

"That's right Linc," she stated. "Do you have any advice for me?"

Lincoln considered Luna and her situation for a moment, occasionally thinking about how he felt about Ronnie Anne, his girlfriend. The two weren't so much a couple, as they had both decided that neither was ready. Instead, they agreed to appear as dating to avoid social pressures. Still, she did make him happy, and he enjoyed being around her.

"I assume you've already talked to our sisters, right?" he asked, looking for more information.

"Yes I have," she offered, "though the answers were pretty much what one would've expected from them. They each went to extremes, in their preferred styles and personalities. None of which seemed like something I would say." Luna briefly described her encounters when questioning their other siblings.

Lincoln shifted his position, leaning forward and supported his head with his right arm. He appeared lost in thought for a moment before replying. "Maybe you approached the entire project wrong from the beginning. You wrote a song, and now you're trying to fit the lyrics into the time and melody you already have. You should try to forget about the song and melody, and write the words first. Adjusting your music afterward seems like a much easier task."

"You're right, bro. That makes total sense," Luna said with the beginning of a smile. "But, what should I say?"

"I'm afraid I cannot help there," the boy stated. "All I can do is tell you what I might say. What you write, however, is, and always has been, entirely up to you. In the past, you have written your songs with emotion that comes from your heart. For me to tell you what to write would be a terrible disservice. Just begin writing. You can always edit things and move things around if it doesn't sound right at first."

"I suppose I could try that," the musician said. "but what tone should I take?"

"Songs usually have three verses right? Why not try writing them as past, present, and future?" Lincoln suggested. "You could write about how you felt during each. The first verse could detail how you felt before you met. The second verse could tell her how she made you feel. Lastly, the third verse could share your desires for the future. Your song would have both lows and high, as well as realizations and expectations."

Luna threw herself around Lincoln, taking him off guard, and swallowing him whole in a sisterly embrace. "Oh, thank you, Lincoln!" she exclaimed. "But I can still come to you for rhyming assistance though, right?"

"Of course, Luna," Lincoln said as he recovered from Luna's hug. "I'm always here for you guys."

Luna stood with a big grin, and left her brother's room, closing the door behind her. Lincoln had just gone back to reading the latest issue of his favorite comic when he heard a faint sound coming from the air duct. Lincoln sighed. He concluded that Lucy was eavesdropping again.

"We're done now Lucy," he calmly said. "You can go back to skulking."

Lincoln's curiosity became piqued when he heard no further sound from the duct. That was not normal. Usually, she scampered away upon finishing her business.

He stood, sighed again, and pulled a nearby chair up to the wall. Hoisting himself onto the chair, he peered into the vent. From inside, he could hear soft sobbing.

"What's wrong Lucy," he asked. "Are you alright? Why don't you come down from there and we'll talk."

"No," came the reply. "I like it better here in the dark, where nobody can see me."

"That may be, but I can hear you crying. I need to know why so I can help." Lincoln offered.

"It's just that Luna is so filled with passion," admitted Lucy. "She has somebody that she loves and has the strength to tell them. That's something I will never know."

"Stay where you are. I'm coming in," said Lincoln before removing the grating on the vent and climbing in. It was a tighter squeeze than he remembered, but he was younger in previous attempts. He scooted in, close to Lucy, leaning against the duct wall.

"Lucy," he began, "you're only eight. There's plenty of time to find somebody. The right person will come along. Have patience. Ronnie Anne and I aren't exactly lovebirds. We only agreed to be a couple to avoid social pressures. I mean, we like each other, but not seriously."

Unseen by Lincoln, Lucy smiled for once.

"Besides," he continued, "what about Edwin?"

Lucy's smiled faded a little. "Lincoln, I'm not dumb. Edwin is a character on a television show. He isn't real, and the actor is way too old."

Lincoln was mildly confused. Lucy had been toting around a bust of Edwin for years, proclaiming undying love for the fictional vampire. "Uh," he stammered, "I'm not sure I understand. What's the deal with the bust then?"

"Sigh," Lucy pouted. "Edwin is just a placeholder."

"A placeholder," asked Lincoln, "what do you mean?"

"A stand-in, Lincoln, for the person I truly love," she explained.

"I didn't realize you had these kinds of feelings for anybody Lucy," admitted Lincoln. "If I had, I wouldn't have made fun of you in the past. But, why don't you tell this person how you feel? You are great at writing poetry, and I bet they'd love to hear from you!"

Lucy let out a prolonged, verbal sigh. "I don't know. It would be incredibly awkward and might change things more than you realize."

"I see," observed Lincoln. "Well, all I can do is be here for you. If you ever want to talk further, my room is only a duct away."

He leaned closer to his sister and gave her a one-armed hug. "Everything will turn out alright. I promise. Now, come along. It's almost time for dinner."

Lincoln exited first, then offered a hand to Lucy, who was clumsily making her way out. Lucy stood before her brother for a moment before rising to her toe tips and planting a quick kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for being such a great brother."

Lincoln blushed slightly, and replied, "It was nothing Lucy. Now let's go eat."

As Lucy opened the door and headed out, the two of them were engulfed in the aroma of Lynn Senior's famous lasagna, or "Lynnsagna" as he called it. Lincoln followed Lucy out into the hallway, and as Lucy was turning to descend the stairs, he said, "Hey Lucy, I'm going to check on Luna. I'll be right down."

He made his way down the hall to his sister's room and knocked softly before calling, "Hey Luna; it's time for dinner. Will you be coming?"

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot," she called out. "I'll be right there."

Lynn, Lola, and Lana chose that moment to bustle past Lincoln making him nearly lose his balance. "Hey watch out! Save some for the rest of us!"

Luna emerged from her room just as Lori and Leni opened their door as well. All three of them sniffed the scent rising from the story below. "Yay!" exclaimed Leni. "I love dad's lasagna!"

"Me too!" said Lori and Luna in unison.

As the foursome walked down to the dining room, Lincoln decided to ask Luna how things were going. "So, how is the writing going Luna? Got anything usable yet?"

"Yeah, bro!" she cheered. "I'll show you later when I am through with it.'

Entering the dining room, Luna, Lori, and Leni took their usual seats at the grown-up table. Lincoln continued towards the kitchen, where he and his younger siblings had seats at a table of their own. Lola and Lana were already arguing over second helpings, and Lisa, who had arrived early, was contemplating thirds.

"Hey, Lisa," Lincoln said over the din, "if you get thirds, I won't get seconds. That's not fair."

"I suppose you are correct, older brother," Lisa acknowledged as she set the piece she was attempting to acquire back in the tray.

Lynn, having eaten her meal in record time, walked through the kitchen, to place the dishes in the sink, when she addressed her only brother. "So, Lincoln, what exactly did you say to Luna? She hasn't stopped talking since she sat down. I don't think she has eaten one bite! I so totally won!"

"Yeah," concurred Lola. "What did you talk about anyway? Who would've thought you could advise on love!", she laughed before making kissy faces.

"No, no, it's not like that," replied Lincoln from behind a slight blush. "I just helped her focus. That's all."

"Oh," Lola said flatly. "That's boring."

"What I want to know is why Lucy was there too!" exclaimed Lana in her gruff voice.

Lucy's head dipped slightly to hide her face. "I wasn't there for that. It was something else."

"Oh really!" shouted Lana in excitement as she reached over and brushed Lucy's medium-length black hair from her face. "I'd say! Look, she's blushing! Lucy has a crush!"

Lucy smacked Lana's hand away, stood in a huff, and ran out of the room without saying a word.

"That was mean, Lana" Lincoln stated. "You really shouldn't tease her like that. One day, you'll get a crush too, and your actions will come back to haunt you."

"I suppose I hadn't thought about that," Lana said in retrospect.

They ate the rest of their meal in relative silence, one by one getting up to place their dishes in the sink. Lincoln was the last to finish. As he put his dishes on the counter, he thought about how mean Lana had been to Lucy and decided to look for her.

Lincoln checked the cellar, the dark corner in the attic, and every vent opening he could find. He couldn't locate her anywhere, and that worried him. Had his siblings finally pushed Lucy over the edge?

With defeat in mind, he retreated to his room. Perhaps some video gaming would take his mind off things. Unfortunately, he never got to play his games. As he entered, he noticed Lucy standing there before him, tears once again running down her cheeks.

"Why am I so different, Lincoln?" she asked through sobs. "Why am I so strange?"

Lincoln approached his sister and pulled her into a warm embrace, letting her head rest upon his shoulder. Sure, his shirt would get damp, but in a time like this, trivial things didn't matter.

"It's ok Lucy. You're not strange. You're unique. Don't let them get to you. They're just kids," Lincoln explained. "They say things without thinking most of the time. Go ahead and cry it out."

She did, and before long began to feel heavy in Lincoln's arms. She had cried herself to sleep.

"Oh man," Lincoln whispered to himself. "What am I going to do now?" After considering his options, he decided to place her in his bed, rather than risk waking her by carrying her down the hall, let alone attempting to situate her in the coffin she calls a bed. "Looks like it's the floor for me," he told himself as he pulled a bedroll out from under his bed.

Lincoln fell asleep listening to the faint sounds of Luna singing down the hall.