Disclaimer: The Loud House and associated characters belong to Nickelodeon and Chris Savino.
ghast: I appreciate your concerns, but this will be quite a long story, and I cannot promise anything. There will be a variety of situations over time. Not all will focus on Lincoln and Lola, though they will remain the centerpiece.
all: I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
When it Rains, it Pours
By Lola Presents
Chapter 12
"Augh!" cried Rita, holding her hands in front of her in an imaginary claw-like grip around her husband's neck. "I love that man, but sometimes, he acts like a complete child!"
She then flopped onto the couch and turned on the television. Rita didn't care what was on, and it was just something to occupy her mind until the kids fell asleep. Over the next several minutes, the activity of the day caught up with her, and she nodded off several times before she decided to check on the kids.
After reaching the top of the stairs, she noticed Lincoln's light was still on, as well as Lola's. Trying her best not to seem intrusive, Rita strolled down the hall and took a sideways peek into the twin's room as she headed toward her son's. Lana was already in bed, and Lola was only then climbing in.
"How are you doing, sweetie?" Rita "asked. "Do you need anything?"
"No, Mom," said Lola. "Goodnight!" Lana followed suit with a much sleepier version, then pulled the covers over her head.
"Sleep well," Rita whispered as she flipped their light switch and closed their door before continuing to Lincoln's room.
Once there, Rita knocked softly on the door, announcing herself. She then peered in regardless, as was her parental privilege. The knock was only to warn her children that she was about to enter.
"Hey, Mom," Lincoln greeted her quietly from his perch on the bedside. "Is something wrong?"
"No, honey," replied his mother. "I was only coming to check on everyone. Do you need anything?"
"Acutally," Lincoln sighed, "I'm worried about Lola. May I say goodnight to her and tuck her in?"
"I don't know, baby," his mother replied. "She's already in bed, and..."
"Please?" begged Lincoln. "I'll leave the door open!"
"Well, alright," Rita conceded. "But, I'll be just outside the door."
Lincoln smiled and grabbed his crutches, then made his way to Lola's room. After knocking quietly, he entered and walked over to her canopy bed, sitting on the side. Lola rolled over and peered at him groggily.
"Lincoln?" she asked. "What are you doing? You know you aren't supposed to be in here!"
"Sh," whispered Lincoln. "I only wanted to say goodnight and make sure you were alright with everything that's happened."
"That's sweet, Lincy," Lola cooed as she reached out and lightly brushed his cheek. "But you don't have to worry about me. I'm tough as nails. Besides, unless you plan on kicking the bucket, we have the rest of our lives to figure this out."
Lincoln knew her better than that, however. He'd coached her for too long not to see the worry in her eyes. Though, it was just like her to hide her feelings behind a stoic facade. He only hoped she would be strong enough to see it through.
"Well, anyway," yawned Lincoln as he leaned in and kissed her forehead, "I love you so much, Lola. Goodnight."
"I love you too, Lincy," Lola said through a somewhat strained yawn of her own. "Goodnight."
Just outside, in the hall, their mother smiled. There had been something pure in the dialog her children just shared. Rita was an ordinary woman, although she was more enlightened than most. She didn't necessarily have a problem with her children getting involved. However, the timing was all wrong.
Had Lincoln and Lola fallen in love ten years later, things might have gone a lot smoother. As it is, the family was at odds with each other. Presently, the only real consolation she had was that Lincoln and Lola appeared to be respectful of her and Lynn's demands, which was quite surprising. The real question now was how long it might last before they do something rash. For now, things were in order, and she decided to head back downstairs ahead of Lincoln's exit.
Lincoln stood and covered his sister; then, he ensured that she was snug using his fingertips. She smiled as he headed toward the door and slowly closed it. Then she too covered her head with blankets and buried her face into her pillow, a steady stream of tears dampening the frilled accouterment.
Lola's mind rested in several pieces. Indeed, she was happy that she didn't have to hide her feelings for Lincoln anymore. But the prospect of being separated nagged at her, as did how everything seemed to affect her family. Her father's reaction concerned her more than anything. Eventually, exhaustion derailed Lola's train of thought, and she slipped into a deep, emotionally-driven sleep.
It didn't take nearly as long for Lincoln to submit to the typical nocturnal calling, however. Not that he didn't review events or that he wasn't concerned. Being emotionally strained was enough, by itself, but the physical exertion of walking around on a lame leg was too much for the boy. The last thing he recalled before falling asleep was how happy Lola looked when he tucked her into bed. That was all it took for him to succumb.
Settling back onto the couch, Rita began watching a late-night broadcast while waiting for Lynn to return home. Midnight came, then one o'clock, when she finally dozed off. Around two in the morning, Rita awoke with a stiff neck. Sitting up and wiping the not-yet-dried sleep from her eyes, she looked around for any signs of her husband.
When no indication appeared that Lynn had returned home, Rita stood and peered out the dining room window. The ratty, old van was still missing. The only vehicle present was Lori's red convertible. Sighing gave way to worry and eventually anger. Lynn had never stayed out this late before. And he seldom went out at all.
"Mom?" yawned Lori as she came off the last step, noticing her mother gazing into the driveway. "Is something wrong?"
"Lori!" exclaimed Rita, taken entirely by surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Huh?" asked Rita's eldest. "I came home for the summer, remember?"
"No, not that," she replied, shaking her head nervously. "I mean, why are you down here. I thought you were asleep."
"Well, I was," declared Lori, whose eyes darkened for want of sleep. "But then Leni started snoring. The drooling I can handle. At least that's silent. Anyway, I could use some warm milk or something."
Lori began walking toward the kitchen then realized something. Stopping and looking at her mother, her concern overrode whatever respect for privacy she had. "The question is," she stated, "why aren't you in bed?"
Sighing, Rita sat down in the nearest dining chair and laid her head in her arms. "After the meeting split up, your dad went out, and he hasn't come back."
"What?" gasped Lori, covering her mouth with one hand. "He didn't..."
Rita sighed again and looked pleadingly at Lori. "Baby," she began. "I know it's late, and we're both tired, but would you mind driving me around to find him?"
"Y-yes, of course," stammered the shocked girl. "G-give me a few to put something on. I'll be right back."
Not ten minutes passed before mother and daughter found themselves slowly driving down Main street. It was hard enough for Lori to keep her eyes open, so she concentrated on driving while her mother scanned the outlets. After driving around downtown for nearly thirty minutes, they were about to give up. But when Lori used an almost vacant parking lot to turn around, there it was.
"Gus' Games and Grub?" inquired Lori, aghast. "Why would he come here? I didn't even know they were open this late!"
Yawning deeply, Rita told her that sometimes Gus rented the place out for parties once the regular closing time came. However, there weren't many cars parked around the door, which was odd. Other than their van, there were only a handful of patrons. Once Lori parked, Rita climbed out and told her daughter to wait there. Lori could only watch nervously as her mother approached the doors and disappeared inside.
Rita knew immediately upon entering that someone had indeed rented the place for a party. The smell of cigarettes and alcohol permeated the establishment. The air was so thick that it diffracted the lights the dance machine was emitting, and she couldn't see clearly. It wasn't until she heard Lynn's laughter coming from the direction of the offending game that she located him.
When Rita got close enough to the dance floor to see Lynn dancing with some young floozy, she nearly lost her mind. Gritting her teeth, she managed to keep her composure, however and walked right up to them. Rita then tapped the woman on her shoulder.
"Excuse me..." she said, feigning the appearance of bliss.
"Yeah?" the girl said, irritated at the interruption. "Can I help you?"
"R-Rita?" mumbled a drunken Lynn, who stopped dancing and stared confusedly at the two women.
"No," replied Rita to the woman. "But I can certainly help you. Gee, you seem a little blitzed. How about I give you a hand?"
That's when Rita's fist crossed the woman's drunken mouth and sent her falling backward over a chair, crushing it. Satisfied, she grabbed Lynn by the belt buckle and pulled him toward the door.
"Get in the car, Lynn," she growled. "Now!"
"B-but, I..." Lynn sputtered. "I drove t-the *burp* pan. Uh, I m-mean the van..."
"Oh, you aren't driving," Rita spat as she pushed Lynn into the back seat of Lori's car. "Lori, take him home. I'll be there shortly."
"Y-yes, ma'am," acknowledged the awestruck teen.
Rita watched her daughter back up and away before re-entering the building. The remaining party-goers stopped what they were doing and stared as Rita walked up to Gus and handed him a fifty.
"I'm sorry for the mess," she apologized. "I hope this will be enough to cover the cost of a new chair. And, I promise, this won't happen again. Ever."
After that, Rita turned and gave the young woman an evil stare, then left, smiling to herself, got in the van, and drove home. She arrived just after Lori did, and together, they helped the sloshed man into the house, where Rita parked him on the sofa.
"Honey," she asked of Lori, "could you get him a blanket and a pillow?"
Lori did as instructed without saying a word, then excused herself and went to bed, finally tired enough to sleep, even though Leni was snoring like a chainsaw. She was out the moment her head hit the pillow, not even bothering to cover up.
Everyone slept soundly after that, and eventually, morning came. However, Leni was the only one to rise when the bright sun filtered through the curtains. Yawning, she stretched and got up, then headed downstairs for something to drink. That's when she noticed her father sitting on the couch and rubbing his tired eyes.
"Dad? What are you doing on the couch this early in the morning?" Leni asked, getting his attention. "Oh! Wait! Let me guess! You got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and forgot where your bed was. Don't worry, though. That happens to me all the time. Can I get you something?"
Lynn slowly turned his head toward her, extremely confused. "No, I, uh..." he stammered. "Wait. What did happen?" Then clutching his head, "Geez. My head hurts!"
"Well, that's what you get for getting stone drunk last night," muttered Rita, who had just emerged from their bedroom. "Leni, would you put some coffee on, please?"
"Sure thing!" chimed their second older. "What should I put it on?"
Rita sighed. "Nevermind. I'll do it," she said before heading for the kitchen.
Having forgotten why she came downstairs, Leni marched back up, passing Lola and Lana along the way. They were fussing with each other about something, but Leni neither had the time nor inclination to find out why. After all, she had to be somewhere. That much was certain.
"Give it back!" screeched Lola. "That's mine!"
"No, it's not!" bellowed Lana, holding a tiara as high above her head as she could. "I won this fair and square! You said so!"
"Okay, fine!" yelled Lola. "But that doesn't mean you get to go around dressing like me!"
Through the pain and torment of listening to his children bicker, Lynn finally noticed that Lana was also wearing one of Lola's pink dresses, complete with a sash.
"Whoa, now," their father said, still holding his throbbing temples. "Dad had a bad night, and his head hurts. Please, tell me what's going on, quietly."
"Lana's wearing my stuff!" grumbled Lola.
"Only because you've been dressing like me the last few days!" countered Lana.
"Okay, okay. Stop it!" demanded Lynn. "If you can't work this out, I'll have Luan make you both up as the clowns you're acting like."
The two stopped gabbing and stared at him. "You wouldn't..." gasped Lana.
Finally noticing the look of pain upon their father's face, Lola added, "I think he means it this time, Lana." Then, turning to her twin, "Alright, you can have that ONE dress, but don't get it muddy. It's expensive to clean."
Lola then walked out of the room, leaving their father alone with Lana. Finally, with the room quiet, Lynn stopped rubbing his head and leaned back into the couch.
"Why does she have to dress like me now, anyway?" she asked nobody in particular.
"What do you mean, Pumpkin?" Lynn asked, gazing at the ceiling.
"I mean, Lola gets everything she wants," muttered Lana, "she gets to be beautiful and do all that pageant stuff. She gets to wear nice things and old things, and it doesn't matter. She even gets Lincoln. I mean, what the heck."
Lynn managed to sit up and motioned for Lana to sit beside him. He then patted her leg. "Honey, Lola is going through some changes, and that's okay. People change. They grow and expand their horizons. And, you can do so too, if you want. But Lola does have a point. You really should wear your own clothes. Tell you what. If you want something nice, I'll take you to town later, and we'll go shopping. How's that sound?"
"Really?" asked Lana, gazing up at her father with stars in her eyes.
Rita stood in the living room with a hot cup of coffee, watching Lynn bond with Lana. It touched her heart, and she couldn't stay mad at him. He really was a good father. Not perfect, but good enough for her. Smiling warmly, she walked into the living room and placed the coffee in front of Lynn, then sat and hugged Lana.
"Don't worry, honey," Rita said. "You can be anything you want to be. You don't even have to decide now. You're young. Try a few things here and there until you're happy."
The fog in Lynn's head was beginning to clear, and the faintest of memories started to return. "What happened last night?"
"Well, you went out, got drunk, then danced with some hussy," Rita reminded Lynn.
"Oh," sighed Lynn. "I'm sorry. I only wanted a few drinks as a distraction. But then, a party came in some girl asked me to dance. I guess I was too drunk to know better. Say, what happened to her anyway?"
"I gave her something to eat," teased Rita.
"Eat?" wondered Lynn out loud.
"Yeah, a knuckle sandwich, Rita said, chuckling. "I know she had to see your wedding band glinting in all that light. I couldn't blame you, so I punched her instead."
"W-was she alright?" asked Lynn.
"It was actually quite funny," replied Rita, still laughing. "You should've seen her waver, then topple over the chair. But, yeah, she was fine."
"Mom!" gasped Lana, still sitting between them. "You knocked someone out?!"
"Oh, yes," murmured Rita. "I'm sorry you had to hear that, but she was putting the moves on your dad, and nobody does that. He's my man."
Nodding, Lana quietly excused herself and made her way upstairs. "Geez, I wonder if Lola would do that if someone tried to take Lincoln away from her..." she mindlessly wondered aloud as she entered her room.
"What?" barked Lola, only hearing the tail of Lana's words. "Who's trying to take him away from me?!"
Lana blushed and began waving her hands in front of her, trying to stave off her sister. "Nobody!" she said. "I swear! I was only wondering how you'd handle it if it ever happened!"
"Mmhm," murmured Lola, folding her arms and glaring at Lana.
"No, really! I'm not... I don't..." Lana sputtered.
"Scared?" Lola said in a growl.
Lana only nodded, then suddenly, Lola smiled and dropped her arms. "Good," she said. "You wanted to know what I'd do? Well, that's just a start. Do you want to know more?"
"Uh, n-no, thanks," stammered Lana as she skirted Lola to get some fresh clothes.
"Alrighty, then! Bye!" chimed Lola as she sashayed out of the room.
Lincoln finally roused, though he wasn't sure what woke him, and he sat up and swung his legs out of bed. Feeling the warmth of the sunlight as it caressed his skin, he felt alive for the first time in a while. Yeah, there were still issues that needed addressing, but it didn't matter. The house was quiet, nothing new had happened, and most of all, he hadn't been shipped off.
The scent of vanilla coffee found its way into Lincoln's nostrils, and he breathed deeply. He yawned a few more times and stretched as well as one with a broken leg can, then began thinking about Lola's and Lana's upcoming party. On the one hand, he wanted to get Lola something spectacular. On the other, he had to get something just as lovely for Lana. Otherwise, either an argument or jealousy would raise its ugly head.
"What a predicament," Lincoln thought. "How do I get myself into these situations?"