Chapter Seven: Shameful Discoveries…

Christmas was fast approaching. Lincoln had already gotten gifts for everyone. For some, the prospect of buying gifts could be a bit daunting in a large family. For Lincoln, he was doing well for himself. He had a trust fund that he could dip into if he needed to, though he tried to use his bank account instead whenever feasible. He put the money from his Full House Gang Comics and merchandise in his trust, and put the money from the new comics he was writing in his bank account. By that standard, he wasn't a millionaire or anything. But his life was comfortable.

He was currently on the third graphic novel of a series. He had developed his graphic novels independently of Lisa, though he suspected that she may have taken some minor inspiration from his works. He was writing a dystopian science-fiction graphic novel series in which bionic organs existed. However, they were prohibitively expensive to buy and universal healthcare was still in its infancy and didn't pay for bionic organs unless the individual's own organs were unfixable. As a result, only the wealthy could buy bionic organs.

That set an even more massive gap between the wealthy and the common citizen. The wealthy were becoming superhumanly strong, fast, durable and had superhuman healing. They lived longer because of the organs and the nanomachines that could go with them could also even make them smarter, though concrete data on that aspect was still limited. The graphic novels detailed the newly enhanced life of a former Marine who had volunteered to test the bionic organs. They had been tested for use by primates. The protagonist was one of the first humans to have them.

The corporation that made the bionic organs provided them for free to 10,000 men and 10,000 women, all over the age of 21. So their effectiveness in children was still less tested. Lincoln was doing well with the graphic novel. It was selling very well and he was making good money off of it. When and if he was able to go back to college for his Masters' Degree, he would have plenty of money to pay his own way. But for right now, he had to go to a Christmas party at the Loud House. He packed up all the presents for his siblings. He could have just gotten gift cards or money for everyone.

But save for the siblings younger than Lucy, none of them really needed money. Even Lucy was doing pretty well with her poetry. She was hardly rich yet. But she'd compiled a book of some of her poems and was able to sell them. She'd written short stories that she'd put in the book as well. She wasn't rich. But she could have rented a small apartment in Evanston if she wanted to. She was staying in the dorms at the moment. Lincoln sighed and got his sunblock on. He hadn't told his family yet that he was a Vampire. So unless Lisa had told them, they didn't know, save for Lucy, who still hoped he would turn her.

-0-

"Hey, everyone. Merry Christmas." Lincoln said, smiling at the family as he walked into the house, not surprised when he was hugged tightly by his sisters.
"Hey, Linky! How's it going with Jordan?" Leni asked. She'd gotten better at keeping secrets over the years. She wasn't great. But she was doing better and she knew how important it was to keep this secret. Their parents knew that Lucy and Lincoln were 'very close' as siblings. The older siblings all knew that Lincoln and Lucy were in a relationship.

And even Lola, Lana and Lisa knew. Lily didn't know yet and Lincoln was okay with her not knowing at the moment. She was highly intelligent, but still fairly innocent at only 12 years old. In looking back now, Lincoln felt that he may have jumped the gun in starting a relationship with Lucy when she was 13. Had he been grooming her? He didn't know the answer to that. It was definitely one of the less ethical things he'd ever done. But Lucy didn't seem to be traumatized now. So of all the things he could have done… He probably should have waited until she was at least 15 or maybe even 16.

But he'd done it and they couldn't change what was done. Only what they did from here.

"Is Lucy here with you?" Leni asked. Leni still had a tendency to say more than she should. They knew that Lucy often spent time with Lincoln. But with how often she spent the night at Lincoln's house, Lynn and Rita were definitely starting to wonder. They always wrote it off though because, who would suspect that siblings would have that kind of relationship?

"You've been really busy lately, Lincoln. We've barely seen you at all." Rita said.

Lincoln sighed.
"Yeah. Well, between writing my next graphic novel, hanging out with my friends and catching up on my sleep after college, I'm pretty spoken for. But I'm here now and I'm glad to see that you've set up for the holidays." Lincoln said. Rita smiled, hugging Lincoln.

"Ooh, honey… You're awfully cold. Let's get you sat down under a blanket." Rita said, concerned for his wellbeing. Lincoln nodded, cuddling under the blanket.

Lisa and Lucy knew what was really going on. But they were happy to keep the secret, Lisa so that she could continue her research, Lucy because she hoped that one day, Lincoln would be her dark master. Lincoln knew that it was a crapshoot whether his family would accept him being a Vampire and an even bigger one if they would even believe him, discounting major proof of his state, such as blistering and burning in the sunlight, showing his fangs or even showing his superhuman physical abilities, none of which he was prepared to do in front of them and possibly in front of other observers.

He hadn't even told Clyde and his other friends yet and he wasn't sure if he would. True, they would age and die as humans while he and Lucy and Jordan would live forever either as Vampires or as Culled. But that was something he would have to learn to accept.

"Can I get you something to eat, Linky?" Leni asked.
"Oh… No thank you. I actually had a really big lunch." Lincoln said. Leni shrugged. They had cookies, just like every Christmas. But if he didn't want any.

There was a knock at the door. Lincoln went to answer it.

"Mr. Grouse… Come on in. Would you like some cookies?" Lincoln asked. Mr. Grouse shrugged and walked in, stomping his shoes on the mat and walking into the common area.

"Mmmm… They don't have walnuts in em, do they?" Mr. Grouse asked.

"Ahaha! No. They're just frosted sugar cookies." Lynn Sr. said, offering him one. Mr. Grouse took one, biting into it.

"It's good." The old man said.

"I can't stay. I'm going to my niece's house. I just stopped by cuz you invited me." Mr. Grouse said grumpily, getting his coat back on, finishing his cookie and heading out to his own car. Lisa had given him a car that she and Lana made, much like she gave one to Lincoln and Lucy. But Mr. Grouse took a long while to get used to the controls. They were definitely more advanced than any computer he worked with at his IT job. But eventually, with help from the Louds, he got it under control.

He drove away to goodbyes from the Louds.

"So… How are you and Lucy doing together?" Leni asked. Lincoln hissed in irritation and anxiety. He knew Leni didn't mean to potentially blow their cover. But unfortunately, it was possible that she just did. Lynn looked up, raising an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, Leni?" Lincoln asked, trying to smooth it over before it got too bumpy.

"Oh! I mean, she's over at your house so much." Leni said. Lincoln rolled his eyes. She'd probably managed to prevent it from getting out this time. But they'd need to have a serious talk about that. Leni sat down, seeming a little anxious, looking at Lynn and Rita, neither of whom seemed to be giving it another thought. The good things were that Leni was still a bit dim and still had her Leni-isms that allowed plausible deniability when she blabbed something embarrassing or even dangerous. The possibility that she misunderstood or that it just came out wrong was always there.

And two, that Lynn and Rita were pretty typical parents and believed (for the most part justifiably) that their kids were pretty normal kids. And 'normal' kids didn't have incestuous relationships with their siblings. So Leni's little slip wasn't the end of the world. But Lincoln would have to have a talk with Leni. Unfortunately, Lynn and Rita had noticed more than Lincoln thought that Lincoln and Lucy were surprisingly close, even amongst a family that was very close. They knew that Lucy often spent the night. She gave the excuse a lot of the time that she was hanging out with Haiku.

But Rita sometimes noticed bite marks on Lucy's neck. They were light and didn't show in the light that much. But they were noticeable and since Lucy said she didn't have a partner, that meant she either had a secret partner or that she was doing more at Lincoln's house than just hanging out. She hoped that she was wrong. She really did. And if she was wrong, she would never be so suspicious of them again. They were good kids after all. But another thing was that Lincoln was helping to put Lucy through college. That was a big expenditure, especially when he was paying his own way through college as well.

Lincoln shivered lightly to throw off his family. They'd felt how cold he was, so he had to put on a show when he took the blanket off.
"Leni? Can we talk upstairs for a minute?" Lincoln asked. Leni nodded happily, going upstairs with Lincoln to hers and Lori's old room. As soon as they got up there, Rita, though she wasn't proud of herself for spying on the kids, went up after them while the other kids were distracted with the party.

-0-

"Leni… I know you didn't mean to let that slip. But you really need to be careful." Lincoln said. He hated chastising Leni of all people. She was always well-intentioned. But things could go south in a minute if there was even one slip up, and Leni was unfortunately the ultimate potential loose end.

"I'm sorry, Linky… I didn't mean to. I just wanted to know how you and Lucy were doing." Leni said.

"We're doing fine. Actually, things are going really well between us. But we can't talk about that around the family… Around Mom and Dad and the younger siblings." Lincoln said.

Leni nodded agreeably, wanting to be helpful. Lincoln hugged her.

"I know you sometimes… Slip. But if you want to ask Lucy and me a question about our relationship and we're around our parents, ask yourself… Could this give them away? If the answer is yes or you're not sure, don't ask the question. Don't bring up the topic. Do you understand?" Lincoln asked.

"… Yes…" Leni lied.

"Are you sure?" Lincoln asked.
"… No." Leni said. Lincoln sighed. It ultimately would have been better if Leni had never found out about his and Lucy's relationship. But there was no going back now. He sighed.
"Leni. Just don't ask questions about Lucy and me and us around our parents. At all. Ever." Lincoln said. Leni blushed in embarrassment, seeming to get that she was being chastised.

"Well I may not be too smart, but at least I'm not fucking one of my siblings!" Leni snapped.

That had to have been the most on point thing Leni had said in a while. Lincoln sighed.

"Leni, please… Lucy and I are in love. But we don't want Mom and Dad to find out…" Lincoln said urgently.

At this moment, Rita came in.

"Lincoln… I'm incredibly disappointed in you. I knew you and Lucy were close, and I had my suspicions. But I really hoped I was wrong. How long have you and Lucy been together? Wait… Don't tell me… It doesn't matter. Have you been with any of your other siblings?" Rita asked.

"What! No! Of course not!" Lincoln protested. He couldn't hide it now. He could only try to mitigate the damage that had already been done.

"You're just cheating on Jordan. And I should believe you because you've been so forthcoming. You've been with Lucy, I presume for at least two years, given how close you've been and how often she went over to your house and I assume stayed the night. You've cheated on and lied to Jordan."
"Jordan, Lucy and I are in a poly relationship. I haven't lied to either of them or cheated on either of them." Lincoln said. Rita actually laughed at this. It was a humorless, scornful laugh.

"Oh, well that just makes it so much better!" She said, semi-hysterical.

"How long have you been in a relationship with Lucy?" Rita asked. This time she did want to know.

"Um… I was 17 when we started." Lincoln said. It wasn't a total lie. He turned 17 very shortly after he started with her and she turned 14 before he turned 17. Rita was silent for a long, long moment.

"Leni, please leave the room." Rita said. She could see that Leni had known about their relationship for a while and she assumed the other siblings knew as well.

"Who else in the family knows about you and Lucy?" Rita asked, calming down slightly.

She was still angry, furious even. But she needed to stay calm.

"All the siblings but Lily." Lincoln said. Rita nodded.

"I see… So they've been helping you and Lucy stay under the radar? Why? Why would you think that having sex with your sister is even remotely appropriate, much less legal?" Rita demanded.

"Did you at least use protection? Did you make sure Lucy was on the pill and you were using condoms?" Rita asked.

"It wasn't about what I thought was appropriate or legal. We're in love. And yes. I've made sure that we're both using sufficient protection." Lincoln said calmly. He was panicking internally. But right now, he had to be the Man with the Plan. He couldn't panic. He needed to stay calm and run damage control. So far, it was having minimal effect. Whatever damage he could prevent was good.
"Go down and get Lucy. We need to talk, the three of us." Rita said. Lincoln nodded, bringing Lucy upstairs and closing the door of the room again.

"Lucy… You and Lincoln are both legally adults. I can't order you to break up. However, I don't want your bad influence around the kids who still live in this house. Lola, Lana, Lisa and Lily don't need your relationship messing up their concept of a healthy relationship. I could call the police on you, Lincoln and Lucy and let the law handle it. But I'm not going to. I'm going to give you a choice. You can break up and stay broken up. We'll be making sure that you stay that way. Or, you can not be allowed back in this house until you do.

"As I said, you're both adults. You make your own decisions. But as adults, you need to know that your decisions have consequences. And those consequences… I've told you them. I'll let you have some time to think about it. You can talk it over. But by tonight, I want you to tell me what your decision is." Rita said, standing up and leaving the room.

-0-

The rest of the party seemed rather subdued. Lincoln and Lucy could both tell that the rest of the siblings knew what had happened. Either they had guessed it for themselves or they had been told by Leni. Lincoln and Lucy spent time up in Lucy's room, talking about things.

"Lincoln… I don't want to break up, and I know you don't either." Lucy said. They'd turned on the noise cancelers, as they should have done when Lincoln was talking to Leni. But alas…

"I don't want to break up. But I think that we need to start being more discreet about our… Rendezvous. I hate to drag the other sisters into this. But I think that shuffling up where we go to have our sessions might help for now." Lincoln said.

"I don't want to treat our relationship like it's something to be ashamed of. I know we can't tell the world about us. But I'm tired of sneaking around to see you. If neither of us are allowed back home, I can live with you. And the sisters can come see us. We've kept this a secret for six years. Maybe destiny has brought this out in the open. And I could tell that Mom wasn't lying when she said she wouldn't tell the police. This is a matter between the family… Literally, to borrow a phrase from Lori.

I think that we should accept that even if we were allowed to come back, our presence would be the elephant in the room. Why subject ourselves to that?" Lucy asked. It wasn't good for her anxiety and it wasn't good for Lincoln's self-esteem either. Lincoln sighed. Lucy wasn't wrong. This could be a blessing in disguise. He nodded, kissing Lucy lovingly on the lips. He went down with Lucy. They weren't holding hands. But they were next to each other.
"Mom, Dad… We've made our decision." Lincoln said.

Rita and Lynn went to a quiet part of the house with Lincoln and Lucy. Even Lily, who had been having fun with the other siblings could tell something was wrong. She had been showing off her art projects. Lisa had made her a colored pencil set of 480 colored pencils. It was almost obscene how many colors and shades Lisa had been able to work into the set. Lily had a condition rare enough that it was almost unheard of. She had five different color cones in her eyes. Pentachromacy was incredibly rare amongst humans. But Lisa had studied Lily's eyes extensively.

She'd found that Lily was capable of experiencing over ten billion colors. Naturally, she couldn't make a colored pencil set that diverse. But 480 colors was a massive collection, considering the next largest was 240 colors. Lily followed Rita and Lynn and Lincoln and Lucy and listened at the door.

"Okay… What's your decision?" Lynn asked.

"We're not breaking up." Lucy said, holding Lincoln's hand tightly. Lincoln wasn't entirely confident about this. But he trusted Lucy's judgement.

"You're in agreement, Lincoln?" Rita asked, sounding disappointed.

"Yes." Lincoln said, trying to stay calm, trying to keep himself from crying at the realization that he was completely giving up his parents and possibly some of his siblings as well. Lola and Lana would be 18 very soon and could make their own decisions. But for right now, he was leaving home and he wouldn't be back. Rita and Lynn sighed as one.

"Okay. Well… We promised we'd let you make your own decision." Rita said.

"If you ever decide to come to your senses, you're welcome back if you promise that you're not together anymore and won't ever be in that way again." Lynn said. Lincoln nodded, taking Lucy's hand and walking out with her.

"Guys? I-I guess Lucy and I are leaving. And we won't be back. Not to this house, anyway." Lincoln said, staying pretty calm, considering.

"I love you; Lola, Lana, Lisa, Lily. Lisa, I know you still want to run those experiments on my organs. I'm leaving all your Christmas gifts here. They're labeled. So enjoy them." Lincoln said. Lola, Lana and Lily were practically in tears, hearing that Lincoln was leaving and not coming back. Lincoln would be able to get in contact with them on a secure text line and talk to them about getting in contact later. For now, he hugged and kissed each of them and left with Lucy.