After Lincoln's heart-to-heart talk with Leni, they exited the room and she gave him one last hug as thanks for everything.
"Come on, Leni," said Lincoln. "Let's go see if Lori is done talking." The living room was empty, so they assumed that this was the case. Leni sat down on the couch and Lincoln turned on the T.V. for her. "I'll go and find Lori. I should talk with her by myself."
"I can come with you," Leni offered.
"I'll be fine," said Lincoln. "It won't take that long." No sooner did he leave than did Kate find Leni lying on the couch, looking bored and maybe a little sad, so she decided to talk to her.
"Hey Leni, how are you?" Kate simply asked.
"I'm okay... I guess," Leni said silently.
"Hmm... Tell me, Leni. What do you like to do?" Kate asked nicely. After a moment of silence, Leni gave an answer.
"I like designing clothes," she said. Kate perked up.
"You're a fashionista?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Do you watch Fashion Fever?" Kate asked as Leni started to sit up.
"Only when the T.V. at home is actually free," Leni explained, yet surprised that Kate knew about it.
"Great news then, Leni," Kate declared. "The T.V. is free and I got all the seasons saved." This made Leni smile a bit. "Would you like to watch it with me?"
"Yes," said Leni with a more cheerful tone than before.
Meanwhile, Lincoln couldn't seem to find Lori in the house. He came across Jack in one of the halls with a cup of coffee in his hand.
"Oh, hey," he said.
"Hey Jack, have you seen Lori?" Lincoln asked. "I can't seem to find her. Where'd she go?"
"Lori needed some fresh air after our talk," Jack explained. "She's out on the balcony. That way."
"What did you talk about?"
"You'll have to ask her that. Besides, I'm sure you have catching up to do." Lincoln found Lori on the balcony sitting on a chair just outside a glass door. She was also holding a cup of coffee while looking out at the Big Apple, deep in thought with herself. Lincoln opened the glass door and came out to accompany her.
"Hey, Lincoln," greeted Lori.
"Hey," said Lincoln, sitting down beside her. "So... what did you and Jack talk about?" He was getting straight to the point. Lori leaned back in her chair and took another sip of her coffee.
"About my life and such," she answered. There was a brief period of silence.
"You know... I don't think we've talked since you moved out... up until today, that is," said Lincoln. He was curious about life was treating her since the day they parted. He remembered the tearful goodbye he gave her. She had been ready with her stuff packed and Bobby was waiting outside in his car for her. After she departed, life had to go on normally for everyone.
"Well," said Lori. "As you may know, Bobby and I live in Great Lakes City. We have our own big apartment there for a surprisingly low price. Bobby works at the bodega as a side job, but it's still quite successful." Thanks to some smart business strategies Bobby made, customers kept pouring in left and right and money was soon not really a problem for them.
"Does he still get stuck in the freezer?" chuckled Lincoln. Lori smiled and let out a chuckle of her own.
"Yeah, he still does. The last time it happened was right before our date. We lost our booked seats, but he tried his hardest to make up for it." Lori reminisced with a smile on her face. "You know... he sometimes reminds me of you."
"Well, I am something of a little brother to him," said Lincoln with a bit of pride.
"True," said Lori. "But what I mean is him trying so hard to make up for any mistakes he makes. You know that's you... right?"
"Yeah."
"And... I have to admit... You still make me smile... maybe even laugh a little. And sometimes, I don't know how you do it apart from just being you." A warm smile took over Lincoln's face.
"How about you?" Lincoln asked. "Anything new in the life of Lori?"
"Not really," Lori answered. "Just a ton of homework and classes."
"Wait! You still have homework to do back in Great Lakes?!" A small twinge of guilt formed when he realized he might have averted Lori from her studies and school, but he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry," Lori said to him. "I know what you're thinking. Lincoln, you are far more important to me than any of my schoolwork. So don't think to yourself that you're in the way."
"How did you know what I was thinking?"
"You're my little brother. It's literally my job as your sister to know these things." Lori's compliment put a smile on Lincoln's face that beamed bright, only to fade when he had to ask something important.
"Who told you what happened to me?" he asked. While he had an inkling as to who, his mind was still too clouded for him to think straight. Leni took another sip of her coffee before answering.
"Leni called me a couple of days ago," Lori began. "At first, I didn't understand what she was saying, but judging from her voice, she sounded serious. Eventually, I caught on and went straight to Royal Woods." Lori still remembered how shocked she was once Leni's words became comprehensible.
"Poor Leni. I can't imagine what I put her through," Lincoln said with a guilty feeling sinking into his chest.
"She was broken up when you left," Lori confirmed. "And maybe what you did wasn't the smartest move... but you did what you had to, Lincoln. I would have done the same in your situation, maybe even called the cops right then and there." Lincoln was relieved that there were no hard feelings for for what he did. "You know what I think? I think it was the bravest thing you ever did."
"Really?"
"Sure. I imagine you were scared and didn't know how things were gonna turn out on your end, but you did it anyway. It wouldn't surprise me if you come out a lot stronger than you were before."
"How are the others?" Lincoln asked, looking at Lori for an answer.
"Mom and Dad are disappointed..."
"In me?!" said a shocked Lincoln, eyes widened, but Lori waved no with her hand.
"Not in you, no, but themselves for not putting an end to... this," Lori finished. Lincoln shut his mouth sheepishly for assuming wrong. He gathered his courage for another question.
"What about L... the others?" His tongue got stuck midway in the sentence trying to pronounce the names of any of his seven sisters, but more particularly, Luna. It felt like a dagger to his heart imagining her name, but trying to say it came out as a different pain to him.
"Are you okay?" asked Lori, concerned.
"Yeah, I'm good. But still, how are the others reacting?" wondered Lincoln. He still didn't know what to expect for an answer in spite of everything so far, but he patiently waited for Lori to gather her words.
"They all hate themselves for what they did," Lori started, but paused. "But they deserve it." She let out a deep sigh.
"They do," Lincoln agreed. Lori had come to expect Lincoln to feel this way, knowing the anger and fear he carried for them. But Lori decided to tell Lincoln what really came from her talk with Jack.
"You know that you can't hide from them forever," she said quietly, but he caught on and sighed.
"I... I know. I don't want to, but... I will have to face them eventually," he said with a hint of fear.
"Are you scared?"
"I am," Lincoln admitted. "I don't think I could handle seeing them." Lincoln knew that one day, a reunion would come, for better or for worse, but it scared him that the ones who caused him pain would meet his eyes again. Lori saw the thoughtful boy tense up as he went into deeper thought, so she placed her hand on his shoulder again.
"Don't worry, Linc," she said comfortingly. "Leni and I will be on your side. Always."
"Thanks, Lori," said Lincoln. "Thank you for everything." He went in for a hug and Lori stroked his white hair.
"Anything for you... my little brother," she said, eventually releasing their hug. "Now come on, let's get inside. My coffee is starting to get cold." They smiled at each other. Back in the living room, Lincoln and Lori found Leni and Kate watching T.V. together and Leni was back to smiling.
"Hey, what are you watching?" Lincoln asked.
"Fashion Fever," Kate answered while still indulged with Leni on what the screen was showing. From what it looked like, the show was about who could make the best set of clothes in a certain time period. Lincoln and Lori decided to watch with them and after an hour, they started to get indulged from the mystery of the challenges the contestants were given. Then, Lori's phone vibrated and she answered without checking her caller ID, thinking it might be her boyfriend, Bobby.
"Hello, honey, how's it going with the searching? Have you found anything?" asked a feminine voice. Leni and Lincoln could tell immediately that it was their mom. While Lori and Leni were visiting, in the moment of their reunion with Lincoln, they completely lost track of the time. Lori instantly shot up from the couch as she recognized Rita's voice. Lori motioned for Kate to shut the T.V. off, which she did immediately, and then she put her phone on speaker to start a conversation.
"No, Mom," Lori lied while Lincoln listened in fear. "I'm starting to worry we'll never find him." Lincoln's breathing grew heavier, but calmed down when Leni hugged him from the side.
"Don't lose hope, honey. But it is starting to get dark, so we should meet up at the hotel. Is that okay with you?" Rita asked as Lori sighed in defeat. There was no way she and Leni could even spend one night with Lincoln without arousing suspicion, so with a heavy heart, she agreed.
"Okay, Mom. We'll be there soon." Lori ended the call and glanced at a sorrowful Leni, who buried her face in Lincoln's shoulder.
"Could I stay?" asked Leni. It hurt to see her so sad again, but Lori knew that staying wasn't an option.
"I'm so sorry, Leni," said Lori, almost tearfully. "They'll get suspicious if we don't go back."
"Can we at least come back here tomorrow?" wondering Leni as tears started to form.
"If you can manage it, you'll always be welcome back here," said Kate.
"There you go, Leni," Lori said. "We can come back here tomorrow." Leni slowly let go of Lincoln and stood up, wiping her tears away. It felt like a sting to the white-haired boy to even see his sisters off, but the hope of them returning the next day kept him strong as they said their goodbyes. "Lincoln, don't worry. We'll be back tomorrow."
"You promise?" Lincoln asked. Lori and Leni nodded and shared one last hug. It only lasted a minute, but he wished it would have been for an eternity. They left with Kate, as she agreed to drive them close to the hotel so the sisters wouldn't be seen by their family.
I wonder where Jordan is, Lincoln remembered, but then he heard Jack, looking around the house for something. Lincoln had never seen Jack looking so worried and panicked about something.
"Lincoln!" he said, upon seeing him. "It's just as I feared. Where are your two sisters?" Jack had been looking for them.
"They just left with Kate. Why are you asking?" wondered a slightly panicked Lincoln.
"I just got a call from my old pal again," Jack said. "The NYPD has launched an investigation about the rumors of your disappearance from Royal Woods!" Lincoln's eyes went wide from shock.
"Wh...what does that mean?" Lincoln asked, more panicked.
"It means that the police are searching for both you and your family. They intend to get to the bottom of this whole matter." Jack sighed. "I know you wanted more time to think about this, kiddo... and I'm sorry. Domestic abuse is enough for your family to face criminal charges, especially with you being a minor, and the law only intends to make sure crime never happens again, whatever it takes." Lincoln's mind began processing the information.
"What about Leni and Lori?" he asked hastily in panic. He didn't want them to face consequences for something they didn't do, even if they were guilty by association.
"They obviously weren't on that list that went online and started the rumors," Jack said. "Kate and I in all likelihood could get them both off the hook with your help." This calmed down Lincoln a little, but one question still remained.
"And what about the others?"
"The ones directly involved are all minors, so to some extent, your parents could be accused of failing to properly discipline them, but it's possible that your sisters will be met with consequences as well."
"And... me?" Lincoln asked. Jack froze and sighed again.
"Lincoln... you're not gonna take this well no matter how I put it to you," he said with a heavy heart. "But... in a worst-case scenario, the court could call for a complete separation of the Loud family, which in turn means your parents would lose custody of all their children... including you. There is a chance that you and your sisters... could end up in foster homes." Lincoln's blood ran cold. All of this was too heavy for the poor boy and he fell onto the couch, his mind spinning nauseously.