AN: I'm glad people have responded so positively to my weird take on Sam. She's a lot of fun for me to write, but it's better if I'm amusing other people than just myself. Anyway, managed to get a new chapter out just before Easter shenanigans suck up the rest of my weekend, so that's cool. Also, while I love all the reviews you guys have been leaving, which give me a lot of motivation to keep on writing this thing that I probably wouldn't have otherwise, I wanted to specifically thank the guest reviewer who leaves those extremely long and complementary reviews. I feel like the story being portrayed in those reviews is a different, much better story than the one I'm actually writing, but when I read them I feel like I'm almost half as good as they seem to think I am, and that makes it a little easier to sit down and take another stab at the next chapter.

That said, thanks to everyone who continues to read and review this little fic of mine. I hope I can keep making you laugh, and cry, and putting out theories about Sam. Those are my favorites.

"LOUD! HEAD'S UP!"

Without any conscious effort on her part, the finely-honed athletic machine that was Lynn Loud's body registered the oncoming, high-velocity threat and responded it by spinning herself in a semicircular motion, and harnessing the momentum to strike the offending projectile with a well placed kick. Also known as Lynn Loud's Patented Loud House Kick. Patent pending. Lisa had promised she'd get around to filing the paperwork eventually.

Unfortunately, as the ensuing chorus of screams would attest to, today was basketball practice.

Whoops.

"LOUD! HIT THE SHOWERS!"

Dang it.

Lynn sighed as she trudged through the front door of her family home, equal parts angry and despondent. Should she have been paying more attention during practice for a sport with a fairly high rate of injury? Perhaps. Had another player been forced to pay the price for her inattention? Debatably. Did she deserve to be sent home? Heck no! It's not like Paula's leg could get any more broken than it already was!

Lynn started heading towards the kitchen, hoping a snack would take her mind off things, when she heard voices come wafting out of the entry way.

"For the last time, Sam, he's not adopted! Why do you keep asking?"

"But how can you know for sure!?"

…Weird. That was weird. And also, totally none of her business.

Lynn made her way along the familiar path to her room, assuring herself that she wasn't falling into a pattern. She was just going to go to her room, lay down for a bit, and then head outside to shoot some hoops or something. She continued to reassure herself of this, even as she reached her destination and began what was starting to become routine. Lock the door, check the corners of the room for Lucy, check the corners of the room for Lucy again, climb into bed, and with a sigh of resignation, retrieve the object for which such secrecy was required from within her pillow case.

The item in question had originally been a fairly pristine copy of Aces Wild: Her Strongest Suit. The very same comic she had confronted Lincoln with only a few days prior, now considerably more wrinkled and worn from use. The creased spine, and dog-eared pages identifying portions that had been read more often than others. Lynn made herself comfortable and allowed her mind to wander as her eyes began to trace over the art and dialogue that she had become so familiar with.

By the tender age of 7, Lynn Loud had managed to figure out exactly what she wanted from life. She was going to be the greatest sport star the world had ever seen, and she was going to marry her little brother. The latter had seemed obvious at the time, you were supposed to marry the person you loved the most and that person was sweet little Lincoln. When she'd expressed these feelings to her family, however, reactions had been somewhat divided.

Mom and Dad had laughed it off as kids being kids. Lori had devolved into a confused, sputtering mess, requiring Leni to guide her back to their room so she could recover, and Luna had punched her right in the face. Lynn had never managed to figure out what had set Luna off like that.

The problem was that as she grew older, her parents became less and less willing to indulge her on this point. Eventually, they sat her down and told her compassionately, but firmly, that she could never marry her little brother.

Lynn had been heartbroken at the revelation, but she'd tried her best to comply with her parent's wishes. She'd thrown herself into her sports and she'd tried to distance herself from Lincoln as much as she could, socially speaking. It didn't stop the warmth in her heart at the sight of his smile, or keep her heartbeat from quickening whenever he said her name, but it was the best she could make of a bad situation. Or so she'd thought.

The discovery of the comic book had shaken her to her core. Lynn had never admitted it, but she'd been flattered by Lincoln's previous attempt at making a comic. The Strong Suit was everything Lynn had wanted to be; tough, confident, and capable of busting through walls like they were made of tissue paper. What wasn't to love? She'd secretly been disappointed that he'd apparently lost interest in the project after winning the contest.

While Lincoln's old comic had been a cute diversion, Aces Wild was something else. Ace and Strong Suit fighting bad guys, going on adventures, solving mysteries, those were things that, fantastical elements aside, weren't that far removed from the kinds of situations that she and her brother actually got into on a pretty regular basis, and on that level she was able to find the book genuinely entertaining. However, Aces Wild was also glimpse into a life that was equal parts heart wrenching and tantalizing. Ace and Strong Suit sharing quiet moments, taking comfort in each other's presence…k-kissing…

On that note Lynn, for the umpteenth time within the last few days, put the book aside and buried her face in her pillow, trying to push down the sudden rush of blood to her face through sheer physical force. This was the source of her problems!

Lincoln had seemed oblivious to his sisters' concerns during their previous encounter, but…he drew this! Apparently, he was still drawing this! Him and Lynn having these moments, sharing this life together. He had to know what he was drawing. This was proof that he had to feel the same way as her…wasn't?

And there was the problem. What if it wasn't? What if her sweet, wonderful little brother, really was just that dense? This was the crossroads that Lynn Loud had found herself at these last few days. She desperately wanted to cut to the heart of things and simply ask Lincoln directly what this all meant. But what if she was wrong? She wasn't sure their relationship could survive that. Frankly, she wasn't sure she could survive that.

Lynn groaned in frustration. This had to be Lucy's fault. Being around all that dumb poetry of her's was making Lynn a wuss by association. Strong Suit wouldn't mope around like this. She'd go over there, kick down the door and just take her man. And he'd be all the luckier for it. Lynn smiled as she briefly allowed herself to indulge in the fantasy. Then the moment passed, and her smile fell a little. Strong Suit was cool and tough. She, on the other hand, in spite of her frequent bravado, was just a small, terrified, teenage girl. Calling Lincoln out like that, risking the burning of that bridge between them, that simply wasn't an option.

But maybe somewhere in-between the Strong Suit solution and scared little girl solution, there was a third option. The Lynn Loud option.

It was later than it should have been when Lynn found herself standing at Lincoln's door. There was a brief moment of indecision when she had seriously considered slinking away, and returning the way she'd came. However, the prospect of yet another night of fitful, restless sleep, tormenting herself with thoughts of what was, and what might be, provided motivation enough for Lynn to steel her nerves. She knocked on the door, and waited.

She couldn't say for certain how long she remained there, but at last, the knob began to turn and the door opened, revealing her little brother. Clearly tired, and at least a little perturbed at the disturbance.

"LINCOLN", she barked, far more harshly than intended, causing the boy to jump a little in surprise. She didn't blame him.

Lynn cleared her throat, and tried again. "Lincoln", she began again, this time far more calmly and steadily. "I want this", she said, gesturing at the book emphatically. "I want more of…this".

The blank look of confusion on his face was nearly more than Lynn could bear, and as the seconds ticked on it took every ounce of self-control Lynn could muster to prevent herself from turning tail and fleeing. Then, at last, a look of...something, at least. Lynn's resolve would have broken then and there were it not for the smile that spread across his face mere moments after.

Lincoln retrieved a small pile of pages from his desk, and sat down on his bed, motioning for Lynn to join him. She did so, and found herself leaning over his shoulder, trying to puzzle out what it was she was supposed to be looking at.

"This is the next Strong Suit issue" Lincoln said. The pride in his voice offset, somewhat, by the slight tinge of red in his cheeks.

"It's still nowhere close to being done yet.", he continued. "These are all just rough sketches, me just getting some ideas down, but I think I have a pretty good handle on where its going".

"That's awful", Lynn said, pointing out one panel in particular. Lincoln looked at her, surprised and a little hurt.

"That kick, I mean", she clarified, "Not the drawing. The form is all wrong. She's not going to hurt anyone like that."

"She's super strong", he replied, clearly a little peeved at the unexpected criticism.

"More like super wrong", Lynn scoffed. She wrapped her arms around her little brother and gave him an affectionate squeeze, hoping to take some of the sting out her words.

Lincoln laughed, much to her relief, and leaned back into the hug, his head against hers. And the two sat there like that for a time.

"It would probably be better in the long term if I had an expert to consult with about this kind of stuff", he said, finally breaking their comfortable silence. "Would you mind showing me how its supposed to look?"

"Sure", she murmured, not trusting herself to say anything further.

"Strong Suit's a really important part of the comic. I want to make sure I'm doing things right. With her."

Lynn's only response was to tighten her grip on her little brother, and he took that as encouragement to launch into a discussion about another page, gesturing emphatically as he pointed out specific details to her. She hadn't made as much progress on this as she'd hoped she would. But sitting here with Lincoln, seeing how passionate he was about this, how happy he'd been made by her little contribution to his project. Maybe that was enough. For now, at least.