Disclaimer: I do not own The Loud House or any of its anything! It all belongs to Nickelodeon!

Chapter 2


8:40 AM

With a few more minutes left to spare, Lincoln was pulling up into the barely occupied parking lot of his large workplace.

After finding a spot to park Vanzilla, Lincoln put the large van into park and silently looked at the large structure close by. Then he said. "Back into the fray I go." And with that, he undid his seatbelt and exited the vehicle. Lincoln locked the doors to Vanzilla before he made his way over to his workplace, or as others gladly called it..

Royal Woods Mall.

Upon entering the mall, the unsuspecting Loud boy was immediately "greeted" by someone he knew all too well. She was a co-worker and an old friend of his as a matter of fact. So one can say that she was allowed to do what she did.

"Yo, mornin' Loud dork!" Lincoln perked up when a female voice called out to him with a familiar nickname. Then the next thing he knew, he nearly fell sideways when she had suddenly bumped herself into him with her shoulder and a hip.

"H-Hey!" Lincoln exclaimed as he regained his balance quickly and lightly glared at the brunette now walking along side him.

Despite his bulky exterior, this tough girl always seems to be the one who could manage to make him move against his will. He trained for long enough in his life to make it almost impossible for anyone else to do it. So it always kind of irritated him whenever she would make it happen so easily. Then again, maybe that's to be expected from someone who's a Martial Artist herself.

"God, Mollie." He revealed. "I swear, one of these days you may just end up killing me if you keep doing that." Lincoln huffed as he fixed up his naturally strong posture, ridding himself of his glare as he relaxed.

Mollie, who was wearing a Royal Woods Mall security uniform, scoffed at Lincoln's remark before responding to him. "Oh please, don't be such a wimp, Lincoln. You're a big boy and should be able to take a rocking like one by now." The brunette chuckled.

"Don't you mean I'm a man?" He smirked as he shot her a cocky glance.

"Nah, you heard what I said." She smirked back at him. 'Though I won't deny that you look the part.' She thought bashfully, holding back a blush as she subtly looked up her long time crush's impressive build starting from his feet.

Who could blame her for having fell for the white-haired boy? She did grow up and train with him for awhile in their middle school years, having had the honor to see him evolve into the handsome young hunk he is today. What had her even more attracted to him was his skills in fighting. Not only did they attend the same Judo dojo back in the day, but he took it a big step further and became well-versed in a few other Martial Arts styles. It was actually thanks to his determination to become stronger that she, along with a few others, was motivated to learn other fighting styles as well. However, more on that and their history at a later date.

Lincoln chuckled himself at her reply, shaking his head briefly. "Mhm, whatever you say. Anyway, when did you get into work this time?" He questioned as he looked at her curiously.

Putting an end to her admiring stare, Mollie shook her head to get herself out of her thoughts. "Mmm.. I'd say I've been here for about half an hour at this point." Mollie shrugged.

'Always the early bird.' Lincoln thought amusingly. "I see. Nothing.. worrisome went on before I got here?" He asked concerningly.

"Nope. Not a single conflict. But hey, it is only the morning. I'm kind of hoping for something to happen soon.. I ain't looking forward to the eventual boredom." She sighed as she put on a bummed out expression.

Lincoln raised a brow in surprise. "Wow, that's kind of a bad thing to wish for."

As soon as he said that, that was when the two late teens entered the security office of the mall and they made their ways over to the guard lockers, or rather Lincoln's locker to be more precise.

"You do realize that our job is to ensure and hope for safety throughout the mall, right?" The Loud boy said as he stopped in front of his locker and opened it, fishing his personal items out of his pockets.

Mollie rolled her eyes as she turned around and leaned back against the locker beside Lincoln's with her arms crossed. "Yeah, yeah, I know. But come on! Don't you wish for at least some action to happen here and there? I mean, you can't tell me that you don't find the job to be incredibly boring from time to time because of the lack of it." It was her turn to raise a brow, however curiously, as she looked to Lincoln while tapping her right finger on her left arm.

Lincoln thought about it, and yeah, perhaps the brunette did have a point. This job can be an excruciating bore depending on his mood. Thus having him yearn for a bit of action sometimes. It was actually part of the reason why he decided to work here in the first place, the other part being that he wanted to help provide for his family. He was a very proud fighter at heart and nothing could change that. So how could he help it? Hell, a punching bag can only be a substitute for the real thing for so long.

When opening his locker, Lincoln sighed as he placed his belongings on the small shelf that was in it. "Believe me, Mollie. I get what you mean." He took out his own uniform that consisted of a white dress shirt, a black tie, a black cap with the word 'SECURITY' on it, and a pair of black pants. "But we can't always get what we want, now can we?" He shut his locker once he got what he needed and made his way over to the small dressing room that was exclusive to the security guards. Hence, why it's in the security office.

The brunette followed him some ways before stopping a few feet away from the dressing room to give Lincoln his space. "As much as it bums me out to say this. We are security guards, and part of being a security guard is that we have to wish for an environment that is suitable for everyone.. and all that other justice crap." He smiled weakly as he stepped into the dressing room and shut the door behind him. Mollie hearing it lock a second later.

"God, I forgot how much of a softy you've turned into over the years. You used to always be so pumped at the very mention of action. What the hell happened to the Lincoln Loud I used to know back in middle school, huh?" Mollie feigned frustration with an insincere sigh, hiding her hands in her pockets as she waited for the boy to finish dressing up. She bit down at her lip gently, aching to take just a teeny tiny peek at Lincoln on the other side of this blasted door. Dammit, why couldn't she be the lucky mirror that was in there for just a flippin' second?

"He grew up, Mollie. He grew up at a time when he needed to accept new and important responsibilities. That's all there is to it." Lincoln answered her with a chuckle.

Lincoln couldn't see it, obviously, but his reply did nothing but make a frown curve on the brunette's lips.

She was aware of those responsibilities he mentioned, and they took on the forms of ten girls aging from seventeen to five years old. She can recall a time after.. the incident.. when he decided to discipline himself to become a more mature and strong-willed person, for the sake of his little sisters. With their beloved Dad out of the picture, Lincoln wanted to be the man who could fill the role as father figure to the Loud girls. Granted, he's their brother. But he refused to let that fact stop him. Lynn Sr. did such an excellent job at being a dad when he was still alive, and Lincoln... well he wanted to be just like his old man.

Ridding herself of such solemn thoughts, Mollie smiled when thinking on his words alone, appreciating the confident tone he used to speak them.

"I suppose I can't argue with you there." She uttered under her breath.

Silence, mostly, consumed the room as Mollie could faintly hear the shuffling of Lincoln's changing. Then after a minute had come and gone, Mollie stood at attention when the unlocking click of the door hit her ears. She smirked upon the unveiling of her work buddy's new appearance.

Then walked out Lincoln wearing the security uniform that almost clung a bit too tightly onto his lean form. Thankfully, it wasn't too tight as it was just loose enough to feel somewhat comfortable. It'll suffice, he thought.

"Alrighty." Lincoln flipped his cap once before putting it on his head, pulling back his cowlick in the process. "All I gotta do now is punch in and we're good to go." He stated as that's what he got to doing next.

Man, Mollie never gets tired of this sight, and she hopes that she never does.

"It's about time." The brunette snickered.

8:45 AM

Ah good, right on time!

After punching in at the punch clock, Lincoln regrouped with his friend back at the door to the office.

"Ready to go, partner?" Lincoln grinned as he pushed open one of the doors, Mollie opening the other as she returned the expression.

"Whenever you are, partner."

"Well then, off we go." Lincoln acknowledged.

And with that, another big part of Lincoln's day began after they walked out of those doors.


Two hours later..

"err.." Mollie grumbled with clenched fists at her sides as her and Lincoln walked aimlessly through the mall, doing their jobs as they were watching out to make sure no disruptive hooligans were causing any trouble. However, while Lincoln was composed and serious about it, Mollie was doing her job more begrudgingly. Much to her dismay, as she expected it to be, this day was just like any other for the two teenagers; uneventful and torturously boring. Seriously, Royal Woods was just too friendly of a city in her opinion.

Hearing her growl, Lincoln sighed as it wasn't hard for him to tell what was bothering Mollie. "You hanging in there all right, Molls?" He inquired as he looked at her with a weak deadpanned look.

"Hmph! Oooh yes. I'm doing just fine here, Lincoln. Don't you worry. Thanks for asking." She responded sarcastically with a hiss and a roll of her eyes, pouting as she crossed her arms over her chest while facing forward.

"Haa~ Just another day at the office." He said teasingly at her expense, snickering lightly.

"Don't you dare get started with me Mister. I'm already in enough of a crappy mood. I don't need you making it worst." She huffed as she shot the boy an agitated glare.

"Settle, settle. I'm just teasing." Lincoln chuckled, defusing the time bomb that he nearly made blow up.

"I swear, I'm an hour away from punching one of these pillars into pieces." She huffed.

"You know, I'm starting to think that maybe this job isn't for you."

"You saying that I'm not capable of doing it?" The brunette scowled, her glare intensifying.

"No, no, no. Of course not." Lincoln shook his head side to side to express his denial. "I'm just saying, while you do have the skills for it. Your lack of patience is the only thing that's hindering you from enjoying yourself here. Or at least keeping you calm." Someone had to finally say it. "Now this is just a suggestion, and I say this to you as a good friend who cares about you, but it may do you some good if you worked on that. Trust me, it does actually make all the difference. Take me for example." He gestured to himself with a cheeky grin, shrugging nonchalantly when his eyes met hers.

"Well look at you sounding all full of yourself." Mollie scoffed. Usually she didn't enjoy her flaws being pointed out to her. But upon seeing Lincoln's point and her acknowledged flaw being one that wouldn't hurt her to get rid of, it would do her more good than harm in fact, she was willing to let it slide this time. So she took his suggestion into consideration. "Perhaps that wouldn't be such a bad idea." She exhaled deeply as she rubbed at her left temple in silence for a few seconds before looking back at Lincoln. "But where do you even begin to start learning patience? From the way I see it, It seems to be nothing more than a hassle to try learning in the first place." She pouted.

"Tai Chi meditation always seems to work out for me." Lincoln replied.

Tai Chi wasn't in Mollie's inventory of Martial Arts styles, and Lincoln knew that. So one can't blame her for not knowing the wonders it worked. "Tai Chi, huh?" She uttered questioningly.

Lincoln nodded. "Yup." Then he snapped his fingers when an idea popped in his head, which made Mollie reel her head back in surprise. "Hey, here's another idea. How about we try doing it together sometime? If you're up for it that is." He proposed as he flashed the brunette a wide smile. Finally, he would have a partner to meditate with. If she accepted his proposal, of course. While he did enjoy meditating alone. He always wondered what it was like to have someone doing it along side him.

Mollie blinked dumbly at the Loud's boy's second suggestion, a faint red tinge glowing on her face as her Martial Arts loving mind couldn't help but think of it as a.. date? "T-Together..? Like in.. just me and you?" She pointed to them both, her eyes having a glimmer of hope to them.

"That's right." Lincoln assured. "So what do ya say? You interested?"

It hardly took a second for Mollie to make her decision as she immediately gave the white-haired boy her answer, in a chill manner that is. Even if she was beaming on the inside. "Eh, sure why not? It wouldn't hurt to give it a go, I guess." She responded.

"Sweet!" Lincoln cheered, showing his own excitement. Unlike her. "Glad to hear you're up for the challenge. I promise that you won't be disappointed." He grinned.

"I sure hope so. You know how much I don't like my time being wasted, Loud dork." The brunette replied jokingly.

"Oh, just you wait and see. You'll be feeling inner peace like you never felt it before." He said while waving a hand in front of him.

"Inner peace, eh?"

"Oooh yes." Lincoln smirked.

The two shared a chuckle before Mollie spoke again. "All right then, sounds good." She smiled. "So where and when would we do this whole "inner peace" searching?" She stifled a giggle.

Upon hearing her question, Lincoln hummed in deep thought as he looked up to the bright sky through the long skylight above them. The boy thinking about their options. "That's a good question actually." He grasped at his chin. "It wouldn't exactly be the wisest choice to do it at my place."

"Why's that?" Mollie asked with genuine curiosity.

"It's The Loud House, remember?" Lincoln answered humorously.

"Ah, right. Yeah, makes sense when you put it that way." Mollie shrugged.

"Mhm. It's not a problem for me as I'm already used to my sisters antics and all. So I'm able to tune them out somewhat."

"I see. Impressive." The brunette complimented.

"Thank you." Lincoln acknowledged confidently.

"But do they ever get noisy to the point where you aren't able to tune them out anymore?" Mollie couldn't help but wonder.

"Meh, I suppose sometimes they do. But when it does come to that, that's usually where I pull out the good ole' 'Noise-B-Gone 2000'."

"The 'Noise-B-Gone 2000'..?" Why did Mollie find that to sound so familiar..? "Wait a minute.. isn't that the name for those ear buds that are supposed to block out any noise?" She uttered inquisitively.

"You betcha!" Lincoln confirmed her suspicion with surprising enthusiasm. His response making the girl deadpan.

"Geez, I bet your sisters are really happy to know that you'd go to such lengths to block them out." She teased.

"Heheh.. They really don't mind it all that much. Well, at first it did kinda tick them off because they thought I was just trying to ignore them. But eventually they understood why I needed them. So they're not too bothered about it nowadays. Thankfully.." Lincoln released a sigh of relief as he remembered the times when his sisters would give him hell for whenever they caught him wearing those earbuds during his meditation times.

"Sounds like you had it rough back then." Mollie pointed out.

"You have no idea.." Lincoln replied unnervingly while rubbing at his head. "Anyway, back to the main topic. How about we try having the session at uh... Ketcham Park? Let's say... on Saturday?"

Mollie took a moment to think on her schedule for that day.. and yup, it's all clear as far as she can tell. "I don't have any plans for Saturday... What the hell, let's do it." She chuckled, giving Lincoln a reassuring smile.

"I'll mark down my calendar." He replied, chuckling himself.

'Oh my god.. Are we.. actually going on a date?!' Mollie internally squealed. Wow, she hoped her thoughts never sounded like that again.

It was at this time that the two teens were walking up on the food court.

And their timing couldn't be anymore perfect..

*Slap*

"AAAH!"

When hearing the sounds of a slap, a woman's cry and a crowd shrieking in shock echo throughout their surroundings, Lincoln and Mollie emitted startled gasps as they were swift to perk up and look around urgently to find the source of the sounds.

In the order of which the noises happened, they knew that something bad was going on..

Much to Mollie's delight as she grinned ecstatically when no one was looking..


A/N: Ooooh snap! What's going to happen next?! Which lovely maiden is in need of saving!? Tune in next chapter to find out! XD Hehe!

Now, I don't have much else to say right now. So I'll leave y'all be! Thanks for reading and I hope that you found this update to be at least somewhat enjoyable! Have a good one!


Follow, Favorite and Review if you would be so kind! It is always greatly appreciated to know what you guys think of the story so far!

Until next chapter, deuces!