Disclaimer: The Loud House and associated characters belong to Nickelodeon and Chris Savino

Demons and Angels

By Lola Presents

Chapter 9

Lincoln slept fitfully that night, Lucy's words haunting him as he slept. "You're a vampire... ...a monster... ...you don't love me... ...you don't even know me," they whispered in the darkness of his mind. "You raped me... ...raped me... ...raped," they called, echoing with the empty vastness.

And as Lincoln tossed and turned, listening to the voices in his head, images of Hannah appeared before him, laying on the coffee table, her little body primed for his intrusion. And when he penetrated her, she began to cry out in Lucy's voice, shocking him awake.

Lincoln sat up and rubbed his face, feeling the fresh warm sweat that coated his body. Was it too hot? No, it felt fine. Taking a deep breath as his consciousness fully returned, he realized that the experience was only a dream. He glanced at the clock, which read five fifteen in the morning, and laid back down and tried to fall asleep again.

Unable to tempt slumber, he rose and wandered into the kitchen to make himself some pop tarts. He poured himself a cup of orange juice while the pastries toasted then took them into the living room to watch a little television while he ate. Not finding any interest in the regular shows, he brought up the sets app page, searching for Netflix if it even still existed.

Finding the app, he selected it and began browsing through the movie section, and something caught his eye, Cuties 4. Shocked, though pleased, he wasted no time hitting play. Of course, he'd have to go back and watch parts 2 and 3 to have any sense of continuity, but he was curious where they'd gone with the series.

Sadly, the plot was only a rehash of the first movie, and he suspected the other two films were similar. The only good thing about it was how skimpy the girl's costumes had become. And though it was the same basic plot, this one centered around child beauty pageants.

During the swimsuit portion, it looked like they weren't wearing anything. One girl sported a G-string thong that rode up her butt and between her cleft, and her top was nothing more than glittery pasties with strings attached, which Lincoln considered odd. He knew times had changed, but he remembered the outrage at the first movie and wondered how things got to this point.

Making a mental note to ask Lily about it later, he ate his meal as he continued watching the show. For all its predictability, he enjoyed it. And once it was over, he headed to the kitchen. Rinsing and drying his plate and glass, he stored them in the proper cabinets, but just as he headed off to shower, a soft knock sounded at the front door.

Quickly, he donned his robe, which hung next to Lily's on the coat rack mounted near the front door. He then carefully cracked the door to see who it was.

"Hi, mister Lincoln!" Hannah chirped, beaming up at him, waving her little hand. "Sorry to bother you, but I missed the bus. Can I stay with you today?"

"Uh..." groaned Lincoln, fighting his urge to put off his plan for the day. "I don't know," he replied. "We have things to do for the next few days, remember? Isn't there someplace else you can stay?"

"No..." sighed Hannah, staring at the wooden planks of Lily's small porch. "Everyone around here hates me. Besides, they'd only take me to school, and I don't want to go."

"Why not, sweetie?" Lincoln asked, stooping to her level. "If you don't go, they'll call your parents, and you'll get in trouble. Besides, your education is important. How about we take you?"

"But the kids are mean to me!" exclaimed Hannah, a deep sadness in her tone and face. "Why can't I just stay here and do sex with you and miss Lily?"

Lincoln sighed and pursed his lips for a moment. "Listen, sugar-butt," he said, trying out a new nickname for the girl. And, without knowing where it came from, Lincoln told her something he never thought he'd say. "There's more to life than sex, you know. Sure, it's fun. But you're going to grow up one day and have to know how to handle it."

"Alright," sighed Hannah, trusting the man who didn't treat her like complete trash. "If you think it's important, you can take me."

Lincoln stared at her lovingly for a moment, then invited her in. Once inside, the living room lights revealed how dirty and ragged her clothes were and how knotty her hair had become, and Lincoln came to a decision. If the Cobbs weren't taking care of their child, he would.

"Come on, sugar-butt," he said, looking at the clock on the wall, which read seven twenty. "Let's go get you cleaned up. You seriously need a bath and a shampooing."

"But daddy says that's a waste of expensive water!" she cried out. "I'll get in trouble!"

"No, you won't," Lincoln said, smiling at her, "your dad's not here, and this is our water. We'll do with it what we wish. And if he does say something, let me know. I'll handle it."

"Okay..." muttered the little girl, heading for their restroom.

And while Lincoln brought the water to temperature, Hannah undressed, then sat patiently on the toilet seat. When the tub was full of warm water, Lincoln shut off the faucet and invited her to hop in, assuring her that he'd be gentle when he got to her hair. But first, he needed to lather her body and eliminate the grime that covered her.

Using one of Lily's hair clips, he secured Hannah's hair into a small clump and began lathering her with a healthy dose of soap. But when he started rinsing her off, he was shocked by what he saw. As the dirt flowed off her body, turning the water brown, he could see multiple contusions and bruises spread across her petite body. At first, he said nothing, as it took a moment to process fully. Instead, he finished washing Hannah before gently spinning the girl to face him.

"Who did this to you, sugar-butt?" he inquired sternly but with eyes full of love and concern.

Hannah closed her eyes and stared at the water, pursing her lips and moving them from side to side uncomfortably. But, eventually, she opened her eyes and gazed at Lincoln. "My mommy and daddy," she whimpered.

"That's horrible," cried Lincoln, genuinely grieving for Hannah. "What did you do that made them this mad?

"Lots of things," Hannah replied, small tears slowly dripping down her face. "Forgetting to take the trash out, not washing the dishes or clothes, or standing in the living room too long while daddy does sex with mommy."

"That's unforgivable," Lincoln muttered, the anger inside him swelling to the point where he couldn't see straight. "Nobody should ever have to go through this, especially a child," he told her.

"What's going on?" yawned Lily as she peered in and leaned against the door frame.

"Look for yourself," Lincoln barked, unable to contain his outrage. "The Cobb's have been physically and mentally abusing her. Here," he said, standing. "You take care of her hair. I need a cigarette and a word with Mr. Cobb."

Lily nodded, understanding. "They're on the television stand, along with my lighter."

And as Lincoln left the bathroom, Lily knelt beside the tub, taking her lover's place. "I'm sorry if this stings your eyes, but we don't have any baby shampoo," she said, applying a massive glob to Hannah's hair after removing her clip. "You can hold a washrag over your eyes if it helps."

"No, that's okay," Hannah replied confidently. "It takes more than that to hurt me."

"I can see that," sighed Lily, eyeing the slowly healing wounds. "You love mister Lincoln, don't you?" she asked, making conversation as she scrubbed the buildup in the girl's hair.

"Oh!" chirped Hannah happily. "More than that, I'm in love with him. I wanna marry him one day!"

Lily stopped scrubbing for a moment, absorbing what she heard, then began again. "Do you mind if I ask why?" Lily inquired. "I mean, why do you love him so much?"

Hannah shrugged as the filth from her hair ran down her back. "I don't know," she offered. "He's nice to me and lets me choose for myself. And I can tell he's in love with me too."

Lily smiled at the little girl. "Yeah," she sighed. "I think he is too. But you know what's even better?"

"Fucking?" asked Hannah, blushing slightly, staring at miss Lily's bare chest, drooling over her nipples.

"Heh, no," chirped Lily, unbothered by Hannah's leering. "He actually cares about you, and that's rare. I mean, sure, he loves my sisters and me, but when it comes right down to it, it's the sex that drives him. But..." she said solemnly, "...with you, it's different. You seem more important to him than he does to himself."

"You think so?" gasped Hannah, considering the implications. "I wish he could be my daddy."

"I thought you wanted to marry him, honey," said Lily, chuckling at the girl's indecision while applying conditioner to her hair. "He can't be your daddy and husband. Well, not legally anyway."

"Well..." sighed the girl, reconsidering her position. "Then you can be my mommy, and he can be my husband. How's that?"

"Sounds fine by me," chirped Lily, encouraging the girl's ambitions. "As long as I still get to have sex with him."

"Well, of course!" argued Hannah. "You'd be right there with us, silly mommy."

Lily's heart began to wilt when Hannah called her mommy. Lily had always wanted to be a mother. And hearing Hannah refer to her in that way sent warmth and a sense of fulfillment throughout her body. Grinning in simple happiness, Lily finished rinsing the girl's hair and brushing it smooth and straight.

"Alright," cooed Lily as she spun the nearly finished product around to look at her properly. Hannah looked like an entirely new person. Her hair shined, and her face beamed. "If you really want to be with mister Lincoln, there are a few things you need to know," she cooed, preparing to give the child some tips.

"Okay!" chirped Hannah, listening intently with her beautiful blues eye wide open and her ears perked. "Yes?"

"Okay, first of all, he loves pasta, especially Lasagna," informed Lily, listing the things Lincoln liked. "His favorite drink is piss, but when he can't get that, he like Mountain Dew. And if you genuinely want to claim his heart for yourself, don't wipe. Ever."

Hannah scrunched up her nose. "Isn't that a little nasty?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, a little," Lily replied, smiling at the girl. "But he says it makes us taste better. And if you try it yourself enough, you'll get used to it, and soon, you'll like it too."

"Do you?" inquired Hannah, interested to see if miss Lily's words rang true.

Chuckling, Lily stood and turned around. Then spreading her cheeks with her hands, she revealed the thin light brown coating that covered her crack. And, dragging one finger along her crevasse, she faced Hannah again, slowly and sensually sucking her finger clean. "How's that for an answer?"

"Can I try some?" implored Hannah with enthusiasm, bouncing on her knees and upsetting the water slightly.

"Maybe later," assured Lily. "Right now, we need to find you some decent clothes and get you to school. I should have some old things in one of the boxes in the guest room that I was saving for when I had a child."

"Awe..." exclaimed Hannah as she sat back on her haunches and splashed in the water.

Lincoln dressed, grabbed the pack of Winston cigarettes and the lighter on his way through the living room, and stepped onto the small porch. Tapping one of the cigarettes out, he lit it and took a long pull before sitting down on the top step. Lincoln had never been so angry in his life. Not even when Luan ruined an entire stack of vintage comics during one of her pranks was he as irate.

Looking around for something, anything at all, to distract him, he noticed that his neighbor's car was still in their driveway, and his rage billowed. After snuffing the cigarette and lighting another, he stood and began pacing around the yard, from one end to the other. And as his thoughts heated, his anger came to a boil.

Finally finishing the second cigarette, he tossed it on the ground, snuffed it with his shoe, and headed straight for Mr. Cobb's door, banging on it loudly. Lincoln heard movement within, but it took a while for someone to come to the door, and all he could think of was that they were having sex, just as Hannah described.

When Richard finally opened the door and peered his short, flabby mug out, he looked at Lincoln, annoyed that anyone dared knock on his door. "Yeah?" he barked. "What do you want?"

Mr. Cobb stood several inches shorter than Lincoln and at least a foot wider. But while the man had girth and weight on his side, Lincoln had something better; twelve years of lifting prison weights.

Quickly ensuring that nobody was looking on, Lincoln grabbed the man by his shirt, pushed him inside the house and against the wall, then closed the door.

"Hey!" yelled Barb, her massive body resting on the couch, with her thick, piggy legs spread for the whole world to see. "Let go of him now, or I'll call the cops!" she screamed, unable to get up without assistance.

"Go ahead," barked Lincoln. "I'm sure they'd love to hear all about how the two of you have been abusing Hannah! Go ahead! Call!" he said before turning his attention to the pinned man.

"What are you talking about?" muttered Richard, struggling under Lincoln's impressive strength. "Where's my daughter?"

"Listen here, you filthy piece of trash," demanded Lincoln, baring down on the man. "If you or your fat pig of a wife ever lay your hands on Hannah again, it'll be the last thing you ever do!"

"You can't tell us how to raise our daughter!" spat Mr. Cobb, trying to call what he thought was a bluff. "Besides," he said, looking Lincoln over. "You ain't got it in you!"

Back Richard away from the wall an inch or so, Lincoln lifted the man's impressive weight a few inches into the air and slammed him against the wall again. "Are you sure about that?" Lincoln sneered. "I've been in prison for the past twelve years! You have no idea what I can do! Now, if I EVER see another bruise on the little girl, I'm going to come over here and repay every single one she has now. Do you understand?" he ordered, glaring at the man.

"Y-yes..." Richard muttered, beginning to turn red in the face and neck.

Lincoln slammed him into the wall once more. "I SAID DO YOU UNDERSTAND!" he nearly creamed.

Mr. Cobb shook his head quickly. "Yes!" he yelled, his fat little fingers gripped tightly onto Lincoln's arm for support. "I understand!"

"Alright, then," responded Lincoln, calmly putting the man back on the floor and smoothing out his wrinkles. "Now then," he continued. "Hannah s our house where my sister is bathing her and taking her to school. The poor thing missed the bus and was too afraid to come home. From now on, you'll take care of her correctly, or I'll be back. And don't even think about telling her she can't come over because I'll come looking."

Mr. Cobb nodded again as he nearly doubled over, struggling to breathe and rubbing his neck as if it would help. "Fine!" yelled the flushed man. "Now get out of my house!"

Lincoln huffed at the man, then turned and left their home, closing the door behind him with a resounding thud. But he'd only made it halfway across the yard when Lily's front door opened, and Hannah stepped out, followed by Lily, with her keys in hand. Lincoln had to stop are stare at Hannah, stunned in amazement at her transition.

Hannah stood at the top of the porch, smiling and waving at Lincoln, wearing a pair of Lily's old sneakers, light blue designer jeans with lace edging, and a soft pink polo. Lily had blow-dried Hannah's hair, parting on the left side, and had her bangs pinned neatly to the side of her head. In Lincoln's eyes, she was the epitome of beauty, and he smiled as the little girl ran down the stairs and threw herself into his arms as he knelt to receive her.

"Thank you so much!" the little girl cried. "I look so pretty now! I can't believe it!"

"No problem, sugar-butt," he whispered in her ear. "And, I don't think you're going to have any more problems at home either. Just don't let it go to your head and start ordering your parents around, alright?"

Giggling, Hannah held her small hand over her mouth. "I won't. I promise!"

And after hugging her tightly, he watched as she bounded toward the car, seeming genuinely happy for the first time, and he couldn't help but feel proud and protective of her. And, in some small, her predicament had changed him. He wasn't sure in what way, precisely.

However, as they drove off, it occurred to him that he hadn't once thought about having sex with her that morning. Sure, he could've kept her there and indulged his desires, but for whatever reason, her needs had come before his, and he began to think of her as more than just a cute hole to exploit, and his body trembled as he headed toward the house, small tears cascading down his cheeks.