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

Demons and Angels

Delquea: I don't typically respond to reviews that aren't related to the plot, characters, or my writing, but this one genuinely made me giggle. As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, I have -several- fetishes. I enjoy what I got taught to like, and I'm not ashamed of them. What tickled me the most about your review was that it should have been blatantly obvious, from all the hints I've dropped, and not something one would just now be considering. Maybe you haven't read my confession at the end of Descent, though.

By Lola Presents

Chapter 10

Lincoln was still riding high on the adrenalin his encounter with Mr. Cobb had produced, and his pride in helping to improve Hannah's life coursed through him like an illicit drug. He couldn't sit still in the little car as Lily headed off toward their first destination of the day, tapping the dashboard with his fingernails or biting them.

They stopped at an IHOP near an overpass just outside of Royal Woods and sat down for breakfast of coffee, orange juice, pancakes, and sausage links. The meal was delicious, and the company was terrific, even though they had to watch what they said in public.

Eventually, they finished their meal, and after using the restroom, they headed back onto the highway. Lincoln began to calm down as the old car sputtered its way down the road. It only then occurred to Lincoln that he had no idea where they were headed.

"Hey, Lils?" he asked, resting his elbow on the barely accommodating window sill, grabbing the roof of the car through the cracked window. "Who are we going to see now?"

"Well..." muttered Lily, still trying to wake up and digest her food. "Lynn lives in Brighton, a little west of here, so I thought we'd go there first. After that, we can go see Leni in Fenton if you want."

"Of course, I want to see Leni," Lincoln announced, a little offended. "Why wouldn't I want to see her?"

"It's just, well..." sighed Lily, almost afraid to tell him the news. "After Lori taught her how to get over her fears and learn to drive, she started to change. She became more assertive and confident and used her savings from work to put herself through law school."

"So..." muttered Lincoln, processing the information. "She's a lawyer now, like in Legally Blonde?"

"Not exactly," Lily replied, nervous about the rest of the story. "She might have started that way but soon moved up the ladder, becoming a district attorney. Now, she's a field office worker for the Department of Homeland Health and Security."

"You're shitting me..." spouted Lincoln, not believing Lily's words. "Leni?"

"For real!" exclaimed Lily, slightly irritated though understanding. "I'm serious. So, do you still want to see her?"

"Of course!" declared Lincoln excitedly. "More than ever."

"Uh, why?" inquired Lily, very confused. "She could see us together and immediately turn us in."

"Oh, I don't think she'd do that," sighed Lincoln, hoping for the best. "After all, she's still Leni. Right? The most sensitive person on the planet. All I have to do is remind her that I've done time, charm her a little, and that'll be that."

"Well, I sure hope so," Lily returned. "I don't want to go to jail too, you know."

"Alright," Lincoln conceded. "If things look like they're going south, we'll abandon the idea and leave."

"Fine," muttered Lily, nervous about the whole trip. "That is if you survive our meeting with Lynn."

"What's that supposed to mean?" pondered Lincoln, furrowing his brows.

"Lynn took your actions the hardest," Lily informed her brother as she merged into the inner lane to avoid a construction zone. "She's been mad for years and isolated herself from the family. Currently, she lives alone in Brighton as an instructor at a local Planet Fitness center. I suppose she takes out all her aggression on her student or punches a bag. Who knows?"

"I see," sighed Lincoln, preparing himself mentally for the ordeal. The thought of an altercation wasn't pleasant, and there's no way he'd hurt her, but if it became necessary, he would defend himself. He has no idea how strong Lynn was now, but he wasn't precisely a creampuff and felt confident in his ability to hold his own. "Thanks for warning me."

The trip took them close to an hour, including a stop for lunch and to take a restroom break. And as they pulled into the city limits, Lincoln became more nervous, checking Lily's GPS readout frequently, and the closer they came to their destination, he became increasingly antsy.

Eventually, they pulled into the parking lot, where Lily announced her intentions. "Considering how mad she's been," Lincoln's youngest sister told him, "I think it's a good idea if I go in alone. At least at first, to see if she's there and willing to talk to you."

For once, Lincoln saw the wisdom in Lily's plan and forwarded the task to her. "Alright, fine," he said graciously. "I'm not in a hurry to get beat up today. But don't take too long, regardless. The anxiety is already killing me."

Lily nodded, left the car, and headed into the building. Her older sister's voice was immediately recognizable as she shouted out repetitions as a client exercised under her supervision. Lily approached her sister excitedly but cautiously and addressed her from behind.

"Ehem," Lily coughed, getting Lynn's attention. "Hi, Lynn," she said innocently. "Long time no see."

Lynn spun around, her eyes wide with surprise. "Lily?" she exclaimed, a bright smile replacing her training face. "Oh, my, God!" she chirped. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Lily cheered. "Still working at Wal-Mart, but managing. What about you?"

"Oh, you know, the usual," Lynn said, nodding toward her client. "Helping people get fit and all. So? What bring you around?"

"I'm here about Lincoln, actually," admitted Lily, unfortunately looking a little defeated. "He wants to reconcile with everyone and ask for forgiveness. Would you be willing to talk with him?" she pleaded.

Lynn looked her sister over, assessing her complacency. "I assume you're the one who picked him up from prison?" murmured Lily's sister. "Are the two of you still, you know, together?"

Lily nodded curtly and smiled. "Yes," she offered truthfully. "We are. I hope that isn't a problem, considering I'm an adult now and can make my own decisions."

Lynn rubbed her mouth as if cleaning it, then called to one of her associates. "Hey, Miguel! Can you take over here?" she asked a man a short distance away, standing at a booth with a computer. "I need to take a break for a family matter. Can you finish up with Mrs. Felton?"

"Sure thing, Mighty Mouse," Miguel said, walking over to the client and looking over her progress.

Lily chuckled as Lynn showed escorted her outside. "Mighty Mouse?" she laughed. "I'm sorry, but that's a stupid nickname. I know you're rather petite, but couldn't he think of something better?"

"Oh, stuff it!" ordered Lynn playfully. "He gave me that title precisely because I'm small but strong. So, where is the loser, anyway?"

"Right here, Lynn," Lincoln said, announcing himself as he stepped from the car and faced his sister.

Lynn wasn't expecting Lincoln to be with Lily, only that they'd have to go someplace to see him, and she wasn't mentally or emotionally prepared to see him right away. Her first reaction was to stop dead in her tracks. Her second was to ball her fists. However, as they were in public, she calmed herself with some breathing techniques and addressed her brother.

"Lincoln!" she exclaimed, the fear in her eyes evident. "I..."

"Relax, Lynn," he calmly implored as he leaned against the car, keeping his distance from her. "I'm not going to hurt you, or anyone, ever again. I only want to talk and see if I can answer any questions you might have and, if possible, ease any hostilities between us."

"I don't know, Lincoln," growled Lynn under her breath. "What you did was heinous. I understand that you've paid your debt to society, but that doesn't mean you've paid your debt to me," she explained with an irritated tone. "You took advantage of our sister's innocence and raped Lucy. Even if I forgave you, I don't know if I'll ever forget it. I doubt things will ever go back to the way they were."

Lincoln nodded. At least she wasn't wailing on him. Though, if she had, he knew she wouldn't be much of a threat, considering her stature and physique. "I get that," Lincoln acknowledged. "But, I feel you should know that not only have Lily, Lisa, Lola, and Lana entirely forgiven and accepted me back into their lives, but Lori has also done the same."

"Lori, what?" gasped Lynn, her expression and stance softening somewhat. For the better part of her and her sister's childhood, they looked up to Lori and went to her for support or help whenever Lincoln wasn't available, and the news that she had forgiven him took her by surprise. "I don't understand. She has two little girls. How could she let you near them?"

"I don't know," replied Lincoln, wanting to avoid that discussion altogether. "That's something you'll have to ask her. Right now, I'm more concerned with you."

"Why?" Lynn asked, finally calming to a point where she could control herself. "I mean, why me? It's not like you ever cared about me. Hell, you chose to rape Lucy instead. Not that I was ever interested, mind you. But at least I'd been through puberty. I just don't get it. What kind of man preys on innocent little girls? What in the name of hell were you thinking?"

"Hey now," piped up Lily. "That's not fair. I might have been young, but he never once hurt me, and I was interested. We took things slow, and I fell in love with him. I know it's against the law, but don't you dare tell me we were in the wrong. Okay, yes, I get it. Raping Lucy was wrong, but Lincoln's paid for that!"

"Have you seen her? Lucy?" asked Lynn, stuffing her hands in her pockets and scuffing her shoes against the pavement. "Did she accept your apology too?"

"I've seen her, and no, she didn't," Lincoln informed her. "However, she admitted to being in love with me, only she rather I spend the rest of my life knowing I could've been with her had I done things differently."

"I see," sighed Lynn, scrunching her mouth in thought. "I suppose that's something," she added a moment later. "I still don't understand it, though. Incest is wrong, but at least you could've picked someone physically mature," she said, shaking her head.

"Wait a minute..." Lily gasped, her brain finally connecting the dots. "This was never about us, or the rape was it?" she exclaimed. "You were jealous! You always did have a problem with losing!"

"What?" gasped Lynn, folding her arms defensively in front of her. "No, that's not it. I..."

"Yes, that's it!" Lily barked, pointing her finger accusingly at her sister. "You lost to Lucy and could stand it! The rape was only the last straw. You were already hurt when he fell in love with her, but he raped her on top of that! Hell, as aggressive as you are, I wouldn't put it past you to have had fantasies about him raping you!"

Lynn heard all she needed and wanted to hear. Sitting on the ground and leaning against Lily's car, she wept hysterically into her palms. "I loved you, Lincoln," she finally admitted. "That's why I kept harassing you. I wanted to toughen you up so you'd be my equal. But after what you did..." sighed Lynn, pausing to catch her breath, "...I could never love you again. You broke my heart, and I don't think it will ever be the same."

"I'm so sorry," Lincoln replied, sitting on the pavement beside his sister. "You've always been the strong one in the family, and seeing you like this, broken and vulnerable, breaks my heart just as profoundly. But, I have to ask you something..."

"What?" moaned Lynn through her tears, hanging her hands on her knees.

"Did you ever once consider that had we not gotten caught," Lincoln asked sincerely, "that you might have been the next on my list?"

"What?" Lynn whispered, staring intently at her brother.

"I loved all of you," explained Lincoln. "I mean, I was especially attracted to the younger ones, but I honestly did love all of you. I still do."

"How come you never told me?" Lynn cried beside herself in the revelation. "And, if you truly loved Lucy, why did you rape her?"

"Well..." sighed Lincoln, lowering his head. "First, I never said anything because you intimidated me, and second, I thought that's what she wanted. You know, a little roleplay based on her desire to be taken by a vampire. But, I completely misread what she wanted and fucked it up."

"That doesn't justify anything," Lynn muttered, slowly beginning to relax. "But at least I can understand your reasoning. We shared a room, and even I didn't know she had a thing for you," she replied, leaning her head back against the car. "I guess I can forgive you. I mean, hell, I liked you, myself, and dreamed of you taking me one night in a display of toxic masculinity. Of course, I was younger then. If you tried something like that today, I'd pulverize you."

"So, you forgive me?" Lincoln asked to be clear on the matter.

"Yeah..." muttered Lynn, sniffling her mucus and wiping her nose. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to run off with you or anything. I loved you once already, but that's history now. I've moved on, and you should do the same."

"I'm trying," said Lincoln, rising and offering his sister his help for a lift up. "That's why I'm doing this. I need to get rid of all my loose ends, one way or another, before I can, though."

"Consider this one closed," Lynn responded as she stood, tentatively wrapping her arms around Lincoln's neck. "And don't be a stranger, okay?"

"I won't," Lincoln cooed, gently patting Lynn's back. "Thank you for everything."

"Just don't fuck this second change up, Stincoln," she ordered after parting. "Do you understand?"

Lincoln saluted Lynn as Lily started the car and warmed the engine up, then watched Lynn stride back into the building, admiring her rear from afar. Once she'd disappeared from view, he entered the little car, and they headed off. However, it was nearly two o'clock, and he wasn't sure what the plan was.

"So, how far is Fenton?" Lincoln asked. "Do we need to stop and get a motel for the night or what?"

"Heh," chuckled Lily. "A motel sounds nice. Imagine the fun we could have there, not worrying about cleaning the sheets, eh? But no, it's only about thirty minutes north of here. If you're still sure you want to see her; we can do that and be home in time to have Hannah for dinner."

Lincoln nodded toward the highway. "Alright, let's get this over with," he sighed before falling into a pool of thoughts.

If only Lincoln could've compared his private thoughts with Lily's, he might have seen how different he'd become over the past few days. While Lincoln looked forward to seeing Hannah again and treating her to a well-cooked meal using one of his father's old recipes, Lily's daydream played out as something entirely different. Seeing herself place Hannah on the table before Lincoln, spread eagle and eager to please, her juices began to flow.

"God, she's a hot little fuck, ain't she?" cooed Lily, rubbing her crotch with one hand while driving with the other.

"Stop it!" exclaimed Lincoln, genuinely angry. "Just stop it, okay? She's more than that. She's a sweet little girl who got dealt a bad hand. Her parents are trash who introduced her to the idea of sex entirely before she was ready, and now she's seeking that from others just to get some measure of happiness and attention in her life."

"Lincoln?" prodded Lily a few moments of silence later. "What's gotten into you? Aren't you attracted to her anymore? I thought you wanted to suck ass until she shit, remember?" she asked with concern.

"Of course, I'm still attracted to her and would love to do that," he reassured her. "But, I'm beginning to reconsider some things. What she needs is more important than what I want. And quite frankly, I think you've let all this go to your head. I mean, sex is amazing, but it isn't everything, but you're acting like it's your sole purpose for living. After talking with my sisters and dealing with Hannah's abuse this morning, I realize now that it isn't. Is that how I used to be?"

"Lincoln..." sighed Lily, growing misty-eyed. "There is something left of the real in there after all, isn't there?"

"I guess so..." sighed Lincoln, rolling down his window a little more as the sun heated the midday air. "I mean, I'm still me. I always have been, and probably always will be. I'll always have a thing for little girls and perverted sex, but my priorities are changing. That, and well..."

"Yes?" prompted Lily, urging him to continue.

"Well," said Lincoln, unsure how to word his response. "I think I'm finally coming to understand what love really is, something I never fully understood before. Lily..."

"Hm?" hummed his sister as she continued stimulating herself through her jeans.

"I think I'm in love with her," Lincoln finally admitted. "Hannah, that is. And, I want to do right by her, not fuck her up like I did you and the others."

"It's too late for that, Lincoln," replied Lily. "You know, that little girl is in love with you and already has plans to marry you? All she talks about is you and how much she loves you and wants to have sex with you. I don't know. I wish someone would look at me that way."

"Well, maybe if you put them first, they might," Lincoln answered quietly.

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked, becoming irritated. "I put you first my whole life, and you still don't look at me like that! You wanted sex, and I gave it to you!"

"Oh, Lily," sighed Lincoln. "I never thought I'd apologize to you over this, but I'm sorry. I am in love with you, and I didn't mean to imply anything less. But, what I said that sex wasn't as important to me now as it used to be?"

"I don't know..." Lily responded, small tears forming in her eyes. "I've spent the last twelve years pleading for your return, and preparing myself to satisfy you, the way I remember you. But you've changed, and I don't know how to react to that."

"Neither do I, Lily," Lincoln murmured. "Neither do I."