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

marz-senpai: Don't worry about it. I know how most people feel about it and keep any references short and relatively description free. And thanks for not spamming the reviews. Hopefully, people will get back to reviewing the story, characters, and writing. My personal life should be of no interest to anyone anyway.

Demons and Angels

By Lola Presents

Chapter 11

The trip north was only about thirty miles, though it seemed to take forever. After Lincoln's and Lily's brief dialog at the beginning, the conversation remained sparse for the remainder. Each became lost in their own thoughts, and while their focus was different, they covered the same ground.

Lincoln had never questioned himself before, not even while incarcerated. The young man knew who he was and didn't want to change. Yet, his experiences with Hannah and the discussions with his family introduced doubt. He wasn't about to abandon his passions, however, and tried to find a way to balance them against his new emotions.

On the other hand, Lily was distraught over her lover's new demeanor. Her brother was changing and had fallen in love with Hannah. While she completely understood, she feared his passion for herself might wane, and they would eventually drift apart. Lily spent the rest of the trip trying to place herself in Lincoln's shoes and see things from his point of view.

Eventually, they crossed into Fenton, and after a few minutes of locating the building where Leni worked, they pulled into the parking lot. It wasn't a large building and quite unassuming. If one hadn't had the address, they might not have guessed it was owned and operated by the government. The only thing giving it away was a small sign with the DHHS logo.

Lily followed her brother into the foyer, where they met a guard who had them empty their pockets into a little tray and step through a metal detector. After they'd passed their scans and had their things returned, they were allowed to proceed to the lobby, where Lincoln introduced himself to the receptionist.

"Good afternoon," he addressed the man behind the desk. "We're here to see Leni Loud."

"I'm sorry, sir," the man apologized, "but she isn't taking visitors today."

"Tell her that her brother and sister, Lincoln and Lily, are here on family business," Lincoln insisted. "It's rather important."

"Very well," sighed the man. "Have a seat while I call her office."

The two siblings found seats nearby, sat, and waited until the receptionist called them. They weren't sure exactly what the man's duties were, nor how much time he spent trying to get through to Leni. However, it was nearly ten minutes before he stood and motioned them to the door leading out of the lobby.

"Go through these doors and look for room 126, please," he instructed. "Knock, and wait for Ms. Benedict to answer the door."

"Thank you," chirped Lily before she followed Lincoln through the door and down a long hallway.

"Benedict?" Lincoln inquired as the scanned room numbers. "Did I miss something?"

"Uh, yeah," muttered Lily, striding along beside Lincoln. "I forgot to mention that she got married a while back to a guy named Moses Benedict, but he ended up cheating on her, and they got a divorce."

"Why on earth did she keep his name?" Lincoln quipped, passing room 115. "If that happened to me, that would be the first thing I did."

"I don't know," offered Lily, "but it probably had something to do with her not wanting to change her child's name too."

"She has a kid?" chirped Lincoln, surprised that Leni was not only successful but had the patience to raise a child.

"Yeah," murmured Lily. "A little girl about seven or eight. Her name is Olivia, and she's cute as a button. But, maybe you shouldn't ask about her. seems counterproductive."

Lincoln nodded as room 126 came into view. "Noted," he agreed. "Here were are," he added while knocking on the door.

"Come in! It's open!" called a cheerful and quite familiar voice from within.

Lincoln turned the knob and entered the small office. A large desk sat in front of an even bigger window, dressed with lush curtains. Folders and paperwork were neatly stacked and organized throughout the room, and two potted plants rested in either corner of the room Leni's desk faced. A tall bookcase rested against one wall while her diplomas hung from the other.

Leni beamed at them as they entered, stood, and ran to them, giving them each a warm hug. "Oh, em, gosh, guys!" she chirped. "It's been way too long! How are you guys doing? I heard you'd gotten out of prison from Lori and knew you wouldn't stay away for long."

"Oh, well..." sighed Lincoln, rubbing his head. "Just going around, talking to everyone to see if I can answer any questions and ask forgiveness."

"Have you had any luck?" inquired Leni, still beaming at them.

"Yeah, mostly," replied Lincoln. "Lily, since she's here with me. Lisa and Lana forgave me and are all back in my life. Lola accepted too but couldn't get back together with me. Lucy flipped out. Lynn and Lori both forgave me, though Lynn wanted to distance themselves from me, while Lori was ambivalent about the whole thing. I haven't seen anyone else yet, though, so I still have hope. So, what about you?"

Leni threw her arms around him, squeezing tightly. "You know me," she cried. "I'm a big softie, and you've paid your debt to society. So, of course, I forgive you."

"Thanks, Leni," Lincoln sighed in relief. "I was hoping you wouldn't see Lily and me together and have us arrested for incest."

"Lincoln!" balked Lily, astounded at her brother. "Don't give her any ideas!"

"No, it's okay," chirped Leni as she parted from her brother. "You're adults, and while it's not something I'd do, I'm willing to look the other way as long as you don't go raping any more little girls. Okay?"

Lincoln nodded curtly. "Speaking of which, I was wondering if you could do something for us?"

"That depends," replied Leni, walking around the desk and sitting in her leather chair. "I can't marry you if that's what you're asking, and I can't expunge your record."

"Heh, no," Lincoln responded, chuckling at the notion as he took a seat in one of the guest chairs. Scooting forward and resting his elbows on the desk, he steepled his hands. "There's this little girl that lives next door to us..." he began.

Leni frowned and furrowed her brows at her brother. "This isn't what I think it is, is it?" she asked. "Because I can't condone it."

"No," Lincoln replied sharply, shaking his head. "Her parents are physically abusing her. I've confronted the father and roughed him up a bit, and I think he got the message. But, I wanted to know if there was anything more I could do legally to ensure her safety."

"That's a serious accusation, Lincoln," Leni told him. "Do you have any proof?"

"No, but..." sighed Lincoln, wishing he had.

"I do," interjected Lily, bringing up her phone and enlarging the last image she'd taken. "Here," she said, handing the device to Leni.

The picture displayed Hannah's back, along with all the bruises and contusions she had, taken between the time she finished her bath and got dressed for school that morning. Leni's eyes watered over, and she began silently weeping for the child.

"I'm sorry, but I have to report this," she informed them. "I'll need the parents' names and addresses, please."

"Wait, no!" begged Lincoln, fearing he'd just made the worst mistake of his life. "Lily and I love her too much to have her disappear into the system., where she'll likely get ignored or further abused. Please, isn't there something else we can do besides that?"

Leni looked at her brother and smiled. "Is that remorseful compensation I hear?" she observed. Then, handing back Lily's phone, she relaxed in her chair and considered things. "If you can ensure her parents don't abuse her again, I'll look past this for now. But I'm afraid there's little else I can do."

"I see," sighed Lincoln, afraid that he might have to risk getting arrested again should Mr. Cobb renege on his promise.

"Will there be anything else?" inquired Leni, resting her arms on her desk and leaning forward expectantly.

"Actually..." Lincoln muttered, looking at Leni again. "There is. I was watching Netflix the other day and saw that they'd continued the Cutie series, only it had worsened. What's the deal with that?"

"Well, while I'm glad you're having remorseful thoughts, I don't expect your orientation ever to change, so I'm a little surprised that you were concerned enough about it to ask," she told him earnestly. "However, about eight years ago, a group known as the Virtuous Pedophiles managed to get legislation passed that distinguished between those who were attracted to children but chose to remain celibate and actual child molesters," she continued. "The law made it illegal to harass or discriminate against a virtuous pedophile or a convicted child molester who has served their time. Unfortunately, it also opened the gates for further legislation that relaxed restrictions on how children could get portrayed in the media."

Lincoln looked at Lily for a moment and then back at Leni. "Well, my first day back, Fred, my old barber, held me at knife-point," he informed her. "He would've killed me had Lily not been there to intervene. Does this law cover that?"

"It sure as hell does," exclaimed Leni. "While I no longer practice law, I have contacts who can help. Let me make a few calls and see what I can do. In the meantime, keep your nose clean, alright? Any legal entanglements might throw a monkey wrench in things."

Lincoln nodded in agreement and stood to shake her hand. However, Leni wouldn't hear of it and met them again for farewell hugs.

"It was good to see you again," she whimpered. "Both of you. Take care now, and I'll be in touch."

"See you, Leni," offered Lincoln. "Thanks again!"

"Bye, Leni!" chirped Lily, holding Lincoln's hand as they left.

Near six o'clock, they pulled into their driveway, and Lincoln and Lily stretched as they exited the car. Both were extremely sore from all the riding the past two days and wanted some time to relax. A nice dinner and recreational sex afterward was just the thing to calm them down. However, as they approached their house, Hannah came running from around the corner of her house.

"Mister Lincoln!" she squealed, leaping into his arms. "You're home!"

Getting taken off guard, Lincoln had to move quickly not to drop the little girl, but his raw strength was enough to manage the feat. And after adjusting, once she was in his arms, he addressed her.

"Hey there, sugar-butt," Lincoln cooed in a loving whisper. "How was your day at school?"

"It was okay, I guess," admitted Hannah. "Some people liked the new me. Others hated it, saying I was a wanna-be, whatever that means."

"Awe..." cooed Lincoln again. "They were only jealous because you're so pretty," he told her, heading into their house, doubting Mr. or Mrs. Cobb would dare object. "I was just about to cook some dinner," he said, placing her on the floor and locking the front door. "Would you like to stay for some?"

"Boy! Would I!" Hannah exclaimed, rubbing her entirely too thin belly. "Your food is the best!"

"Well," sighed Lincoln as he began preparing to make dinner. "I don't know about that. My father's meals are even better. But, I do what I can."

Lily sat in the living room, listening to their discussion, genuinely listening, and as she did, something warm and satisfying came over her. Hearing him lovingly talk about everyday things with Hannah and the occasional mention of her father and his cooking brought back memories of simpler times before she and Lincoln started their relationship.

"Hey, mister Lincoln?" asked Hannah as she got the table ready as best she knew how. "Do you think that after dinner we can do more sex together?"

Lincoln stopped what he was doing and stooped to her level, looking her in the eye. "Listen, sugar-butt," he began solemnly. "I don't know if that's such a good idea anymore. Honestly, you're too young for it, and I don't want to hurt you. I love you too much. Besides, it's against the law, and if anyone ever found out, I'd be back in jail."

"Oh, please," Hannah replied, rolling her eyes. "It's not like I didn't know what it was. My parents have done it in front of me since I was little, and the kids around here, well, what do you think they do all day, play? It's okay. I wanted you to have sex with me, and I still do. I love you, mister Lincoln."

Lincoln was conflicted. His carnal desires hadn't changed, and they now battled against his recent moral enlightenment, fighting for dominance. "I don't know, sugar-butt," sighed Lincoln. "I know you can have sex without discomfort, but I'd feel like I was taking advantage of you. You've been through so much already with your parent's abuse. I don't want to add any stress to your life or have you grow up like me. Do you understand?"

Lily's heart began to melt under the emotional dialog Lincoln gave Hannah, and she started weeping for her lost innocence. Yet, she remained, continuing to eavesdrop while nervously smoking a cigarette.

Hannah shook her head furiously, staring at Lincoln forlornly. "No! I don't understand," she cried. "What's wrong with being like you? You're kind and sweet. You take care of me and want the best for me. So what if we have sex too? Why can't we do both? And it's okay. You aren't taking advantage of me. I offered, remember? I mean, people take advantage of offers all the time! If a store has a sale, you take advantage of it. If you have a coupon, you use it. And now, you have me! Please don't shut me out like this!"

Beginning to cry, Lincoln wrapped his arms around Hannah and embraced her tightly. "I'm so sorry, baby," whispered Lincoln, swaying back and forth, calming her down. "Is this what you truly want?" he asked. "Please, you have to be sure. Think about this. You'd never be able to tell anyone about us, even if you feel like shouting it to the world. It's going to get lonely, not being able to go on dates with your friends or kiss me in public..."

"I have thought about it," whimpered Hannah, "every second since I met you. Lincoln," she cooed. "I want, no, I need to be with you forever."

"Do both," Lily repeated in her head, wondering if that were possible. It would take a lot of discussions, and they would have to set rules on when and where they could do things together, but if it meant keeping Lincoln as his lover, she could at least try. Maybe keeping their sexual antics in the bedroom wasn't a bad idea after all. "Do both," she muttered to herself. "That could work."

"If you're certain about this, then, yes," Lincoln finally replied after parting from Hannah and holding her at arm's length. "But, you can't let it consume you, alright? As I said earlier, sex is good but isn't everything."

"I promise," chirped Hannah, smiling at Lincoln before leaning in and giving him the most passionate and gentle kiss he'd ever received.

Unfortunately, their tender moment got unceremoniously interrupted by a loud knock on the door. "Coming," Lily called as she stood and answered the door.

"Hey! Hannah!" he called, completely ignoring Lily. "Are you in here? Get your ass to the car! We're all packed and ready to go!"

Lincoln rose in a flash and stood beside Lily with Hannah hovering just behind him. "What do you mean by packed and ready to go? Where are you going?"

"Away from you!" yelled Mr. Cobb. "That's where. Now, get in the car, Hannah!"

"No, wait," pleaded Lincoln, nearly breaking into tears again. "You can't do this. She means a lot to Lily and me!"

"He's right!" exclaimed Lily, proudly puffing her chest. "She's a special, sweet little girl, and we'd love to have her."

"What?" gasped Mr. Cobb, a blank expression on his face. "Are you seriously asking me just to hand her over? Do you know how much pain and grief that little brat has caused us? She'll do the same to you, I tell you."

"Wait..." said Barb as she shuffled over to the foot of the porch, her walking practically bending under the strain. "What's going on?"

"They want to keep the little shit!" gasped Richard, growing red in the face. "Can you believe that?"

"Fine, I say let them have her," argued Barb. "I'm tired of caring for my dumb sister's child anyway. Stupid bitch got pregnant at thirteen and killed herself from an overdose."

"Are you serious?" gasped Richard, staring lovingly at his wife.

"This may be our only chance to get rid of her properly, Richard," she told him. "And, she does seem to like them an awful lot. Just get the papers, and let's go."

Lincoln and Lily stared in astonishment as Richard strutted to the car, opened a box, and pulled out a manila folder, handing it to Lincoln. "Here you go, she's all yours! Don't forget to get them notarized, and good luck!"

"Bye, Mr. and Mrs. Cobb," cheered Hannah, jumping for joy behind Lincoln, nearly pantsing him in the process. "I hope I never see you again!"

"Now, Hannah," scolded Lily. "I know they weren't very nice to you, but they just did the nicest thing possible. Show a little more gratitude."

"I'm sorry," Hannah sighed, knowing she was right. But it was too late, and her former guardians had flopped their fat asses into their ancient Oldsmobile station wagon and tore off down the road.

Lincoln peered into the folder, illuminated by the porch light. Inside were Hannah's birth certificate, social security card, and a set of unsigned adoption papers. Lincoln's eyes flew open, and he glanced at Lily, smiling.

"Hand me your phone, Lils," requested Lincoln. "I need to call Leni."

"Hey, Leni?" Lincoln said a moment later, still standing on the porch, holding the folder in his hands. "I'm sorry to bother you this late, but something's come up."

"What is it, Lincy?" Leni responded.

"You know that little girl I mentioned earlier?" Leni's brother prompted. "Her parents, well, her guardians just skipped town and left her with us," he informed her. "And they left us with her birth certificate, social security card, and a set of unsigned adoption papers. What do we do to get this legalized?"

"God, those people sound awful," Leni quipped. "I'm happy they left her with you two, though. She'll be in good hands, I'm sure of it," she said before thinking for a moment. "Normally, someone at the local DSS or an attorney could sign it, but in your case, I don't think they would, given your past. Nor would they sign her over to Lily since you live with her. But, as it happens, the DSS answers to the DHHS, so I have full authority. How about I come over tomorrow after work and set you up?"

"Really!" screamed Lincoln, excited beyond measure. "Do you mean that? You'd look beyond my past and my relationship with Lily?"

"For the child's sake, yes," Leni informed him merrily. "Besides, I feel she's going to be good for the both of you. But I'm about to make dinner for Olivia, so I'll see you tomorrow. Oh! I can't wait to meet Hannah. I'm sure she and Olivia will get along great! Toodles!"