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

Dark Beginnings

By Lola Presents

Chapter 2 - Realizations

Lincoln rose late that Saturday morning, believing it earlier than it was. After several attempts at trying to fall back asleep, he realized why. Sleepily pulling the covers off his head, he blinked at the sudden burst of sunlight that splashed upon his face, blinding him momentarily.

Yawning deeply, he stretched his arms toward the ceiling, hearing two distinct cracks as his elbows popped. Then, rubbing his face, he considered his activities for the day. It was the first day of summer, and he wanted to make the most of it. Yet, something nagged at him.

"Oh, right," he murmured as he threw the covers off and sat on the edge of his bed. "I have to get Lynn to train me..."

After standing wearily, Lincoln scratched his balls through his underwear and took stock of himself in the circular mirror that hung over his dresser. Striking a few poses, he concluded that he was no Mr. Universe. Lynn could only do so much with the thin noodles he called arms.

Maybe, if they were lucky, the problem would go away on its own. But knowing Chandler, that wasn't very likely. The boy had issues and knew how to hold a grudge. Even besting him at the haunted house didn't keep the belligerent child at bay long.

Then again, recalling seeing his sister, Lucy, bleeding as she knelt upon the ground reignited the anger he'd felt the previous day. Rifling through his drawers, he located an old pair of black sweatpants and a white tank top. Slipping them on, he left his room searching for his athletic sister.

The reason for Lincoln's newfound desire to work out had already awoken, eaten a bowl of oatmeal, and was presently standing in the shower. Washing her hair and body, she stood in the warm water for a moment, doing nothing more than reflecting on the previous day.

Even though her brother was too late to prevent her injury, Lincoln showed up eventually. He had always been attentive to her needs, which few others did. And his advice, though somewhat abrasive, had rung true. She had been hiding for most of her life.

Lincoln had always supported her, regardless of what she did. Simply having him around was a boost to her self-confidence. Now, he had gotten involved in her personal affairs, and she was scared to death that he might get hurt. Unable to bear the thought, she hit the tiled wall.

"Damn it, Lincoln," she grumbled as the warm water cascaded down her petite form. "Why did you have to show up?" she cried, massaging her sore knuckles.

Reigning in her emotions, Lucy finally applied the conditioner to her hair, hoping it would increase the rate at which her unnaturally dyed hair would fade. With Lincoln as her example, all she wanted to do was be normal again. But it had been so long, and she wasn't sure she knew how.

She wasn't even sure why. While her brother had spoken the truth, Lucy couldn't help but feel there was more behind her acceptance of it than wanting to be liked. After all, she'd experienced an awkward moment while reading her novel the previous day, which confused her terribly.

"Hey! Lynn!" chirped Lincoln as he entered the kitchen, briskly taking a seat.

"Yeah?" replied his sister, peering at him from underneath her brow as she slurped some Grape Nuts cereal in milk. "Why do you look like an anorexic Steve Rogers?"

"Okay..." sighed the perplexed boy. "First, I'm surprised you know who Steve Rogers is. Second, I need you to train me in case I need to defend myself against Chandler."

Forgetting her meal, Lynn sat upright and considered her brother, a little milk dribbling down her chin. She had never known him to be the slightest bit interested in any form of exercise, let alone something this intense. Lowering her lids, she began to doubt his sincerity.

"Seriously?" she muttered, looking both excited and uncertain. "Because if you aren't, you're just wasting my time, and I don't appreciate that. I'm serious about what I do."

"I know that, Lynn," answered her brother. "And yes, I'm dead serious. I need to protect Lucy."

"If I'd known a little chivalry was all it would take to get you to take your body and health seriously," Lynn offered, cocking one brow at her brother, "I'd have introduced you to some of my teammates a long time ago."

"What?" sputtered Lincoln, oatmeal spilling from his agape mouth.

"I'm kidding, Stincoln," Lynn laughed. Then growing suddenly stern, she asserted herself. "But I mean it. No goofing around. And if you quit on me, I'll punch you in the arm one hundred times!"

After standing, Lincoln reached across the table and offered his hand.

"Deal," he announced. "When do we start?"

Lynn also rose and accepted his gesture, but not before spitting in her palm.

"Right now," she declared as she left the table, not bothering to clean her mess. "Follow me to the garage."

Clean and dressed, Lucy wandered into the living room and took a seat in the recliner that Lincoln usually graced. Wearing the same outfit from the previous night, she'd flattened her hair straight, and her bangs were neatly brushed back and tied into a cute but short ponytail attached to the back of her head.

"Good morning!" chirped Leni as she filed her nails.

"If you say so," groaned the goth in disguise. "Though I don't see what's so good about it."

"Oh, come on!" pleaded Lucy's older sister. "It must be nice having someone come to your rescue like that," she said. Then, more thoughtfully, "Someday, Lincoln's going to make some girl extremely happy."

"Okay, first," Lucy reminded her older sibling, "Lincoln didn't rescue me. He only aided me afterward. Second, ew..."

"What?" inquired Leni, unaware of her sister's meaning.

"I'm his sister," Lucy complained. "Duh..."

"Wait, no," urged Leni. "That's not what I meant. You didn't think I meant..." she muttered before stopping entirely. Then, "Lucy! That's disgusting!"

"No!" pleaded the flustered girl, berating herself for her misstep. "I didn't mean it like that!" she declared. "I, never mind..." she requested as she rose and left in a huff.

Lynn stood behind a large red punching bag that hung from the garage ceiling, steadying it against her weight and stance as Lincoln stood as instructed, repeatedly throwing punches as Lynn moved the bag.

"You're doing great!" Lynn cheered, urging him on. "Remember, stay low and keep your body protected at all times. Your jaw can take more than you think, but your body can't."

"Whew!" gasped Lincoln, wiping the sweat from his brow as he stood to gather his breath. "I need a break. This training is hard work."

"NO!" shouted Lynn in consternation. "You can't expect an opponent to give you a break, so why should I? Now, come on! Keep going!" she demanded.

Reluctantly, Lincoln retook the prescribed stance and bobbed back and forth as Lynn pushed the bag at him. After testing an approach from his left, then his right, Lynn shoved the bag straight for him. Although Lincoln managed to dodge the maneuver, he nearly lost his footing.

"You must watch your stance and footing better," declared Lynn, giving her brother every pointer she knew. "Be aware of your surroundings, too! You don't want to trip and leave yourself exposed!"

Then stopping for a moment, Lynn let her brother catch his breath.

"I'm proud of you, Lincoln," she announced, calling him by his name instead of the awful nickname she usually used. "Now, let's try some kicks. Alright?"

"Hey, Mom?" asked Lucy, wandering into the kitchen, getting her mother's attention.

"Oh, hi!" Rita chirped, taking in her daughter's unusually pristine appearance. "My, don't you look nice today? Got a hot date?" she teased.

"Uh..." stammered the flustered girl. "No. I was only looking for Lincoln. Have you seen him?"

"I think he's in the garage with Lynn," her mother informed her. "Why?"

"No reason," offered Lucy timidly. "I was only curious because I hadn't seen him this morning," she told her mother. "What are they doing out there?"

"I have no idea, sweetie," Rita responded, returning to washing the morning's dishes. "Why don't you go see?"

"Okay," moaned Lucy as she headed for the back door.

Lucy went to see alright. Only she didn't intend to make her presence known. Without explanation, Lucy felt a heated feeling wash through her at learning Lincoln was hanging out with Lynn. Desperate to find out why, she crept toward the garage, knelt before the window, and peeked in.

As Rita hummed merrily to herself, washing the dishes, she rolled her head to release tension in her neck. Noticing her gloomy daughter crouched covertly outside the garage, she stopped what she was doing and watched curiously, wondering why she didn't just join them.

Putting her hands on her hips, she stared intently.

"Great job!" the hidden girl heard her sister say as she watched Lincoln finish a series of rough round-house kicks to the bag at various heights. "But remember your positioning. Alright? Don't kick too aggressively, or you'll throw yourself out of balance."

"Got it," Lincoln huffed as he tried a few more times.

"Better," Lynn declared as she let go of the bag and stepped away. "Much better."

"Whew..." sighed Lincoln, again wiping beads of sweat from his brow.

Having soaked his tank top, Lincoln had removed it, using it as a rag instead. And Lucy's eyes grew as she stared at her brother, standing not five feet away, his chest slick with sweat, and her heart began to pound.

"What do you say we try some deadlifts?" suggested Lincoln's present sister, putting a few disks onto the bar resting above her weight bench.

"I don't know," sighed Lincoln, rubbing his arms. "I'm exhausted. How about a break first?"

"No can do, bro," Lynn exclaimed. "If you're going to 'protect Lucy' as you want, you can't stop now," she told him. "A little soreness is expected. But that doesn't get you anywhere. It would help if you pushed until things hurt. That's when you know you've made progress."

"How?" questioned Lincoln, rubbing his other bicep.

"That's when your muscles tear," Lynn told him, point blank. "Then they grow back stronger. That's what all this is for, dummy! You want to be strong for her. Right?"

"I do," sighed Lincoln, laying under the bar.

Stooping outside the garage, Lucy felt a sharp sting in her chest and nearly doubled over. However, she managed to steady herself by holding on to the window sill. Then, turning and sitting against the enclosure, her mind raced. Lincoln wasn't doing this only for himself!

At least, that's what the stunned and confused girl read into things. Naturally, she was wrong, but love is blind, and Lucy had fallen for her brother whether she realized it yet or not. All Lincoln wanted to do was protect his sisters. Lucy just happened to be the neighborhood bully's current target.

Satisfied that Lincoln's association with Lynn hadn't been anything untoward, Lucy stood and scuttled her way back to the house. And finding her mothers standing there, leaning against the kitchen counter with her arms folded and a strange look on her face, she stopped in her tracks.

"So?" asked Lucy's mother, having noticed the goofy grin on her daughter's face as she returned to the house. "What were they doing?"

"Not much," sighed Lucy. "Lynn's helping Lincoln work out. That's all."

"And did they enjoy your company?" her mother asked innocently. "I mean, I can't imagine you had anything to add."

"Uh, yeah..." Lucy stammered, slowly inching her way to the living room. "It was, uh, nice..." she fibbed. "Bye!" she added before bolting from the kitchen, leaving one perplexed mother in her wake.

While Lucy disappeared into her room, Lincoln pushed himself through several sets of dead weights, leg lifts, curls, and other exercises that his sister turned trainer had prescribed. And once the regiment concluded, Lynn smiled and offered him her hand in a congratulatory high-five.

"Lincoln," said Lynn as she sat beside her brother on the weight bench. "I have to admit. I never thought I'd see the day you took pride in yourself. I'm impressed. Trust me. Keep this up, and you'll not only look better, but you'll also feel better."

"Well..." sighed the exhausted young man as he took a sip from a water bottle Lynn provided him. "I'm not doing this to get healthier or feel better," he reminded her. "I'm doing it for Lucy."

Lynn stared at her brother for a moment, trying to read him. And despite not being very good at such things, she could tell he meant what he said. Lincoln's earlier comments about needing to protect them all were a farce. After all, they had her, who already knew how to fight.

"May I ask you something?" Lynn said warmly after drinking from her bottle.

"Sure," replied Lincoln, wiping his chest free of sweat with his balled-up tank top. "What's up?"

"Why are you really doing this?" she asked. "And don't give me that protection crap," she demanded. "I know you said you want to protect all of us, but I can do that much. And you keep referring to Lucy specifically."

"I don't know what you mean," Lincoln honestly responded. "She's the one getting bullied right now."

"Yes. But why now?" Lynn continued. "Why did it take her to get you motivated?"

"I don't know..." muttered Lynn's brother as he furrowed his brow. "I just..."

"You just, what?" Lynn prompted. Then before he could respond, she shook her suspicions off and dismissed him. "Never mind," she announced, standing merrily and slapping him on the shoulder. "Go take a shower. And use my special body wash while you're at it. You've earned it."

"Sounds good," nodded Lincoln as he rose and headed for the house. "Thanks for everything, Lynn."

Parting from her brother at the top of the stairs, Lynn headed for her room while Lincoln entered the bathroom. Upon entering her room, Lynn noticed the light was off, which was typical of her roommate. However, she had also pulled the drapes closed, casting a mournful pall over the room.

After closing the door, Lynn walked over to the curtains and parted them enough to find a fresh pair of clothing as she'd worked up a sweat of her own while training her brother. Then, as she pulled a new pair of shorts and a tee shirt from her drawer, she noticed her sister's odd behavior.

Lucy was sitting on her bed, with her legs pulled up to her chest. Her arms were wrapped around them, binding them closely, and her chin rested on her knees. The little novel Lucy had been so fervently reading the last few days sat unopened on the bed before her.

"Lucy?" whispered Lynn, not wanting to startle her otherwise occupied sister. "Are you alright?"

"I'm not sure," whispered Lucy, sniffling but unmoving. "I watched you train Lincoln."

"I see," sighed Lucy's sister, pursing her lips as she sat on the bed next to her little sister. "I know you don't want him to get hurt. That's why I'm training him. He'll be fine. I'm good at what I do."

"I know. It's not that," whimpered Lucy. "I mean, you're right. I don't want him to get hurt. Only I can't believe he's doing all this for me."

Lynn recalled her suspicions from earlier, pursing her lips again and drawing her head back slightly. Something strange was happening between her siblings. And not knowing what it was scared her.

"Listen," Lynn whispered, leaning closer to her sister. "I don't want to alarm you, but I think Lincoln has a crush on you."

"He does?" whined Lucy, idly fiddling with her shoelaces.

"I think so," admitted Lynn. "I could be wrong. But if not, what are you going to do about it?"

"I..." sobbed Lucy. "I don't know..."

"What do you mean you don't know?" gasped Lucy's sister. "He's your bro-ther..." she said, dragging the word out for emphasis. "You gently turn him down! That's what you're going to do. Right?"

"Maybe..." sighed Lucy, still not looking her sister in the eyes. "But what if I don't want to?"

"What?" gasped Lynn, shocked beyond her wits. "I can't believe you!" she declared, coming to her feet.

After shaking her head in frustration, Lynn folded one arm, propped up the other, and held her head in disgust. Her macabre little sister had always been into weird and unusual pairings, from her novels to her prior obsession with that stupid statue of Edwin, the vampire.

Slowly, Lynn relaxed and retook her seat with her troubled sister. Although she didn't understand or approve, the last thing she wanted was for Lucy to work through her feelings alone. They had been roommates for years and told each other everything. Remaining silent wasn't an option.

"Do you like him?" Lynn finally asked.

Lincoln hummed to himself as the warm water washed away the grime and smell. And though his muscles hurt, the shower soothed them. Of course, he knew that one workout session wouldn't turn him into the Hulk or anything, but he had to flex a few times.

Then, picking up Lynn's body wash, he flipped the lid and sniffed the contents. Satisfied that he wouldn't end up smelling like a flower, he squeezed some into his palm and lathered up. It wouldn't be long before he could protect Lucy, which brought a smile to his face.

Of all his sisters, Lucy was the one with whom he felt any connection, but not because he spent an abnormal amount of time with her. He didn't. It had more to do with the similarities in their interests and hobbies. Though he had to admit, they approached the subjects from opposing views.

While he wanted to hunt and capture ghosts, she tried to befriend them. But he knew that underneath her prickly exterior was an innocent little girl who only wanted what everyone else wanted; to be accepted for who she was. Perhaps that's why he was working so hard to protect her.

That had to be it. Right?