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

Tainted Love

By Lola Presents

Chapter 10

Despite it being Saturday, Rita rose early after a good night's rest. She yawned as she stretched and listened as her shoulder joints popped. Such was becoming more frequent lately, but it didn't bother her. Then, after donning her robe and brushing her hair into submission, she teetered wearily toward the kitchen.

Yawning one last time and blinking the slumber from her eyes, she poured some water into the coffee pot and turned it on, trying to remember everything she had to do that weekend. There was lawn care, for sure, and all the usual household chores. Of course, the children had duties, and they mostly succeeded. However, there was always something left over at the end of the week.

Someone had done all the dishes, and the house was relatively clean, which was a small blessing. But something smelled. Was it the trash? No, the bin was empty, and continued a fresh bag. The elusive task then came to her. Clothes. All her husband's used aprons and her stained scrubs had yet to get washed, let alone all the children's clothes from the previous day.

"May as well get a head start," she thought. "Maybe once I gather everything, the coffee will be ready."

Groaning slightly, she stood, then made her way up the stairs to gather everyone's hampers. Neither the stairwell nor the hallway was well lit yet. The sun had only begun to rise and filter through the curtains. In turn, Rita slipped into each child's room, tossed whatever remained on the floor into their hamper, then carried the receptacle downstairs to the basement.

Still anticipating her morning coffee, Rita moved on autopilot as she brought the last basket down and began loading the washer. "Orange polo, blue pants, socks, another orange polo," she said absent-mindedly, "more blue pants, a light blue tank top, panties, more socks..."

Then, something made Rita stop. "Panties?" she said aloud, searching through the washer's top layer. Then, locating them, the confused mother inspected them, recognizing their owner immediately. "Now, why would Lori's panties be in Lincoln's room?" she thought.

It took a few moments for Rita's still foggy brain to add things and arrive at an inescapable conclusion. Lincoln must be masturbating. "Well," she sighed, tossing the garment into the waiting cylinder. "At least he's no longer chronically depressed. I can deal with this. It's all the crying I can't stand. Still, his sister's underwear? I don't remember puberty being that awkward. I suppose I'll get Lynn to have a chat with him later."

Though Rita's guess was close, she had missed the mark entirely. However, she had no reason to think anything else, and it gave her some measure of comfort that things were returning to normal, which was a relative term in their house. After loading the washer, the scent of coffee began to make its way down to the cellar, calling Rita.

Lori didn't want to wake. She was warm and comfortable. Her body draped over Lincoln's with her bare breasts pressed against his side, wedging his arm between them. Then, her eyes sprang open. Lincoln?

Lincoln stirred as Lori propped herself up, getting her bearings. "Mm," he murmured. "Good morning, Precious."

"Good morning, Pooky," cooed Lori, facing him with a morning smile and a kiss on the forehead. "I better get out of here before one of our parents discovers us."

Lori swung her legs out of the bed as she tossed the covers to one side. Fully awake now, the warmth receded, and only then did she notice how sticky she was. A shower was definitely in order. Lori held the edge of the bed, took a deep breath, and then looked up. Something was wrong. Missing was accurate.

"Oh, shit!" gulped the panicking teen. "My clothes!"

"Huh?" muttered Lincoln, crawling around her and hopping to the floor. "Uh, Lori..."

"What?" gasped the stricken girl. "How am I going to leave now?"

"I think it might be more serious than that," surmised Lincoln. "Surely Mom saw us. Right?"

"Oh, God..." whimpered Lori, fear creeping upon her face. "What are we going to do?"

"Alright, don't panic," Lincoln encouraged her as he pointed at his topmost blanket. "Wrap up in that and go get cleaned up. We don't know who picked up and if they saw us or not. So, unless someone says something, we go on as before."

Lori nodded and began smiling again. Yet, the rush of emotion was powerful enough to take its toll. Thus, Lori wiped a few fledgling tears from her face before responding. "Of course," she whimpered. "You're right. You always are. I guess that's one of the reasons I love you so much."

"Besides," chuckled Lincoln, "if it were Mom or Dad, don't you think they would've said something then?"

"You're probably right," agreed Lori as she wrapped herself in the blanket. Then, after cracking the door enough to ensure the hallway was empty, she slipped out and waddled as quickly as she could to her room. Once inside, she flung the blanket aside and promptly gathered a fresh set of clothes and whatever she'd need while in the shower.

"Mm," yawned Leni before sitting up and taking off her sleeping mask. "Oh, hi, Lori! Did you have fun last night?"

"W-what?!" gasped Lori, nearly jumping out of her skin. However, Lori calmed down almost as quickly after seeing her sister so pleased. "Oh, hey there, Leni. Uh, yeah. But why didn't you stop me?"

Leni shrugged. "I don't know," she offered. "Why? What happened?"

"What happened?" Lori gasped, taking a seat beside her sister. "Wait, what did happen? The last thing I remember was trying to fall asleep in bed. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in Lincoln's. Oh, and someone fetched all the dirty clothes. That wasn't you, was it?"

"No, I was asleep, remember?" Leni reminded her. "I mean, I just woke up. How could it have been me?"

Lori furrowed her brows and stared at the floor. "Well, keep this between you and me for now. Alright?" Then, without waiting for confirmation, Lori stood. "Anyway, I need a shower. We'll talk more later."

Downstairs, Rita was enjoying her coffee when a distinct buzzing noise sounded from below. Rita sat the cup down and rose to continue her motherly duties, pressing her lips together in dismay. There was always something to do in their house. One would think that things would get done in a family this large. But no, the tasks seemed to multiply exponentially.

A few moments later, several piles of freshly folded and matched clothes sat on the folding table beside the washer and dryer. Most were Lincoln's, naturally. However, the last one stood out in Rita's mind. Like the crossing guard she used to be, it seemed to be waving a significant red flag in front of her. Folding her arms, Rita stared at it. Why was it bothering her so much? They were just clothes, after all.

Furrowing her brow, Rita began thumbing through the single pile of garments belonging to Lori. Something was missing; she was sure of it. No, it was all there—socks, shorts, underwear, a tank top. Scrunching her mouth, she considered things once more. She couldn't blame Lincoln for doing something all pubescent boys do at some point and understood his fascination with Lori's underwear, but a whole outfit? Wasn't that a little excessive?

"Oh, God..." gasped Rita suddenly, covering her mouth and backing away from the folding table.

Rita's waking brain had finally connected Lincoln's recent bout with depression, how it changed when she returned, and the evidence before her. Her composure failed, and her body trembled as small tears formed around her ducts. How could this have happened? Had she not taught them better? Should she turn Lori in?

"No," she thought defiantly, still shaking to her core. "I'm going to keep this to myself and try getting to the bottom of it all. Maybe I can stop things before it gets any worse. There's no reason to involve Lynn. He'll only fall apart like he always does. No, this is something I have to do on my own." Then, after a moment's pause, "Dear, God, I hope she isn't pregnant."

Rita wasn't sure how long she'd stood there, but eventually, her typical demeanor returned, and she composed herself before returning to her coffee. Not long after, the center of her attention walked into the room.

"Hi, Mom!" Lori chirped. "Good morning!"

Rita gazed up at her eldest daughter, who seemed entirely too cheerful. "Good morning, Lori," she replied, near being convinced. "Sleep well?"

"Mmhm," cooed Lori. "You? Ooh! Coffee!"

"I guess so," sighed Lori's mother. "Though, I woke up early and decided to do some laundry. You have a few things downstairs waiting for you."

"Oh, okay!" replied Lori as she took a seat at the table, cupping her coffee and blowing on it gently. "I'll get it before heading back upstairs."

Rita nodded, satisfied that Lori would get the message and perhaps divert disaster. If not, she'd try something else. There was no other choice, after all. There was no way she would lose either of her children, either to the state or each other. Whatever it took, that's what she would do, even if it meant alienating them both.

"This is good, Mom," Lori said after taking a tentative sip of her beverage. "What brand is this? I don't think I've had it before."

"Huh?" mumbled Rita, shifting her attention. "Oh, it's only Folger's. I picked up the wrong one by accident."

"Ah, I see," replied Lori cheerfully. "Well, I like it. I guess the commercials are right. There's nothing like waking up to Folger's in your cup."

"And Lincoln in your pants," thought Rita, furrowing her brows for a moment. "Well, I'm going to get dressed. Don't forget your clothes."

"I won't!" assured Lori, drinking her coffee.

"Come in," called Lincoln upon hearing a soft knock upon his door, then watched as Leni entered with his blanket neatly folded in her arms.

"Here," she chirped. "I thought you might need this later. I folded it."

"Yes, I can see that," laughed Lincoln. "You didn't have to point it out."

"Oh, right," nodded Leni. "Well, anyway, you might want to set the alarm next time."

"Right," sighed Lincoln. "Say, Leni, may I ask you something?" he added, sitting on his bed.

"Sure, what's up?" Leni asked, considering her brother.

"Doesn't any of this bother you?" asked Lincoln point-blank. "I mean, why were you so keen on getting us together?"

Leni quietly closed the door behind her and pressed her lips together for a moment before answering. "Lincoln, it's totes obvious you aren't into other girls. You know, ones not in the family. And, as much as you need Lori, she needs you. Lori is aimless. She likes to pretend she knows what she's doing. But she doesn't. Trust me on this one. I know. And you, you always know what to say, and almost always have a plan for, like, everything. She feels deeply. Almost as deeply as you think."

"But..." sighed Lincoln. "We're siblings, and after this morning, I wonder if we can keep up.

"Lincoln, you listen to me," snapped Leni, suddenly taking on a somber tone. "I know I'm not the smartest girl in the world. And, believe it or not, I'm aware of the legal implications. But that doesn't make it wrong. Stupid people make these ridiculous laws, and they can unmake them too. The point is, you two belong together, and that's all there is to it. And, no stupid people are going to tell me otherwise. Now, you take a shower and clean up. We've got your back."

Lincoln stared in disbelief as Leni righted herself and left the room, displaying rare confidence. Had she been playing them this whole time? Nah, she was slow. That much was certain. However, that didn't mean she was dumb overall. Sure, it took her longer than most to absorb things, but that didn't matter. Knowing how deeply Leni committed herself to recent dialog proved to Lincoln that his sister had given things due thought.

Sighing, Lincoln stood and prepared for his shower, hoping to get there before anyone else woke. But, seeing that it was summer, there was little chance of that. Everyone would sleep in, nearly til noon in some cases, which gave him ample time. Surely enough, the hall was empty of meddlesome sisters, and after a short walk, the bathroom door closed behind him.

Lori prolonged things as much as she could. Her cup was empty and had grown cold. Sighing, she grew tired of waiting for Lincoln to join her and wondered what the delay was. Regardless, her mother had asked her to do something, and there was no point in putting it off any longer. Lori headed downstairs after rinsing the mug and placing it back into the cabinet.

Lori hummed to herself as she descended, confident that her mother was none the wiser. If she had been suspicious, she would've taken the opportunity to say something as they drank their coffee. But that hadn't happened. Why then was she so nervous? After wading past the remaining hampers, Lori found her answer on the folding table.

There were five distinct piles of freshly folded clothing, four belonging to Lincoln and one to herself. And the fact that Lincoln's sat on one end of the table while hers rested on the other, as far away as possible, was not lost on the shocked girl. Her mother knew. She was sure of it. Her mother had always been neat and orderly but never bothered separating things to this degree. No, this was a message to stay away from Lincoln.

But why hadn't Rita lost it? Indeed, such is the typical reaction. Right? Lori considered that maybe she had read too much into things for a moment. However, her moment of respite ceased when she looked upon Lincoln's empty hamper. Lori could no longer avoid the truth and realized that her mother must have done so as well.

Lori stepped back from the folding table and covered her mouth as her mother had earlier, silently beginning to weep with regret and fear. Shaking violently, she wondered what would become of her and Lincoln. "Oh, God," she cried. "Lincoln, I'm sorry. I love you so much. This is all my fault. And, I have to fix it."

Lori took a moment to recompose herself and clear her eyes. Then, with resolve, she scooped up her clothes and marched upstairs. Upon entering the kitchen once more, she stopped briefly. Her mother had returned, fully dressed now, and was busying herself with breakfast. Lori stared. Her mother was humming to herself as if nothing had happened. Maybe she didn't know after all?

"So, what do you have planned for the weekend, honey?" asked Rita without turning.

Lori nearly dropped her clothing but managed to keep things intact. It wasn't that surprising to know she was there. The basement door creaked terribly, after all. Lori couldn't tell whether or not her mother was playing some sick game. However, it seemed prudent to play along.

"Not much," cooed Lori. "I thought maybe I'd go see a movie or something. You know, take it easy and release some stress."

"Mmhm," murmured Lori's mother. "Sound good, honey. Are you going with Bobby? It's been a while since we've seen him. It'd be nice to catch up."

"Oh, uh..." stuttered Lori. "We're, um, not together anymore. I should go put these away, you know?"

"Lori?" pleaded Rita, still not facing her daughter but not without sincerity in her voice.

"Y-yes, Mom?" asked Lori, her entire body rigid in fear.

"I love you, baby," sighed Rita, dropping the last dish into the clean water and facing Lori. "I only wish I understood. What you did was reckless and selfish. I don't blame him, though. Boys his age..."

"Mom..." whimpered Lori. "I u-understand. Really! I do. And, I'm so sorry. But..."

"But..." Rita asked, folding her arms in anticipation, "...what?"

Lori couldn't immediately find it within her to speak her mind and only stared at the clothes in her arms, a testament to her intense love for her brother and her disregard for law and custom. How could she be so swayed so easily? Lori either loved him, or she didn't, and if she did, why shouldn't she fight for him? That was the way of things. Right?

"But, I'm in love with him," she whispered, loud enough for her mother to hear. "And, I have no intentions of leaving him," she added, shaking her head slowly. "I c-can't. My heart belongs to him, and I won't betray him by taking that away. Me, I could h-handle it. But not him."

Rita studied her daughter for a moment. It was clear how much she cared for her only son. And, as much as her instincts said otherwise, she couldn't help but feel sympathy for her daughter. Lori's only concern seemed to be how things would affect Lincoln, a true sign of love. But, letting them run amok was entirely irresponsible and negligent, and Rita knew it.

"Honey, we'll talk more about this later," Rita told her softly. "Everyone else will be down soon for breakfast. "Can I trust you to behave yourself until then?"

Lori nodded and, with sadness in her voice, acknowledged her position. "Yes, Mom," she said quietly. "I promise."

Lori slowly backed out of the kitchen and turned just as her sisters came bounding around the corner and nearly plowed her over in their attempt to reach the breakfast table first. Once the morning rush had passed, Lori walked up the stairs and into her room, where she quietly closed the door and locked it.