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

Tainted Love

By Lola Presents

Chapter 11

Rita was correct, and not long after Lori scuttled out of the kitchen, the rest of her children began filtering in. For them, it seemed nothing more than a typical day. And, after the arguments over portion sizes or who got to eat one's leftovers, Rita finally got a chance to relax.

This past Christmas, the family pooled their money and were able to repair the bathroom in the master bedroom, and that's where Rita headed, fully intending to use the new, oversized tub's water jet feature. After adjusting the water temperature, she settled into the soothing liquid, adding some bubbles and a lavender bath bomb.

As she relaxed, Rita reviewed her thoughts and began to question herself. Why had she not realized the nature of Lori's and Lincoln's relationship sooner? All the signs were there, starting with their on-again-off-again fights, the overly sweet makeup sessions, and Lincoln's dismal personality once Lori left. Lincoln's frequent desire to hang out with Bobby didn't help. He was always coming in between him and Lori. How many trips into the city did the two make?

No mother wants to learn her children are involved, especially romantically or intimately. No, they all tended to believe their children were angels, even if they knew deep down they weren't. And typically, they believed their children's accounts over someone else's. In Rita's case, her need to believe in her children's innocence overrode her increasing suspicions. Perhaps, had she been more diligent, she'd have been able to head things off at the pass.

The question was how to handle it. Sure, Rita could put her foot down and separate them, but what would that achieve? Lori seemed dedicated to her brother, and her reaction could cause issues with her studies or even threaten to end her college life, killing any chance at a decent career. Lincoln could fall back into a persistent state of despair. Neither outcome of which Rita wished on them.

Conversely, other outcomes bore as much severity should they be allowed to continue. What would Lynn or her other children think? Would someone report the matter to law enforcement? Both Lori and herself would be arrested on various charges and most likely spend time in jail. Who would look after the children then, assuming the authorities didn't remove them from their home? And, finally, what would it mean for her marriage?

Rita was already well aware of Lori's position on the matter. Her daughter had made herself clear. However, she had yet to confront Lincoln and realized she needed all the facts before making further decisions. It was possible that Lincoln, being young and more easily persuaded by parental arguments, might be amenable to changing his mind. However, she'd have to be more delicate in her approach. Lori was an adult and had reasoning skills. Lincoln, however, would need a softer hand.

Sighing, Rita closed her eyes and sank into the bubbles after turning off the water and tried her best to calm her overworked nerves.

"What?!" gasped Leni as Lori sat forlornly on her bed. She shook her head in such surprise that her sunglasses nearly fell off.

"I said, Mom got up early and snuck in to do some laundry, Leni," Lori repeated, holding up yesterday's outfit. "This laundry, the ones she found in Lincoln's room this morning."

"Did she see you for crying out loud?" asked Leni with great annoyance. How could Lori have been that careless after everything she and her sisters went through to get them together?

Lori sadly shook her head. "I don't think so, or she would've exploded right then. But, she did manage to figure out that we were, uh, you know."

Leni folded her arms and glowered at Lori. "This still bothers you. I can totes tell by the how you can't even say it." Leni could sense the cloud of doubt hovering over Lori, and there was no way Leni would allow her sister to back out now. "You're in love and having sex with your brother. Say it, Lori."

"I..." Lori sputtered as she attempted to convey sincerity. "I love my brother, and we've done it. There, I said it. Happy?"

"Nice bargain, but no sale," Leni spat, dangling one arm in frustration and pinching the bridge of her nose with the other. "You have to say it exactly the way I said it, or you won't believe it. Now, come on!"

"Fine!" exclaimed Lori, coming to a defiant stand. "I'm in love with Lincoln, and yes, we've been having sex!"

"And?" cooed Leni, s sly smiling creeping upon her face. "It was good! No, it was the best I ever had! He was romantic and gentle yet full of passion. Lincoln makes me feel alive, not like a puppet on someone's arm."

"I heard that!" called Luan through the vent in Mr. Coconut's voice.

"Now, don't you feel better?" Leni asked, sitting beside her sister., trying not to respond to the prankster's joke.

"Yeah, it does," Lori affirmed, leaning her head against Leni's. "But, there's still the issue of what might happen? I'm so worried, Leni. What if Mom and Dad make me leave or have me arrested? I'm not worried as much for Lincoln, though, as I am. You saw how he got when I was gone before, and even then, he knew I'd be back."

"Don't worry, sis," Leni chirped. "We'll keep him happy for you. I promise."

Lori pulled back and, with a blank expression, studied Leni intently.

"No, wait!" Leni pleaded. "I didn't mean that the way it sounded! I only meant..."

Lori's expression softened. "I know, Leni. I was only playing with you. I know you guys would never betray me. Besides, even if you might, I trust Lincoln, and that's enough."

Rita stepped from the tub, dried herself, put on her robe, then wrapped her hair in a towel before stepping from their private bathroom. Her husband of over twenty years lay propped up on the bed, leisurely browsing through a magazine, and the woman began to panic.

"Good morning, honey," cooed Lynn, setting his magazine down in his lap.

"Did you have a good bath?"

Of course, Rita had kept things from him before, but they were always relatively minor or frivolous. What she kept from him now was anything but dismissable. And, if she found any conclusion to her downtime musings, it was that she found no such conclusion.

"Uh, baby?" Lynn asked when Rita didn't respond immediately. "Are you alright?"

Realizing that she was not going to be able to make such a difficult decision on her own, the stress was too much for anyone to handle alone. Rita knew her only recourse was to inform her husband and discuss things together, regardless of how badly it went.

"Something's wrong, it isn't?" asked Lynn as he stood and strolled over to his wife. "I was already wondering why you were taking a bath so early in the day. You typically do that at night, once the kids go to bed. Now, tell me, what's going on?"

Rita sighed and sat on their bed, and began crying.

"Lynn..." she wept. "Something terrible has happened, and I... I don't think I can handle it."

Lincoln had just leaped from the fourth stair to the floor when someone knocked on the front door. "Oof!" he said upon landing. "I wonder who that could be?" Lincoln added, strolling over the large red door and opening it. "Clyde?" he gasped. "What are you doing here?"

Like Lincoln, Clyde had grown another inch over the past year. But that wasn't the only change. For reasons as yet unknown to Lincoln, Clyde had buzzed his hair and changed his style. No longer did he wear those awkward glasses or striped polos. In their place were contacts and what looked like a letterman's jacket.

"Hey, Lincoln," began his estranged friend. "Now, before you say anything, I know you have no intentions of remaining friends. I mean, it's been nine months since you've returned any of my calls. But you still have my One and a Half Punch Man DVD. I've waited long enough and would like it back. Please?"

"What?" Lincoln struggled to say as he took in Clyde's new look. "I mean, yeah, sure. I didn't realize I still had it. But, what happened to you? You look so different."

"A better question would be, what happened to you?" Clyde argued with furrowed brows. It was annoying enough to get ignored, but now Lincoln seemed to be forgetting it even happened. "But, for your information, a lot has changed since last summer. First, Coach discovered that I'm rather talented at Badminton and got recruited to the school team. Second, Jordan and I dated for a while, and I'm working on hooking up with someone else. But that's not important. And three, after you left disappeared, I grew up. Mostly. I still want my DVD back."

"Look, Clyde," Lincoln said with regret in his voice. "I'm genuinely sorry for not returning your calls or getting in touch with you. But it wasn't because I no longer wanted to be friends. Rather, I was going through something personal and didn't think anyone would want to hear about it, much less understand. I haven't even left the house in all that time. Well, once, but I don't want to talk about that."

Clyde narrowed his eyes at Lincoln. On more than one occasion, his friend had hidden something from him that caused stress between them, however temporary it may have been. And he wondered if this was no different. "I don't know, Lincoln. Remember the time you destroyed my dinner so I wouldn't leave? Or how about that time you kept getting me angry on purpose, to win at dodgeball? Something doesn't add up here."

"Look, if it bothers you that much, just ask my sisters," Lincoln barked, stepping back to allow entry. "You have to come in anyway to get your dumb DVD, don't you?"

"Fine! Right!" Clyde mumbled as he stomped into the house, heading upstairs. Lincoln trudged up after Clyde, trying to meet or exceed the boy's assertiveness. However, Clyde didn't turn toward Lincoln's room upon reaching the upstairs hallway. Instead, he marched straight forward into Lucy's and Lynn's room.

While Lucy didn't flinch from behind her thick book, Lynn's face lit up at seeing the boy walk in. "Well, if it isn't our star server! Even if it's not exactly a real sport. What are you doing here?"

"Two things," Clyde ordered. "First, would someone please tell me where Lincoln has been the past year? He told me his story, but I'm not sure I believe it. I want to hear it from you."

"And two?" asked Lynn, surprised and amused at Clyde's authoritative requests.

Clyde shook his head, however. "That can wait until after you answer my first question."

Lincoln silently pleaded with his sisters behind Clyde's back to tell him what he needed to know and nothing more. The result looked more like a drunk cheerleader, and Lucy almost laughed. Almost. Lynn, however, paid his flailings no attention.

Once Lincoln's impromptu convulsions ceased, Lynn walked over, stood in front of Clyde, and took her usual bold stance. She folded her arms against her chest and rolled her tongue in her cheek intimidatingly as she studied him. "Alright. I don't know what he told you, but this is the truth, bucko. For reasons I can't speak of, he became chronically depressed and was a significant loser and pain in the ass for quite some time. Now, believe it or not, I don't care."

"Is that right?" spat Clyde, challenging her and boldly matching her expression.

This time, both Lincoln and Lucy reacted with raised brows.

"Uh," stammered Lynn. "Yeah!"

"Okay then," said Clyde, moving closer to the brown-haired girl.

"R-right," whispered Lynn back at him, their noses nearly touching. "A-and number two?" she added nervously.

"Come with me to the movies this Saturday," he nearly ordered. "I have two tickets, and..."

Clyde never got to finish his thought, however. Lynn had pressed her lips too firmly against his to allow speech. Not that Clyde complained. Nor did either of them apologize. Instead, the two stood between Lincoln and Lucy, kissing as if no other existed.

"Holy shuttlecocks!" gasped Lucy. "What the hell is happening?"

As for Lincoln, his face went blank as he slowly backed out of the room. Assuming it even existed, finding Clyde's DVD was a much better idea than standing around watching one of his sisters snog his transformed friend.

On the one hand, Lincoln was happy for Clyde. On the other, part of him wished Lori would walk by and see them. Lincoln wondered how Clyde might react if Lori got jealous and they kissed in front of him. Now, that would be a hoot after all his accusation of lying. But, more than anything, he wanted to salvage their friendship if such was possible.

The problem was, and always had been, Lori. Though Clyde had accepted Lori's decision that they should be no more than friends and had moved on, Lincoln knew that one doesn't forget their first love. Instead, they linger like ghosts, haunting them for the rest of their lives. Always there, but not. And, someday, Clyde would discover the truth. What then?

Should Lincoln tell him now or wait? The young man had no plan at all, for once, which unnerved him.

Lynn remained motionless and seemingly void of thought as he sat there, listening to Rita's delicately articulated account of what happened between their children and her thoughts on the matter. The middle-aged man was slightly soft around the middle, referring to his psychological makeup, but he knew right from wrong. At least following what he got taught while growing up.

The problem was that he was no longer a child and was no longer under the careful guidance of his parents. He had to decide on his own how to handle various situations, and this one tested sorely tested his mettle. Naturally, he was angry at Lori for what she'd done and grew concerned over Lincoln's mental and emotional development. But like his wife, he loved them both and didn't want them to get hurt.

They agreed long ago that Rita would handle the talk with any girls they might have, while Lynn would conduct the discussion with any boys. So far, he'd come out ahead. They only had one boy, who was only now reaching that age, and though he loathed the idea of such an embarrassing conversation, he could only imagine how Rita felt after having already gone through it five times. Six, if you count a secondary discussion with Luna about overall sexuality.

Lynn had little choice but to tackle the issue head-on, regardless of how unprepared he was, and finally stood. "Rita, I'm with you on this. But, we can't simply dismiss it out of hand. I have to speak with Lincoln. So, if you'll excuse me, I need to collect my thoughts and get it over with."

"Good luck, honey," wept Rita. "And, please, try to stay calm."

Lynn took in a deep, cleansing breath, then exhaled heavily. "I will."

It took Lincoln a few minutes to locate the disk, though it did exist. He eventually found it buried beneath some dirty clothes that he'd stuffed in his drawer months ago, along with a half-eaten slice of pizza. Gingerly, he picked the DVD up, hoping it wouldn't have mold on it. Then, glad to see it was free of fungi, he closed the drawer and headed back toward the disturbance.

Fortunately for him, whatever Clyde and Lynn had done next remained a secret as the young man stood at the head of the stair, waiting patiently. "I see you found it," he said, extending his hand to receive the item.

"Yeah," sighed Lincoln, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm sorry about all this. I should've called you regardless. It won't happen again. But, dude, you and Lynn?"

"Well, I'm not exactly asking your permission," Clyde responded. "Nor do I care what you think. Okay, maybe I do. But, this is between her and me. I hope you understand."

"I know, but she's so..." began Lincoln in a typical brotherly way, "...rough."

"Ah, you 're being too critical, Lincoln," observed Clyde. "But, I guess you can't see her any other than as a sister, huh? Well, if you haven't noticed, I'll tell you. She's lovely, especially when she lets her hair down. You should try and ease up a little. That, and step up more. Don't let girls intimidate you. Or anyone for that matter."

Lincoln handed him the disk, furrowed his brows slightly, and looked down negligibly. Then, just as quickly, he looked his friend in the eye. "Hey, Clyde. I think I know how I can make all this up to you. But, you're going to have to promise to keep everything I say a secret. And, I mean that. If you have doubts or don't think you can, this isn't going to work."

Clyde studied Lincoln and, knowing him as he did, felt comfortable with his proposition. As for himself, he'd changed. He was no longer the meek little boy, though he still enjoyed many of the same pastimes and believed he could handle whatever Lincoln had to say. "Sure, if it'll save our friendship, I owe you that much, especially since I'm now dating your sister."

Lincoln opened his door and ushered Clyde inside. The walls still maintained an assortment of photos of Lori that he had yet to take down, and his room smelled of stale air. His bed didn't look like it'd gotten made in months, and Clyde cautiously sat down, unsure what he might sit on.

After releasing a long-held breath, Lincoln began. "Clyde, you're not going to believe this, and I'm terrified of how you might respond, but..."