Another breather chapter, though there's going to be some important revelations.
Waking up, Ryan found himself lying in a bed that wasn't his. He rubbed his eyes with his gloved fist and saw the ceiling. For a second, he was confused until he recalled last night's events. He must have dozed off.
He sighed inwardly. "Another day, another round of babysitting the bimbo squad."
He glanced over to his right and found the other bed empty, with the blanket hanging halfway down and Charles still resting next to it.
Lynn's head soon popped into his line of sight, and then went down, came back up and then down again. She was doing pushups.
"98….99…100…" Lynn stopped and exhaled; her face crimson and glistening from sweat. She heard Ryan yawning and stretching.
"You're up, sleepyhead?"
"Really now? You still felt the need to work out?" Ryan snarked, taking a glance at an alarm clock, which showed that it was 10.30 am.
"Without your delightful babbling, I needed to entertain myself somehow." Lynn replied wryly.
"I'm so sorry…" Ryan said snidely and sat up, with his legs dangling from the bed. "It's odd though."
"What's odd?"
He offered her a sly smile. "That you didn't snuggle up to me while I was unconscious?"
Lynn's lips thinned out. Her first instinct was to grab one of her shoes and throw it at him, but she couldn't bring herself to hurt him. Not today. Mainly because she was guilty as charged of those accusations, but there were also other, more upsetting reasons. Having worked out for nearly an hour, she has had plenty of time to mull over this week's events.
And suffice to say, it left her feeling rather shitty.
She sighed, trying to be nonchalant. "The thought had crossed my mind, but you were unconscious and that would have been pretty frigging creepy for me."
"Didn't stop you the first two times?"
"I was unconscious too…" Lynn raised her voice a bit but quickly dialed it back, not feeling like trading insults today.
"Good morning, Ryan. How's your face?" she said, in a more pleasant tone.
Ryan touched his cheek and it still hurt quite a bit, but he tried to hide it. "Oh, that? Meh…..I totally forgot about it until you brought it up." He insisted.
Lynn rolled her eyes, seeing right through his charade. "Quit bullshitting me, will ya? I thought about asking you to join me in my workout but you're obviously still too sore."
As Ryan narrowed his eyes Lynn quickly added. "This ain't a challenge, dingdong, okay?" she said in a straight-laced tone. "I'm not feeling adventures today and after three nights of nearly dying, I'm bet you're not feeling it either."
Well, she wasn't beating around the bush with this. "Sorta…..I mean, I guess I could use a break. First the flue zombies, then One Eye and then the Incredible Dolt? We all need a breather." Ryan recalled and touched his heart. "Well, not to insinuate that those weren't some hair-raising adventures that I will cherish for the rest of my life, but is it too much to ask for a low-key experience today?"
Lynn's face fell and she glanced away as a wave of guilt overtook her. The poor guy went through hell and back three nights in a row, and it was all on her. She couldn't even be there to help him two times out of three.
"I can handle mayhem, but could we perhaps avoid life-threatening mayhem today? I think this was enough high-stake excitement for one month." Ryan continued, though his jovial demeanor faded as he caught on to the girl's unease.
"You okay?"
Lynn stood up and exhaled. "Ryan, I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?"
"For getting you tangled up in this mess." She admitted and sat next to him, speaking in a low voice. "I wasn't counting on all those things when I asked for your help."
Ryan blinked, surprised to see her like this. He wasn't used to being the person who received the apology. It was pretty uncanny to him, but regardless, he hated seeing her upset.
"Hey, hey…I'm not blaming you for this? You've got nothing to be sorry about." He replied carefully.
"Ryan, don't go easy on me-"
"I'm not going easy on you." he cut her off. "Because none of that crap was your fault, you couldn't have known about any of this. If anything, it was all Lizzie's fault, some of it Pinky's, and most of your sisters not named Lucy had a hand in it one way or the other."
Lynn relaxed a little. She knew when Ryan was being sincere, but that did little to ease her guilt. She sighed, her mind wandering back to Lisa and Lola. She really needed to teach those two twerps a lesson, Lincoln's approval or he parents' wrath be damned.
"Speaking of You-Know-Who? You think Twinkle Toes managed to explain things to her?"
Being reminded of that didn't help Lynn, and she let out a humorless chuckle. She was not looking forward to this one bit. No, siree. "I dunno. How do you think the Duchess of Darkness is going to react?"
"To join our cause without a second thought?" Ryan shrugged, still being in sincerity mode. Lynn found his optimism annoying. They held very different opinions of Lucy, and one was clearly more enthusiastic about her initiation than the other.
"I mean, she was pretty eager to help us anyway, despite not knowing what was going on and let's not kid ourselves, she knew that we were keeping her in the dark this whole time."
"I always thought she liked the dark?" Lynn huffed when her stomach rumbled.
"Breakfast?" Ryan asked.
Lynn smiled a little. "Sure." Lucky for them, everyone else was still asleep.
After dressing herself and pinning her hair, Lynn followed Ryan downstairs.
The two came across an unexpected sight, especially for Ryan. Though she was normally an early riser, his sister was lying sprawled out on the couch, dressed in overalls covered in paint blotches and snoring. Next to her was a large plastic bag, and within it, a newly-bought stack of fine china. The rest of the living room looked clean and polished, obviously thanks to her.
"I'll be…." Lynn looked around. "…..she went above and beyond to cover her tracks?" She had mixed feelings about this. On one hand, she was glad that her parents wouldn't be returning to find their home in ruins for the umpteenth time, on the other, she wouldn't have minded Renee being busted for her incompetence.
"You don't know my sister. She would sooner croak than deliver a less-than-perfect performance, be it with homework or with any of her day jobs. It's an unhealthy obsession really." Ryan explained as they walked up to the snoring babysitter.
Both inwardly entertained the idea of pulling a nasty prank on the slumbering tyrant, but knew this was an inopportune time for that. Such a missed opportunity though.
"You're not seriously saying she stayed up all night?" Lynn looked at him incredulously. Even someone as tireless as her needed a good night's rest after racing through town, jumping off rooftops and climbing clothing lines.
"Affirmative. Temporary Master Renee has. Assisted me with all the. Reparations." Fenton walked up to them, unnerving both of them. His creepy face was the last thing you wanted to see fresh out of bed.
"She subsequently went to. Purchase the porcelain dishware. She lost consciousness shortly. After returning at. Exactly 8.36 am."
"So you're saying she's been snoozing for just two hours?" Ryan asked him.
"Affirmative."
Lynn snorted sarcastically. "She stayed up all night to fix the house? Hah, what a missed opportunity for her to "punish" us, by having us do all the grunt work."
Ryan elbowed her. "Shhh, don't give the little sycophant ideas."
"She has deemed you all unfit to perform. Such a delicate task." Fenton explained helpfully, making Lynn frown.
"Also. Not to be presumptuous. But Master has appointed me your. Guardian in her absence." Fenton continued. "And as you know. You are not allowed to leave. This premise. Without her approval."
The tweens looked at each other exasperatedly. They would have been more peeved by this if both of them weren't so popped from last night's adventure, even Lynn.
"First a girl only two years older than me, and now a kid's toy is bossing me around?" Lynn said sardonically. "Ain't I lucky?"
"I assure you. I am a very reasonable. Artificial intelligence." Fenton replied. "But should you. Prove to be uncooperative. I will have to resort to. Drastic measures to enforce the rules."
To emphasize his point, the bot's right hand morphed into a taser and his left one into a little buzzsaw.
Getting the message, Lynn and Ryan stepped back. The boy raised his hands in aggravations.
"Alright, alright, Officer Freddy. We'll be good little lads and follow the rules." He groaned. "No need to slice and dice anyone."
"Is it okay if we have breakfast over there?" an irate Lynn pointed her thumbs at the kitchen, unable to believe that she was asking permission from a goddamn plastic toy. Why did she ever give this blasted thing to Lisa?
"Breakfast is the most. Important meal of the day. You have permission."
"You're too kind. C'mon…." Lynn dragged Ryan along into the kitchen, eager to escape this idiocy, while Fenton resumed his position at the front door.
"When are we going to scrap that little murder-bot?" Ryan whispered to her. "I know of this great car crusher we could trick him to jump into-"
"Can it, will ya?" Lynn rubbed her forehead. "I just want to have a normal morning for once."
Ryan's rumbling tummy reminded him that the disposal of the robot could wait.
"Fair point." He relaxed. "So what's on the menu?"
"You just take your seat."
Ryan cocked an eyebrow. "You're making breakfast? Heh, I didn't think Lynn Junior had inherited her pappy's culinary skills-"
"I haven't." she retorted as she grabbed a stool and used it to reach the cabinets. "Last time I tried to make pizza bagels, I set the microwave on fire."
That sounded more like the Lynn he knew. "I'm sure you did…"
"Catch!" she threw him a box of cereal and he caught it.
"But nobody can cause a fire by pouring milk into a bowl." Lynn fetched a carton of milk from the fridge and two bowls and some spoons from a drawer. She slid one of the bowls down the table and Ryan stopped it.
"You're playing it that safe, eh?" he snarked. "I think you guys are getting a little too paranoid."
"Says the guy who thinks Leni is a diabolical genius."
"She is one, mark my word." Ryan pointed at her, his tone carrying utter conviction.
Ignoring his asinine comment, Lynn sat next to him and sighed. "Why are you even helping me?"
"Scusi?" Ryan was caught off guard as he poured cereal and milk into his bowl. "Didn't I tell you-"
"But why? After all the crap we went through…" Lynn's voice trailed off "…I wouldn't blame you for ditching us. Why haven't you, if you have any common sense?"
"Eh….because I like you a whole lot?" Ryan responded nonchalantly, making her cheeks turn a little red.
"Can the flirting, I'm serious…" she grumbled. "It's not your duty to stick your neck out because of my mess of a family."
"I'm serious too." The boy insisted. "I thought you and me were tight, and helped each other no matter what?"
Lynn hated it when he got virtuous. It always came at the worst of times. She knew he mainly did it to stay in her good grace. Actually, that wouldn't be giving him enough credit. She knew he cared for her, and not just her.
"Ryan, do you think what we're doing is right? Do you think this is just a fool's errand?" she asked suddenly and bluntly.
"What do I think of that? I….eh…"
"Please, Ryan. I just want to hear your opinion."
Ryan blinked and thought about it. "I'm going to be honest with you, Lynn. I think you had a pretty sweet deal when your parents split up. I mean, from what I have seen, you and Linky got stuck with all the cool or at least interesting sisters, while all the annoying nags went with your mom? It's not like you were ever close with them, am I right?"
Lynn made a face. She wouldn't call Lucy, Luan or Lisa "interesting". She had a lot of choice words for them, but "interesting" was not one of them. Though she couldn't deny that "annoying" was an apt description of most of the ones that were destined to leave with their mother. And Ryan was right, sisters or not, they were never important figures in Lynn's life and she never had an issue with that, in fact, she was glad about it.
"You're right." She fiddled with her bowl. "Sometimes I wonder why we even bother?" She mentally slapped herself. She knew why, she always knew why. It was just hard to keep her eyes on the "prize" with all this nonsense around them.
"Don't act like you don't know." Ryan rolled his eyes. His remark surprised Lynn.
"I can't say I fully understand why you, or more importantly why Lincoln would want the others to stick around. "But…. I guess your house here is much more comfy and spacey than your rundown apartment, even if the annoying freeloaders kind of cancel that out?"
"So why do you think we should bother? Because of the house?" Lynn asked rhetorically, out of morbid curiosity.
"Wasn't this all about your folks? About how they didn't deserve to get divorced because of you?" Ryan shrugged. "They gave life to you guys, they took care of you, they worked themselves to the bone for you. Believe it or not, I get why you feel so obliged to help them out."
He himself had recently met a few certain people who supported him unconditionally, but no way was he going to go all sentimental.
"I didn't forget that." Lynn smirked a little. "I'm just surprised you paid any attention at all."
He laughed. "I am the most invaluable member of this secret operation. I can't afford to be left in the dark."
"You know what?" Lynn said as she filled up her bowl. "Something dawned on me?"
"And what's that?" Ryan inquired.
"No matter how this goes, you have nothing to lose? You have no stakes in this? If we succeed, you'll have me and all your new pals around, but if mom and dad split up, you'll still keep all of us and get rid of those that get on your nerves."
"Fortunate for me, isn't it?" Ryan said casually.
Lynn looked at him. She wasn't angry or disappointed, just curious. "So why help us at all?"
"Don't play dumb Lynn. I told ya, it's because I like you and this obviously means a lot to you." he insisted. Lynn didn't say anything to that. He remembered that she wanted to atone for her mistakes, so did Lincoln. She actually felt touch by it.
He then smirked. "Plus, somebody needs to be here to pull you and the pipsqueak to safety when you get in way over your head. And if not me, who else could possibly help you guys with this crazy scheme? Urkel? Pinocchio Roberts?"
Lynn rolled her eyes. If they lived through this, she would make sure that Ryan made a damn good first impression on Margo this time around, if he knew what was good for him.
"Can you be serious for like five minutes?"
"I don't see why I should. I already told you that this is my choice and that you shouldn't feel guilty or responsible for when things go off the rails."
"Also…" he glanced aside mischievously. "Can't deny that this has been an interesting experience, the most excitement I had in years."
Lynn shook her head in disbelief. "Even when One Eye's on your heels or when Lyle is trying to bash your brains in?"
"No adventure is complete when you don't fear for your life at least trice." Ryan shrugged. "It spices up the experience."
Lynn couldn't argue with that logic, feeling equally flattered and annoyed by him. "You're very sweet." She said semi-jokingly.
"And don't forget that I'm also a gentleman. Ya need a spoon, m'lady?"
As he offered her one, Lynn declined and lifted her bowl. "No, thanks, I'm not a spoon person."
Ryan snickered in disbelief. "Do you always eat your cereal like that?"
"Not since I joined the grown-up table, sadly." Lynn pointed at the table they were sitting at. "But I like to get this stuff over quickly so I can get back to my workout as fast as possible. Bet I can gulp it down faster?"
"You're on." Ryan lifted his bowl and they both tried to chug down its content as fast as possible. Lynn's bowl clang first as it hit the table and she burped loudly.
"I win!"
"Congratulations." Ryan placed his bowl down, wiping the milk off his mouth.
"What? No feeble attempts to trash talk me to try and hide your humiliating defeat?" She smirked.
"Nah. I would have won, but it's hard to chug something when your cheek hurts like hell."
"Pffttt….excuses, excuses…"
"Now who can't be serious for more than five minutes?" Ryan shot back.
"Touche…." Lynn smiled. "Ryan? Can I ask you something else?"
"Sure, shoot."
Lynn looked back at Renee's snoring form in the living room, her expression leaning towards the somber.
"Well, I guess I just want to vent out some frustration. Having to team up with your sis to catch Lana was not fun."
"I wouldn't have expected any less." Ryan joked while fiddling with his spoon. "You weren't seriously surprised?"
"Well, no, I wasn't…..but being with her, all alone with nobody to back me up….it was really insufferable, even more grueling than before. I don't think I ever met someone who made my blood boil as much as she did, and I grew up with Lori and Lola Loud."
"Did she say something about me?" Ryan replied idly. He liked to think that hearing someone badmouth him was Lynn's biggest berserk button.
"Oh, she did. Besides hanging you up so you wouldn't have to see her screw-up, she also said that she was totally okay with me dating you because, in her opinion, scum like us deserve each other."
"So she gave us her blessing? That's a relief." Ryan joked. "If only your baby brother was that reasonable."
Lynn chuckled lightly. Between her, him, Lincoln and Renee, they felt like sitcom in-laws. Ryan's relationship with Lincoln was pretty cliché, though hers with Renee was a bit more nuanced in a way.
"But still, I was surprised by how much of bitch she is, even when the chips are down. She only cared about catching Lana because it would have made her look bad on the job if Lana got hurt, not because she gave a damn about Lana. As long as she could cover her ass."
Ryan noted the frustration in Lynn's voice, and didn't dare to make a joke about it. He knew Lana was a good kid, despite not being the brightest bulb, and he himself would have been madder at his sister if he hadn't known already that she viewed everyone around her as replaceable and disposable tools.
"Renee's not a sentimental gal." He shrugged. "If you want to her the cooperate, the key is to appeal to her on a logical level, like when Linky boy convinced her that letting Pinky and Moon Girl tag along instead of tossing them in the bunker was the worse punishment."
"Believe me, I figured that out." Lynn snorted humorlessly. "She told me every five minutes "we have different motives but the same goal, so let's work together"."
"Well, remember that Renee thinks of you as an idiot, so of course she is going to constantly remind you about the same thing." Ryan quipped, but one harsh look from Lynn made him wince.
"Eh….anyways, everything worked out in the end though? You caught Lana."
"Yeah, by some miracle, we managed to work together and caught Lana, and Renee even…." Lynn stopped as she felt embarrassed reminiscing about that one moment.
"And what?" Ryan grew intrigued.
"Well, when I caught Lana…..my rope snapped and we almost fell…" Lynn modified her story a bit "….but she caught us."
Ryan's eyes widened a bit. "So she saved your life?" he leaned back and reclined. "Damn, that must bite."
"It does." Lynn sighed. "But the most annoying part was that even after all of that, she went right back to being the biggest pain in the ass imaginable, she didn't even so much as give me an approving nod for the lengths I went to save Lana, and save her stupid little reputation as an unpleasant bonus." Again, frustration crept into Lynn's voice. "Ugh…..how can anyone be so….so…stubborn and ungrateful? And cruel?"
"Renee Francine Taylor." Ryan shrugged. He understood Lynn's grievances. Nobody knew better than him Renee's unique gift for undressing any person she met with her scathing comments to the point that they felt lower than dog shit.
"How did you put up with her for twelve years?" Lynn asked an honest question. "Just spending an afternoon with her made me want to kill myself."
"I'm just that awesome." Ryan smirked. "There's no challenge I can't overcome."
Lynn frowned. Her morbid curiosity was still there. She knew Ryan wouldn't want to talk about his feelings or dwell on his past, which he always tried to brush off as less awful than it was.
"But how? You didn't have many things to look forward to back home? I know you were picked on-"
"Ah!" Ryan raised his finger. "Just for a little while. Past kindergarten I was the one picking on them."
"Sure you were." Lynn said sardonically. "But you were still an outcast regardless, with only some goons and toadies to keep you company, but what about your home life? Your parents were never there and your sister treated you like crap?"
Ryan sighed, looking like he was reminiscing about something. "She wasn't always like that, at least I think?"
"What do you mean?"
"I vaguely remember her being nicer and more upbeat when we were little…..like little-little, but then she discovered school and the "joys" of being the overachieving know-it-all in class, and everything went downhill from there."
Lynn blinked. "So….were you like friends once?"
"Eh, more like naïve little kids. Though I suppose ignorance was indeed a blessing for her while it lasted."
"And after she deemed you not good enough to be in her company, who else did you have left? Didn't you ever pine for some company?" Lynn asked. She didn't need an answer; she knew he was lonely in his home town. She just wished Ryan would open up a little about it. She wasn't quite sure why she wanted it, but she felt compelled to pry it out of him. They were already close, she just wanted for there to be complete trust between them.
Inwardly, she had to laugh at the irony of the situation. Her, of all people, genuinely wanting to talk about her feelings? Apparently, no matter how tough a woman you were, there would always be at least one guy who was even more gung-hoed about being an impenetrable wall of masculinity.
Dealing with him gave her a bit more appreciation for her brother not being scared to show emotion. If Lincoln was in Ryan's place, Lynn figured he would have been sobbing his heart out into her chest by now.
Ryan grew a little uneasy. Why was she asking about that? He put on an air of nonchalance.
"Well, sure, my family was never close, but I didn't mind that. It helped me learn to be independent, it built character. I wouldn't be the guy you fell head over heels for it wasn't for my rough upbringing."
"Yeah, but wasn't that….I dunno….lonely?" Lynn replied, uncharacteristically softly. She wasn't a sentimental person either, but she couldn't help but imagine how miserable it must have been growing up in Ryan's shoes.
"I….I guess it was." The boy said in a low tone. He then noticed that he had bent the spoon in his hand. He laughed nervously and bent it back in shape.
"Having nobody to trust or….I dunno….just talk to when you're down and feel safe around? That sounds pretty sad to me."
Ryan grew a little annoyed, and didn't face her, focusing on his spoon. "So what if it was? It's the past, ancient history. Water under the bridge."
To his surprise, Lynn grabbed his hand and scooted her chair closer to him.
"I know it's the past, but it's just…." She looked withdrawn. "I feel bad about what you went through."
"Well, don't. Did I ever mope or complain about it to you?" Ryan replied, a little harsher than he had indented.
"You didn't, Ryan. It's just….I thought about it yesterday and I couldn't shake it off since then. I wish I could make it up to you."
Ryan looked at her, befuddled. "Why? It's not your fault I was settled with Renee or-"
"That's not what I meant, you doof." She rolled her eyes. Talking about sentimental stuff already got him riled up. Ryan hated being pitied, and he was utterly clueless at distinguishing pity from sympathy. She needed to choose her words more carefully if she wanted to avoid petty squabbling.
"I just meant, well, you're not alone anymore? You got me, and Lana, and Lucy, and Luan, and even Lincoln…."
Ryan didn't say anything to that, not knowing how to respond. But with Lynn bringing that up, it made him reflect on how much his lot in life had changed since moving here. He did have people who liked him unconditionally. Friends, for a lack of better terms.
"Eh, yeah…" he withdrew his hand from her grasp. "I….I guess that's another reason I'm helping you. I'm just grateful for meeting you….and….y'know…" he looked away awkwardly and mumbled "…theothers…"
"Alright, champ, you hackled Mr. Macho long enough." Lynn told herself.
"Well, I too am grateful to have met you. I never had as much fun as I did with you. Even if half of our misadventures were life or death scenarios."
Ryan snickered, feeling a little easier. "Well, duh! I bet none of your comrades would do what I did to save your bacon. Nosy, Crutch Girl or that big, overemotional Palooka, or anyone else, they could never stand up to One Eye."
"You mean that Byron guy?" Lynn asked. "Fair point, he is a bit oversensitive. But in their defense, I never dragged them into any life or death situations, unless you want to count my obsession with winning sports tournaments as life or death, my teammates certainly didn't see it that way. Maybe after this is over, you and me can take them on a camping trip and if One Eye shows up, we can face him together to see who's chicken and who's not?" she suggested, mostly joking.
"Speaking of life and death, we mustn't forget a certain "incident"." Ryan stood up and grabbed a small calendar from a shelf. "I believe we only have three days left until the grand event." He pointed at the calendar, his finger on June 29th, a date Lynn would never forget.
Her eyes widened. She had forgotten about that. "You really were paying attention to Lincoln?"
"Good thing I did…" Ryan smirked and sat next to her again. "Cuz, judging by your horrified look, you forgot about it entirely."
Lynn seriously hoped that Lucy would cooperate. They couldn't afford any mess-ups now. Time was running out and they needed to get their shit together.
"Doesn't matter, I hope Linc thought of a plan to get all the girls out of the house when that day comes." Lynn looked down, her expression serious, but also betraying her ever-growing anxiety.
"Take it easy, your house won't collapse on you this time." Ryan assured her. "The bimbo squad won't be on this premise for those crucial 24 hours, even if a pair of mysterious, upstart ninjas coincidently kidnap them on that day." He leaned towards her, wiggling his eyebrows.
Lynn honestly liked the sound of that. If the diplomatic approached fails, they would have to resort to drastic measures. Lincoln would undoubtedly disapprove of that, but the alternative of letting their sisters run wild here on that fateful day would surely change his mind. Having a back-up plan in store put her mind at ease.
"I could see that happening…."
"And what are we gonna do after that?" Ryan asked. "I'm sure stopping your so-called "incident" won't fix everything. Will we have to babysit your family all summer?"
"I dunno…" Lynn sighed. "We'll have to improvise, but as long as dad continues to put his foot down…"
"Still, your sisters won't change overnight. I was thinking….wouldn't you want to enjoy the rest of your summer?"
"I sure would, but I don't think we're in a position to-"
"Ah, but where there's a will, there's a way. I have a plan of my own, one that could grant all of us some much-needed downtime. For your dad to build his restaurant in piece and for Lincoln to do whatever he does in his spare time, which I honestly don't want to know. And for you and me to….well…."
Lynn blushed again, but Ryan had her hooked. What was he suggesting?
"And what's your master plan? You have any idea how to keep the girls under wraps without our aid? Please, tell me?"
"It's summer, Lynn. Summer camps opening up everywhere to rob parents of their money? The minimum wage job market spiking with the arrival of mass tourism? It can keep troublesome ankle-bitters and whiny, rebellious teens busy." Ryan said idly.
Lynn's eyes lit up. That was a pretty good solution, one Lincoln probably thought of but dismissed on the count of not wanting to force his sisters into something against their will, but after all the crap they had endured, Lynn and Ryan, especially Ryan, had no such scruples.
"But….how will mom and dad pay for all of that?" Lynn considered, her smile fading.
"They scraped together the cash to pay for damages before?" Ryan shrugged. "Besides, if it means getting their own well-deserved vacation, I'm sure they would gladly empty their pockets for it."
Lynn considered that. You always needed to make sacrifices for victory. And spend money to make money in her father's case, as he was preparing to start a new business. It might bankrupt her parents, but it could pay off immensely in the long run.
"Didn't Lana say she wanted to become a Blue Beetle Scout or something? I'm sure she would be thrilled to go to summer camp. Meanwhile, having her ugly twin tag along, to spend a month or so living the good life in the countryside? That would surely be a very humbling experience."
"That….that's a good idea." Lynn smiled. It was win-win. Lana would be having the time of her life, while Lola would suffer yet be in no position to throw her weight around. She knew from experience that camp councilors had little patience for whining and tomfoolery, at least at the sports camps she had attended.
"And the big girls? Find them jobs at some fancy-smancy resort far away from here? In order to learn responsibility, how to earn a living on their own and all that jazz." Ryan continued.
"Ryan, that's brilliant!" Lynn beamed. "I..I could kiss you!"
Realizing what she had said, she immediately clamped her trap shut with her hands, and both of the tweens blushed and turned silent as they wound up in an awkward situation.
Ryan was the first to recover and smiled. "Well, why don't ya?"
Lynn wilted and looked away.
"Just kidding, Lynn." He added quickly. "I told you I wasn't going to rush you into anything…."
But he couldn't drop the matter and his cheeks heated up again. "It's just…..well….sooner or later…I thought we're going to…"
"Actually, I thought about it…." Lynn admitted shyly, surprising him.
"You….ah….eh…did?"
Lynn didn't reply immediately but smiled impishly. He was cute when he was reduced to a flustered, blabbering wreck. She was perhaps the only person who could do that to him without breaking a sweat. This was still an uncomfortable topic for her though, but one she had mused about a lot.
"But…I thought you weren't…."
"Ready? I know." she chuckled slightly and rubbed the back of her neck. "I didn't want to rush it. But….saying you don't want rush something can just be code for….. stalling."
"Stalling?" Ryan blinked.
"Well, considering all the mayhem we've experienced…" the flustered Lynn explained "….maybe waiting for such things isn't the smartest idea, when you don't know what's in store for you the next day? Whether you might get hurt or not? So you don't regret not doing something while you had the chance?"
"Wait….so you're saying…" Ryan's heart started beating rapidly "….you want…to…"
"Only if you want to…."
"To try it out…."
"There's a first time for everything." Lynn smiled a little, mustering up her courage. "With everyone asleep maybe we could…I dunno…."
"Lynn?"
Ryan heard the wheels in his head come to a screeching halt and his face dropped in utter misery. Lynn was more surprised than disappointed at the familiar voice and looked over her shoulder to find Lana in her PJs standing at the doorway.
"Lana, you're up." Lynn stood up as the groggy tomboy waddled up to her.
"What happened?" she yawned. "Why was I in Lisa's room and why was she asleep on her desk?"
"Lana, do you remember at all what happened yesterday?"
Lana made a face. "My head's kinda fuzzy, I remember eating chocolate, then playing in a mud hole and then jumping off rooftops and you were there and Renee was there? Why is she sleeping on the couch anyway?"
Lynn surprised her by picking her up and embracing her. "You little idiot, you scared me to death last night. You have any idea what you did?" she choked on her words, barely avoiding shedding a tear of relief.
"What I do?"
"I saved you from becoming a bloody splat on the pavement after your nudist parkour slash tightrope act?" Lynn replied exasperatedly.
"What….I…." slowly but surely the full gravitas of her actions dawned on Lana. "Oh?"
Hearing her sister's concerned tone, made Lana feel guilty. She couldn't remember why she did those crazy things. She may have been young and energetic, but even she knew that jumping off rooftops was a bad, bad idea.
"Lynn….I'm sorry. I said I would behave, I…..I don't know what came over me…." She said in a small voice as she was placed down.
Lynn couldn't be too mad at her. Seeing Lana's confusion and regret softened her expression. She knew Lana hadn't been in control of her actions. "Lana, I'm not angry at you. There….eh… something happened that made you go crazy."
"What was that?"
"You…you ate some candy that didn't agree with you. Do you remember who gave you that bar of chocolate?"
"Why?" Lana didn't follow.
"Because….because there was something in that chocolate that made you act crazy."
"I….I don't really, my head is still fuzzy." Lana claimed as she scratched her head.
Lynn was annoyed. So much for giving that lowlife bastard his just deserts. She could only hope Lana's memories would flood back to her sooner or later, so she could get that scumbag's hide.
"Well, I hope you finally learned your lesson about taking candy from strangers." Ryan quipped. "But seriously, squirt. That's a valuable lesson to always keep in mind." Lana looked at him tentatively.
Knowing about Lana's lingering anger at him, Lynn spoke, "Lana, go easy on him. He had a pretty rough night too."
"What happened to him?"
"While me and Renee were chasing you, some jerk attacked Lincoln, Lucy, Luan, Lisa and Lola. Ryan there got beat up pretty bad after he jumped in to protect them." Lynn explained, much to the boy's chagrin.
"He was?" Lana asked incredulously.
"I was not beat up." Ryan insisted. "I got plenty of good hits…it's just my opponent punched me quite a bit too."
"See, I told you he cared a lot about them." Lynn smirked. "Now, Lana, didn't you want to talk to him?"
Lana looked at her, then at him. Tentatively, she approached him. "Are you okay?"
"It's just a couple of bruises." He brushed it off. Lana noticed the still prominent bruising on his cheek. Even she understood that a bruise that size could only have been the result of one mean collision course.
"You look pretty banged up?" Lana said, sounding genuinely concerned. "Does it still hurt?"
The boy rolled his eyes. "It will heal in no time, kiddo, I'll be fine." Involuntarily, he found his hand drifting towards her head and he ruffled up her hair.
"I thought you didn't want to talk to me?"
"I…I'm sorry. I was unfair to you." she said humbly.
"Don't be, squirt. I think Lynn's the one you should be apologizing to. You scared her out of her mind."
His comment made the tomboy shrink. Lynn placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't be so harsh, Ryan. Live and learn. We're both just glad you're alright, Lana."
"Maybe if I kiss your bruise it will stop hurting?" Lana suggested innocently. Lynn promptly sniggered at Ryan's unnerved reaction.
"No. Thank. You."
"But mom said-"
"Kisses aren't the same as anesthetic, kid." Ryan insisted. "It's just BS your parents tell you to make you stop whining about a stubbed toe."
"Well, okay. Are we roommates now, Lynn?" Lana turned to the jock.
"We haven't heard anything form mom and dad, but they should be back by evening at the latest." Lynn explained. "They'll give us permission once they're here."
"What happened while I was asleep? Why was Lincoln in Lucy's room? Why was I in Lisa's? Where are Luna and Leni? And why was the door to my room locked?"
"Excellent question." Ryan spoke up. "To make a long story short; Lincoln and Lucy had a slumber party, you were with Lizzie because she ran tests on you to make sure you weren't sick from that chocolate that made you go loco, Moon Girl and Blondy spent the night in the bunker because they tried to run off and attend some concert. As for your decidedly less likable twin….well…."
"She was locked up in your room because she tried to mess with Renee…again." Lynn added. "I found out about it after I woke up but Renee hid the keys so…." She smiled deviously "….my hands were tied."
Lana felt a small amount of joy hearing about Lola's fate but her smile quickly flattered.
"But how am I supposed to see my friends? I need to feed them and-"
"Lynn fed them for you while you were out." Ryan lied, not wanting her to go and potentially do a headcount of her slimy and scaly pets.
"Yeah, yeah, I sure did." Lynn nodded uneasily.
"You even fed live mosquitoes to Hops? He gets pretty ornery if he misses supper?"
"Um….yeah…I defiantly did." Lynn lied. "I think he hopped over to visit his favorite pond this morning."
"What? He never does that without me?" Lana pouted.
"You were asleep, squirt. Pops didn't want to-"
"Hops." Lana scowled.
"Sorry, Hops probably didn't want to bother you." Ryan told her.
"What the…?" they heard a yawn. "You guys are up?"
The three saw a tired Lincoln, sporting eye bags and bloodshot eyes, staggering into the kitchen, followed by Lucy.
Lynn and Ryan's eyes fell on the goth with anticipation. Her expression was stoic and unreadable as usual.
Lincoln rubbed his eyes. "We need to talk about-" he stopped himself upon spotting Lana in their midst.
"Lincoln? You look awful." She squinted and approached him. "Did you sleep at all?"
"Lana? I…I was just…"
The tomboy looked at Lucy, eyeing her suspiciously. "Did you have him stay awake all night to do some weird séance?"
"I don't see how this is your concern." Lucy said stoically.
"Speaking of pets?" Ryan slapped his forehead. "Lana, you won't believe who came back last night!"
He gave a quick nod to Lynn and Lincoln.
"Who came back?" Lana asked him.
"Why, none else than everyone's favorite little black and white doggo with an eye patch? Charles!"
Lana gasped. "Charles is back?! Really?"
"Yes, he sure is." Lincoln nodded. "How about you pay him a visit at the…." He glanced at Lynn "….where's Charles?"
"In Lori and Leni's room, that's where me and Ryan slept last night."
"Can I see him?" Lana asked eagerly.
"Of course. Just be quiet and gentle when waking him. I'm sure he will be thrilled to see you. We'll let you two catch up on things, take your time."
Her eyes sparkling with excitement, Lana nodded and rushed upstairs. Lynn and Ryan turned back to Lucy, her expression still unreadable. Lincoln offered her a seat and she sat down, still not saying anything.
This was the moment they had all been anticipating.
Lynn's patience soon ran thin. "Well? Cut the suspense, you nosy little twerp, what did ya think of our "little" secret? You've been pining for it all week, so are you freaking happy now?"
Lincoln was already having migraines; this was not starting off well. "Lynn, just hear her-"
"You seem to think I will compromise everything?" Lucy answered enigmatically.
Lynn seethed, while Ryan was sure the goth was subtly probing Lynn. He liked this kid more and more.
"I'm going to go out on a limb and assume this is not what you were expecting to learn?" the boy asked, in a much more chill manner.
"I have been musing about it and thought of many different scenarios. Most involved you three knowing some compromising information. This though….is not what I was expecting. It's far-fetched and outlandish but…."
"But now you think we've all gone bananas, huh?" Lynn retorted impulsively and crossed her arms.
"No, Lynn." The exhausted Lincoln sighed. "She's in, guys. Chill. She's in."
Unsurprised, Ryan smiled. Lynn, on the other hand, gaped in shock.
"Sh…sh-she's "in"? J-just like that?" the jock was utterly bemused. No way could this be that easy? Could it?
"You act as if I never had any faith in Lincoln?" Lucy countered evenly. She then glanced at her brother.
"He said everything with complete conviction. I was taken aback by it at first, I'm not going to deny that, but I have no reason to assume that he was trying to deceive me." Lucy continued and looked at her brother.
"Lincoln, I appreciate you trying to explain things to me in a way that you assumed would be the easiest for me to comprehend, but what you three experienced were clearly not prophetic visions."
"Say what now?" Lincoln blinked his bloodshot eyes, as did the other two.
"Prophetic visions are never so vivid, or remotely as long. What you described sounds more like the three of you were plucked out of your time and whisked several months into the past."
Lynn was peeved and made no comment. She had expected the 7-year-old to be confused, but yet again, Lucy proved to be quick on the update. Ryan's surprise, however, wore off quickly, and he took the revelation in strides. He likewise never missed a chance to rattle Lincoln's cage.
"Yup, it's time travel of some kind. At least that's our best guess." he leaned back casually, eyeing Lincoln. "I told you, you should have given the kid more credit than that, man, shame on you, shame on you…" he "scolded" the other boy while wagging his finger.
"I was just…I mean…." Lincoln grew flustered.
"So what did you think of our story?" Ryan asked the goth.
"I must admit, it was very enthralling. I hung on to his every word." she smiled with subtle enthusiasm. "I especially liked the part about the flue zombie apocalypse and everything involving the wolf you have dubbed One Eye, especially your first encounter."
"I figured. That tale is never going to get a PG rating, it was a goddamn bloodbath." Ryan chuckled and wiggled the fingers on his left hand. "I even got my pinky chopped off."
Lincoln shuddered at the word "bloodbath". Lynn was equally unnerved reminded of that encounter and grew irate. Leave it to Lucy, and Ryan, to make light of a horrendous incident.
"You sure as hell weren't so enthusiastic when they happened to us, and you." She scoffed curtly.
Ryan elbowed her. "Cut her some slack. Comedy is tragedy plus time."
Lynn rolled her eyes. "You're awfully chill for someone who learned such big news?" she eyed her sister suspiciously.
"Well, I had time to process it." Lucy replied. "It explained quite a few things. Like that bizarre sibling meeting where you and Lincoln showed a sudden interest in our parents' lives, insisted that we start doing choirs for them and where you, Lynn, claimed that our parents will divorce, or how you knew about dad's prank letter, or how you knew about Luan's bullying problem at school even though she did everything in her power to hide it from us, how you seemed so intimately familiar with someone none of us even knew until a week ago…" she gestured at Ryan "….why both of you were spontaneously hit with sullen mood swings, or why you, Lincoln, suddenly became chummy with and overly trusting of the second biggest jerk in this house, who inexplicably caused no damage in this house for over a week."
Lynn snapped. "Who you calling a-"
"Glad our slip-ups helped soften this revelation to you." Lincoln chuckled a little before yawning again. Then Lucy dropped her own bombshell.
"Yes, but the real reason I'm not so shocked by it is because, in hindsight, this is not at all surprising."
Everyone else raised an eyebrow. "Not surprising?" Lincoln made a face. "Luce, I'm not following?"
"Lincoln, you woke up several months in the past and you conveniently live with someone who has been known to do the impossible as a hobby? I thought it was kind of obvious?" Lucy shrugged and looked at the others. "None of you thought about it?"
The older kids exchanged glances. Lynn didn't know what the goth was talking about, but Ryan and Lincoln were simultaneously hit by the same realization, and it hit them like a freight train.
Talk about having the answer right in front of your nose.
"Lisa?!"
"Lizzie?!"
"Lisa what now?" Lynn blurted.
Stunned, Lincoln hung his head, feeling like a complete idiot. "Of course, how…how didn't I figure this out sooner?"
"You?" Ryan looked indignant. "How did I not connect the pieces?!"
"What are you three talking about?" Lynn demanded to know.
"Holy shit….." Ryan reclined "…..this timey-wimey stuff has been a total non-mystery this whole time?"
"What are you talking about?!"
Lucy stared at her sister in disbelief. She still hadn't gotten the memo? The denseness of her skull never ceased to amaze Lucy.
"Lisa sent you back in time, Lynn." the goth said, very slowly.
"Lisa sent-" Lynn stopped herself and her eyes widened, as she finally connected the dots in her head.
"Of course, Lisa? Mad scientist, super genius, crazy inventor, pygmy brainiac….." she fell back in her chair, trying to process it.
"Well, now we all feel dumb." Ryan chuckled. "I mean, not like this was a burning question any of us dwelled on, but still, I sure feel like an idiot now. Well, Spooky is proving to be an invaluable teammate already."
"Why…u stupid…." Lynn grumbled under her breath.
Lincoln looked at his hands. "Now it all adds up…..sort of."
But once this question was answered, another, not-really-new one popped up. "But why are the three of us the only ones who…."
"Lizzie graciously implanted memories of the future into their melons?" Ryan finished for him.
Lincoln blinked. "You think that's what happened? We didn't physically travel in time, just our minds, or Lisa just implanted memories of the future into our past selves?" he asked, equal amounts befuddled and intrigued.
"Considering you and me are both scar-free and I still have both of my pinkies, I'm pretty sure my "theory" is on the mark." Ryan nodded smugly. "That might also explain why I had that splitting headache for a whole day."
"That must be it." Lincoln continued, a flurry of thoughts racing through his brain. "Lisa orchestrated all of this?"
"Hold your horses, Lincoln." Lynn waved her hands. "If Lisa is behind this, why did she only download memories of the future into me and you? Why didn't she warn us personally? Why didn't she warn everyone, including herself?"
Lincoln couldn't help but chuckle patronizingly. "It' easy to tell you don't watch sci-fi. Time travel is a tricky business, who knows what might happen if you go back in time and meet your past self? It could completely destroy the fabric of time and nullify all existence? Make the universe implode? Results vary with each movie, but it's almost always bad and bad on a grand scale."
"Nerd…." Lynn rolled her eyes, but rolled with it. "Alright, but then why didn't she warn everyone but herself? I would think letting eleven people out of twelve know what's going to happen would have made for much better odds than just two out of twelve?"
"And what am I? Chopped liver?" Ryan snorted.
Lynn brought up a good point. Lincoln stopped to ponder. Having watched a lot of science fiction, it didn't take him long to make some educated guesses.
"Did you ever see her trying to crack time travel?"
"Not that I've noticed."Lynn shrugged.
"Me neither." Lucy shook her head.
"Maybe that's why? Whatever gizmo she used to go back in time must have been imperfect and very limiting." Lincoln brainstormed. "Maybe she could only stay in the past for a short time span and she was forced to make the best of it?"
"Doesn't sound any crazier than Super Lyle or the flue zombies?" Ryan shrugged. "Or maybe, her gizmo had no limitations but then spontaneously combusted, leaving her dead or perhaps hiding somewhere, perhaps spying on us as we speak?"
Lucy looked around. "You think there could be two Lisas-"
"One question at a time, guys." Lynn shut her up and turned to Lincoln. "But why me and you then? Why would we be her first choices?"
"Lincoln is smart and resourceful." Lucy explained like it was the most obvious thing imaginable. "I can imagine why she chose him, you though? I guess Lisa figured Lincoln needed muscle for the job."
Lynn seethed. "Oh yeah? At least the egghead deemed me worthy enough for this big mission, unlike you. She probably pegged you as useless, so there!" she scoffed and folded her arms smugly. Lucy frowned in annoyance.
"Or she calculated that Lucy would figure it on her own, so Lizzie just spared herself another memory drive?" Ryan shrugged his shoulders, earning a dirty glare from Lynn.
"And why were you chosen then?" Lynn snipped.
Ryan let out a hearty laugh. "Isn't it obvious? I have both brains and brawn, I'm devilishly charismatic and I have saved Lizzie's life once. I'd say it was a mixture of gratitude and common sense. She probably went to me first. Not like Lizzie had a big pool of capable acquaintances to choose from anyway."
Ignoring his smugness, both Lynn and Lincoln mulled over his line of reasoning. It actually made sense, though Lincoln leaned more on the notion that Lisa simply followed hard logic and chose Ryan purely for his skills.
"Not to mention, somebody needed to be there and do what's necessary for the mission when Linky was being a goody-goody boy scout."
The other boy scowled. "Ruthless pragmatism…." He snarked "…yeah, I can see how Lisa would value such a trait."
"Bingo." Ryan shot him a finger gun before glancing at Lynn.
"And I'm sure you appreciate her decision either way." He wiggled his eyebrow, making her slug him in the arm.
"Okay, so we're mostly sure how we ended up in this crazy situation." Lynn snapped her head back. The others just nodded.
"And she's part of the team?" she begrudgingly gestured at the goth. "And we can trust her?"
"I trust her." Ryan happily spoke on her behalf, rubbing his arm.
"I've always trusted her." Lincoln nodded.
Lucy smiled. "I was the only one here he could trust for years."
"Oh please…." Lynn scoffed "….you're exaggerating."
"He told me so two years ago when-"
"Anyway!" a sweaty Lincoln cut in. "I see you two are rested and ready."
"Good, because you clearly aren't." Ryan quipped
Lincoln ignored him and turned back to his little sister. "Lucy? I'm so glad that all this secret-keeping is over."
"I understand, Lincoln."
"No, really. It was tearing me up inside lying to you, and acting like you're a dumb kid who wouldn't notice our suspicious behavior." He continued, happy to get this off his chest.
"By the by. You were the only one who did notice." Ryan added. "Not even the self-proclaimed super genius noticed that anything was out of the ordinary."
Lucy blushed a little, unaccustomed to being complimented.
"Enough with the sappy stuff. Sheesh." Lynn said curtly. "So, what's today's order of business, Lincoln?"
"Oh, well….I guess will have to keep an eye on our sisters' activities and improvise." Lincoln shrugged and yawned. "As we always do."
"Wait? Don't you already know everything that's going to happen, can't you use that knowledge to-"
"Ehhh! Little problem there, Pasty." Lynn scowled. "We're the Louds. About ten crazy things happen in this damn house on a daily basis, and me and Linc aren't super computers with super memory."
"Oh." Lucy looked down.
"Wait a sec?" Lynn's eyes widened. "If Lucy just accepts time travel like that…" she snapped her fingers. "….all because she knows what Lisa is capable of, can't we try telling the rest of our family that?"
Lincoln considered that. Maybe they could? But there were so many variables. How each sister might take it could differ greatly.
"I think that's a bad idea." Lucy said bluntly.
"And why is that?" Lynn challenged her, putting her hands on her hips.
"Our sisters are stubborn and judgmental. The only reason you got over that is because the consequences of your callous actions finally caught up with you."
Lynn narrowed her eyes. "Oh, but you're the exception to that rule, huh?"
"Yes, I am. I spent my whole life being judged and persecuted. I never had the chance to do that myself."
"Lincoln, consider how some of your sisters, like Lynn, treated you like you were mad because you like reading superhero comics." Lucy looked at the jock. "The things that most boys do, to the point that you would think that was the most banal hobby a boy could have. Frankly, I'm baffled that they don't pick on Leni as well for having the gall to say that she likes shopping at the mall."
Lynn wanted to strangle her, but the goth's scathing remarks hit her right at home and she shrank with shame, having second thoughts about her suggestion. So did Lincoln.
"So imagine if you told them what you told me last night, Lincoln? Be honest, how do you think they would react to it?"
Lincoln brow furrowed as he started reminiscing about all the stuff his other sisters had done this week.
"She's got a point?" Ryan stroked his chin. "Remember how a few days ago, those bimbos hounded you across town all because you had a piece of paper you didn't want to show them? Doesn't sound like models of rationality to me?"
"Okay, bad call, bad call…." Lynn backpaddled on her suggestion. "Let's just keep it between us."
Lincoln sighed, trying to look on the bright side. "I guess that would be for the better. Besides…" he cracked a small smile. "We've made some serious progress with them."
"You have?" Lucy asked. That hadn't been part of his lengthy tale.
"Yes, you already know how Luan swore off her Prankmageddon, and I think spending time with you, Luce, will help keep her grounded. She has already shown more appreciation for us after we stood up for her against Kathleen."
"And not to toot my own horn, but I think I got through to Lana." Lynn said cockily, trying to save face.
"I have a hard time believing that." Lucy replied dryly. Lynn narrowed her eyes.
"She did, Lucy. Really." Lincoln stated. "All Lynn really had to do is get Lana to sit down and listen while she explained the situation between mom and dad to her, and Lana got it."
Lucy stared him, not really convinced.
"Or in other words, Lynn scared her into behaving." Ryan told her. "She convinced her that her mommy and daddy are overworked and are hitting a rough patch in their relationship which could end with Splitsville, which in turn has her scared that any bad behavior on her part could speed up that process."
"Oh….now it makes sense." Lucy smiled. "So, Lana and Luan? Did you get any other of our sisters to-"
"I guess there's Lisa." Lincoln said tentatively. Lynn and Ryan looked at him, unsure if he was making sense or not.
Fortunately, Lucy had heard about, and experienced, the Lisa-related escapades this week, enough to understand where Lincoln was going.
"Ah yes, the zombie flue and the incident with Lyle, and they happened in the span of three days. I suppose Lisa is starting to consider that her dangerous experiments can have dangerous repercussions. Is that why she gave that strange speech at dinner? Saying she would-"
"Yes, that's why. I think she too is seriously starting to reevaluate her daily hobbies and how they affect others." Lincoln nodded, pondering how to approach the little genius after everything. He had decided that she should be given leeway for the Lyle incident; the seeds for that disaster were planted long before any of this. He had already decided prior to the Lyle incident that Lisa should be given a second chance.
"Except that she almost got you boys killed, twice in a row." Lynn countered.
"I'm not saying that I don't hold her accountable for that. What I am saying is that we can't treat the Lyle thing like a breach of her promise, and you all know why. Unless we find her working on another mad science experiment, we should give her a chance."
Lynn backed down, remembering their previous conversation. How carrying the burden of nearly having ended the world was punishment enough.
"I can't speak on Lisa's behalf…" Lucy mused "…but if I were in her shoes, I would be racked with guilt right now."
"She is, Lucy. Ryan can testify."
"Of course she is." Ryan scoffed. "I had some choice words for her. Doesn't change the fact that she's a menace."
"I won't fight you on that…" Lincoln shook his head "….but she's my sister, she's part of my family. If we don't show her forgiveness, how is she ever going to forgive herself? I know that last night's disaster just rubbed salt in the wound for her."
Lynn and Ryan didn't feel so forgiving. Lucy on the other hand, even though she and Lisa had never been close, did feel a swell of pity for her. She could imagine what it was like if you made a mistake that hurt those around you and then tried to make amends, only for a ghost from your past to come back at the worst of times to screw everything up.
"I agree with Lincoln. She deserves the benefit of the doubt." The other two looked at her with uncertainty.
"And let's not forget that she might be the very reason we're here to fix our biggest mistake."
That reminder made the other two reconsider, albeit reluctantly.
"Fine, you do whatever you want with her." Ryan told Lincoln. "She ain't my sister. But just keep in mind that this could have-"
"I know, but giving her the cold shoulder won't change anything." Lincoln replied.
"She did come to me and Luan when we came back from Tisdale Towers, asking us if we were alright or not. I hadn't expected such open concern from her." Lucy added. "Perhaps she is indeed moving out of her personal bubble of blissful ignorance, just like Luan and Lana?"
Lynn planted her hands on the table. "Well, the way I see it, the only way we're going to find out is if nothing blows up in our faces, in one way or another, for a while."
"I guess that's the only way." Lincoln had to admit. "But I should at least talk with Lisa when I have the time, to sort things out and get a better perspective. With our new teammate, we can cover more ground more easily."
"Lana said she's smooching with her desk right now." Ryan quipped. "Probably spent the whole night awake, just like Renee there."
"How long is Renee going to be out?" Lucy asked, for she wouldn't mind if the answer was "forever".
"For as long as we don't wake her, and believe me, you should not poke a sleeping lioness." Ryan advised.
"No arguments here, as long as that skank snoozes I'm a happy camper." Lynn snorted.
"I wouldn't mind some more snoozing myself."
"Luan, you're up?" Lincoln stood up and saw the disheveled comedian walk in, still in her bathrobes and her hair a raggedy mess, carrying an irate feline in her hands.
"Lu, did you sleep well?" Ryan stood up to greet her and petted his cat's head. "And why is Marce such a grumpy cat?"
Luan sighed."Because she had a nasty fright….me too."
As if on cue, Charles trotted in, lively and eager to play. He circled around Luan, making Marceline raise her tail and hind legs as she growled at him.
"Where's Lana?" Lynn asked. "She went to see him-"
"Don't be such a sleepyhead, it's almost noon." Lana arrived, struggling to carry a pet cage. Ryan and Luan moved out of the way and Marceline jumped out of Luan's grasp. As she landed on her feet, she gave Charles a fierce look saying "come any closer and your eyes will be clawed out of your sockets".
Lana tripped and dropped the cage, which flung a familiar black cat out and he faceplanted on the floor.
As he stood up and shook his head, he was tackled and pinned to the ground. Before he could process any of it, his face was subjected to merciless licking.
Lana got up and promptly cooed. "Aww….they missed each other."
Lynn chuckled. "True that, looks like Charles is real happy to see the old couch potato again."
"Okay, boy. Enough" Lincoln gently pulled Charles off the smaller feline. "Don't smother him to death."
Wiping the drool off his eyes, Cliff finally got a good look at the dog and couldn't believe what he was seeing. Charles survived the rapids? But before he could think any further about that, the black tom sensed another presence, right behind him.
Tentatively, he turned around and found the towering savannah looking at him, her tail flicking.
Cliff shook fearfully while Marceline leaned down to be on eye level and made small "boo". This sent Cliff packing and he scurried underneath Charles' legs, grabbing on to them and shaking uncontrollably.
"Don't get any ides, you rascal." Lynn picked Marceline up. "Us tough females shouldn't play rough with wimpy males. It's a mean thing to do, it's no fun for them and it's just plain bullying."
"She's taking a dig at you." Ryan whispered to Lincoln, but he didn't dignify that with a response.
"Lana…" he turned to the youngest sibling present. "I thought we told you not to make a scene?"
"I didn't, but he wanted to play. You can't tell a dog to sit when he's happy and wants to play."
Lincoln looked back at the dog. He did indeed look happy, mainly due to being back home after a harrowing journey from the wild to civilization.
"Lincoln, is it okay if I take him outside to play?"
"Good luck with that." Ryan chuckled. "If you can get past Lizzie's murder-bot, who was appointed door guard by Baroness von Buzzkill?" he pointed at the front door.
Fenton was standing there, politely waving his arm at them while sporting that frozen psycho smile of his. The kids shuddered and tried not to make eye contact with him.
"Dangnabit…." Lana pouted.
"I don't feel like going out anyway." Luan said as she sat next to Lucy.
"Do you feel better?" the goth asked.
"Oh…sure, much better." Luan nodded when her stomach rumbled. "I guess I'm just famished."
Lana belly also rumbled. "I'm hungry, guys. Is Renee gonna make breakfast?"
"Not if we wake her up before she's good and ready." Ryan replied, his tone suggesting that they better not even try to wake her.
"Since we're all together, I guess I could make breakfast." Lincoln shrugged. "Who's up for pancakes?"
Lana beamed and raised her hand while jumping. "Me! Me!"
"You can make pancakes?" Ryan cocked an eyebrow.
"It's not hard, dad showed me. I can have it done in 20 minutes or so?"
"Awww….thanks, Linky. That would be great." Luan perked up.
"I'm good." Lynn agreed as she sat down with Marceline.
"You just chugged down a bowl of cereal?"
"Her appetite knows no boundaries, Ryan." Lucy told him, irking the jock.
Lincoln smiled. Maybe a quiet and, by their standards, normal breakfast could help lift his family's spirit.
"Lucy? Lana? Would you like to sit on the grown-up table?"
Lucy blinked and looked at it. It hadn't even occurred to her that she was at the grown-up table.
Lana was aw-struck. "The grown-up…..you really mean that?"
"Sure, mom and dad aren't here. Renee's asleep. What they don't know won't hurt them." Lincoln winked to her. "It's our little secret."
"Aww….thanks, Linc."
"Don't thank me yet, you're still hungry. Hey, Lucy can you give me a hand to speed this up?
"Sure?" Lucy jumped down and joined him. Charles followed her, urging Cliff to crawl after him as Marceline kept watching him.
"Good." Lincoln started counting off his fingers. "I'll need a coup of flower….make that three, some sugar, some salt, some oil, some baking powder and a very big bowl, I'll go grab the syrup."
"Could we lend a hand?" Luan ask, making Lincoln nervous.
"Eh…no, no, no, this is my treat." He insisted. "I'll get this done, you guys just sit and don't touch anything."
"Hey, if the little guy wants to do all the work, let him do it." Ryan reclined casually. "Nice bed hair, Lu."
Luan blushed and covered her head in shame.
"Just kidding." Ryan laughed and lifted his cap to show his own messy hair. "Hair maintenance is overrated. It just eats up time."
"When I tell mom that hygiene is overrated, she gets mad at me." Lana pouted.
"I hear ya, sister." Lynn chuckled.
Suddenly, they heard clanking and thumping from above. As they looked up, something pink fell out of the vents and hit the floor.
"Lola!" Lincoln blurted and the group encircled Lola's twitching and pain-stricken form. They noted that she was covered in slime and dead scales.
Ryan slapped his forehead. "Oh, for Pete's sake. Who invited her?"
"You! How dare you…" Lana said angrily as she dragged her finger across Lola's arm to inspect the slime and scales. "What have you done with my friends?"
"Owww…..Lola groaned.
The big day is coming, Lucy's officially part of the team and Lola will be facing some pretty pissed-off family members.
