TAG, YOU'RE IT

Lemy was feeling mortified. Here he was alone with his mother in his room having a serious conversation regarding his and Lyra's romantic relationship. How she figured it out was a mystery to him, but the fact that she already knew and more importantly approved of said relationship was an even bigger twist. Now here they were and he was so lost at what to do next as Luna waited for his response to all of this.

"Still processing everything?" Luna teased her son.

"...yeah." He honestly said.

Luna took a seat next to her son watching him mull in silence at all this new information that was just revealed to him. She understood what he was going through and kindly placed her hand on his back, soothing him to feel more relaxed about it all. Lyra was currently taking a hot shower before hitting the bed, most were asleep except for probably the girls and Lucy dwelling in either the attic or basement for whatever supernatural reason. She was leaving tomorrow so as promised she was now confronting Lemy and letting him now that everything was going to be alright. The only thing she omitted from him was Lyra's pregnancy; she needed to tell him that bombshell herself.

"So... we're cool? Is that what you are saying?" It was still a sudden change of expectations for the teenager. Honestly he was quite weary of the entire conversation in hand, he had expected some resistance at the very least.

"Of course we are. Me at least." Luna smiled, she could see the wheels still spinning by the look on his face.

"...and the others?" That was his main concern, Luna was too much of a wild one, her acceptance of most things went unchallenged. So while their mother had gifted them the seal of approval that still left the others.

"One step at a time. I'm sure they'll be shocked and feel a tad uncomfortable with this new reality, but we can't condone something that we gladly started in our own teen years." He was glad to hear Luna be so supportive of them.

"Guess Lyra and I have nothing to fear then." Lemy returned a smile, now feeling much more at ease.

That only left one more question on his behalf and maybe he should have waited instead of blurting it out as he now did.

"You sure Lynn and Lucy won't murder me for having sex with Lacy and Lupa too?" Lemy asked innocently.

Luna's facial expressions were unreadable. Not a hint of emotion could be detected on the older woman as her son looked at her, awaiting an answer to his sudden question. Covering her face with her hand she angrily rubbed her eyes as she felt a rant building up inside of her.

"Are you fucking with me right now son?"

Yeah, maybe he shouldn't have said that. Looks like Lyra either forgot or refused to mention that other well-kept secret. Now a new revelation had been placed on the table, and he had no idea if he made things worse or not. It couldn't get any worse now could it?

The Next Morning…

Lupa was too absent-minded to care for the teacher's lecture. Her seat was directly in the middle of the second to last row towards the rear end of the classroom and the only window exposing natural light from the outside world was two desks away from her. Most times if she wasn't writing down or drawing random nonsense on her notebook then she would longingly stare directly at said window and be mesmerized by the outside world from which these thick cement walls were keeping her jailed in and away from.

This time however it wasn't out of boredom. The status quo had changed forever after the unfortunate news she uncovered the previous night rocked her world into a new one.

Lemy was going to be a father. Lyra was the mother. She refuses to tell him and wants to stall the surprise for as long as possible. Truth be told Lupa was still unsure on how to process any of this down, last night she felt a swirl of emotions rain down on her with great might. Today they had mellowed down, but the burning remained intact. She thought she knew pain or at least attempted to emulate her mother's views about it, but now she knew what true heartbreak was. And the saddest part? She had no say or right to get in-between them.

She would be a real cold bitch to try to break them up for her own selfish desires. She wouldn't dare despite how tempting it already was.

"Lupa, do you mind reading the next paragraph?" The unamused voice of her teacher brought her mind back to the room.

"Sure…" Lupa focused back on the English book in hand, "...What page are we on?"

Across school Lemy was skipping classes as usual. Yes, he had promised Lyra that he would be more focused on studying for the semester exam which was due in two weeks before the Christmas vacation, problem is that he could not stand the asshole teacher he was stuck with at the moment in this class period. The dude didn't even care about teaching, far more preoccupied playing online poker on his laptop than actually preparing multiple classes of students for an upcoming important test that would either make or break their advancement towards graduation. If that old overweight man was not giving a shit then why would he? No point in putting effort if those in charge are not even evaluating your performance with care and dedication.

Walking around the school grounds he made his way towards the soccer field and lucky him, the female soccer team was out practicing. Taking a seat on the bleachers he saw his sister scoring goals without breaking a sweat. He could also see aunt Lynn barking orders at her girls, always a drill sergeant searching for the next best technique that could improve the team and win them all the matches. Here's hoping she didn't notice him out of class, he would not like to be dragged by the legs into the principal's office again by the ungodly strong woman.

Lunch was in thirteen minutes, he could afford lazing about next to the field. It also gave him the peace he needed to think about Lupa more clearly.

"Fuck...she has been mad with me even if she isn't outright saying it." Pulling out his lighter, he flicked it on and off, admiring the small flame it produced, "She really does like me doesn't she?"

Yes, he may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but that didn't mean he was an absolute dumbass either. It wasn't that hard to understand what was happening. This had not been the first time Lupa had acted out this way. Many times before when it appeared that he and Lacy were getting more than comfortable with each other did she suddenly give them both the cold shoulder for days to weeks at a time. The problem was that when he did try to feel any indications from her she would revert back to her original snarky, no more than just friends who fuck for pleasure and nothing more. She was a serious enigma when it came to taking a relationship to much more than what it currently was. It was like she was either too scared to admit it or was harboring the idea of actually dating him as highly undesirable even if her entire body demanded it to.

"Girls are so strange." Lemy produced a cigarette from his jacket and lit it with his lighter. As he watched the soccer team get in formation for more practice.

"Yeah we are a real mystery to you simple-minded boys." Lemy froze in place at the hearing of that voice.

Turning his neck to a ninety degree angle he saw Lynn sitting right next to him as casual as she could be. She was sporting her favorite red tracksuit with white lines and black sneakers for excellent jogging or running. The get up hid her body muscles very well, if anybody saw her in just her bare essentials as he had for most of his life they would feel a better certain way towards the brash and tough high school coach. He couldn't lie, at times he had peeked at her in the shower or been too distracted when she would stroll in the house wearing her gym shorts and top. He already eloped with three sisters. Was it already a sin to have such lewd thoughts about his aunts now at this point in his life?

"Skipping and smoking? You must really love detention huh kid?" She flashed him a wicked grin that only made him shudder. Lynn was a proud sadist when it came to conducting workout regimes and against unfortunate opponents during games. Him being family was not enough to stop her from getting her hands on him, just ask his father.

"Well you're here now might as well enjoy it." Lynn said.

"Okay." Lemy conceded.

"So what's on your mind punk?" Lynn asked. So much had occurred over the past month, everyone was having the same similar thoughts.

"Just girl problems. Nothing more." Lemy confessed.

"Don't we all?" Lynn sighed, not fully explaining herself, "Your mother is probably halfway in the air to Atlanta right about now isn't she?"

"I guess so. Sucks she has to leave with Christmas around the corner. But I guess musicians have a contract to fulfill." Lemy said.

"How's your sister? Is she feeling any better now that that whole fiasco is over? She has been appearing worse for wear recently?" Lynn asked.

Lemy looked up at her, curious to know what she meant by it, "Is she? So much has happened I guess...I need to pay much closer attention then."

Lyra went through hell, but even if that was in the past in her mind it was still not something she could easily overcome in a matter of days. Such a high level of post-traumatic distress takes much longer to wipe away or at best, lock away forever. Lynn couldn't relate, but she shared her family's hatred for the bastard. The best punishment would have been locking him in a room with her, give her an hour or two to leave him permanently crippled and eating liquid food through a straw for the rest of his fucking existence.

No need to do any of that now. It was over and she could start anew.

"So when the heck are you getting a girlfriend?" Lynn asked, getting his full undivided attention.

"You're sixteen punk, I lost my v-card at three years younger than you. Step up your game." She smirked at him.

"Oh...yeah...I try...actually how would you know that I didn't already get laid?" Lemy put out his cigarette with a cocky smile.

"Maybe you have, but fucking and dating are two different things. Sex is great, but romance is so much better." Lynn looked towards the field where Lacy was still being energetic as her teammates laid tired on the grass. A loving smile on the older woman, knowing that every decision she has made was worth it in the end.

Later That Afternoon…

Lincoln arrived home from work, exhausted and eager to relax on his couch and watch television. Before boarding her plane, Luna had told him that more changes were to come and for him to be ready for them. He didn't fully understand what she meant, but he took it to heart. So much had occurred with his oldest daughter, he was now ready for anything else that could come at them. Switching on the television he had a sudden thought go through his head that made him choke on his drink.

"Jesus, Luna. I hope you are not pregnant again!" He laughed to himself, that would be quite a shocker for him and the kids. She had proven herself to be very fertile unlike Lynn and Lucy who were one and done.

Flipping channels he settled down on a tv show that revolved around public pranking. Lucky him that tomorrow was friday; last day of work for him. He could now relax for the entire weekend and recharge his mental batteries after so much writing and drawing for the past five days.

Looking around he was all alone. Not a soul on site. The clock in the wall read seventeen past five, it was odd to see the house this quiet and lonely. He knew that Lynn was still at school, Lupa was probably in her room or out and about. Lucy could sneak up on him at any second right now. Lemy was taking detours on his way back home, where was Lyra at?

Dialing up his phone he placed it on his ear and listened to the ringtone go off.

"Hey dad what's up?" Lyra sounds okay, most likely smiling from her end of the call.

"Just checking up on you. Found the house all empty, you know how rare that is?" Lyra laughed from her end, agreeing to his assessment.

"I'm actually down by the market with Lacy. Just buying a few ingredients for dinner tonight, you'll love what I have prepared for you all." Lincoln was grateful for her helpful hand around the house, always responsible and ready to lend a hand without question.

"Alright then just stay safe and stop Lacy from buying any candies. She can't handle sugar without going crazy." He chuckled.

Hearing in such high spirits was the perfect blessing for him. He wasn't sure if he would manage without Luna by his side, yet here he was not having the serious struggle he initially thought. Lyra, while still haunted by the past, was managing just fine by their side. He had to thank Lemy for providing so much support for her. He can't alway be there and be her shoulder to cry on or relax on, so he was there to carry most of the load when he was not available and he admired his son for that alone.

"Well don't take too long. Take care, okay." Lincoln said to which Lyra reaffirmed him and ended the call on her behalf.

Sometime later Lemy arrived home from wherever it was that he liked to hangout after school. Lincoln greeted him on the way in, but also noticed the display of focus on his otherwise care-free son. Something was up with him and he wondered if anything had happened at school.

"Something wrong son?" Lincoln inquired.

"Nah, it's all good. I just need to find Lupa, talk to her about something. Is she upstairs?" Lemy put a foot in the staircase as he waited for a response from his father.

"Not sure. Maybe she is." Lincoln stretched his limbs, his muscles feeling much more relaxed by doing so, "Lyra is not here before you ask. Out on an errand with Lacy, she'll be back soon."

"Thanks dad." Lemy nodded and headed up the stairs in search of the snow-haired teen goth.

Lupa and Lacy's Room…

Truth be told the fifteen year old goth was slouching in her room with the music player at medium volume echoing an underground indie band screaming about death and love all at once. Alone with her thoughts and in the shadows of the dark room she mulled the many thoughts that plagued her troubled mind and it infuriated her the more they encroached upon her.

Thinking about them being an official item was really upsetting her and she was upset at the fact that she was upset about such a trivial matter.

Fuck why did it sting so bad? Why was she so weak? It was ridiculous and borderline idiotic for her to be behaving this way, she was smarter than this, full of logic and common-sense, so why was she allowing her heart to bleed for that stubborn, moronic, goofy and adorable older brother of hers? Guess she must have answered her own question right there.

A knock on the door pulled her away from her inner self-loathing.

"Lupa you in there?" Speak of the devil and he shall appear, no, he's no devil, just a misguided angel that she had no problem handing her black heart to him as a love offering.

"Lupa come one I know you're in there. You always do the same routine when upset. I know you very well at this point." Lemy spoke from the other side.

"Smart little shithead." Lupa muttered as she got up from bed and reached for the door.

Opening the door to just a small creak she eyed him standing there. What a pathetic display of worry he was showcasing to her, she wanted to roll her eyes so hard right then and now, but she did secretly appreciate his caring side. Opening the door by an inch wider half her face was now in view of him. Showing no emotions she stood in place, not letting him in just yet.

"What?" She sneered.

"Let's talk." He said.

"No." She replied.

He placed the palm of his hand against the frame of the door and pushed a bit harder against her clear resistance, "Lupa, don't be like this. I know what this is all about, so let me in and let's have an honest one-to-one. Just you and me again."

After a few seconds of silence her inner self out-beat her stubbornness. She stepped away from the door allowing him to walk into her dim-lighted room. Just the faint rays of light from the corners of the closed window crept in to provide enough vision from one to see around the room. Closing the door behind him both stood a few feet from each other in silence, just the music blaring in the corner of the room by her desk.

This couldn't get any more awkward than it could possibly be and the fact that he had gone through so much dramatic awkwardness for the past two months should have made him immune to such emotions. Fuck it, guess he was weak to it, or maybe just weak to the women in his life, Lupa being on of them and currently eyeing him with a look of wonder and uncertainty. Need to get this over with and no longer stall the inevitable.

"The fuck you want to talk about shrimp?" There she went using foul words to hide her insecurities again, he knew her too damn well.

"Look who's talking. You ain't growing anymore." He smirked down at her.

"Watch it, I can easily kick you in the balls." She returned the smirk.

"I always love it when you get feisty. Brings out the best in you." He said and meant it, that was one of the best qualities about her during their two year tryst of unspoken sexual adventures.

That was enough to lighten up the mood. Both were now smiling and allowed their bodies to let loose. There was still the issue at hand, but now the ice had been broken by a few simple words of typical sibling social interactions. He considered placing his hand on her shoulder, but refrained from doing so. She would likely punch him for it, most likely anyhow. Or perhaps attempt another sort of strike against him that involved less hurting and more loving. He had to be careful now. She was hurting from the heart and he was the direct cause for it. The last thing he wants is for her to go down the same path that Lyra did so many years ago.

"I'm sorry for ignoring you for the last few weeks. I shouldn't have allowed my relationship with Lyra to get to my head, you and Lacy have been with me since the beginning. I am a dickhead for tossing you two aside the moment she came back to our lives." Lemy hung his head in shame, nothing but truth coming from his heart.

"You really shouldn't be that hard on yourself. After all...one can never forget their first love." Lupa spoke up, sensing a change in the room, one she had yet to put an actual tag of identification to.

"Despite the agreement we three held to, I never did consider the possibility that one of us might actually end up falling in love with the other, right Lupa?" Lemy looked back at her and by the size of growth that her irises increased by, he was right on the money.

"Kind of fucked up right?" Lupa scratched the back of her head and looked away from him, a thin smile on her, "The first guy that popped my cherry was my own brother, now the first guy that I have developed a serious crush on is again my own brother. Why is our life so cruel and unfair?"

"Guess it's genetic at this point huh?" Lemy concluded.

"Maybe it is, or maybe being children of incest made it mandatory for us to indulge in such activity with each other." Lupa tried to grin, attempted to laugh it off, but it came out so...hollow. Devoid of positivity she felt the misery overtaking her the more she admitted her sins to the boy she had grown to deeply love.

Lemy couldn't bear to see her like this. She was holding it in, the tears the quivering the pain and sadness of knowing that she gave up on the only person that she could ever possibly love as her own lover. It pained him to see her like this as a former lover and forever her older brother he had vowed to always protect and love them. Right now he was failing one and the other was no longer as it used to be.

Taking just a single step forward he wrapped her around his arms and held her close to his chest. Surprised at his actions, Lupa did not pull away; she grabbed onto his shirt and buried herself into him. She deeply missed his touch, missed the warm feelings of his body against her. His hands touching her everywhere out of both pleasure and care. Having him this close again was the one thing she had missed the most and she would be an outright liar if she said that she held no envy towards Lyra for now holding on to the same precious memories that she and Lemy had initially built together.

"I can't do this to you. You love her...she needs you." Lupa sniffed, fully aware of Lyra's predicament that only she and Luna knew about.

"I...understand. I still love you regardless. You did make me a man after all." Smiling, Lemy stoked her hair and held her closer to him.

Every inch and fiber of his soul was barking at him to pull back and reconsider the action that had manifested upon him. The moment was perfect. The circumstances demanded it. Above all he knew she wanted it and as horrible as it sounded there was a part of him that pleaded with him to go for it. Lyra...he couldn't do this to her. She would be heartbroken by his betrayal and possibly leave him again. That was a fear that he had, but the body and mind were always at war with one another, such it has been since the first man and women came to be in this world.

The ramifications were crystal clear, yet...the idea was too appealing to outright ignore. Lupa in many ways had been his first, but also his greatest companion through hell and all. She deserved more, better than just a simple hug from him. And let's be quite frank, he loved Lyra, but he did miss the other two as much as he tried to deny it himself. This was a losing fight and the longer he stayed alone in this room with her the more he was pummeled to the ground until utter defeat on his part was declared. He needed to get out or risk it all.

"Lupa…" Both looked at each other. Their eyes did not lie, the urge was there and ready to strike. All it would take was a simple push, that's how gravity works after all.

"Lemy…" She whispered his name. His name that he had handed over to her and she had accepted without regret or second-thoughts. She had always felt this way about her, but chose to hide it and act as if it was nothing but business between them.

He loved Lyra. He cared about Lyra. He did not want to hurt Lyra. He did not want to hurt Lupa.

Because he loved Lupa.

Ignoring the world around them and the obvious screaming consciousness of them both. Lemy and Lupa closed the gap and shared their first kiss in many months. With Lyra it was a gigantic wave of absolute loving pleasure. With Lupa after so long the feeling was akin to a fireworks warehouse exploding into hundreds of rockets into the sky. The same way he had always felt about her, he still did and that could either be a great thing or a terrible one down the line. Whatever it may be at the moment neither one of them cared much for the repercussions of their actions and indulged each other as their kiss progressed deeper, slower and much more intimately.

Gently holding her to the floor and placing her on top the oval carpet in the center of the room both hungrily kissed each other, refusing to separate or even breathe as their lust had now taken over. His body heating up he reluctantly pulled away from her lips leaving her whining for more. Looking down at her, Lemy was enthralled by her beauty, a word that would have never been associated with Lupa, but to him she was exactly that. Her, Lyra and Lacy were the three most beautiful girls he has ever known and he was extremely lucky to know that they were forever his sisters.

Looking up at him with puffy, swollen lips she gave him her legendary bedroom eyes and with one hand slowly unzipped her jacket and exposing her yellow shirt underneath. She never wore a bra due to her lack of size, so seeing her erect nipples through the soft yellow fabric had awakened his boner. Without thinking twice he grabbed his shirt from the bottom and pulled it off over his head, exposing his toned body to her, the same body she had missed and now would get to taste and feel once again. Going down he reached for her shirt and began to undress her much to Goth's amorous approval.

May Lyra forgive them both.

Downstairs…

Lincoln had fallen asleep watching a documentary on the history channel. One would think that only the elderly would be cursed for such things, but apparently if you're tired enough from work then it can happen to anyone regardless of age. Lucky for him the couches were perfectly comfortable and still had enough life in them to last for the next five years. Good thing that all four of them had long-holding careers to afford the good assets around the house. Luna was saving up for a home of her own, only thing is, she wanted to relocate outside of Michigan. Somewhere down south like Memphis was her ideal place to settle down with the kids. They were still talking about it, nothing official as of yet.

The noise of his cell phone ringing woke him from his nap.

"Hello?" Lincoln answered albeit groggy from his sudden awakening from a good midday sleep.

"Lincoln Loud?" A female voice asked.

"Yes?" He responded, not recognizing the voice speaking to him.

"Mr. Loud, I work for the Los Angeles County Probation Office. About a month ago a man by the name of Caleb Flag was assigned to our database for the next five years after losing a case against your family." Lincoln was now wide awake. Hearing that man's name sent a mixture of shivers and hate all across his body.

"What is happening miss?" In a matter of milliseconds Lincoln felt a horrible feeling brewing in his gut as his heart pounded harder as the seconds passed.

"Mr. Flag was meant to have a house visit this morning by one of our officers, but his place of accommodation was found uninhabited. After many hours of search we came to with probable evidence that he may have fled the city, perhaps even the state. Given the nature of his case I'm calling to inform you of your niece's possible endangerment." Lincoln sprang up from his seat and slowly began to panic. His mind was being pulled towards multiple directions all at once.

Warn Lyra. Call Lyra. Find Lyra.

"How the fuck did this happen? Were there no eyes on him?" Lincoln shouted into the phone.

"It wasn't until a friend of Mr. Flag came clean with a confession: did we truly know where exactly he was heading to. We have already alerted the police department of Royal Woods and the Michigan state troopers. We will find him Mr. Loud." The woman reassured, but that wasn't good enough for him.

"Not if he finds her first!" The fear had overwhelmed him. Grabbing his keys he exited out the house while dialing Lyra.

He was sent directly to voicemail.

Elsewhere…

"Is that everything?" Lyra placed the last of the grocery bags on the back of the car as Lacy helped out.

"Yep. That's all." The younger girl beamed at her sister.

Their shopping had finished for tonight's dinner. Now both girls were in the parking lot putting away their goods. Despite the fun day with Lacy, Lyra had to hide her symptoms from her. Bing inside a food store had given her a nasty taste of uncontrollable nausea. All the different smells inside had increased for the worse since her senses were heightened thanks to her pregnancy. She had to excuse herself to properly throw up in the restroom. Was she now glad to be out of that place, not that her symptoms would go away anytime soon.

"Well wait in the car I'm going to place the carat back in its spot." Lyra ordered Lacy.

"Just put it to the side, the store has someone for that job." Lacy said back.

"Try to be more civil about it. I'm certain they will greatly appreciate having their job made easier for them." Lyra pushed the shopping cart to the lane where all carts got stored away.

As she walked away Lyra hurried her steps to the other carts where a trash bin was located. Truthfully she needed to throw up once more and would rather do it away without Lacy witnessing and then asking questions afterwards. Reaching the spot she shoved the shopping cart away and immediately threw up the contents of her stomach into the garbage bag inside. Wiping away the sour taste of her lips, Lyra silently cursed this annoyance of her pregnancy, but did not outright hate it.

She had been blessed with a second chance. A second chance to be a mother again. She still mourned the loss of her first child, but now this little one growing inside her was the conception of love and she could not have been more happier. A real family of her own. With her brother by her side they would be forever together. The three of them would.

"You look like shit."

Her entire being froze as she recognized the voice behind her. Everything inside of her was screaming at her to either run or scream. The fear she had been enslaved by returned as if it had never been gone to begin with. She was too afraid to look back. Her face petrified with fear as she could only look forward, for anything, literally anything within her field of vision was much more preferable than the man standing directly behind her.

"Are you not even going to say hello?" His voice oozed the same sternness she had been forced to appease for over two years.

Lyra was too petrified to speak, too scared to even shout for help. She could only whimper and nothing more.

"I told you. I'm never too far away." He grabbed her arm and Lyra finally came to her senses and tried to yank herself away from him, but his grip on her wrist was too strong for her to loosen up. Finding her voice she gave out a yelp, but Caleb shut her up with his hand forcefully covering her mouth. Pinning her arm behind her he dragged her towards his car that was not that far away. Lyra's greatest fears were coming back and no matter how hard she fought back, she was still the same weak girl from then and still is now.

"You are mine Lyra." He venomously whispered in her ear.

Both got tackled to the ground. Lyra, becoming free of his grasp, looked behind to see Lacy wailing on Caleb. She must have heard her initial cry for help or simply gotten bored and walked over towards her location. Either way she was her savior at the very moment. She needed to run and get help, scream for help, dial the police for help. But was too afraid to leave Lacy alone with him, even though it appeared she had things under control she was too afraid to do anything.

"Leave her alone you fucking piece of shit!" Lacy pounded his face with lefts and rights. No holding back on him.

Caleb being taller and heavier used his strength to push the sixteen year old off of him. Lacy came back with a knee to his face, crushing his nose with a sickening thud. Yelling in pain and anger Caleb got to one knee and reached for something on his back.

"Lacy!" Lyra screamed as she realized what he was planning to do.

Lacy was strong and a capable fighter thanks to Lynn's training of various forms of martial arts, but all of that meant nothing when a gun came into play.

Caleb whipped out a Glock and aimed it directly at the teenager who paused at the sight of the handgun. Before anyone could yell at him to stop or simply stop him for that matter he pulled back on the trigger and shot a single bullet at the young Lacy Loud.