Day 4 continued

Lincoln woke up spooning Lori. It was obvious that she hadn't gone to sleep when he had. Her phone, plugged into the wall, still showed the most recent photo of her and Bobby, until it changed and Lincoln realized it was on a slide show.

Lori also held a picture of their parents that had a spot on his dresser. It was clutched in her hand and held to her chest. He could tell that she had been crying.

"Poor, Lori. You are having a pretty rough time right now. Heartbroken, lost your parents, suddenly in charge of your younger siblings." He moved some hair from her face. "I can only imagine a fraction of that. They were my parents too." She opened her eyes. "Hey."

"You're sweet, twerp." she reached up and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Missing Bobby?" He nodded to the phone.

"Deleting pictures. I guess i dozed off for a minute." She sat up and scooted to lean against the headboard. "I think I felt it coming. The break up I mean. The cheating really hurt though." She frowned.

"Hey, you got me and our sisters!"

"I..." Her eyes took in his bare chest. He had some good muscles developing. She reached out and ran her hand over a large bruise she didn't remember seeing last night. "You're the man of the house, Lincoln..." She took a shakey breath. 'What the fuck am I thinking!?' He looked at her expectantly. "... You've always looked out for us, even though half of us are older." She smiled a bit more.

"Want me to beat up Bobby?" He asked jokingly.

"No. That wouldn't make things better. He actually did apologize and he never hurt you." She was absently running her hand up and down his arm. When he flexed slightly her eyes widened. 'Wow! That's firm!' "Working out with Lynn is really helping, isn't it." She stated.

"Yeah. I kinda wanted to get girls." He blushed, his whole body, that she could see, flushed red.

"Is it working?" She asked.

He looked down embarrassed and sad. "No." He shifted to sit cross legged. "They still call me a dork and goofy." he admitted. "Besides, I've got you girls..."

She cut him off. "You got us, huh." Her eyes narrowed and she leaned in. "You know, maybe it's the chocolate liquor I took from Mom and Dad's room, but I have a confession."

"What's that?" He asked nervously, noticing her tongue wet her lips. Now that she mentioned it, he could smell the alcohol and chocolate.

"I really love you, little bro." She planted a soft, sweet, lingering and very unsisterly kiss on his lips. When she pulled back he could only stutter in response. "I feel a million times better having admitted that. L... no, no, not my place to say." He could tell that she was totally honest, and was curious about what she had stopped herself saying. This was quickly forgotten as Lori leaned in again, he mirrored this but felt foolish when she stopped short. she giggled. "I thought so!"

"Thought w-what?" He asked embarassed.

"You feel it too." She kissed his cheek. "Most girls play hard to get, Lincoln. Just..." she stopped talking after her eyes darted down. it was a natural double take. She gaped in awe at what she saw. Lincoln was hard and she could see that he was big! 'Oh my gosh! they probably felt that against them! No wonder Lynn and Luan stay in here... oh, what about the others?'

"Lori?"

"Huh? What?" She realized he had been calling her name for a minute or so. He was covering himself shyly. "Lincoln, you have no reason to hide that! just, keep our conversation under wraps, okay."

"Yeah, you were drinking and all." He smirked at her.

"Lincoln, I might have a little buzz, but I am not drunk. It just gave me a bit of courage. Everything I said, i meant."

She blushed with the admission.

"What?" he asked.

"Could i have another kiss, a real one?"

Lincoln couldn't deny his sisters anything. He couldn't recall anything about the kiss other than it was really good. It was the first time he had ever french kissed a girl. His head spun and he remembered the faint hint of the liquore Lori had mentioned. When they broke apart she had her hand on his boner and he had a hand on her breast.

"That was..."

"LORI! PHONE!" Lola yelled.

Lori rolled her eyes and hurried to take the call.

Lincoln decided to go hang out at one of his friends houses. He called around and they all agreed on Eddie's house.

Noon, hottest part of the day. Lincoln sat in an air conditioned room in front of a tv with a controller in hand.

"Linc, where's your head, man?" Eddie, the new kid in the group, asked after beating Lincoln for the fifth straight time. "Still buggin' about that fool's big brother lookin' for ya?"

"Oh, uh, no. No. Just got a lot going on right now." Lincoln sat the controller down. "Sorry i'm not into it today."

"Hey, it okay man! I did the same thing when my ol' man O-deed and bought the farm." Eddie sat back solemly. "He wasn't worth much, but I miss when he was sober."

Lincoln patted his friend's back.

"Hey, see, this is why people like you!" Eddie smiled at him. Lincoln gave him a confused look. "This, man! You just got a whole lot of heavy shit dropped on you and here you are comforting me for thinking about my dad for the first time in eight years." Eddie threw an arm around Lincoln and gave him a half hug. "I've dealt with my shit, Lincoln. I'm here for you! Remember that, bro!" Eddie kept his hold on Lincoln until he nodded that he understood. "Good, now where's Clyde and Liam? Farm Boy always has good smoke!"

Lincoln laughed. "You and Farm Boy enjoy that, i'm going to pass."

"And that there! You don't judge!"

"How can I? I smoke it too."

Lincoln laughed when Eddie replied. "Shit really does give people short term memory loss."

When Clyde and Liam did arrive, Clyde was looking worried. They hadn't seen Lincoln yet.

"I'm telling you, Clyde, you worry too much. He just said he wants to talk."

"But Liam, what of he meant TALK?" Clyde made air quotes on the last word. "He's bigger and older than Jackson Pile and is a trained fighter!"

"Who is?" Lincoln asked stepping off the porch.

"Jason Pile. The big brother of the fella you whooped!" Liam took a paper from Clyde and handrd it to Lincoln. "He seems like he wants to talk to you. I think it's you. i mean, you're the only guy that fits the description of a snow cap without being an old geezer."

"Liam!"

"Clyde, cool down, man! if Lincoln isn't going to talk with him now, then the guy will just find him later. He sticks out like a sore thumb and ain't too hard to miss."

Clyde sighed. "You're right. But i'm... i'm going with you." He pointed at Lincoln.

"Okay." Lincoln read over the paper.

"So what's it say?" Liam inched closer.

"It has a phone number, and, and address with hours on it." Lincoln answered.

"I might'a told him i knew you." Liam smiled sheepishly. "Heard him talkin' in the market."

"Wow, bullies these days are getting advanced." Clyde commented looking the paper over and making them all chuckle.

"Eddie's waiting for you, Liam." Lincoln made a motion like he was hitting a joint.

"You're not staying?" Liam asked.

"No. I'm going home. With everything going on, think it's just good to have a clear head for now."

He took a small bag from Liam. "In case you need to relax." Liam told him.

"Thank's, Liam." He stuffed it in his pocket and hugged his bros. "Clyde, Liam, keep Eddie in line, okay."

Lincoln walked to the end of the block and then cut across before switching direction.

it took about thirty minutes at a steady pace. He stopped in front of a boxing gym that Lynn spoke about on occasion. A guy inside stare at him through the window, stopped what he was doing and waved Lincoln inside.

Once inside there were a few whispers here and there but most everyone kept doing what they were doing.

He followed the guy into an office. "Have a seat. Drink?" The guy stood up from a mini fridge with a sports drink.

"No thank you. I appreciate it though." Lincoln replied as he sat in the rough lay-z-boy. He felt a bit intimidated by the giant of a man.

"Look, i don't know what my idiot brother did, but i'm sure he deserved it." The guy sat down and put his feet up. "What did he do so i know what to yell at him for?"

"He was picking on my sister. Sending her mean texts and calling her names at school." Lincoln frowned. "Look, i didn't want to fight, i just wanted him to stop and i'm really sorry... just, when he called her a dog i kind of lost it."

"Kid. There is nothing to be sorry about. Out of the ring, i try to avoid fights, sometimes they just happen. Got to be ready, you know." He put his feet down and leaned over the desk and rested his chin in his hands. "Keep sticking up for your sister. Nothing wrong with that. I was just curious if i had to pay for something."

He stood as his name was called. "Listen, if Jackson starts trouble, and you can't handle it, call me. I'm Jason." He held out his hand and Lincoln shook it.

"Lincoln, Lincoln Loud."

"Nice to meet you!" Jason was genuine.

"Like wise!" Lincoln felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Wait! You got a sister named Lynn?" Jason asked as he let go.

"Uh, yeah."

"Hey, you two come by any time, just got a couple openings." He clapped a hand on lincoln's shoulder as he passed by. "Don't be a stranger, little man!"

Lincoln got home when he said he would. Half an hour after five. He stood out on the sidewalk and imagined all the times his family just hung out front of their home or the happy scenes he saw through the windows.

A man pushed past him, apparently not noticing or simply disregarding him. He hadn't even seen or heard the van pull up behind him.

The man had a set of files and pounded on the door.

Lori opened it. "Hello?"

"Loud residence?" the man in the cheap brown suit asked.

Lori nodded. "Yes, wh..."

"My name is Bill Stiles, C P S," He was rude and discourtious. The way he named off those three letters made Lincoln's skin crawl. "I am here to relocate the following children."

Lori stood there in disbelief as he named off all but three of her younger siblings.

"Now if you will step aside so I..."

"No!" Lori started to close the door but the man put his foot in the gap. He let out a yelp and lincoln grinned.

Leni, Luan and Violet came to Lori's aide. Lincoln stood and watched as the man finally removed his foot and stepped back from the front door. Rubbing his sore foot with one hand he dialed his cell with another.

Lincoln slipped around back and Lynn let him in. "Dude! What's going on?"

"C.P.S." Lincoln replied. He gave Lynn a hug. "Jason Piles says hello. he's got a couple openings at the gym."

"Lincoln, aren't you concerned?!" Lynn asked as if he had lost his mind.

"Remember that lady that stopped by and talked with Lori? i went to the kitchen and i heard the call she took when she went to the side of the house before she left." He grinned. "Trust me Lynn, we're fine. I just need that card."

Outside the house Stiles was shouting and checking the windows and doors on the ground floor. the way Stiles talked made it sound like he was devine and his word was to be obeyed.

He looked right in at Lincoln taking the card from Lori's purse. "Open the door boy!" Lincoln was usually respectful to adults, but he smirked and flipped the man off before closing the curtain.

Lori and the others huddled together with their younger sisters, telling them it would be okay. Lily was taking it the hardest as even though she was very intelligent, she was still young and had a lot to learn. Plus the added trauma of losing their parents, the youngest Loud was in hysterics.

"Lori! Call her!" He handed Lori the card and took Lily in his arms.

Lori moved to a room where there was less noise. She wasn't sure but something about what her brother had said sent her into action.

The phone only rang once and a familiar voice answered.

"Hey, Lori!" It was a happy greeting.

"Uuum," She looked at the card." Shinji? Shinji, there's a man here from the CPS and he wants to take my little sisters and Lincoln!" She blurted out in a panic as the man started pounding on the front room window.

"You got his name?"

"Stiles, Bill Stiles."

"Pull the curtains draw the blinds, he isn't pretty to look at. Double check every lock. I'm on my way." She would have added that the guy was on the verge of being fired as he wasn't the most stable or professional, and had some things brought up against him in the past, but she didn't want to worry the Louds any more.

They hid up in Lori's room even when Stiles was yelling on the phone to the local police. The Louds were still there when Stiles called the police later to ask what was taking them so long.

There was a loud engine and then a shout that stopped Stiles tyrade.

This was followed by the sound of a fight, a one sided one by the sound of it.

Lots of words spoken in various languages that only the genius of the family seemed to understand. Lisa Simply said "Oh my!" a few times. "What a colorful vocabulary!" Lisa added at the end.

Leni peeked out of the window once the noise stopped.

She waved them over and the rest of the Louds were treated to Stiles being loaded into a black sedan with tinted windows by men in black suits. A woman was taking off her grey suit jacket, that was ripped in a few places.

"I'll get you..." Stiles started to tell the woman but the door was slammed in his face and that car drove off.

Two of the men in suits flanked the house, going around the back. The woman stood on the sidewalk as a limosine pulled up and two familiar figures stepped out. An older man and woman.

"Guys, that can't be!" Luan pressed her face to the window in surprise.

The woman saluted the man and woman, shook his hand and then hugged them both. The older woman took a moment to wipe something from the younger woman's face and patted her bicep.

The woman in greay turned. "It's Shinji!" Lori said surprised. She had been the one to get the best look at her when she stopped by last.

Shinji led the couple to the door and the Louds rushed down with Lincoln opening the door.

"My, you have grown!" The woman smiled.

"Are you young ones alright?" The man asked.