Reading all the responses to the last chapter, I wasn't surprised. I didn't go into it with the intention to rile you up, but I knew it was a likely possibility. I read through all the reviews, but I can't give answers to all of them; that would be too long. I need some more time to articulate my answers to the reviews. When I am done, hopefully within the next week, I will put it on my DeviantArt (same name) for those that want to read them. Now on to the important questions.
I don't think I've made a wrong decision with this story. Only time will tell if it is the right decision, but I don't think it was the wrong one. Could it have been handled with more grace and eloquence, certainly; did it have to be that major of a thing, no; could it have been any other sister, mostly yes. Lucy wasn't chosen because I hate her and she wasn't chosen to get a reaction. Sexual assault isn't a laughing matter (except when I do it, but please don't laugh I'm very self-conscious). For a sister to accuse him, she needed to either have a burning and deep seethed hatred of Lincoln - that none really have - or not understand it enough. Three characters fell into this group while also being able to lie convincingly enough so that someone would believe them: Lynn, Lucy, and Lola. I felt Lynn was too proud to do it, being a victim or perceived as weak is something I don't think she could accept. I though Lola, being who she was, would understand well enough what rape accusations could do or wouldn't but would know they are a bit overkill; add to it that she also has some ego issues herself and she fell into the gray area where I wasn't sure if she would or wouldn't.
Lucy, however, was in a place where, I felt, she could easily be nudged into doing it. She is 8. At 8, most kids don't understand what rape, why it is so harmful, or why even false accusations of it could be so damaging to someone's reputation. Someone will come out for me saying Lucy would be smart enough to know better or should have had a sister tell her not to. For the first, she is 8. She is not some galaxy brain who would know everything, and I am operating under the assumption Lucy isn't spending her free time reading the news. For the second one, the Loud house is currently highly chaotic. It has been less than two days since the revelation dropped and in such an environment it would be easy to, hypothetically, have one of them slip by and do something stupid and shortsighted.
Now that is cleared up - it isn't, but I've answered the thing most of you were bringing up - on to rest.
I'm not quitting this story. You people certainly didn't help my confidence, but if I was writing for clout, I would be pumping out copy pasted NSL fics and same romance stories people have already written to death. My works aren't some misunderstood masterpieces, but I strive not to make them the soulless karma whores.
One last thing. The rest of this chapter will be devoted to explaining what was happening behind the curtains. Lynn, Lucy, school, accusations, you know already. I have reasons why I left it out and I touched on them before, but I won't get into them now. So, for those still reading, I hope this clears up the confusion.
The room was quiet, even the clock didn't tick. In light of the current events, the Loud sisters had gathered for a sibling meeting, now just a sister meeting. A lot was on their minds but the only thing standing between their thoughts and introspection were the periodic taps of Lori's finger on her desk. Much had to be said, but few wanted to even start. The unspoken agreement stood strong. If they kept quiet this whole order would blow over. However, they were all aware, somewhere in the back of their heads, that it wouldn't stand for long.
Lola looked at the broken clock before checking her phone. "If we are just here be quiet, I can do that in my room, and in a much more comfortable bed."
Lori stopped her tapping. She looked at her sisters, starting with Lola. She took a deep sigh before standing up. "I can see none of us want to talk about this, but I think we have to. So, who wants to start?"
"Where do we even start, dude? I mean, mom cheated on dad... that's... I don't know what to say, I have no words for that..." Luna said.
"Lisa are you absolutely sure you are right on this? There is no possibility for error, or some unaccounted-for factor, or... anything?" Lori looked at Lisa with desperation. "Anything, Lisa? Even a lie..."
Lisa looked down. Her mouth moved but no words came out. Finally, she produced a file and handed it to Lori. "Father and I have made sure the margin of error is as narrow as possible, but no matter what factors of testing we changed, the results were always the same. it pains me as much as it pains all of you, but it is the truth. Our mother was involved in an extramarital affair which resulted in our brother. Right now, I don't know when it started or how long it lasted, but considering the current situation, I am working on uncovering it."
Lana put new batteries into the clock. "I don't know what such a big deal is. I mean, ten of us are dad's, right? Even if Lincoln isn't, that is one mistake in what, twenty years, more?"
"Lana, Lincoln isn't a mistake." Lola said.
"Well not he as in he, just he as in the... thing that made him... you know, don't make me spell it out!" Lana said.
Lori skimmed through the file. Dozens upon dozens of paternity tests were inside, all saying the same thing. "Lana, even if it happened once, it is a major violation of trust. They are married, she can't go behind his back like that."
"But why?" Lana asked. "I don't get what the big deal is, it was once and it was a mistake, surely they can make up."
"Dude, Lana, it's not as simple as just a mistake. Mom and Dad are married, that is a promise that they will stick together no matter what, and she went behind his back to fu- to h- to love another man." Luna said.
"But how do we know she loves him? Maybe they were just having fun. I have a best friend, but I also have many other friends. I can have fun with them all, but just because I have fun with someone other than my best friend doesn't mean I still don't love them."
"Lana, love is more than friendship. You need to know you can depend on that person, and it's hard to do that when you don't know if your love is returned." Leni said.
"But we don't know if it isn't." Lana said.
"Maybe mom loves that man, maybe she doesn't. What matters is that dad now thinks he isn't enough for her and that she doesn't love him. After all, if she did, she wouldn't need another man." Lori said.
"Enough with this." Lynn said. "Who cares if she loves another man or not, what matters now is that we are there for dad to help him out, because that hoe sure as hell won't be."
"Lynn!"
"WOW, dude, easy!"
"Lynn, that's still our mother."
"Lynn, there are kids in the room."
"What's a hoe?"
Lynn rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, gasp all you want, but you know I'm right. So what if she is our mother, we have a dad too and right now he needs us more."
"She is right." Lucy said. "We can talk about her and Lincoln later, for now we should go and help dad."
"Okay, but how?" Lola said. "We can hug him all we want, but it will only be a band-aid."
"Guys, hush! Dad is on the phone." Luan was on the floor, her ear pressed to a glass.
Lisa pulled out a device and put it on the floor. "There is no need for such primitive methods, dear sister."
The small scream on the device turned on and displayed a visualization of the sound coming from the floor below.
"Logan, I don't know what to do... " Lynn cried.
"You are sure about it?" Logan said.
"Yes... we- we tried everywhere we could..." Lynn took in a deep breath and wiped his nose. "There is no doubt about it..."
"Alright then." Logan left a pause before continuing. "I'm guessing you are looking for a divorce."
"No... yes... I am still thinking about ti. I... I can't look at her the same way after this, but I... I don't want to hurt the kids."
Logan sighed. "You said they overheard it, so I doubt their opinion of their mother is the same. As for if you decide to pursue a divorce..."
"I'm not asking you to be my lawyer, I called you because you are my brother." Lynn said.
"I know, but regardless I am getting you the best lawyer we can find and with the current situation, that is most likely me." Logan said. "But that is not what I was going to say. You have ten kids, I doubt the court will take all of them, but-"
"I know..." Lynn sighed. "Honestly, it might be best if I just let her have them all and get out of their lives. What kind of father am I if I can't even tell their mother doesn't love me, or that one of them isn't mine in the first place. They will be better off with her and whoever it is, doubt he can be a bigger loser than me." Lynn was starting to cry again.
"Lynn, don't even start that. You are an amazing father. You are raising eleven extraordinary kids. The fact you can even provide for all of them and give them the necessary attention is proof of that alone. Do you know how many dead beats I've seen with just a single kid who don't give them the fraction of attention you give one of yours."
Lynn calmed down. "Logan, don't sugar coat it. I'm barely there. Honestly, Lincoln is a bigger father figure to many of them than me."
"Don't bullshit me. That's a lie and you know it well. Lincoln might be with them more than you, but he can never be there in the ways they need you. Never!" Logan said. "I don't want to hear any more of this self-loathing, okay? You are letting this thing with Rita beat you up too much."
"I know, but I don't know what else to do, Logan. They are smart kids, they will figure out something is wrong, if they haven't already." Lynn said.
"And I have no doubt they will be there for you when they do." Logan said. "Look, I'm coming there first thing in the morning. Until then, I want you to calm down and put yourself together. Now more than ever you need to stay strong, for your kids, for yourself, and for the family. Okay?"
"I... I will do my best..."
The sisters were sitting in silence again. Every word their father said played back in their minds.
"So, dad is staying with mom?" Lana asked.
"No way! He can't stay with that... woman..." Lola restrained herself.
"What other choice does he have?" Luna asked. "We will be separated and the court will take everything from him."
"He has us." Lynn said.
"Lynn, I think he will need more than just moral support for this." Lucy said.
"Not that, though yes." Lynn said. "What I wanted to say was that we can help him win."
"And how do you suppose we do that?" Lori said.
"Simple, we will slander Rita until no judge or jury will be on her side." Lynn said.
"Lynn, we're not doing that. That's still our mom." Lori said.
"You shut up." Lynn said. "You have no stake in this. In a few months, you're an adult. We, however, will have to live with this for years and I for one won't be living with some lying slut."
"Lynn! Control yourself." Lori said.
"Oh, spare me. You don't care about my language; you just want to pretend it isn't true." Lynn said.
"Lynn, you are way out of line." Luna said. "I get that you are angry, but this is not cool."
"Whatever. Let's just put this to a vote. Those that are with me, raise your hands. Those that are against, stay out of my way." Lynn said.
Lola raised her hand. "If you plan on doing anything, you'll need me, and I'm not quite keen on being a whore's daughter either."
"You're not going anywhere without me." Lana said, raising her hand.
Lucy raised her hand.
"Well, that's a pleasant surprise Lucy, I expected you to sit this out, but I guess I underestimated you this whole time." Lynn said.
"Our mother committed a heinous act, and I can't let it go unpunished." Lucy said.
Lynn looked around the room. "Anyone else, no?"
"Lynn, stop this, now. I don't know what you think you can do, but I can guarantee it will backfire." Lori said.
"Then why don't you stop me, huh?" Lynn went up to Lori. She was significantly shorter, but the blond cowered at her approach. "I know you want to do the same Lori, you're just afraid your precious "mommy" won't love you anymore if you do something. Is that right?"
"Lynn, I am telling you; you will only cause more trouble." Lori didn't look at her in the face.
"Your input is appreciated." Lynn said before leaving the room. Lucy, Lola, and Lana went after her. In her room, Lynn checked what she was working with one last time. "Okay, gang, here's what we will do. One: we need to dig up every speck of dirt we can on Rita. Who she cheated with, crimes she committed, embarrassing secrets, anything. Then, we let them slip. If we do this well enough, she will have no option but to surrender."
Lola opened her phone and checked through the contacts. "I already have some minor things and I know who her boss is, who runs the stores she goes to most often, and a few other people. If you give me some time, I can dig up enough to bury her trice over."
"That will be great. However, we have one more problem. That is two: we need to deal with Lincoln."
"Why him?" Lana asked.
"He will be on Rita's side no matter what we do. As long as he is on her side, our job will be exponentially more difficult. You know what a snake he can be. I can guarantee that as we are talking, he is plotting something."
Lola nodded. "I'm just not sure what we can do about him, other than tie him up in a basement somewhere. Maybe it's best if we just let him be. If we go after him, he can get angry and become worse."
"No, we need to crush his spirit. He won't fight back if he is depressed."
"We have plenty of embarrassing materials on him, maybe if we leak those his friends would keep away for a while." Lucy said. "It might not make him completely unable to retaliate, but he will at least be less dangerous if he is alone."
"I like your thinking Lucy, but I don't know if we have something incriminating enough." Lynn said.
"That shouldn't be a problem." Lola said. "Lana "borrowed" a thing or two from school. No doubt they are looking for them by now, and if they were to, by any chance to pop up in say... Lincoln's locker, people might rethink their relationship with Lincoln."
Lynn shook her head. "A few missing pencils won't be enough. We need something big and hard. It needs to knock him down, then we can finish him before he gets a chance to retaliate." Lynn said.
"What if we put someone's underwear into his locker." Lucy said. "If we do that and what Lola suggested, it will make people at school distance themselves from him, and it would make school give him detention. Not only would he be alone, but he would also have to stay after school, thus losing more time."
"As long as one of you are willing to lend your underwear, we can get it done." Lola said.
"We can do better than that, girls." Lynn said. "I think-"
"I will stop you there." Lola said. "We are already accusing our brother of being a pervert, I think that is harsh enough. The further we go, the more we risk making him have nothing to lose, that is when they get really dangerous."
"I'm with Lola, it's still Lincoln we are talking about." Lana said. "Even with this, we will owe him a lot of chocolate, like a butt-tone."
"We'll work that out when this is all over, for now, I'm going to bed. I won't be of any use tomorrow if I am sleepy." Lola left the room and Lana followed.
Lynn waited until she was sure they were far enough away. "What do they know?" She mumbled to herself.
"It's Lola, so I think she knows more about this then us." Lucy said.
"She's just afraid she will get caught." Lynn said. "This will only put a dent in Lincoln's plans. We need to annihilate him completely and utterly. An accusation of stealing underwear and few pens and papers won't do that."
"What are you suggesting we do then, Lynn?" Lucy turned to her sister, somewhat scared to ask. Knowing Lynn, her plan would involve a van, balaclavas, and baseball bats.
"You were on to something with your idea, but we need to push it further. What if we say Lincoln was abusing one of us?"
Lynn's question left Lucy unable to respond. "In what way." She knew what Lynn was implying, but really wanted to be wrong.
"Oh, you know..." Lynn lowered her voice. "...by fucking us."
"Lynn, that is a serious..." Lucy's facade fell for a moment. "How would we even prove that? Actually, I don't need to know. That is too much, even for what mom did."
"No, hear me out. We don't need to prove it. By the time anyone starts asking for proof, everyone would have already heard the news and Lincoln would be a pariah." Lynn said.
"Lynn those are serious accusations, maybe even too serious. Even if false, Lincoln doesn't deserve to be accused of something like that." Lucy said.
"And what about what we deserve? What about what dad deserves? What about what that bitch deserves? Are you willing to make everyone else suffer just so Lincoln wouldn't have to do so for like a week, at most." Lynn said.
"I don't want anybody to suffer, and I don't want to lie about Lincoln." Lucy caught something Lynn said, however. "Are you sure it would be a week?"
"If even that long? News blows over fast. Even something like that will be old news by tomorrow and in a week, it will be like it never happened. Lincoln will be sad about it for a few weeks, like a bitch he is, but he will come back and forgive everyone afterwards." Lynn said. "Trust me Lucy, it looks bad, but it really is for the best."
"Are you sure?" Lucy looked at Lynn, and while the others couldn't see it, she was pleading with her older sister to tell the truth.
"Lucy, trust me, it will be fine. If anything, Lincoln will be better because he went through this. Don't you think that wimp needs to grow a spine already?" Lynn said.
Lucy considered her options, before looking at Lynn again. "Okay, but nothing more, and we will apologize to him once it is all over."
"Fine, whatever. Do we have a deal?" Lynn reached out her hand.
"Do you swear on your soul to uphold your end of the deal." Lucy asked.
"Yeah, of course. Don't you trust me, Lucy?" Lynn asked.
Lucy shook her hand. "For dad."
"For everyone." Lynn said.
As the two shook hands, there was a feeling Lucy couldn't shake off. Even if for the best, even if she had no other choice, she felt she was making the wrong choice. But, far from that one, she felt the deal she just made didn't seal Lynn's soul, it sealed her fate.
Lynn Sr had driven Lucy from the police station back to the house in complete silence, but to Lucy every moment in that van made her wish he was screaming his throat sore at her. Instead, the only thing he said was: "Get out."
Lucy went into the house with her father only a step behind. She could feel him watching her every move, making sure there are no more "mistakes". He told Lucy to sit in the living room before going up the stairs. On the fourth step, he clenched the railing and took a deep breath, before saying the words that will haunt his children.
"Family meeting! N O W!" The house shook from the words of man who until then was considered less threatening than a baby.
A moment later, the house shook again as the herd that were his children ran into the room like soldiers trying to make their drill Sargent proud, or at least evade another disciplinary action. Lynn came down after them.
Logan came out from the dining room to find what looked like a hallucination. All ten of his nieces were sitting down in peace and, apart from the youngest, looking still as a statue.
Lynn looked over his children. Their faces pained him to no end, but the anger in him was burning that feeling until not even ashes were left. He considered his words for a moment before stepping in front of the TV. "What in THE NAME OF LORD WERE YOU THINKING!?"
The children melted into the couch.
"How could you even consider doing something like that? Do you have any idea what that will do?"
Lori was on the verge of tears, but she mustered the strength to speak. "What did we do?"
Lynn looked at her bewilderingly, however, he could tell she was genuine in an instant. As good as his children got at lying, he could see through them, even if he let it slide from time to time. Now, however, not a single tear in their eyes was fake and none of the questions on their minds were lies.
"T-They didn't know..." Lucy's voice could barely get through the tears.
"What?" Lynn was getting a gut-wrenching feeling as he realized what he did.
"They didn't know... it was just me, Lynn, Lola, and Lana." Lucy continued.
Lynn looked at her, confused. "The four of you came up with that?"
Lola jumped in before anyone else could answer. "Don't get me into this, we didn't have anything to do with it." Lola was looking furious, and Lana looked ready to let go her on Lucy.
The rest of the sisters were starting to be confused by what was going on. However, instead of Lucy, their direction was directed at Lynn. "What did you do."
"Don't look at me, it was just as much of her idea." Lynn said.
"What was the idea?" Lori asked again.
"To accuse Lincoln or raping me." Lucy said. Although a whisper, the whole room heard it loud and clear.
The only response any of them had was to blink.
"We wanted get back at mom for what she did to dad..." Lucy tried to explain herself, but it was too late.
"And you accused Lincoln of rape?" Lori asked. "Do you even know what that is?!"
"I do..." Lucy admitted in shame.
Lori was at the loss for words.
"How was that supposed to get back at mom?" Luna asked.
"It was to make sure Lincoln didn't retaliate." Lucy said.
Lynn Sr looked at his daughters with horror, unable to wrap his head around what he was hearing. "Okay, everyone, let's stop for a moment. Let me see if I got this right. You two accused Lincoln of doing... to Lucy, to get back at your mother..." No matter how he said it or didn't, it didn't make it any better. "What else should I know about."
"Lola and I put some things into his locker." Lana said to the ire of her twin.
"What, exactly?" Lynn Sr asked.
"Nothing much. Some school supplies, janitor's keys..." Lana lowered her voice. "... some panties..." She wanted to continue but her father's look cut her in half.
"Please tell me I heard you wrong. You framed Lincoln for stealing girl's underwear." Lynn discovered a new level of fear, one above cops being at your door with a shoot on sight order.
"You didn't..." Lana couldn't look at him. "We also messed with the security footage so we wouldn't get caught..."
Logan gave Lynn a glass with some brown liquid most girls didn't recognize. The older ones could recognize it was alcohol. "I take back what I said, you will need this."
Lynn looked at the glass. He wasn't a drinker. All the stories of alcoholics beating their wives and children made alcohol something he kept as far away from as possible. Now, however, he needed something to calm down and make his head stop pulsing, and he didn't think there was a legal drug strong enough to do it. Despite it, he pushed back the glass.
He looked at his daughters and rubbed his eyes. "From now on, this is how things will go, and I don't want any buts or ifs. None of you, and I mean not one, will go near Lincoln, am I clear. Not to apologize, not to accuse him more, not to do anything. Am I clear? I want you to be as far away from him as possible, understood. If you do otherwise..." Lynn didn't want to finish, but he knew his children and he feared he had to. "If you do otherwise, I will have to resort to force. Don't make me do that."
The Loud sisters weren't sure if their father would follow through on his treat. Even if he would, it didn't matter, after this no one wanted to go to him. God only knows what he must think of them now, after what Lucy did.
"As for you four." Lynn looked at Lynn, Lucy, and the twins. "I want your phones on this table in fifteen minutes. You are grounded for... for... I don't even know, until further notice." Logan put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "You can go to your rooms now; I will call you when dinner is ready."