I don't own the Loud House.

I'm back from my 2 week break! I got some messages from worried readers and I'm thankful for all of your concern. I am back and I will be posting on a semi-regular basis again. I will be posting every two weeks in order to give myself some time to write in between. I mentioned this to a reader of mine but I'll be focusing on two stories at a time until they are completed before I update another one. So for the time being, I'll be working on this story and "L Is For Love". Both of these stories are almost done so I'm going to finish them first.

Aside from that, look forward to seeing some art that I've been working on. I'll post something soon enough. Also remember to follow me on twitter for updates. I post more frequently on there.

Stupor Heroics: Incursion

Chapter 7

Lori sat there as she listened to Ace tell the final part of his tale. She had been horrified to hear how his children had all died and he had not been able to save any of them. When the older man had finished his story, she immediately walked over to him and pulled him into an embrace. She wasn't sure who needed the hug more, him or her, but she was sure that a hug was definitely needed.

"I'm so sorry, Ace...I didn't know..." Lori told him after a moment.

"I told you that it wasn't a pleasant story." Ace reminded her but he returned the hug nonetheless.

"I just can't believe that you were forced to sacrifice everything just to give us a chance." She pulled away in order to look up at him. "You're amazing..."

"No I'm not." Ace said firmly.

"Yes you are." Lori said, matching his tone. "Do you have any idea how strong your will has to be to endure what you've endured? Not only that but you're still willing to fight a threat that you know is almost unbeatable? You're more than amazing."

"Lori, I'm just a man..." He began but Lori cut him off as she reached up and placed a finger on his lips. Lori had been so caught up in the moment that she didn't notice that her finger had gone through his mask and touched actual skin.

"You're more than amazing, you're a true hero with an unbreakable will." Lori continued. Then to his surprise, she rose up to his level and leaned in and kissed his forehead. It was an action that he hadn't experienced since before he had been separated from his oldest sister. And for Lori, it was an action that she hadn't done since she had last kissed her little brother on the forehead. For some reason, it felt right to do that. "You're my Hero, Ace."

If he wasn't wearing a mask, Lori would have seen the look of shock on the older man's face. Then his eyes began to tear up as warm tears began to form. No longer able to take it, Ace wrapped his arms around Lori as he began to sob in her chest. The walls that he had been holding back since he came back to the past finally broke and he was pouring out all of his pain and sorrow. The dam was broken and nothing could stop the emotions that had been held back for so long.

And Lori just stayed there as she held onto him, whispering sweet words to him and letting him know that it was alright and that she would never leave him. Lori promised him that he would never be alone again because she was there for him. She would always be there for him.

XXXXX

When Lori left Ace's room, she was surprised by how much she had learned about the masked man. She felt like she knew who he was but she still couldn't name him. It felt as though her heart knew him even though she didn't know what he looked like or what his real name was. It was a strange feeling but her heart went out to him and she knew that their relationship had changed after that. They were still teacher and student but it felt different now, at least to her. As cliche as it sounded, Lori could feel his pain and she wanted to make it go away. How dumb did that sound? A man was broken and she felt like she could fix him. With a shake of her head, Lori continued back to her room.

"Did you have fun in there?" A familiar voice called out.

Lori turned to see that Lynn was leaning against the wall ahead of her. "W-What?" she asked, confused.

Lynn pushed off of the wall and walked over to her sister. "I said, did you have fun in there?" She was taller than Lori now and she was staring down at her.

Lori heard the implication in Lynn's tone and she glared at her sister. "Just what are you trying to say, Lynn?"

Lynn crossed her arms over her chest. "Nothing. I was just wondering why you spent so much in his room, smelling of alcohol, and having your clothes and hair all ruffled up."

Glancing down, Lori saw that Lynn was correct about her clothes. She blushed at the implications but she didn't lessen her glare. "Nothing happened in there, okay? Especially not what you're thinking of!"

"And just what am I thinking of?" Lynn asked. She then scoffed when she saw that Lori was beginning to rise to her eye level. "You know, he's old enough to be your father."

"We didn't do anything, Lynn!" Lori almost shouted. She opened her mouth once more and then realized that she couldn't tell her sister the truth. "W-We just talked...that's all."

Lynn shook her head. "I never would have taken you to be into older guys, sis. It's shameful."

Lori snapped. Before she could think about what she was doing, she punched Lynn in the face and sent her sister flying down the hall and crashing through the far wall and landing outside. Before Lynn could rise up, Lori was upon her and she grabbed her sister by the front of her leotard and glared into her eyes.

"Listen to me very carefully, Lynn, because I'm not going to repeat myself! Ace and I are just friends. That's it. Nothing happened and nothing ever will happen between us. And I really don't appreciate you implying that I would do anything inappropriate with a man who has done nothing but help us since he got here!" Lori then dropped her sister onto the ground and crossed her arms. "Now this had better be the last I hear of anything like this about me and Ace."

Wiping the blood from her lip, Lynn glared at her older sister but nodded. Right now Lori was far more stronger than she was and Lynn knew that she couldn't beat her sister in a fight. She got up and began to walk away when Lori called out to her once more.

"Oh and Lynn, you better not spread any rumors about this. I will literally tear you apart if you do." Lori said. She then added a bit more softly. "Ace has been through enough without something like this hanging over his head."

Lynn glanced over her shoulder towards Lori and she was surprised to see that Lori's gaze held a sadness that she had never seen before. It made her question her earlier beliefs and Lynn thought that maybe Lori and Ace had been just talking in his room. With a sigh, she nodded before heading back to her own room.

XXXXX

As time went on, Lori found herself thinking more and more about a certain masked individual. She knew it was foolish, she knew that she was probably reading more into it than necessary. But Lori couldn't help it, she felt drawn to Ace and she was starting to feel something other than friendship towards him.

Whenever they worked together, she could feel herself blush against her will. Sometimes she found herself just staring at him as he trained the new heroes hopefuls. And more than once she found herself committing a blunder in front of him, much to her embarrassment. And while Lynn had kept her promise and had not said a word, others were starting to wonder if something was going on between the two.

Namely, Carol, Becky, and Dana. Lori found herself a year later sitting in her room at the base with her three friends. They had told her that they just wanted a night of girl time since they had all been busy doing their hero work. They had all become upcoming heroes and they didn't get many days off. So the four of them took advantage of the rare break and decided to have a girls night.

The four of them were dressed in their normal pjs and relished in the ability to finally wear pants again. Dana especially seemed to revel in the fact that her legs were no longer on display.

"I swear, there are a lot of lonely guys and girls out there that just want me to squeeze their heads between my thighs." Dana complained as she hugged her knees to her chest. They were all seated on Lori's surprisingly large bed.

"Girl, I'm one of those girls." Becky said as she gave her friend a wink. "Have you seen your thighs?"

Dana blushed but still sent Becky a glare. "Like you're one to talk. All guys want to do is be smothered in your giant rack."

Carol choked on her own spit and blushed guiltily as she looked away.

"Are you kidding me?" Dana asked her blonde friend.

"It only happened once!" Carol defended herself, her blush still present. "We were on a mission and I needed cover so I hid in her cleavage and then I stayed there until the battle was done."

Becky snorted. "More like you snuggled against my girls while I finished the fight."

Lori couldn't help but laugh as Carol buried her face into a pillow. "Wow, I didn't know that you were into that, Carol."

"Like you're one to talk, Loud." Carol muttered through her pillow. She then glanced up and looked at Lori with a small grin. "From what I hear, you're into something unbelievable as well."

Lori blushed as she looked around at her friends. They were all sporting similar grins and they were all focused on Lori. She of course had heard of the rumors and despite her best efforts, no one believed her.

"I swear, nothing is going on between me and Ace!" Lori said quickly but that only made her friends' grin widen.

"Oh~" Becky began. "Whoever said that the rumor was about Ace?"

Lori cursed. She had unintentionally revealed what she thought was on their minds and now they knew what was on her mind.

"Is there something going on between you and Ace?" Dana asked, leaning a bit closer to her other blonde friend. "I mean, the two of you are soooo close."

Lori didn't like the way she said that but before she could answer, Carol cut it. "I've heard a couple of things about the two of you..." She admitted. "Things that I hoped weren't true..."

Lori sighed. "Okay, let's hear what you guys have heard. It will be easier to deny them all that way."

The three girls shared a look before Becky began. "I heard that the two of you shared a shower together."

Lori blushed. "That was one time! And we didn't shower, I just walked in on him!"

Carol's eyes widened. "I-I heard that you two got drunk together..."

"Where the hell did you hear that!?" Lori demanded as she shot up into the air.

"So it's true?" Becky pressed.

Lori glared at her friends through her blush before she said. "We didn't get drunk but we did share a drink together. I can't get drunk, remember?"

"I heard that you two were making out by the lake a few months ago." Dana added quickly since it seemed that there was some truth to all of the rumors.

Lori groaned. That one was partly true as well...where the hell were these girls getting their info from!? "Not exactly...I was fighting a water villain that could make water tornadoes and tsunamis. I got sucked into the lake and he pushed me all of the way to the bottom. And every time that I tried to escape, he kept knocking me back down until I almost drowned. Ace saved me and he performed CPR on me."

"Oh...well that's not as hot as I imagined." Becky said, looking disappointed. "In fact, none of these rumors seem juicy anymore." She then pointed angrily at the still floating blonde. "What the hell, Lori! Why aren't you tapping that masked hunk and calling him daddy!?"

Lori fell back onto her bed. "W-What!?" She cried out, her face sporting a blush in several different shades of red. "What kind of question is that?"

"The kind of question a concerned friend who wants to live vicariously through you would ask." Becky answered. "I mean, come on, Lori, we've all seen the way that you stare at him."

"N-No I don't!" Lori said, shaking her head furiously.

Carol turned towards Dana and nodded. "Tell her." She said simply.

Dana blushed, matching the shade of red that Lori was currently sporting on her face. She looked down at her lap and pulled her bunny ears over her face. "I-I can hear you..." She said in a low voice.

"What?" Lori looked confused.

Dana's blush deepened. "I said I-I can hear you...a-at n-night..."

When Lori still didn't get it, Becky rolled her eyes. She leaned over to Lori since she was the closest and whispered into her ear. A moment later, Lori's eyes widened like saucers and her blush surpassed any that she had previously worn. In fact, her whole body seemed to glow and Carol got ready to use her powers to go back before Lori went supernova and slap her.

Lori stared at the still blushing Dana and she tried desperately to say something but all that came out of her mouth was sputtering gibberish. It took her a few moments before she was able to speak normally again.

"Oh my god...I think I'm literally going into hiding now..." She said as she buried her face in her hands.

Becky laughed as she thumped Lori on the back. "Oh come on, it's not that bad. I mean, it's not like you repeatedly moaned his name at night while pleasuring yourself. Haha-aahh!"

Becky was cut off as Lori blasted her with an energy blast that knocked her out. Carol sighed before she used her powers to go back in time before Becky could speak.

"Becky, shut up. It does not end well for you." Carol warned her. Becky just grinned as she sent a knowing look at Lori, who was still hiding in her hands.

"Lori, it's okay. We're not going to judge you." Carol began but she stopped when Becky snorted. "Okay, Dana and I aren't going to judge you. We're your friends and we only want to see you happy."

"I'm not going to judge you, Lori." Becky said. "I just want to hear all of the juicy details after he makes you cry out his name and go supernova all over the place."

"Why do you have to be so crude?" Lori asked her redheaded friend.

Becky shrugged. "I've never had a boyfriend before. Sue me."

"Anyways," Carol said. "I just want you to know that I'm here for you if you ever want to talk."

Lori was quiet for a moment as she tried to regain control of her emotions. She hadn't been expecting to have this conversation that night. Well, she never really expected to actually have that conversation since she knew that it was a foolish desire on her part. Throughout all this, Ace had never once made any sort of move towards her. He never even hinted that he was attracted to her. So it was obviously all in her messed up head.

Lori sighed as her shoulders slumped. "There's nothing to talk about. There's nothing going on between Ace and I."

"But do you want something to happen?" Dana asked her.

Lori nodded shyly. "I know that I shouldn't...but as I've gotten to know him, I started to feel drawn to him. It's hard to explain...there are things that I can't share but trust me when I say that no one knows him better than I do." And Lori wasn't exaggerating, over the last year Ace had opened up to her a bit more. He told her more about his kids and the type of missions that they had gone on. Those moments were precious to her because she felt like they were the only times that she got to see the real man behind the mask. And not the one he wore all of the time but the real Ace, the one that wasn't just a soldier on a mission.

"I can feel his pain and I want to make that pain go away..." Lori continued, staring down at her hands. "I know that sounds stupid. Trust me, I've been telling myself that all of this time but I can't help it. My heart just calls out to him..."

The three friends shared a look, they were honestly surprised that Lori admitted so much to them. They now knew the scope of Lori's feelings towards Ace and they were surprised that they ran so deep.

"Lori, are you in love with him?" Becky asked, no longer sounding like her previous teasing self. She sounded serious as well as concerned for her friend.

Lori didn't hesitate, she nodded. "Yes...I love him."

Carol paused. She needed to word her question carefully and she thought she knew what to ask. "Do you love him or the idea of him?" She asked.

Lori looked up at her confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's kind of a cliche that girls are drawn to mysterious men." Dana said for her friend. "And Ace kind of owns the market on man of mystery with the whole mask, codename, and refusal to share about his past."

"Plus, he's also old enough to be your dad." Becky pointed out. "Do you just have some unresolved daddy issues that you're trying to work through?"

Lori could not believe what she was hearing. "I do not have daddy issues!" She hissed. "And yes, I do love him! Because I actually know him. I know his past...his loss...his pain...I know him." Lori then looked away. "I also know that I can't have him."

"What do you mean?" Carol asked her.

Lori sighed. "Ace used to have a wife." She decided to share this tiny bit with them. She wouldn't mention the fact that Ace had multiple wives or the many children that he had with them. "I can't try and replace her. That would literally be so wrong of me."

"But you love him right?" Dana asked her. "So wouldn't his late wife want him to be happy?"

"It doesn't matter." Lori said. "Ace and I are just friends. And that's okay."

"Is it?" Carol asked her. "Are you really fine just being friends with him?"

"Yes." Lori nodded. And she knew that friendship was all she would ever have with him. After all, she knew that she could never match up with Ace's wives. They were all amazing in their own right and she was just some stupid girl with a fantasy.

Becky sighed. "Well, at least try and fuck him, girl. After all, at least one of us should get some before we all die virgins."

This made Lori blink. She stared at her friends. "N-None of you have done it yet?" She asked in surprise.

"Nope." Becky said with a grin. "I have my eyes on a certain prize that I know will be worth the wait."

"S-Same here..." Carol nodded though she blushed as she looked away. "I'm waiting for someone..."

"And what about you?" Lori asked Dana.

The bunny girl just pulled her ears over her head and she refused to look at Lori, hiding her blush. "I'm waiting too..."

"Okay, who are you three waiting for and why do I have the feeling that I'm going to have to kick your asses once you tell me?" Lori asked, her eyes narrowing.

Becky just laughed as she waved her off. "Don't worry about it, Lori." Becky then turned to Carol. "Hey, why don't we talk about that..."

As the conversation veered away from relationships, Lori couldn't help but feel like she knew who the three girls were waiting for. It hadn't escaped Lori's notice how the three girls acted in the past towards her little brother. It irked her to think that they were waiting for him to be old enough to date. After all, if anyone was going to date him then it would be her! Wait, what?

Lori blushed as those thoughts surfaced in her mind. She hadn't thought about her little brother in a couple of months. Well, at least not in a romantic sense. Before everything had gone down, Lori could admit that she felt strong feelings for her brother that she knew weren't normal. It was part of the reason she ended things with Bobby, she just couldn't keep lying to herself. And while protecting him and making him proud of her were the main motivators for Lori to become the best hero she could be, they weren't the only reasons. Lori had wanted to become the type of hero that her brother could look at and be inspired by. She wanted him to look at her with admiration and awe as well as love.

But to her surprise, those feelings for her brother had slowly been joined by another. Her new feelings for Ace had slowly but surely been on the forefront of her mind. But to Lori's surprise, it didn't feel like those feelings were competing with one another. They seemed to coexist perfectly, almost as if they were the same kind of love. Lori couldn't explain it, all she knew was that loving Ace didn't feel like a betrayal to her love for Lincoln. If there was any proof that she was messed up in the head, her strange feelings were definite proof of that.

And as Lori enjoyed the company of her friends, she wondered if perhaps she would be able to figure out her feelings. Luckily she still had plenty of time.

Right?

XXXXX

A couple of years later, when Lori had turned 22yrs old, she knew that she had run out of time. It became clear when a massive UFO came into view of their satellites. And within hours of that first sighting, thousands upon thousands of smaller but still large UFOs flew out of it and made their way around the globe.

Lori knew that this was it, the invasion that Ace had warned them about 5 years ago had finally arrived. The battle for the survival of the human race had begun...

End of chapter.