"It's very nice to meet you too, Lina."
The little girl smiled brightly and, without a second thought, jumped into Lincoln's arms hugging her father. Lincoln instantly returned the favor giving his daughter her first hug from her father. This moved everyone. However, Sam refused to look; the shame on her face was very evident. The two parted, but Lina held onto Lincoln's hand as she pulled him along.
"C'mon, daddy, I want to show you my room," Lina said excitedly.
Lina happily led Lincoln upstairs, eager to make up for the six years of lost time. Once they were gone, Sam started breathing erratically, to everyone's concern.
"Sam, are you okay?" asked Luna.
"no, I'm not; how can I be? I'm happy Lina can be with her father, but this just reminds me of how I'm a monster."
"Sam."
"I'm about to face all my sins, and I don't know what to do," Sam said, on the verge of hyperventilating.
"I suggest you get ready," said Ronnie Anne.
Everyone turned to Ronnie Anne, who had an emotionless expression.
"Look, I'm not gonna sit here and comfort you 'cause you don't deserve it from where I'm standing." Ronnie Anne said.
"Ronnie Anne," said Clyde.
"no, she needs to hear this; someone who is 'about to face all their sins' shouldn't be told they did nothing wrong. And the fact is, Sharp, it doesn't matter whose fault it is or how much harm you intended or didn't intend; you still did what you did. A murderer can say sorry a thousand times, but it won't make their victim less dead, so shedding tears and saying 'woe is me' won't make Lincoln less raped." Ronnie Anne continued. "I get that you regret it, but there needs to be some retribution that isn't self-inflicted, and this is it. This is the punishment you wanted so much, and what you can get now,"
"What do you mean?" asked Sam.
"the statute of limitations is up; exposing yourself now with only hurt Lina, and even if there were some legal ramifications, chances are because you're a female, you probably wouldn't get as much of a bad sentence as a guy,"
Sam thought for a moment. She knew everything Ronnie Anne told her was true.
"So instead of sitting here fearing what could happen, be ready to face some consequences. That is if you actually intend to face them."
Sam thought for a moment, but suddenly, a knock at the door interrupted Sam, Lynn Sr. went to answer the door, and to his surprise, a police officer was standing there.
"Good evening; sorry to disturb you but are you Lynn Loud, the owner of Lynn's Table?"
"Why yes, I am. What can I do for you, officer?"
"Mr. Loud, I'm here to inform you that there was an attempted break-in at your restaurant,"
"What!?"
"We captured the suspects."
"They captured them?" thought Ronnie Anne.
"But we require a statement from you,"
"Sure, can I come in the morning? My family is in the middle of something,"
"That's fine; goodnight," said the officer, leaving.
"You kids wanna tell me what happened?" he said, looking at Clyde and Ronnie Anne.
"Nope." Ronnie Anne said while Clyde looked nervous.
"Ronnie Anne." Lynn Sr pressed.
"It'll make more sense if Lincoln says it instead of us. Plus, you'll believe him more." Ronnie Anne clarified.
Lincoln and Lina were catching up upstairs, reading Ace Savvy comics. Lina helped Lincoln get back up to speed on what's been happening, even learning that Ace now had a daughter.
"wow, I never guessed Ace would become a dad,"
"I like her, but I hear some kids say the writers are trying to make her better so they can replace Ace with her," Lina noted.
"As long as the story is good, that's all that matters," Lincoln stated. "When did you start reading?"
"Last year, I was helping Aunt Lana and Lola clean the garage. Aunt Lola hated it, but Aunt Lana called it a treasure hunt." Lina started.
Lincoln snickered; that was precisely what he'd expect those two to do.
"I found a box in the back filled with these and looked through them. I had a hard time reading them back then, but I loved the pictures. I asked Aunt Lana about them, and she looked kinda sad for a second, then she said, "These belong to your dad." I asked to keep them, and she let me. I was happy to have something of yours that you liked besides Bun-bun. No one ever really tells me about you; these made me feel like I was actually learning about you." Lina continued.
Lincoln smiled and put his arm around her, prompting her to lean against him.
"Daddy, where were you? Why does no one tell me anything about you?" Lina asked.
"I was taken away before you were born, sort of like being kidnapped." He said, seeing her look scared to hear that. "I'm fine now, back home, and I've got a lot of neat tricks to show you later. As for why no one talks about me, I think it hurts them to do it. Your aunts and grandparents, it hurt them that I was gone. Not talking probably made it hurt a little less."
"You're not going to be kidnapped again, are you?" Lina asked.
Lincoln grinned. "Not if I can help it. This time I'll fight back. And I'm a good fighter."
"Are you better than Aunt Lynn?"
"You bet, but don't tell her that." Smiled Lincoln, making Lina smile too.
Lincoln then got an idea, a way for him to make up for all the birthdays he's missed and would make Lina very happy.
"Lina, may I see Bun-Bun?"
Lina nodded before handing him over; Lincoln then made a tiny stone shaped like a heart appear, much to Lina's amazement. Lifting Bun-bun's shirt, Lincoln placed the stone on his chest; the stone then started to glow red before infusing it into Bun-bun's chest and becoming a glowing heart. Lowering the shirt, Lincoln placed Bun-bun on the bed; after a few seconds, Bun-bun sat up on his own and started looking around, to Lina's shock and joy.
"Bun-bun, you're alive!?"
Bun-bun only nodded, making a jingling sound that Lina seemed to understand.
"I used a special stone called the Life-stone; it brings motion to the motionless,"
"Oh, thank you, daddy, this so great,"
"It's nothing. I figured you could have a friend to watch over you for me when I'm not here,"
"Not here? Are you going away again?" asked Lina, a little sad.
"Oh, no, no, no, sweetie, it's not forever, you see, when daddy came back, some bad people came back too; now it's my job to catch them and keep them from doing bad things that could hurt good people. And they would definitely go after you if they wanted to hurt me."
Lina perked up as she looked at her father with a starry-eyed expression.
"Daddy, are you a superhero like Ace Savvy?"
"Well…"
"Do you have a superhero hideout?"
"I guess,"
"With a bunch of gadgets and cool cars,"
"yeah,"
"Can I be your sidekick?"
"Maybe when you're older?"
"Do you have a cool superhero name?"
"No, sweetie, I don't,"
"Can I think of one for you?"
"Uh, sure,"
"Well, mommy, grandma, and grandpa always said you were my guardian angel, so how about, THE GUARDIAN or GUARDIAN for short?"
Lincoln thought for a moment before realizing that the name wasn't bad. "I like it, good job,"
"yay!" she cheered as she and Bun-bun hugged Lincoln.
Eventually, Lina and Bun-bun started to feel sleepy, so Lincoln helped her change before tucking her into bed.
"good night, sweetie,"
"I'm happy you're home, daddy,"
"me too, and I'm never leaving you again,"
Turning out the lights, Lincoln made his way downstairs, seeing everyone was waiting for him.
"so, how was it?" asked Ronnie Anne.
"It was fun; she gave me my superhero name, and I brought Bun-bun to life,"
"That's nice wait, you did what?" Ronnie Anne, jaw slightly dropped.
"later on that,"
"son, why did the police come?" Asked Lynn Sr.
"right, I had a feeling they would, well dad that guy Allsand hired some guys to burn the restaurant down and make it look like it was your fault,"
"What!?" said Lynn Sr. "That little!"
"don't worry, we took care of them, and I'll take care of him," Lincoln assured.
"Thanks, son,"
"All in a day's work for The Guardian,"
"The Guardian?" questioned Clyde.
"That's the name Lina gave me,"
"aw, cute," Ronnie Anne said.
"Okay, we've put this off as long as we could, but it's time to address the elephant in the room,"
Sam stood up and was about to walk to Lincoln, but he asked her to stay where she was.
"Look, considering I can lift up to 10 tons and I'm bigger than I was back then, I doubt you could overpower me again but still, right where you are is about as close as I want you near me," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Lincoln, I know you're upset with me,"
"Upset? That word doesn't begin to describe how I'm feeling; try angry, furious, livid, and above all else pissed off; that's what I'm feeling, Sam!" said Lincoln in an angry but low tone, trying not to be loud enough for Lina to hear.
"Lincoln, I'm so sorry for what I did."
"Saying sorry doesn't bring me any comfort, Sam. You Raped me. Whether you were drunk or not is irrelevant, you raped me, and there is no other way to describe what you did to me. Do you have any idea how much it hurts just thinking about it?!"
Sam took a deep breath; she knew Lincoln was going to tear her apart; she said nothing but shook her head.
"no, you don't!" he said, raising his voice a little. "Even after you lured me to the high school, I still tried to help you and talk some sense into you. Instead, you took my dignity, self-esteem, self-respect, sense of safety, and virginity!" he said, his voice getting angrier.
"Linc…oln," replied Sam, her voice cracking.
"I get you were drunk as hell; Clyde told how you were so intoxicated that you weren't aware of what you were doing and that you had no memory of that night for a time. But that brings me no real comfort!"
"Man, he's really tearing into her…I almost feel sorry for Sam…almost," thought Ronnie Anne.
"The thing everyone seems to be overlooking, well, one of the things being overlooked, is the fact that you weren't drunk involuntarily. Tell me, was anyone pouring alcohol down your throat that night while you begged them to stop?"
Sam whimpered but shook her head.
"Exactly, you chose to drink, and you chose not to stop. You made yourself become the very thing that people were calling you because of that photo, and you can't use your issues with your father as an excuse for any of this,"
"I know,"
"I can go on and on about this, but to make a long story short, let me be blunt. No, Sam, I do not forgive you. Everyone else may have made it to the other side of this, but for me, I'm just getting started. The wound is as fresh as if it happened yesterday, and honestly, I feel like everyone around me, with one exception, is trying to invalidate my feelings by defending your own. Everyone here expects me to forgive you because of 'circumstances,' and sure they may be willing to let me do it on my terms, but there's still that expectation that I still do it. Like I don't have a choice regarding 'if', only 'when.'"
Several members of the Loud family looked at each other in shock. Was that the vibe they were giving Lincoln this whole time? That if he didn't forgive Sam within an implied 'time limit,' then he would somehow be worse than her?
"I had no motive to forgive you before I came back, and honestly, I'm still not motivated to do so. However…"
"However?" Sam repeated, confused and somewhat hopeful.
"You and I have a daughter that needs us, and I've already lost 6 years with her. Despite my feelings for you right now, I'm still willing to be civil for her sake, so our personal business does not affect her. So here's what I'm thinking: I'll be polite and civil around you and work towards forgiving you and let me be a part of Lina's life without you or anyone else acting as I owe you something. Do we have a deal?"
Sam took no time to hesitate."Deal,"
Lincoln nodded as he left for the door, confusing everyone.
"Lincoln, Sweetie, where are you going?" asked Rita.
"It's been a long night, Mom; I'm going to bed,"
"Can Clyde and I get a ride, Lincoln?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Sure, I see no reason why not."
"You can come by any time you want, Lincoln, you know that." Rita pointed out.
"Thanks, Mom. See you all later." Lincoln said before walking out, with Clyde and Ronnie Anne following after saying their goodbyes too.
The three got into Lincoln's car and drove off; Clyde started listing possible superhero names for him and Ronnie Anne, along with a potential team name. Ronnie Anne said no to several, but her attention was mainly on Lincoln. She expected him to be anything from angry to stressed to wired, but instead, he was just worn out. He yawned more than once and rubbed his eyes at a red light.
They made it to Clyde's house in no time, and he got out, thanking them both and looking forward to the next time they got together.
"Hey Lincoln, if you're too tired, I can always call one of my relatives, and they can still come to get me." Ronnie Anne offered as they headed into town towards the route that would take them to Great Lakes City.
"I'm not… okay, yeah, today's taken a lot out of me, and I'm burned out, but I can take you home." Lincoln insisted.
"or I can stay at your place for the night," Ronnie Anne reasoned.
Lincoln was quiet for a moment before glancing at her. "Are you okay with that?"
"Of course. I trust you."
Lincoln sighed and looked back to the road. "Not like I could do anything if you didn't."
"What?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Nothing, but if that's what you want, tell me before I go any further."
"I'm okay; I'll just call my mom and let her know where I am. And if she doesn't like it, I'll just tell her she owes me after what she did."
Lincoln turned a corner and started heading towards Lynn's Table. To her relief, he seemed less tired or at least more alert, probably due to no longer having to go to another city now.
In no time, they made it back to the restaurant; no sign of any follow-up attempts to destroy it was notable, and they went inside the part Lincoln had constructed for his personal residence.
"Help yourself to the shower or whatever you need to get comfortable in the guest room; I'm just going straight to sleep," Lincoln told her while yawning, switching to just a pair of sweat shorts and lying on the couch one more time.
Not sure what else to do, Ronnie Anne went into the guest room and sat on the bed before lying down and just staring at the ceiling.
"This has been some night, and after everything, I'm lying in his guest room while he's sleeping on his couch."
Deciding to take a bath and shower, Ronnie Anne grabbed a few things from her overnight bag and cleaned herself. She felt better yet troubled at the same time. She couldn't help feeling a little guilty; her best friend needed her support, and she was secretly perving on him.
"Carlota was right. I shouldn't have cut myself off like that,"
Ever since Lincoln's supposed death, Ronnie Anne was hurt and angry about the whole thing, but in the beginning, she had thought it was because he was just a good friend to her and she'd be just as hurt if Sid had been the one to leave. It wasn't until she hit her teens that Ronnie Anne realized how much Lincoln meant to her. Ronnie Anne shut herself off from the very thought of relationships with anyone else, focusing on her career as a skater. Other boys may have been appealing to her, but they weren't Lincoln; she just wasn't ready to accept that he was gone. However, since Lincoln is now back in her life, all those repressed feelings are forcing their way to the surface.
"Maybe I should book a session with Clyde," she thought.
Drying herself off and dressed in the sleepwear Carlota forced on her, Ronnie Anne stepped out, knowing Lincoln was asleep. However, to Ronnie Anne's surprise and frustration, Lincoln was gone, having left to go to his workshop.
"that lame-o," she said, heading downstairs.
Lincoln was sitting at one of his stations, drawing up blueprints; he was working on building his own aircraft, figuring it would be helpful to have one.
"I'm gonna have to ask mom for flying lessons after I'm done building this baby," he thought with a yawn.
"Lincoln, what the hell are you doing!?"
Surprised, Lincoln jumped before turning around and seeing a pissed Ronnie Anne.
"Ronnie Anne, what are you doing here, and what are you wearing!?"
Lincoln was shocked to see Ronnie Anne behind him, dressed in nearly see-through lingerie, as he could almost make out her nipples. Ronnie Anne realized she had forgotten was wearing the lingerie Carlota made her wear; however, fighting her embarrassment, she stood her ground.
"Never mind me, Lame-O, what are you doing down here!?"
"I, uh, couldn't sleep, so I decided to work on a new project," he said, blushing. "damn, she looks so hot," he thought.
"not on my watch, now c'mon,"
"Wait, what?"
"you need sleep, and you can't be left alone, so you're sleeping in the bed with me where I can keep an eye on you,"
"Ronnie Anne, I don't think that's a good,"
"March!" she demanded.
"yes, ma'am,"
Lincoln then follows Ronnie Anne back upstairs, trying hard not to look at her barely covered booty jiggle as she walked.
"Is this what she wears regularly?" he thought.
He sighed in defeat. 'Not like it matters if she does.'
Ronnie Anne, and Lincoln got into the bedroom, and she made him sit on the bed before she got on it too.
"We're just sleeping tonight, Lame-o, so don't get any funny ideas." Ronnie Anne stated.
"Sure, but uh, where did you get that outfit?"
"if you must know, Carlota swapped my regular sleepwear with this,"
"Why would she do that?"
"who knows? She's always trying to get me to dress sexy," lied Ronnie Anne.
"Shouldn't she care more about her own sex life than yours?" Lincoln asked.
Ronnie Anne laughed. "She says she wants to make sure I don't waste my looks, always telling me to strut what I got before I lose it,"
"somethings never change,"
"Remember how your sisters and my brother kept trying to get us together?" laughed Ronnie Anne.
"I think Lori was the most obsessed; then again, I couldn't even call you without them; even Lily kept trying to listen," Lincoln laughed back.
The two started laughing harder, to the point they were brought to tears. After a while, the laughing stopped, and the two lay down. As laid there, a question popped into Ronnie Anne's head that she wanted to be answered.
"hey, Linc,"
"What's up, Ronnie?"
"I was thinking, do you think if our siblings hadn't been so pushy, things would have been different between us?"
Lincoln thought for a moment and then answered.
"in all honesty, yeah, I think so; I get my sisters were trying to help in their own annoying way, but they get too involved in each other's love lives, which is why Luna asked me to help keep them out of her relationship with Sam,"
Ronnie Anne thought for a moment. She moved in close,
"Lincoln?"
"yeah?"
Suddenly Ronnie Anne hugged Lincoln tightly, pressing her body to his. Lincoln's face was beet red as Ronnie pressed her body harder against him, trying desperately not to get aroused. The thin layer of her babydoll was the only thing between their chests.
"Ronnie Anne, what are you doing?"
Ronnie Anne said nothing at first but kissed Lincoln before asking him.
"Do you think that, now that we're older and our siblings aren't too busy to meddle in our love lives, we can try again when you're ready?"
Lincoln blushed hard as Ronnie Anne smiled lovingly at him, causing him to smile back,"
"I'd like that," he said back.
Ronnie Anne smiled as she started to fall asleep.
"don't…keep…me…waiting…too long…Lame-O," yawned Ronnie Anne falling asleep.
"
End Of Ch. 6
Author's notes
I was thinking about giving Clyde the hero name Boom-fist. Since his primary weapons are power gloves that absorb kinetic energy until they become full, he releases it in the form of a powerful punch and a catchphrase, "here comes the BOOM!"
Let me know if that's too Cheesy, LOL.
