Saturday arrived, and Lincoln and Ronnie Anne were waiting with Leslie at Gus's Games N' Grub. Lincoln's friends were all meeting there, including Stella and Clyde, who wanted to meet Leslie. Yesterday, the couple spent time in Great Lake City with Ronnie Anne and her friends; Laird even wanted Leslie to call her Uncle Laird when she got older. Today was Lincoln's friends' turn, although Sid was joining them as her family returned earlier that morning. Right now, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne were waiting at the designated meeting spot; Rusty and the others left for the airport in Zach's Van to pick up Clyde and Stella, along with Sid, along the way. The happy couple waited for everyone to show up.
"So, how do you think Sid and Clyde will react?"
"Considering they both want to be her godparents, I sense a competition coming," joked Lincoln.
Suddenly, the door opened, and the gang walked in with Sid.
"Hey guys, look who came to visit the newest member of the dawg squad," called Rusty.
"Rusty," said Stella.
"C'mon guys, it's a cool name, and you know it,"
Stella, Sid, and Clyde immediately started gushing over Leslie, confusing her.
"Oh my gosh, she's even cuter in person," said Clyde.
"She looks just like Ronnie Anne," said Sid.
"But she has Lincoln's hair and their freckles," said Stella lovingly.
Everyone took a moment to play with Leslie until Gus approached them, holding one of his fan-favorite pizzas for the table.
"It's great to have my favorite group together again and with new additions," Gus said, placing the pie on the table.
"Hey, Gus," they all replied.
"So Lincoln and Ronnie Anne, I hear your wedding is at the beginning of April?"
"Yeah, we wanted to get married as soon as possible," said Lincoln.
"I still don't understand why you needed to hide this little cutie, so she wasn't born in a normal way, in my opinion; it's science finally doing something positive,"
"Well, actually," said Ronnie Anne.
Everyone knew Gus was trustworthy and wouldn't spill their secret, so they told him the truth. By the end of their story, Clyde, Sid, Stella, and Gus are stunned by the tale, especially after the couple reveals their powers. However, everyone there was wondering the same thing, but it was Clyde who asked.
"Are you guys sure she can't follow you back?"
"Well, according to Lisa, she's been monitoring for any rifts, but she hasn't detected any," said Lincoln.
"But we're not taking any chances," finished Ronnie Anne.
"Well, if you kids ever need help, let ole Gus know," said Gus, leaving to get back to work.
After Ronnie Anne noticed Leslie was tired, the group started talking, and she cast a spell that prevented sound from getting in but not out around her daughter. Leslie could nap peacefully without being disturbed, but everyone could hear her if she needed something.
"So I was wondering, since Lincoln and Ronnie Anne are getting married next month, how soon should we expect wedding bells to ring for you two?" Joked Stella, making Clyde and Sid blush.
As it turned out, Clyde and Sid are dating; they started before Lincoln and Ronnie Anne began to. Clyde and Chloe broke up due to Chloe moving away at the start of freshman year of high school. However, Clyde got comfort from Sid, and they started bonding over their mutual likes like Twelve Is Midnight and their desire to see their besties admit their feelings for one another. After Ronnie Anne and Lincoln started dating, the pair went on a few double dates, even witnessing Lincoln's sisters overstepping.
"Uh, I don't think we're ready for that," they replied.
"You never know," joked Rusty.
Everyone laughed as they ate and talked until the evening; as the group left, they expressed how much fun they had.
"Tonight was fun; it felt like old times," said Liam.
"Yeah, I've missed this," said Stella.
"Ditto," said Clyde.
"So what are you lovebirds up to now?" Asked Stella.
"First, we're taking this little bundle home so she can get some real sleep, and then I guess get some rest ourselves," said Lincoln.
"Tomorrow, we're taking her to Tall Timbers Park for a picnic," said Ronnie Anne.
"That sounds like fun," Stella replied.
"We'll catch up with you guys later," said Lincoln.
Everyone went their separate ways; Clyde and Sid headed to Clyde's house to borrow his Dads' car so he could drive Sid home. Unknown to everyone, someone was eavesdropping on their conversation. That someone was Chandler. Upon hearing where Lincoln and Ronnie Anne would be tomorrow, an idea popped into his head as he pulled out his phone.
…Elsewhere…
In Aria, weeks had passed, but the witches finally stabilized the portal enough for someone to pass through. The knight was preparing his agent for his mission by wrapping him in a large cloak.
"You know what you have to do… right?" Asked the knight.
"Find the child, eliminate the heroes and anyone who stands in my way, return to Aria with the child,"
"Very good,"
"I will not fail in my mission or our goddess; the heroes do not stand a chance against me,"
"Do not underestimate them; now take this," said the knight, handing him a talisman. "This talisman will allow you to track the child every time she uses her powers, and given that she's only an infant, it shouldn't be too hard for you to track the brat; once you're close enough the talisman will be able to locate the child whether she uses her powers or not,"
"I understand, sir,"
"Good, and remember, if you don't come back with the child, don't come back at all!" Threatened the knight. "Once you have the child return to the place where you originally crossed over to, the veil between the worlds should be weakest there; use the talisman to signal the witches so they can bring the child back,"
"Understood I will not fail our goddess,"
"Open the portal, hags,"
The four witches began channeling their energy into the rift, causing it to grow in size; once the witches gave the okay, the agent leaped through the portal. However, seconds later, the portal began to become unstable as it began twisting; the witches immediately stopped channeling their power and contained it in an energy bubble to stabilize it.
"It will take time before we can send another," said one of the witches.
"The moment you're able to send another," said the knight, walking away.
Earth
Landing on the other end, the agent found himself in what appeared to be a frozen wasteland. Not wanting to waste time, the agent raised the talisman, but to his shock, nothing happened.
"Why isn't it working?"
Tall Timbers Park
Lincoln and Ronnie Anne were enjoying themselves as they walked through the forest trails. They didn't have to worry about insects bothering Leslie since they placed a protection spell to keep them away.
"You think she's enjoying herself?" Asked Lincoln.
"Hard to say; she is only two months old," replied Ronnie Anne.
"We'll tell her about it when she gets older,"
The trio continued their stroll along the trails; Ronnie Anne couldn't help but smile as she looked at Leslie and Lincoln.
"Hey, Lincoln,"
"Yeah,"
"I think it's time for lunch. let's head back to the picnic grounds,"
The family returned to the picnic grounds and found a private area away from the rest so Ronnie Anne could nurse in peace. As Leslie nursed Ronnie Anne couldn't help but feel satisfied as she looked at her daughter and Lincoln.
"Hey, Lincoln,"
"Yeah,"
"I know neither of us planned on becoming parents so soon, but I'm happy we are," cooed Ronnie Anne.
"I am, too,"
"I know we have a long way to go, but us being together like this, it just feels right,"
"I feel the same way,"
After a few more minutes of nursing, Leslie was full and ready for a nap. Ronnie Anne placed her in her basket, and within a few minutes, Leslie fell asleep sucking on her pacifier. Lincoln and Ronnie Anne were about to have lunch with the baby sleeping when Lincoln noticed they had no drinks.
"Dang, I must have forgotten to pack them,"
"No worries, I think there's a Flippee machine in the gift shop across the street from the park entrance," Ronnie Anne said.
In recent years, Flip began licensing his Flippee machines, allowing other stores to carry them in exchange for a cut of the profits.
"I'll go get us two large ones,"
As Lincoln left, Ronnie Anne admired her sleeping daughter; Leslie started fidgeting in her sleep, rubbing her wrist where her bracelet was. Knowing the bracelet was bothering her, Ronnie Anne removed it but placed a wool cap on Leslie's head to cover her forehead. As Leslie began sleeping more peacefully, Ronnie Anne thought nothing could ruin this moment.
"Well…well, what do we have here?"
Hearing Chandler's girlfriend Amber's voice, Ronnie Anne's skin began crawling. Turning around, Ronnie Anne saw Amber standing across from her.
"What do you want?"
"Nothing. I'm just here to make sure you don't get in the way while Chandler and his friends teach your baby daddy a lesson,"
Ronnie Anne knew what was happening but wasn't worried; Lincoln was a skilled fighter at a physical peak.
"Oh, right, and what do you get out of this?"
"The satisfaction of knowing I put that loser in this place,"
"So he's a loser because he didn't want to sleep with you?"
"Nobody rejects me without getting hurt, especially after calling me a whore!"
"Oh please, you're nothing but a gold-digging whore,"
"You're just jealous because my Chandler can afford to buy me nice things like my outfit while all your money is now wasted on that kid,"
"At least what we spend is from what we earned,"
"You don't think I don't earn what I get. I've had firmer handshakes that lasted longer than Chandler, and I have to constantly convince him he's amazing; what makes you believe that loser who knocked you up is better?"
"Obviously," Ronnie Anne pointed to a sleeping Leslie, grateful she couldn't hear this conversation, thanks to the sound spell allowing her to sleep peacefully. "And if my Lincoln is such a loser, why are you wearing his sister's clothes?"
"What?"
"Your clothes are from Leni Loud's spring fashion line,"
"I'm surprised that someone with no taste knows that, but yes, I'm subscribed to Leni's fashion line; I get a new outfit every few weeks, and Chandler pays for it, so?"
"So? Isn't it a little weird to wear her clothes yet try and hurt her brother,"
Amber's eyes widened with a shocking realization; when Amber began insulting Lincoln's sisters, angry over being rejected, she left out Leni Loud. She never considered the possibility that Lincoln and Leni were related despite having the same last name. Ronnie Anne smiled as she could see the realization on her face.
"How stupid are you? You never realized Leni was one of Lincoln's sisters? How long have you been living here?"
"As if it's my job to keep track of how many sisters he has just because his mom won't stop spreading her legs," Amber mocked.
"What did you say about my mother!?" Said Lincoln, appearing behind Amber.
Amber jumped in shock and was even more surprised to see him unharmed, holding two large flippees.
"You? But what happened to Chandler, Hank, and Hawke?
"Well…
…Earlier…
After leaving with the drinks, however, to his surprise and annoyance, Chandler stood there as if he were waiting for him.
"What do you want now, Chandler!?"
"Some payback!" Chandler replied, slapping the drinks out of Lincoln's hands.
Lincoln looked more annoyed than angry as he looked up at Chandler and said.
"You owe me $6,"
"By the time we're done with you, flippees will be the only thing you can eat!"
"We're?"
"Oh, boys,"
Slowly, two more figures appeared, walking up to them. They were Hank and Hawke, a couple of well-known bullies. The two then moved on Lincoln's left and right, respectively. Lincoln knew where this was going but wasn't worried.
"Can't say I'm surprised that you two decided to get into gooning,"
"$500 each is a lot of money just to slap you around to resist," mocked Hawke.
"We'll be rich!" Cheered Hank.
Lincoln rolls his eyes. "Can we move this along? I'm on a date with my girlfriend and daughter,"
Lincoln's attitude immediately pissed off Hank and Hawke as they charged him, throwing a straight, but Lincoln nonchalantly dodged the attacks, surprising them. The two began throwing wild punches, but Lincoln continued dodging and blocking them with one hand each, wearing themselves out. Lincoln then used his hands to push Hank and Hawke back a few steps, to their and Chandler's shock; it should've given them the message not to fuck with him, but it didn't. Angered, they charged one more time, putting all their remaining energy into one last straight; Lincoln leaped out of the way, causing the two bullies to strike each other in the face, knocking each other out as Lincoln watched with his back to Chandler.
"Now that was just sad,"
Suddenly, Lincoln threw a back fist strike, hitting Chandler in the face and knocking him down. Chandler screamed in pain as he held his now bloody nose.
"You broke my nose!"
"Well, that's what you get for trying to sneak up on me, now about the $6 you owe me,"
…Present…
Amber began sweating bullets, afraid of what was coming, as she switched between looking at Lincoln and Ronnie Anne.
"Well, now you have two options; option one, you can leave right now and go pick up Chandler at the emergency Ward," said Lincoln.
"Or option two, I send you there on a stretcher, your choice," threatened Ronnie Anne.
Amber could feel a yellow streak running down her back as she laughed awkwardly before running off. The two sighed, knowing this wasn't the end, but they could at least take the time now to enjoy their peace and quiet. After lunch, the couple headed home; a thought popped into Ronnie Anne's head along the way.
"You know, Lame-O, we could just use our powers to make them leave us alone,"
"I don't want to waste my powers on them,"
"Yeah, me neither, but it was just a thought to consider,"
After returning in the early evening, Lucy offered to watch Leslie, letting the couple rest for a little while. Usually, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne didn't need to sleep that much thanks to the hero's vigilance skill, which minimized their need for rest and sleep. However, neither of them would look a gift horse in the mouth and agreed since they knew they would fall out from exhaustion when they turned off their skill. After giving Leslie to Lucy, the couple lay down for a few hours. Since meeting Leslie, Lucy felt a strong connection with her, taking an interest in Leslie's magical potential; Lucy often read her spell books to Leslie. Thanks to Lucy's Gothic lifestyle, she was already well versed in the mystic arts; however, unlike Leslie, whose magical potential is seemingly limitless, Lucy was limited to the power of her spell books. Setting up in her room, Lucy wanted to do something special for Leslie, so she pulled out a spell book for conjuring she had borrowed yesterday from her friend Haiku.
"You're going to love this, Leslie,"
Leslie looked confused as Lucy began speaking a chant; suddenly, the two watched something emerge from the spell book, taking the form of a multi-colored bumble bee that glowed like the Aurora Borealis. Leslie was mesmerized by the bee flying around, creating a trail similar to the aurora borealis as it flew. Leslie giggled in joy as the bee was friendly, landing on her head for a few moments before flying again, making Lucy smile. Suddenly, the bee split into two bees, much to Lucy's confusion, and then the bees split again, creating four.
"This isn't supposed to happen,"
Lucy then noticed the glowing under Leslie's wool cap. Upon removing it, she saw that Leslie's gem was now visible and glowing, meaning she was using her powers.
"Oh no," thought Lucy.
…Elsewhere…
Still waiting in the frozen tundra, the demon became frustrated, waiting for a reaction, until the talisman started glowing, pointing him in a direction.
"I finally found you, Brat," said the demon, racing off.
Back in the house, Leslie had created a swarm of bees that began flying through the house. Eventually, Lynn Sr, Rita, Lola, Lana, Lisa, and Lily came home and got swept up in the chaos as they tried to capture the bees.
"Great, first I lost the position to represent the school in the school-wide pageant to Lindsay Sweetwater because of my "bad Temper," now I have to deal with this," grumbled Lola. "Can't we just wake Lincoln and Ronnie Anne to help? We've been at this for like 2 hours!" Complained Lola.
"No, I don't want them thinking I'm too irresponsible to look after her," replied Lucy, holding Leslie.
"Sweetie, it's better to admit your mistakes than try to hide them," said Rita.
"Besides, considering all of this, I wouldn't blame them," replied Lola.
"I was just trying to show her a couple of spells,"
Lola yelps while dodging a bee. "Damn it, if I get stung by one of these things, I'm gonna!"
Lola's sudden outburst scared Leslie, and eventually, she began to cry. This caused Lana, Lisa, and Lily to glare at Lola, making her feel embarrassed and ashamed.
"Nice going, Auntie Lola, you just made our niece cry," berated Lana.
"I didn't mean to. I was just… mad about,"
"Wait… she made her cry!" Said Lisa, very alarmed.
Everyone's eyes widened, realizing the potential danger they were in. All the bees began buzzing aggressively as they stared at Lola, causing her to let out a big gulp. The bees merged into one massive form, which wasn't friendly; they now resembled an Asian giant hornet. While Lucy tried calming Leslie, everyone was shocked, hoping it would make the monster disappear. The hornet's buzzing became more aggressive as it approached Lola, brandishing its stinger, who slowly backed away towards the stairs.
"Guys, a little help!" Lola quietly screamed.
"Hey… guys… WHAT… THE HELL IS THAT THING!?" said Lincoln, shocked awake.
Everyone looked up to see Lincoln standing at the top of the stairs, looking down at what was happening. The hornet suddenly charged Lola, but as she closed her eyes and braised herself, she became alerted by the sound of a clang as she realized she wasn't hurt. Opening her eyes, Lola saw Lincoln standing in front of her, blocking the hornet's attack with an orange and black shield. Lincoln had teleported between the hornet and Lola, summoning a shield to block and parry the hornet's attack.
"Can someone explain all of this fast," grunted Lincoln.
"I was showing Leslie a few spells from my spell book; the last one was summoning a harmless little bumblebee,"
"You call this thing harmless?"
"Well, it was, but Leslie became overly excited and began using her powers to cause the bee to multiply until there was a small swarm in the house,"
Lincoln wondered how this was possible. Still, once he noticed Leslie's gem was visible, he instantly realized that Ronnie Anne must have taken off her inhibitor bracelet and forgot to put it back on.
"We were trying to round them up for at least 2 hours now," said Lynn Sr.
"2 hours? Why didn't you guys wake us up sooner?" Asked Lincoln.
"See, I told you," said Lola.
The hornet suddenly became more aggressive as it started pushing harder against Lincoln's shield, pushing him back, to his surprise. Lincoln countered, swatting it away while everyone ducks for cover as the hornet flies back into a stalemate with Lincoln. However, Lincoln then realized he was starting to be pushed back a little.
"Okay, now someone please explain how we got to this point,"
"Lola's fault!" Said Lily.
"Lola got mad and yelled; it scared Leslie, and she started crying," said Lana.
"Really, Lo?" asked a very annoyed Lincoln.
"I didn't mean to scare her; I was just upset about something else,"
"We'll talk about this later. Right now, let me take care of this,"
Lincoln quickly summoned a sword before performing a shield thrust, smashing his shield into the hornet's face, disorienting it. Lincoln quickly stabbed it with his sword, killing it instantly as it burst into a cloud of smoke, like in an RPG game. Everyone sighed in relief as the monster was gone, and Lincoln quickly resummoned the bracelet, placing it on Leslie, making her gem disappear. Later, Lucy, Lola, and a now awake Ronnie Anne sat side by side while she nursed a hungry and calm Leslie.
"Fascinating, it appears; whenever Leslie uses her powers, she burns up a lot of calories, and since she's a baby, she burns them up quickly and needs to replenish them," said Lisa.
"I'm so sorry, I completely forgot I took off her bracelet," apologized Ronnie Anne.
"It's not your fault or Lucy's; if I hadn't snapped like that., she wouldn't have cried," Lola admitted.
Suddenly, a lone bumble bee appeared, landing on the table, causing everyone to tense up; surprisingly, the bee began buzzing as if it were talking, and everyone understood it. The bee introduced itself as Leslie's familiar, much to everyone's surprise. The bee then explained how she was summoned to be the familiar of Leslie through a spell book. Lucy quickly went to her room, bringing back the book, revealing that the book she had borrowed was for conjuring. Still, the being conjured could form a contract with a being of strong magical power if they wanted to and become that person's familiar, which was the case. The bee then apologized for the trouble, explaining that Leslie's power caused her duplication powers to go out of control due to their fresh connection, creating the swarm that was flying around the house. The bee then explained how her drones/copies reacted to Leslie's crying, merging into that creature that attacked Lola because they thought she was a threat because Leslie felt threatened. This made Lola feel even more guilty, as she didn't want her niece to be afraid of her.
"I'm sorry, Leslie. Auntie Lola would never hurt you," apologized Lola.
Lola reached out, petting Leslie's hand, and she responded by grasping her hand, showing trust. This made Lola smile; however, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne knew they needed to find a way to control Leslie's powers better, as this was too close a call.
Elsewhere, the demon was still running when the talisman stopped glowing, deciding to follow the path it was already on.
"No matter, I'll find you eventually, heroes, and the brat will be ours," thought the demon as he continued racing off
End Of Ch. 3
Note
1. sorry if I pact too much in this CH; I just wanted to move things along.
2. I ship Sid and Clyde because I see potential; I like Chloe, but there hasn't been much development. I know the same can be said for Clyde and Sid, but they at least have the potential to be the Barney and Betty to Lincoln and Ronnie Anne's Fred and Wilma.
3. I don't have a name for Leslie's new familiar yet; let me know if you have one. She draws power from Leslie; her main power is to create drones/ clones to defend her and Leslie. They're also more like holograms with mass; they poof when damaged too much, so they are like Gems. They also are not sentient and can merge into a more dangerous form, which happens in the story when the bee or Leslie feels threatened.
4. I probably should state this about Leslie and her parents. Mystic-wise, Leslie is more powerful than Lincoln and Ronnie Anne, while Lincoln and Ronnie Anne were blessed by the other gods of Aria when they were teleported there, unlike the other "heroes" Valeena summoned. Before being stripped of her power, Valeena was the most powerful among the gods and goddesses and was only brought down due to a surprise attack.
5. in short, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne are (I'm quoting Aladdin, so bare with me) Semi-phenomenal, nearly cosmic; Leslie is 100% phenomenal cosmic power,