I do not own The Loud House. All rights belong to Nickelodeon.

Chapter 2

When Stella and Ronnie got back to Royal Woods, they couldn't hold back their tears as they jumped into Lincoln's bed and squeezed him a hug. Lincoln was so happy to see them that he also shed a few tears.

"Do you have any idea how worried we were for you?!" Stella asked as she held his face.

"When I was waiting for you at the bus station, I was so anxious I thought I was going to die! I thought your family had put you in a human body case!" Ronnie Anne stated.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I really am," Lincoln said with a sad face.

Stella kissed her boyfriend on the lips several times. Ronnie Anne kissed him on the head and turned to Stella, "Don't worry, I'm not stealing your man. He's my best friend, and I'm really happy he's okay."

Then, both girls slumped down in their chairs.

"So, they know, right? Your sisters?" Stella asked.

Lincoln nodded, "Just them, not my parents."

"What happens now? Do the bad luck and Sister Fight Protocol still happen or what?" Ronnie Anne questioned.

Lincoln summoned the light orb, showing the image of his sisters protecting Lincoln from their parents. The girls looked at it with an inquisitive expression.

"I don't know what it means. All I have is just this image. Every time I try to unlock it, my head hurts so much that I have to quit. Lisa figured out why my head hurts so much. She's working on a machine to help level out my brain waves so my brain doesn't work so hard to push the energy to use my powers," Lincoln explained.

"So, they're helping you? For now, they're not the bad guys, just your parents?" Stella asked.

Lincoln shrugged, "We don't know anything for sure until I unlock that future, but yes. My sisters are helping me."

"Are you sure your sisters are okay? Because those two future visions you showed us, I've been seeing them in the back of my eyelids," Ronnie Anne pointed to her eyes.

"I'm telling you guys, they've changed. The visions changed. After I showed them my powers that night, they really turned around. What I showed them really shook them," Lincoln said.

Stella held Lincoln by his shoulders and looked desperately into his eyes.

"Yeah, but do you really trust them? Do you really believe that now they will never hurt you? Do you actually feel safe around these people, Lincoln? Do you really trust that no matter what happens, no matter how angry they get, they won't send you to the hospital or straight to the morgue? That they won't throw you out in the cold like a dog for superstitious reasons like luck?" Stella questioned.

Lincoln looked at her and couldn't find the words to respond to that because the truth was he still wasn't sure. There was no telling whether the sisters would keep their promise.

"Are you really willing to bet your life with your sisters? That they won't ruin your life? You said it yourself. You have to be a bad person in order to be capable of doing really terrible things, and your family, your sisters, are capable of doing these bad things. I get that they're your sisters, and they want to help you and change for the better, but what you showed us that day . . . what they would do to you, I truly believe that there is a monster buried deep within each of them. That's why I believe you should get adopted by either Clyde's or Ronnie Anne's family," Stella explained.

Lincoln would have protested, but they made valid points. The visions may have changed now, but who's to say that they won't relapse and return to their horrible ways? The visions and his sisters' word are the only things he could rely on for assurance. Other than that, there was no telling whether or not they'd keep their word.

His sisters were a lot of things, and they were capable of many things, but how far are they willing to go to change for the better? For him? Lincoln had long prepared to let them go so that he could have a better life. Would giving them a chance ruin that? Lincoln knew all too well that he's been blamed for things he didn't do, mocked, ridiculed, given leftovers and hand-me-downs while his sisters get everything on a silver platter. He's been denied privileges because his sisters ruined them. They've messed things up, and he's gotten blamed and punished for it.

'Maybe getting adopted by them is the better option,' Lincoln thought.

But then he remembered the night his sisters wanted answers, and he told and showed them the truth. He could see it clear as day. The tears, the desperation, and the sorrow of their broken hearts . . . but most of all, he remembered the love. That was what he wanted most from them, and the joy he felt in his heart was unmeasurable.

'There's no way I could let that go, and I can't leave them like this. It would destroy them – especially Lynn,' Lincoln thought.

Lincoln sighed and looked up at Stella and Ronnie Anne.

"I believe in second chances. They're allowed to have theirs, but if they mess up big time, if they hurt me, put my life in danger, or keep me out of my own home, then we'll do it your way. We call the police, tell them everything, lock them up, I get adopted by either your family or Clyde's, the whole shebang," Lincoln stated.

Stella and Ronnie Anne looked at each other with an unsure expression before they finally gave the slightest of nods.

"Fine," Ronnie Anne groaned as she slumped into her chair, "But if I find so much as a scratch or one hair missing on your head, it's the slammer for them."

"Fair enough. Now, can I cuddle with my girlfriend?" Lincoln asked, reaching his arms out.

Stella smiled and climbed into bed with Lincoln to plant a kiss on his lips and wrap her arms around him.

"You know, I'm really bummed out that the plan didn't happen. I was really hoping and looking forward to my family adopting you. I had everything planned out. Sneaking you into my room, showing you to my family, you revealing your powers and the terrible things your family would have done to you. They'd believe you and forge adoption papers . . . Lincoln Loud would be Lucas or Lorenzo Santiago. Sid and I would show all the cool stuff of Great Lake City, and your life would start a new chapter."

"That sounds like a wonderful plan," Lincoln admitted.

"It's a heck of a lot better than ending up here because of your sisters," Stella added.

"Stella, I got hit by a car, not by them beating me," Lincoln said.

"And you ran away because they would have. I know that you said they changed, and the visions of those futures aren't going to happen, but no one should be afraid of their own family. That's the other thing I was really hoping for. I was looking forward to seeing them face justice," Ronnie Anne said.

Lincoln empathized with Ronnie Anne, and Stella. A part of him wanted that too, to see them face justice for the terrible and inhuman deeds they'd commit. He knew how to make them feel better.

"Want to see something cool?" Lincoln asked.

"Like what?" Stella asked.

Lincoln summoned a light orb, "Like this."

Both girls looked at it closely as Lincoln explained, "I found this. This would have happened if the first plan would have happened. During the trial, while my family is being prosecuted, we decide to get a little payback."

"Payback?" Ronnie Anne asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, look and see for yourselves," Lincoln said.

Stella and Ronnie Anne glanced at each other before watching the light orb.

Past Vision:

Lincoln sat on the footsteps of the concrete staircase in front of Ronnie Anne's house with her, Stella sitting next to him, and Clyde leaning against the railing with his arms crossed. Ronnie Anne had her arm around his shoulder while Stella sat next to him, holding his hand. They sat quietly, letting the cold autumn breeze blow in their faces.

The trial was in Lincoln's favor and looking grim for the Loud family. It's been a few months since the parents and Lynn got arrested, and word got out. Since then, Lincoln has gained tremendous support from the public. 'Justice 4 Lincoln' was the most popular hashtag. Lincoln's parents and Lynn were released temporarily until the trial determined their fate.

However, Lincoln sat in cold anger over what his parents' lawyer said, and he wasn't the only one who thought the same.

"The nerve of that scumbag lawyer. Can you believe him?" Stella questioned.

"I know. 'Misunderstood parental disciplinaries?' And calling Lynn's threat with a bat an 'innocent mistake to her roughhousing behavior?' That is complete bullcrap," Ronnie Anne stated.

"He's a lawyer. He's making an argument to defend his clients. I'm not saying that's a valid excuse, but he's doing what lawyers do – make an argument," Clyde said.

Lincoln said nothing. His family didn't care for his well-being or for his feelings – they only thought of him as bad luck. They only care now because they're in trouble. Lincoln feels disgust and shame for them whenever they try to reach out to him and apologize. He felt the public crucifying his family was cathartic.

Lincoln's friends came over along with Bobby, Benny, Sam, and the band members that Luna used to be in.

"Hey, little bro. How are you holding up?" Bobby asked.

"I'm fine . . . as well as I can. I'm still sore over what that lawyer said," Lincoln answered.

"Yeah, not gonna lie, I got some violent thoughts swimming in my head over what he said," Sam replied.

"That's not what's ticking me off, y'all," Liam said, and everyone turned to him, "What's ticking me off is that they forced Lincoln out of the house while he slept on a pile of leaves. Meanwhile, they slept in their cozy beds, all warm and whatnot."

Ronnie nodded while tapping her chin before snapping her fingers. This caught everyone's attention.

"I say we give them a taste of their own medicine," Ronnie Anne stated.

"What do you mean?" Zach asked.

"They don't know what it was like for Lincoln. They don't know what it's like not to have a bed to sleep on, or furniture gone, or to have nothing at all. So, let's make them experience it."

"What are you talking about?" Stella questioned.

"Let's go to their house and get rid of all their stuff. Their beds, their furniture, everything! Leave with nothing!" Ronnie Anne explained.

"Ronnie Anne, that's crazy, we—wait . . . actually, that is a really great idea," Sam said.

"Say what?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah, a little payback to get even," Rusty agreed.

"Even Steven?" Zach asked.

"Yeah!"

"Whoa, how would you guys get rid of the stuff?" Benny asked.

"We burn it. In the backyard. We dig a crater, put everything in it, and burn it!" Ronnie Anne stated.

"Great, I'm in," Sam said right away.

"Wait," Bobby said.

"Me too. Let's do it," Stella added.

"Us too!" Rusty and Zach said.

"Guys, hold up. What you guys are talking about is arson. Is that really such a good idea?" Clyde asked.

"I think it's a great idea, and I'm not the only one who thinks so," Ronnie Anne said.

"Guys, I don't know about this. Don't you think it's going a little too far?" Bobby asked.

"Bobby, he had to sleep outside on a pile of leaves. They forced him to wear a stupid costume for good luck after they sold his furniture, and his sister threatened him with a bat. He was forced to sleep on a mattress on the floor like a hobo."

"Why don't we let Lincoln decide? He's the victim here. If anyone wants payback, it's him," Benny suggested.

Lincoln thought quietly for a moment. He looked at everyone and then at Stella, who gave him an encouraging nod.

"Let's do it. It's time for a little poetic justice," Lincoln said, standing up.

"Are you sure you want to do this little bro?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"He's got anger, Bobby. He needs to let it out," Sam said.

They waited the next day for everyone at the Loud house to leave. The plan was to dig a crater hole in the backyard and throw everything in it to burn it. While Lincoln's friends, Bobby and Benny, were digging in the backyard, Lincoln went inside with Stella, Sam, and Ronnie Anne. The boys worked fast.

When they did, Lincoln took a moment to stare at everything. His anger boiled, and he grinded his teeth. All the memories of his family mistreating him were flooding his mind. Stella placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. Soon, Lincoln's anger was dispelled, and he felt calm.

"I'm okay," Lincoln said.

"Yeah?" Stella asked.

Lincoln nodded.

"Let the evilness begin," Ronnie Anne said.

They went upstairs and started with Luna and Luan's room. They threw all the clothes on the floor and broke apart the dressers and the bed frame. Sam took a moment to look at Luna's guitar before smashing it into the floor.

"Your rock n' roll days are over, Luna," Sam stated, glaring at the broken axe.

After she threw it out the window, they threw the broken pieces of their furniture, followed by the clothes. Lincoln found Mr. Coconuts. He looked at it for a few seconds before stomping and breaking it.

"April Fool's, you crazy psycho," Lincoln growled before throwing it out the window.

The boys took what was being thrown out and piled it up in the center of the hole. The girls were having a hard time getting Luan's mattress out. Lincoln marched into Lynn's room and took her baseball bat. He returned and smashed the widow and the middle frame, allowing more space for the mattress to squeeze through. They threw it out, and then Luna's. The room was completely empty in a matter of minutes. They did the same thing in every other room.

Lincoln and Ronnie Anne smashed every trophy in the trophy cabinet. Sam broke all of Luna's amps and instruments. Lincoln tore out the pages in Lucy's poem book, and Stella broke her coffin. Lincoln ripped up every photo in the photo albums, including his parents' wedding photos and his family's baby photos. He and his friends even cleared the attic and the basement.

Lana's and the family's pets were so scared of Lincoln's rampage that they ran away frightened. Lola's framed pictures and all her gowns were in the pile, along with Lisa's lab equipment. Lori and Leni's fashion clothes, everything were thrown outside. The only thing spared was Lily's crib and belongings. Lincoln was surprised to see his stuff still in his room. He took what he wanted back – his comics, his computer, his sketchbook, some of his clothes, etc. He left his Bun-Bun in Lily's crib.

"You're not taking that back?" Stella asked.

"It's Lily's now," Lincoln replied.

In a few short hours, the entire house was empty. All the mattresses, bed frames, tables, chairs, the couch, dressers, boxes, the TV, clothes, and all the furniture were in the backyard hole. Most of everything was broken and dirty. Liam and Zach went into the garage and returned with gasoline cans. The boys drenched everything in the flammable liquid. Clyde gave Lincoln a box of matches.

"You ready?" Lincoln asked.

"Born ready," Ronnie Anne answered.

"Heck yeah," Sam added.

Bobby let out a heavy sigh, "No turning back now."

"I guess so," Benny said.

Stella nodded, "Do it. Light it up."

Lincoln lit the match and tossed it into the pile. The whole thing lit up like a torch. As he and the others watched everything burn, they felt great satisfaction, especially Lincoln, Stella, and Ronnie Anne. Lincoln watched closely as the photos crinkled up in the fire and burned away into black ashes. As the fire burned, Lincoln and Sam went back inside to spray-paint the walls in each room with writing.

Living room:

"As he was left with nothing, now you have nothing."

Parents room:

"Suffer as your son has suffered."

Lori & Leni's room:

"You're literally loveless."

"You don't know what love is."

Leni & Luan's room:

"You love music more than your own kin."

"You're not funny. You're heartless."

Lynn & Lucy's room:

"Your heart is pure darkness devoid of any light."

"No luck will fix what you did, sore loser."

Lisa's room:

"You're all brain and no heart."

They finished just in time. As they left, vanzilla was in sight as it was coming up the driveway. Lincoln and his friends hid not too far away – close enough for them to witness the aftermath of their work. The shocked and awe expressions were better than what they had hoped for. Lincoln and his friends couldn't tell which was better: the family's reaction to the empty house, the spray-painted writing, or all their stuff burning in the backyard. Most of the Loud sisters broke down in tears, while the rest were too shocked to cry – some lashed out at Lynn for causing all this. Lori even slapped Lynn hard in the face, and a fight broke out as everyone tried to break it up.

While Lincoln's friends were enjoying, a part of Lincoln felt sad. If his family had loved him like any other family from the start, none of this would have happened. Lincoln then remembered that was the reason he did this. They brought this upon themselves.

'It's about time you guys suffered for once,' Lincoln thought.

At that moment, Lincoln felt a little proud of himself. He got back at them hard. He stood up for himself. For years, he's had to deal with them and their crap. Now the shoe's on the other foot. Lincoln and his friends snuck away and ran to the park.

As they stopped to catch their breath, Lincoln said, "Whoa, that was frigging amazing!"

Ronnie Anne turned to him, "Was it? Or was it fucking amazing?"

"Ronnie Anne!" Bobby snapped.

"Bobby, we just got back at a family that abused and neglected their only son/brother. Let us, for once, swear in victory and then go back to being polite, normal kids," Ronnie Anne said.

"She's right. Besides, sometimes swearing helps let it out," Sam said.

Lincoln approached Bobby's little sister, "That. Was. Fucking. Amazing."

"Yeah, it fucking was," Stella agreed with a grin.

Lincoln nodded, "God . . . fuck. What a great word."

Ronnie Anne and the others chuckled before they hollered in victory.

End of Past Vision:

Stella and Ronnie Anne were stunned at what they saw.

"Okay, now I really wished that the first plan had worked," Ronnie Anne said.

"I don't know, Ronnie Anne. Doesn't that seem kind of mean?" Stella asked.

"I'm actually glad it didn't happen," Lincoln said.

"What?" Ronnie Anne asked.

Lincoln showed another light orb and explained as it showed.

"Had we gone down that path, my family would have been miserable and broken, but not nearly as broken as the aftermath if I was the one who beat them in that one vision of the Sister Fight Protocol," Lincoln explained.

"So, you're really going to give them a chance?" Stella asked.

"Yes, I know how you guys feel about them, but they've seen the terrible visions and want to make things right for me. I have to give them at least a chance. They're still my family," Lincoln said.

Ronnie Anne let a sigh, "Fine, but like I said before, one screwup, one mistake, and it's the slammer for them."

"Got it."

"When are we going to tell Clyde?" Stella asked.

"When he gets back from Hawaii. I know he will be upset, but I didn't want to tell him now or then because I didn't want to ruin his vacation with his dads," Lincoln explained.

"Yeah, he'd have a panic attack and probably get anxiety. When's he coming back?" Ronnie Anne asked.

"In three days," Stella answered.

"Okay . . . also, Ronnie Anne, your wish may come true about my parents going to jail or getting in trouble," Lincoln said.

She raised her eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"I don't need my vision powers to tell you that my parents are under investigation. I had some visitors the other day. Two people from the CPS and an FBI agent."

"What?" Stella asked, surprised.

Meanwhile

While Lincoln explained the situation to his girlfriend and other best friend at the hospital, Lynn was anything but okay. Usually, she'd be training or exercising, but after learning the truth about her brother's powers and the horrible truths about what could have happened in the near future, she was experiencing a hurricane of raw emotions. Also, she was grounded, so she couldn't do any of those things even if she wanted to – plus, it was raining outside with thunder and lightning.

Lincoln's words echoed in her head as she stared at herself in the mirror.

"There's going to come a time and place in your life where luck won't save you . . . and it won't save the things you love."

An ungodly chill ran up her spine. Parts of Lincoln's visions flashed before her eyes: the Bad Luck incident, her nightmares, and both outcomes of Sister Fight Protocol.

"One day sooner or later . . . it's gonna be the only thing you have left in your life after you lose everything else."

Lynn looked at her hands. The flashes of lightning lit up the room, and the boom of thunder roared throughout the quiet night. The visions before her eyes were as clear as ever, each image returning to haunt her recollection and to ache her conscience. Lynn couldn't tell which was worse, her and her sisters brutally beating their only brother or him savagely beating them. Lynn could still hear his cries of pain and sorrow, but she could practically feel Lincoln beating her with a club and breaking her limbs – the agonizing pain.

The blood, tears, and the cries gave her chills.

'My belief in the stupid luck rituals would do all this? It would drive out my brother and tear my family apart? And we would attack our only brother out of anger? Out of spite? What kind of family are we? What kind of sister am I?' Lynn thought.

Lynn's heart rate raced inside her chest, and she felt lightheaded as she panted. Lynn remembered everything terrible she had done. All the bullying, name-calling, and mean-spirited behavior not only towards her own brother but to others. She remembered making her teammates follow her luck rituals, like not letting them use the restroom before the game.

'Lincoln must hate me. If he hates me, they must hate me too. I really am the worst sister. Am I really that bad?' Lynn thought, shivering as she asked herself, 'Am I a monster? Is everyone better off without me, including sports?'

Lynn looked up from her hands to the mirror. In a moment, she saw a woman standing in the street. She had brown hair like hers, but it was all let out. She had a brown sock hat, an old rain jacket, some worn sweatpants, and a dirty pair of sneakers. Her clothes and hat had dirt stains, were worn out, and showed signs of real wear and tear. She looked like a hobo.

Lynn looked closer at the woman in the mirror and noticed her face was familiar. The woman looked up with a sad expression on her face. Then, a flash of lightning lit the room, followed by thunder, and Lynn turned quickly as she heard Lucy moaning in her sleep. Lynn turned back to the mirror to see the woman gone, and it was a regular reflection.

"Was that . . . was that me?" Lynn asked.