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

Chapter 8

Lincoln showed and explained everything to his mother, Rita—everything from his powers to saving his sisters, the terrible futures that almost happened, etc. Rita sat on the couch, completely distraught. Her eyes were wide open, her pupils shrank to tiny dots, and her hands shook. She inhaled deep, labored breaths – she looked like she'd seen a ghost.

Lincoln held her arm, "Let's go to the kitchen to get you some water, Mom."

Rita remained silent as Lincoln led her to the kitchen. Lincoln gave her a glass of water, and she sipped it all down, but her panting increased. The tears finally broke from her eyes.

"You-you have powers? You can see into the future?" Rita asked.

Lincoln nodded, "Yes."

"All those things you showed me . . . that could have happened?"

"Yes. That's why I ran away from home."

Rita closed her tearful eyes tight.

"I'm sorry—"

Rita dashed forward and hugged her son while sobbing her eyes out. Lincoln hugged her back.

"Oh, Lincoln! My boy! My sweet angel boy!" Rita cried.

Lincoln patted her back while caressing her hair. After a long while, Rita's face slowly turned from sorrowful to anger as she glared at her daughters. The girls felt nervous as Rita stood up and ordered Lincoln to get behind her.

"Lori, Leni . . . come here," Rita ordered.

The two elder blondes slowly walked over in front of their mother. The silence stretched out like a blade and cut just as deep. The girls looked away in shame, and Rita didn't like that.

"Look at me, girls . . . right now!" Rita ordered, raising her voice at the end, making them flinch.

Lori and Leni looked at her. Leni was scared as her lips and hands trembled – Lori held her hand while trying to stay strong.

"You girls were really going to beat your brother? All because he wanted his room back after you two were fighting . . . over a fucking dress?" Rita asked with venom in her voice.

Lori looked up and answered, "We're sorry, Mom."

Rita slapped Lori hard, making a loud sound. The other sisters gasped. Lori's lip quivered as her bangs covered her eyes. It took every ounce of her will to resist crying.

Rita turned to Leni, "You too? Even you, Leni? You would do this?"

"I'm so sorry, Mom!" Leni pleaded.

Rita looked away in disappointment as Leni went on and on about how much they never wanted such a bad event to happen and how sorry they all were. Rita silenced her with a slap, but not as hard as the one Lori got. Leni sobbed with her hand hovering over her cheek. Lana held her twin sister, Lola, as the tears rolled down their cheeks. Luna held Luan's hand as their eyes watered, and Lucy and Lisa's lips trembled. Despite this happening, the sisters felt they deserved it. Lynn, however, wasn't ready for what came her way with her mother.

Rita turned to her with red hot fire in her eyes, "And you!"

She marched over and grabbed Lynn by her forearm. Lynn had an expression of fear mixed with sorrow. The younger sisters felt weak at their knees seeing this. Even Lincoln wasn't expecting this.

"You would have poisoned all of us against Lincoln?! Your own brother?! My son?! AND FOR WHAT?!" Rita yelled and then slapped Lynn hard in the face.

"Mom, please!" Lynn begged with tears streaming down her face as she struggled to get out of her mother's grasp.

"FOR LUCK?! OVER A FUCKING GAME?!" Rita screamed as she continued to slap Lynn again and again.

Lincoln rushed in to get in between them, "Mom! Mom! Don't!"

Lori, Leni, and Luna ran over to hold Rita back while Luan protected the younger sisters. Rita lost grip of Lynn's arm as they pulled her away. Lynn immediately hid behind her brother, holding tight onto his shoulders. Her cheek was red and slightly swollen.

"Mom! Mom!" Lori shouted.

"Don't! Mom!" Luna shouted.

"Stop!" Lincoln yelled while holding his arms out to protect Lynn.

Rita panted a while to calm down, but her anger remained. The sisters were all horrified seeing this side of their mother.

"You and your luck rituals. I know winning sports mattered to you a lot . . . but I never thought you'd be a big enough of a sore loser to sink to such low depths to make us try to get rid of Lincoln," Rita growled before shaking off her daughters' hands, "And the rest of you . . . I always knew you girls would get out of control from time to time, but this . . . I have never felt so ashamed in all my life. Where did I go wrong?"

Rita sat down on a chair while rubbing her forehead.

"And to think I'd be stupid enough to follow along with it."

Lincoln started, "Mom—"

"And you!" Rita raised her voice, "You knew that all this was going to happen, and you were just going to let it? How could you?!"

Lincoln raised his eyebrows, and his eyes were wide open, as were his sisters. However, Lincoln took this personally offensive as those words struck a nerve – his eye twitched.

Lincoln spoke sarcastically, "Oh my god! You're right. I was going to call the police on my family for boarding up my bedroom, selling my furniture, locking me out of the house, and forcing me to wear a squirrel mascot costume for good luck, even in the fucking summer heat at the beach where I get heat rashes, while you're all having fun. How could I be so shallow?"

Lincoln's swearing got everyone's attention, especially his mother's, as they looked at him wide-eyed.

He continued, "Yeah! I should have done what a normal person would do, like brutally axe murder you in your sleep. Or slip poison in your drinks. Maybe drench your bodies with diesel fuel and watch you burn alive and listen to you scream in agony. But calling the police after my family abandoned me, neglected me, and abused me without any regard whatsoever for my well-being, safety, or health? God, what a bastard I am. How horrible am I? I'm such a monster!"

"You're twisting the knife, Lincoln. You made your point," Rita stated.

"Oh, I hope I did. Because you walked into that without thinking at all," Lincoln replied.

"But you still knew what was going to happen, and you were going to let it happen!"

"Because I didn't know what else to do! I didn't see any other option! Even if there was an option, I didn't know if this family was worth saving because of what you would have done to me! You're capable of doing these horrible things to me; I thought I would be safer away from you," Lincoln explained.

"So, you were okay with tearing this family apart to protect yourself?!" Rita accused.

"I never said I was okay with—!"

"You owe this family an apology, Lincoln!"

Those words hit Lincoln so hard that it was like his world shattered. He stood there as cold and as still as a statue. He gave a long blink as he stared at Rita. After everything Lincoln has been through, all that he suffered, Rita told him he owed them? An apology? There was a long silence before he leaned forward and asked the pending question.

"I owe you?" Lincoln questioned.

"Yes," Rita stated firmly.

"I owe . . . you . . . an apology?"

"Yes."

Lori stepped in, "Guys, I don't think that—"

"No, no, no. She's right, Lori," Lincoln said.

Everyone turned to him, surprised. Lincoln told Lynn to be with her other sisters. She went over, and Lucy held her close.

"You know what? I will say sorry. In fact, I will say sorry for EVERYTHING I should be sorry for. Are you ready, Mom? Huh? You ready?" Lincoln questioned.

Rita squinted her eyes in confusion with no response. She had no idea that the anger inside Lincoln was boiling.

"Okay, here we go," Lincoln said before inhaling deeply and exhaling, "Let's see . . . I'm sorry for . . . I'm sorry that I'm the only boy in this family right in the middle. I'm sorry my talents, hobbies, and skills don't interest you or Dad like my sisters. I'm sorry that my room is a closet."

As Lincoln continued, Rita's face slowly turned from anger to slightly sad.

Lincoln roughly knocked over a chair, making a loud noise, "I'm sorry, I don't have a cabinet full of trophies! I'm sorry I'm not always in the spotlight like my sisters! I'm sorry that I have to put on a goddamn suit to convince you and Dad to let me have good things in life, like having my best friend over for a sleepover to see a horror movie. I'm sorry you and Dad would rather spend time with my sisters and not me! I'm sorry that I get blamed and punished for crap I didn't even do while they get off scot-free! Like us getting banned from the grocery store when I was the only one taking the shopping seriously, and the girls screwed it all up and got us banned. Or when I took the blame for the Princess Pony book clogging the toilet when, in reality, it was Lucy!"

Everyone turned to her wide-eyed while she looked down in shame.

"That was you?!" Lori asked.

"Yeah, but I took the blame because I was protecting her. I took all your toxic cruelty to protect Lucy BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT OLDER SIBLINGS DO!" Lincoln yelled.

Everyone flinched at his angry yelling. There was a red-hot fire in his eyes. The same red eyes he had when he beat up Chandler. The same fury when he killed that alligator to save Lana and himself. Rita's anger was gone at that point. She had never seen her son like this, nor did the Loud sisters see their brother like this.

"But I guess I should be sorry for that, right?! I'm sorry that my parents let their daughters do whatever the fuck they want without any consequences or limits. I'm sorry my parents don't discipline their daughters like what real parents do. I'm sorry that my parents don't love or care about me! And I thought you were my mother!" Lincoln yelled.

Those words hit Rita's heart like daggers. As for the Loud sisters, they knew right away when they saw it. This wasn't anger from being caught up in the moment. This was the pent-up anger that Lincoln had had for a long time. It's been boiling inside him, and Rita just broke the wall that was holding it back.

"I am your mother, Lincoln. I do love and care about you!" Rita defended.

"Could have fooled me!" Lincoln supposed a light orb and showed the possible future even though it was colorless, "That's you and the others boarding up my room, selling my furniture, and locking me out of the house! You were trying to get rid of me. I still remember you saying that we were the best thing that ever happened to you, but I guess you were only talking about your daughters and not me, which is why it would have been so easy for you to try and get rid of me and side with your daughters like always!"

Lincoln marched to Rita and looked her square in the eye with a rageful glare. Rita had no words to justify herself nor by any means to withstand all this.

"You're my mother, and you would do this to me! You and Dad let so many terrible things happen in this house. I've been so angry at my sisters for doing terrible things to me, but I'm more angry at you and Dad for letting it all happen, especially when you knew all along! They've bullied me, ganged up on me, taken advantage of me, and made me look like the bad guy! I've made so many sacrifices for this family! My dignity, my reputation, my life! GOD, MY HONOR! And you want me to apologize?!"

Their hearts sank with utter depression. The truth of reality pained them more than anything else.

"That's when I knew in my heart what I know now, that I hate you."

Rita and the sister froze at those words. Before Rita could even say anything, Lincoln grabbed another chair and smashed it into the floor against the one he had knocked down earlier. He yelled at the top of his lungs while beating them with his fists.

"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you so much! I HATE YOU SO MUCH! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Lincoln roared as he continued to break the chair pieces with his fists.

The amount of rage the white-haired boy had was astonishing, especially for someone who was almost twelve. This anger was built up from years of neglect, abuse, and bullying. The sisters did not have a shred of anger, only sorrow. They realized the full scale of what they had done to their brother, Lincoln. They were horrible, bossy, bratty, greedy, stupid, psychotic, aggressive, unstable, and completely undisciplined. All the fights, all the blackmailing, all the roughhousing, name-calling, and blame & shame, mistreatment, abuse, and bullying – Lincoln had taken all he could stand and couldn't stand anymore.

After Lincoln was done, he stood while catching his breath. What was left of the two chairs were nothing more than pieces of broken wood with torn fabrics of seat cushions – that and along with Lincoln's blood. Lincoln's knuckles were bleeding, but he didn't care. He turned to face Rita and held up the light orb showing him being locked out of the house.

"Why would you do that?!" Lincoln yelled.

At that point, Rita could no longer hold back her tears as they streamed down her face, as did her daughters. Lincoln marched to the backyard and slammed the backdoor behind him. He sat on the porch and let himself cry. Rita sobbed into her hands, and the Loud sisters were saddened and distraught.

Meanwhile, Future Lincoln saw the whole thing from the rooftop of a nearby house while invisible.

"That was more dramatic than I thought it would be . . . but it's good to let it out," Future Lincoln said to himself.

He summoned a light orb and gazed at the visions it showed, "All this pain is worth it because, in the end, it'll all work out. It has to."

Later

Lincoln stayed outside until it got dark. Then he mustered up his strength to get up and go back inside. He was so emotionally exhausted that his whole body felt numb. He noticed the broken pieces of the chairs were gone, along with his blood. Lincoln looked down at his hands and noticed the blood on his knuckles was dry and crusty. He washed his hands in the sink and wiped the dry blood. As he dried his hands with paper towels, Lori entered with a first aid kit.

"Hey," Lincoln spoke.

"Hey," Lori responded.

"Listen, I'm sorry. I don't know came over but—"

"Let's bandage those hands first."

Lincoln sat down, and Lori disinfected and bandaged his hands. Once she was done, they went to the living room, where everyone else was. Rita looked destroyed while some of her daughters tried their best to comfort her.

"Guys, I'm sorry," Lincoln spoke.

They looked up at him.

"I don't . . . I don't know what came over me. I don't know why I did that back there, but I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said. I don't hate you. I mean . . . for a while, I did, but that was before you changed. I'm sorry," Lincoln said.

"Don't be sorry, Lincoln. What you said needed to be said. We can see it in your eyes. That was anger that you carried for so long . . . anger that we brought out in you," Lori closed her eyes, letting one tear escape, "We're so sorry, Lincoln."

Rita shook her head, "No . . . I'm sorry, Lincoln."

She opened her eyes, which were red and puffy with tear streaks on her cheeks.

"I failed you, Lincoln. We failed you. You're right. You didn't do anything wrong. You're not perfect, but you don't deserve any cruelty, especially what could have happened. I'm a failure as a mother. I've let so many terrible things happen in this house, and you've gotten the worst of it. I'm so sorry," Rita said.

Lincoln went over and hugged as she hugged him back. The rest of the sisters joined in on a group hug.

"I don't know why I would be so stupid to let superstitions get the better of me, but Lincoln," Rita said and then looked at Lincoln in the eye, "If those visions ever come true, if we ever do those horrible things to you, don't hesitate to call the police. Promise me."

Lincoln nodded, "I promise, but we don't have to worry about it. The light orbs that are colorless mean they're not going to happen."

"Still though," Rita let out a heavy sigh, "If I had known from the beginning."

Lincoln turned to Lori, Leni, and Lynn. Their cheeks weren't red anymore.

"You girls okay?" Lincoln asked.

Lori was the first to answer, "I'm not sure 'okay' is the word we'd use, but we're fine."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Lincoln. We're sorry for all that we put you through. We were only thinking of ourselves," Lynn said, taking Lincoln's hand, "You deserve better sisters than us."

Lincoln shook his head, "No . . . I wouldn't trade you girls for the world."

That was enough to make them smile but not enough to lift their spirits entirely.

"So, does this mean that Mom's okay? Like she's not going to send you away, Lincoln?" Leni asked.

"Send him away?" Rita asked, slightly shocked.

"Hang on," Lincoln said before summoning the light orb.

It changed from the sisters defending Lincoln from their parents to all the family protecting Lincoln from Lynn Sr.

"What does that mean?" Rita asked.

"It means that you listened. You accepted the truth of my powers and will not try to send me away like the previous visions foretold. However, we still need to convince Dad," Lincoln explained.

"Is that why it's showing just him now?" Lola asked.

Lincoln nodded.

"So, if we convince him, then everything's good, right?" Luan asked.

Lincoln nodded again.

"Great! So, what do we need to do, little bro? What will it take for it to be the right conditions or whatever?" Luna asked.

Lincoln summoned the light stream, pulled out a light orb, and explained as it showed.

"Six months from now, during Dad's training on his way to college, a car falls off a bridge after a truck slides when its tires pop. Dad helps the parents get out, but the kid drowns. Dad dives in, pulls him, and resuscitates him, thus saving his life. This helps his damaged reputation. Both the training and saving the kid's life opens his eyes. That's the proper time to tell him," Lincoln explained.

"Dad becomes a hero?" Lana asked, surprised.

"That boy is the first among many that Dad saves," Lincoln said before using his finger to fast forward the light orb, "Turns out, he's a descent paramedic. At first, he's rusty, but he gets good at it over time. Eventually, he does atone for his failure."

The girls and mother were amazed by this.

"I wasn't kidding when I said I believe in second chances. You guys can change . . . and some of you have. Mom, the girls changed for me and are still working to improve, and they will. You can, too, but I can't make you be a better mother. Only you can do that. Only you can change who you are," Lincoln stated.

Rita sighed before looking back up.

"I will change. I have to . . . for you and my daughters," Rita said.

Lincoln nodded.

"Now, tell me what we need to do about Lori and the vision of her getting into a car accident," Rita said.

Lincoln explained the whole thing. The gas station had loads of lottery tickets, and one roll went up to 20 million. Buying the ticket and Lincoln using his powers to tell which holes to scratch to win weren't the hard parts. The hard part was the manager, Mr. Fitzgerald. He was as mean as Mr. Bolhofner from school, and his station reserves the right to refuse service to anyone. On top of that, he watches the news, and he wasn't a fan of Rita and Lynn Sr. getting off the hook.

So, they needed to cause distractions to keep him away from the cash register, the counter, and away from the Loud family. Lincoln went through step by step what everyone's role was. The twins would pretend to fight over the toys and candy aisle, getting Mr. Fitzgerald's attention. Then Luan would tip over some sodas to create a mess for him to slip on. As he slides out the back door, Luna will play with her axe to prevent the other staff from hearing. Lynn will play hockey and roughhouse Mr. Fitzgerald, causing him to get stuck in a dumpster. Lori and Leni will flirt with the other staff members to keep them from looking for their boss. Lisa and Lucy will sneak into the office to delete any security footage. That leaves one of the new guys to man the cash register. He's new in town.

With that, everyone went to bed. However, as expected, Rita's sub-conscience would turn her guilt into horrific nightmares, just like her daughters.

**Rita's Nightmare**

Rita woke up and found herself tied to a post. She looked around to see that a crowd surrounded her. It was dark, but she could see their red glowing eyes and their weapons like pitchforks, axes, and torches. Their angry chanting could be heard for miles. Then, a man dressed like Frollo appeared.

"This evil witch is responsible for the most immoral acts. Abandoning her child for the sake of her own fortune and her family's fortune under the false pretense of luck!" he declared.

The crowd roared with anger. Rita's heart pounded in her chest, and she was panting in panic. She realized that she was standing on sticks and hay. It didn't take her long to fear the worst.

"For justice! For the people! For Lincoln! And for all children's salvation! It is our sacred duty to send this inhuman demon back where she belongs!" the Frollo man yelled.

Then he brought the torch close to the hay.

"No! No! Please!" Rita cried.

The hay and sticks began to burn. The smoke filled her lungs, making her cough, and she could feel the intense heat from the flames. Rita continued to beg for her life, but she received no mercy. Rita struggled to get free, even giving herself rope burns and cutting her wrists, but she couldn't break free.

As the fire engulfed, she saw what looked like the Casagrande's building in the distance. On the rooftop was Ronnie Anne, and she was holding an unconscious white boy, Lincoln, in her arms. At first, she remained silent as she looked down at Rita with a glare.

Then she raised Lincoln up and hollered, "Sanctuary!"

The crowd turned to her and cheered. She said again, making them cheer. She did over and over as Rita burned alive. Words could not describe the pain that fire does to the flesh. She felt it all, and it was agonizing. The last she saw before everything went black was her son.

"Lincoln," Rita spoke before dying.

**End of Rita's Nightmare**

"No!" Rita cried as she was jarred awake.

She was in a cold sweat as she uttered. Lincoln was there by the door waiting. He knew that his mother was going to have a nightmare. Lincoln came over and hugged her. Rita squeezed her son a hug as she sobbed her eyes out.

"Shh, it's all right, Mom. Everything's going to be okay," Lincoln shushed.

After a long while, Rita was able to calm down. Lincoln explained that his sisters went through the same thing. Lincoln made himself comfortable in bed after he tucked Rita in. They both fell asleep shortly after that.

The next morning, Lincoln made everyone breakfast. The Loud sisters made their way down to the kitchen one by one.

"Mom," Lincoln spoke and then jolted his head towards them.

"Hey, girls," Rita said in a motherly tone.

She hugged Lori and Leni first, and they hugged her back. She spoke softly to them, and they nodded. Lynn was still nervous as she hung back. Rita bent down on one knee and held her arms out and open. Lynn looked at Lincoln, and he nodded that it was okay. Lynn slowly approached her mother and hugged her.

Lynn's eyes watered as she hugged her tighter, "I'm so sorry."

"No, baby. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have hit you. I was just so angry," Rita said.

It was a quiet morning as they ate breakfast. However, a came in the mail broke the silence and caused excitement. It was for Lincoln . . . from the governor!

"A letter from the governor?!" Lynn asked.

"What's it say?!" Lori asked.

Everyone crowded Lincoln as he opened the letter. He read out loud:

Dear Lincoln Loud,

In recent events, you have shown great courage in the face of danger and displayed acts of extraordinary heroism above and beyond any call of duty for humanity. Lives that could have been tragically lost were saved thanks to you. It is with great honor and privilege that the state of Michigan wishes to present you with the highest medal to bestow upon you – the Honorary Citizen Gold Eagle Valor Medal.

The Loud family gasped at that. The letter had a seal in the middle, showing what the medal looked like. It looked like a gold coin with a giant bald eagle with a torch in its talons in front of a big star. The rest of the letter said when the ceremony would happen and that it would be at the capitol building in Lansing, Michigan – the state's capital.

"Whoa, how about that, huh?" Lincoln asked.

"Lincoln, you're getting a medal! From the governor! That's bigger and better than any trophy!" Lynn exclaimed while shaking Lincoln.

"And it's The Gold Eagle Valor Medal! That's as high as it gets!" Lori added with excitement.

"Really?" Lincoln asked.

"Affirmative. There are medals that go to those in the armed forces, ones for police and emergency units, and then there are medals for citizens. The Honorary Citizen Gold Eagle Valor Medal is the highest medal that a citizen of the United States can achieve. It's basically the Congressional Medal of Honor but for civilians," Lisa explained.

"The Congressional Medal of Honor for civilians? That's the highest honor for soldiers. It doesn't get any higher than that," Lincoln said in amazement.

"Yeah, bro. They only give that medal to heroes!" Luna stated.

"That's right, honey. When 9/11 happened, a man was awarded that medal for saving ten people at the Pentagon. So, this is a pretty big deal," Rita explained.

Lincoln muttered some stuff before fainting. Thankfully, his sisters caught him and laid him on the couch.

"Our little hero is getting a medal," Rita spoke as she kissed Lincoln's head.

"First thing's first. We need to get Lincoln a better suit. That convincing suit isn't going to cut it," Lori said.

"O-M-Gosh! Lori, you're right! Lincoln needs something fabulous," Leni said.

"We need to look nice, too," Luan added.

"Well, I'm covered, obviously," Lola smirked.