I do not own The Loud House. All rights belong to Nickelodeon.
Chapter 16
Flashback
Rita still felt numb and emotionally exhausted after learning that her only son had the power to see into the future and what horrible fate would have happened. She wasn't looking forward to a parenting class. She and Lynn never thought in all their years that they would need to do that . . . until they realized that they were failures as parents. That's the strange thing about parents. Some genuinely believe that they know what's best for their children, and they want to think they have the perfect way of parenting. Learning that they don't is worse than a bucket splash of freezing cold water.
Rita remembered seeing the news of runaway kids and abusive parents. She remembered how she and Lynn Sr. would say that would never happen to their family. Rita and Lynn were so convinced that they wouldn't be anything like those parents . . . but they are.
Their son ended up in the hospital due to their failure as parents to discipline their daughters. He ran away because he didn't want to either beat up his sisters or be beaten by them . . . and all that disaster would happen over of a fucking dress. And the bad luck incident. It was worse for Rita to learn that she and her husband, two grown-ass adults, would be stupid enough to follow along with something as idiotic as luck to abandon and ostracize their own son. Lynn Sr. doesn't know the truth behind it all yet, and Rita doesn't know how to keep it a secret from him without getting what she wants to say to him.
As Rita drove to the parenting class, she felt a feeling of dread gnawing at her and filling her with self-hatred. Once she parked in the parking lot, she looked around to ensure she was alone and no one could see her. Then she violently shook herself while gripping the steering wheel hard before banging the palm of her hand on it, and finally, she screamed so hard that her throat hurt. She rested her forehead on the steering while taking deep, labored breaths to slow her heart rate. All she could think about was Lincoln, wondering how long he suffered without her and Lynn Sr. noticing.
"What. The. Hell. Has. Been going on in our fucking house?" Rita asked, "How did we not know? (broken voice) How did I not know? (soft sob) My boy . . . my angel boy. I almost lost you. Why didn't you say anything sooner?"
Rita's mind was flooded with memories of how much attention she and Lynn Sr. gave to their daughters. She realized how left out he must have felt. However, she remembered times when she tried to hang out with Lincoln but couldn't recall a single time when Lynn Sr. tried. Her feeling of emptiness was replaced with resentment. She remembered all the visions Lincoln showed her, including the one where her husband would have sold her and all their children out to Luan's pranks so he could get off Scott-free.
He was fine with their four-year-old daughter, Lisa, being stuck to the wall behind a mattress, unable to get free. Or Luna in giant Jell-O where she could have suffocated. Or Leni being flown several feet in the air to land on flypaper – she could have broken her neck or her back. He was okay with Lola getting skunked and Lana falling into a pit full of rhubarb pies that she's allergic to! People can and have died from being exposed to things they're allergic to. Not to mention the airbags deploying on Lori, and she's fortunate that in the visions, she didn't get any facial fractures, which is a common injury from airbags.
Rita shivered, seeing herself saving Lily from the piles of dirty laundry falling through the shoot. What if she didn't make it in time? What would have happened to Lily? And Lucy. A whole bucket of bleach dumped on her. The colors running would be the least of her worries. Bleach is harmful to the skin, especially in large amounts. It can cause chemical burns and even permanent damage to the eyes. Lynn Jr. getting attacked by a chimp. Who knows where that thing's been? Rita didn't want to imagine what would happen if Lincoln didn't find out about Lynn Sr. going along with it. No doubt Luan would have saved the biggest and best prank for last. Anything could have happened to him, and he could have been fatally injured or even killed.
Lynn Sr. knew it was going to happen, and he would have led them to each prank and let them happen! He would have sold out his family to save his own skin. Rita squeezed the steering wheel so tight that her knuckles were white.
"You fucking coward," Rita growled while bearing her teeth.
After several minutes of cooling down, Rita grabbed her laptop and walked into the parenting class. Since Lynn Sr. was still in the hospital, he could only attend through a video stream. The class wasn't very big, and it looked like it was in the same kind of place where AA meetings were held. Everyone sat around in chairs in a circle, and the counselor spoke. Rita set up the laptop for her husband to see and hear.
"Okay, everyone, before we begin, let's welcome two new members. Rita and Lynn Loud Sr.," Counselor Walter introduced.
Rita and Lynn Sr. said hello, and they began class. They let the others start to give the two Louds an idea of how this works. They talk about the problems they're dealing with their kids, where it all began, how they feel, asking questions, giving honest answers, and rooting out the problem to find the answer or offer solutions. Then, it was Rita and Lynn's turn.
"Like the others, the first step to solving a problem is admitting that there is one, and sometimes it can be hard to know what the real problem is. So, let's begin. What's the problem?" Counselor Walter questioned.
Rita and Lynn sighed heavily. Lynn Sr. tried to speak, but Rita spoke first, "The problem is my husband and I are failures as parents."
"Why's that?"
"Our son, Lincoln, we . . . we've been neglecting him for so long that he doesn't feel he can trust us. You see, our daughters have what they call 'The Sister Fight Protocol.' It's a system they came up with whenever their fights get out of hand," Rita explained.
"They came up with it?"
Lynn spoke next, "Yes . . . because we failed to discipline them. Whenever their fights get out of hand, we—"
Lynn swallowed a lump in his throat.
"—we'd take our infant daughter, Lily, and lock ourselves in our bedrooms and wait until it's over," Lynn Sr. finished.
The other parents had already known about this since they watched the trial. However, for the sake of the session, they had to explain it anyway. Saying it all out loud was nauseating. It was hard to stomach that they had to be reminded of their failures as parents continuously and that it almost cost Lincoln his life. Rita and Lynn talked about each of their children for the next hour or so. Who they are, their talents, skills, flaws, etc.
Counselor Walter tapped his chin, "I see. Mr. and Mrs. Loud, are you afraid of your children?"
"No . . . yes. I don't know. I guess we didn't want to get caught in the crossfire, but we didn't think about the consequences of doing what we didn't. We weren't thinking," Lynn Sr. answered.
Rita groaned a sigh while rubbing her eyes.
"Yeah, that's the problem. We weren't thinking. We need to do more of that," Rita said.
"Mr. and Mrs. Loud, of all your kids, do you have any favorites?" Counselor Walter asked.
That caught the parents' attention.
"Favorites? What do you mean?" Rita asked.
"Do you like one more than the rest?"
"What? No! No, no, no. I love all my kids equally."
"Do you show all of them an equal amount of love and attention?"
Rita and Lynn Sr. were about to say yes but realized they couldn't because they didn't – Lynn especially.
"No," Lynn Sr. answered.
"Why's that?" Counselor Walter asked.
"Well, having that many kids under the same roof it's expensive. I used to work for an IT tech company before I went into having a restaurant. Training for that took a lot of my time, and Rita has had to work overtime for her assistant dentist job," Lynn Sr. explained.
"So, you put your work before your children?"
Those words hit them like a bucket of ice water.
"Well, I wouldn't say that. I do spend time with them—"
"All of them?" Counselor Walter asked.
"Well, mostly my daughters," Lynn said.
"And Lincoln?"
"Not so much."
"Oh, not so much?" Rita asked, grabbing her husband's attention, "Not so much? Don't you mean not at all? You made plenty of time for the girls and NONE for him."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Rita, are you pinning this all on me?" Lynn questioned.
"It's on both of us! But at least I TRIED to hang out with him. You wouldn't even bring him to your office for 'Bring your kid to work Day.' It stopped being just for daughters YEARS ago, Lynn!"
"Well, I didn't know that! It's hard to connect with him. We don't have anything in common!"
Rita's eyes widened with anger, and it was hard for her to control herself.
"Really?! Let's see, you both like cooking and baking and can play musical instruments! You play saxophone, and he plays drums, guitar, and bass. Cooking and music. That's two things I can name off the top of my head!" Rita said, raising her voice.
"Why are you mad at me?!" Lynn defended.
"Because YOU didn't even try!" Rita snapped.
The room fell silent.
Rita turned to the others, "After Lincoln got hit by a car and was sent to the hospital, he said he didn't come to us for help because he felt he couldn't. He pointed out that we were always there for our daughters and not him. We wouldn't give him any time for himself. We neglected him, and because of that, he doesn't trust us. We don't make him feel safe. Lincoln even admitted that he feels like he barely knows his father. We made him feel left out. We did this to him."
Rita couldn't hold back her tears, and neither could Lynn. Counselor Walter waited patiently for her to dry her eyes.
"Lincoln made a beautiful art canvas of his family. He drew everyone that matters to him, his sisters, his grandparents; he even drew the damn pets! But not us. We're not in the art canvas . . . because we don't matter to him," Rita explained, "He couldn't even bear to look at us. That's how ashamed he is of us."
Rita turned to her husband.
"I remember you so badly wanted a son after Lynn Jr. was born. You kept saying you felt so outnumbered by all the ladies in the house. You wanted our next child to be a boy. You wanted one. Well, guess what? You got one, and you didn't do anything with him!"
Lynn Sr. sniffled as the tears rolled down his face.
"You're right. (nodding) You're right. I failed him. I failed you. I failed our family. I'm a failure, Rita. I was so caught up with learning how to start a restaurant and spent too much time with our daughters that I didn't make any time with him. And now . . . it terrifies me that it's too late to connect with him," Lynn Sr. said with a hoarse and broken voice.
There was a long moment of silence. Counselor Walter let a small sigh. He got up and handed Rita a book on parenting.
"In the table of contents, I've highlighted the chapters that fit in the situation that you're in. Reaching out to your child takes time and patience. What you need to do is spend time with him. It doesn't have to be to take him to theme parks or anything big. Things like walking in the park or, going to a restaurant, or even an ice cream spot can work. You want to ease the tension so he'll feel more comfortable opening up to you. Talk about his interests, let him tell you things about him, and show him that he matters to you. Because right now, you made him feel like he doesn't, which is why he feels neglected and unsafe around you. He's had to rely upon his sisters because he couldn't rely on you two. So, you must show that you're willing to sacrifice time for him. Put him before work. Build trust between you and your child," Counselor Walter explained.
"That's easier said than done," Lynn Sr. commented.
"Lynn, enough with the excuses," Rita ordered.
"Wha—?"
"You love your son? Then show it. I sure as hell will."
"One more question before we switch over to someone else," Counselor Walter said.
The Loud couple looked at him.
"After learning what was going on in your house with the 'Sister Fight Protocol,' did that change anything with how you feel about your children?"
There was a long pause before Rita answered, "I still love my daughters . . . but I am so disappointed in them. And . . . I am terrified of losing my son, Lincoln. He felt so much distrust in us and ran away because he was afraid of his family. He said if something like that happens again, he'll leave . . . and he'll make sure we'll never find him . . . and I believe him."
Counselor Walter nodded, "And you, Mr. Loud?"
"The same as her. I'm afraid of losing our son, and I am disappointed in my daughters for their actions . . . but most of all, I'm disappointed in myself. In us. We should have done better. I should have done better," Lynn Sr. answered.
"What matters now is what you will do in the future," Counselor Walter said.
The class session for the day ended. Rita walked out with mixed feelings. Keeping her son's powers a secret was hard. She wondered if the counselor would understand and offer any helpful advice – probably not.
End of Flashback (after Lincoln and Lori killed Edge)
The following day, after everyone had showered and eaten breakfast, Lincoln and Lori sat everyone in the living room. The two Louds looked at anxiously. This was it. The big moment to tell them . . . that they went out and spilled blood.
"We gotta tell you something," Lincoln started.
"What is it?" Rita asked.
Before Lincoln could start, Lori stopped him, "Lincoln, maybe we should talk to the twins first about their thing before we talk about the . . . the other thing."
Lincoln nodded, "Yeah, you're right."
"Wha?" Lana asked.
"What about us?" Lola asked.
Lincoln had them scoot over so he could sit. He picked Lana up and sat her on his lap, holding her close.
"Lana, we love you. You know that, right?" Lincoln asked.
Lana glanced at everyone with a confused look before saying, "Yeah, I know."
"You know what that means?"
Lana and Lola squinted their eyes in confusion.
"It means we want you to be happy and healthy. We want you to live a long and good life. However, that won't work if you continue your gross habits."
"What do you mean?" Lana asked.
Lori spoke next, "It means you need to stop eating gross things."
"Wha? Come on. It's not that bad—"
"Lana! What you eat, what you drink, what you swallow, what you lick, and what you suck on all goes into your system. You cannot eat stuff from the ground, especially the garbage!" Lori stated firmly.
"I strongly agree. Supplements from the ground and garbage can contain dozens of germs and bacteria that can be harmful to one's health. So, it's imperative to be cautious of what you digest," Lisa agreed.
"But I've been eating stuff for a while, and I'm fine," Lana objected.
Rita crossed her arms, "Lana, this isn't up for discussion. You will stop eating gross stuff, now."
"You have to, Lana," Lincoln said and then summoned a light orb, "Or this will happen."
Everyone gathered around to look at the light orb. They gasped with their eyes wide open as it showed Lana in the hospital. She had dozens of wires and tubes in her with a mask over her face. She looked pale as a ghost and sick as a dog.
"If you don't stop eating gross things, you'll get a bad bacterial infection that later leads to stomach cancer, and if that happens . . . you could die, Lana. No joke," Lincoln explained.
Lana's pupils were as small as tiny dots. An ungodly shiver went up her spine. Lola had the same expression on her face. She pulled her twin's face to look at her in the eye.
"Lana! You will stop eating gross things this instant! I won't let you die!" Lola ordered.
Lana trembled, her lips quivered, and her eyes watered with tears. She glanced around as everyone was talking at once.
Lori shouted, "EVERYONE QUIET!"
The family stopped talking and looked at her.
"You're scaring Lana," Lori said.
Lincoln gently held his little sister's face and wiped her tears, "Lana, it'll be okay. All that can be avoided if you just stop eating gross things. Eat only things that are safe to eat. If you do that, then you won't get a bacterial infection, and you won't get stomach cancer."
Lana sniffed and then nodded, "Okay. I promise. I won't eat any more gross things."
"And you have to take more showers and wash your hands more," Lori added.
"Okay, I will."
"With soap!" Rita ordered firmly.
"Okay! Okay, okay, okay. I will. I promise," Lana assured.
The light orb changed to half-colored, half-colorless.
"What does that mean?" Leni asked while pointing.
"It means it's predetermined. Lana has to keep her promise from now. Once the event of her getting an infection passes, the orb will be completely colorless," Lincoln explained.
"Okay, and you said twins. So, you showed us Lana's future. What about Lola's?" Luan asked.
Everyone turned to her, and she had a frightened look. Lincoln held her close as well. He and Lori showed and explained to her the possible future of her getting fat and getting diabetes. As predicted, Lola screamed in angst before sobbing her eyes out. Everyone comforted her while Lori went to the kitchen and pulled out two containers full of smoothies. One was blueberry watermelon, and the other was strawberry banana. The twins fell in love with them. Lola's light orb was the same as Lana's, half-colored and half-colorless. The twins were hopeful and determined to improve their eating habits. Lincoln and Lori looked at each other, knowing it was time.
"There's something else we gotta tell you," Lincoln said.
"What is it, bro?" Luna asked.
Lincoln and Lori looked at each other, giving each other the slightest of nods.
"I had a vision," Lincoln started.
Everyone's eyes widened. Lincoln glanced at Lucy, and even with her eyes covered by her bangs, he could see her gaze. He knew whatever lies he and Lori cooked up wouldn't work. However, she could tell when someone was telling the truth. Lincoln planned to tell the truth but to leave out specific details.
"Of something terrible . . . happening to Lynn," Lincoln said.
Lori turned to him wide-eyed, but Lincoln raised his hands to gesture to calm down and to trust her. Then he turned back to the others.
"She gets attacked during packing day. On the last day before winter break, she runs out to prepare ambushes for snowball attacks. These men . . . these lowlife scumbags," Lincoln growled at the end while clenching his fists, "They hurt Lynn."
Lynn glanced around with a confused look, "Hurt me how? Like they mug me or something?"
Lincoln nodded, "You end up in the hospital."
Everyone gasped. Lori saw what he was doing. He was working his way around telling them that something terrible would have happened to her, but without telling them it was rape. Telling them that would traumatize Lynn, but just using the word 'attack' would get the message across just fine.
Lori stepped forward, "Saving Lynn would be easy. We just stop her from going out that door. However, even when we save her, those guys would attack another person. Calling the police wouldn't have worked. Lincoln didn't see any other way to stop them . . . except one way."
Everyone waited for their answer. Rita and the other sisters squinted their eyes with a pensive look.
"We went out last night," Lincoln said.
Rita stood up, "What did you do?"
"We did what we had to do," Lincoln reached into the back of his pants and pulled out the Colt Delta Elite 1911 he used last night, "We took care of it."
Everyone stared at the gun in Lincoln's hand; their pupils were tiny dots. The younger sisters' jaws dropped.
Lori spoke again, "It was the only way. There was no other way to stop these guys. We kill them to save Lynn and anyone else they would have hurt!"
Rita was so stunned that she had to sit back down on the couch. Leni almost fainted, and the others were too stunned to speak. Lincoln and Lori explained everything. They told them about killing them to prevent those men from hurting Lynn or anyone else – leaving out the fire bottles.
However, they didn't leave out a thing when it came to Edge. They told them how he somehow knew Lincoln from the future, the bracelet that disrupted his future vision powers, and Lincoln's new powers – lightning and telekinesis. Lincoln demonstrated this by zapping a small bolt in between his hands and by lifting the couch with them on it in the air. They were all speechless.
Lisa broke the silence, "Lincoln! You have NEW POWERS?!"
Lincoln nodded, "Yes," Lincoln opened his chest to show the four glowing lights, "I do."
"You must let me study you! I must analyze the energy!"
"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Rita called out, "This guy Edge, he knew you?! How?!"
"We don't know Mom. He said this Lincoln doesn't know him, but in the future, he does," Lori said.
"What, like he's from the future? And he traveled back in time or something?" Luna asked.
Lisa gasped before speaking, "That must be it! How else would he know Lincoln? And how else would he possess technology that would suppress Lincoln's future visions powers?"
"What are you talking about, Lisa?" Lynn questioned.
"Think about it. Did Lincoln and Lori tell a single soul where they were going last night? No. They told no one, and yet Edge knew exactly where Lincoln would be at exactly the right time. On top, he came prepared. He had a bracelet that could disrupt Lincoln's future visions, so he wouldn't see him coming," Lisa explained.
"But if all that is true, if Edge is from the future, why travel back in time?" Luan asked.
Everyone silently brainstormed possible theories. Then Lucy spoke.
"He wanted your powers, right?" Lucy asked.
"Yeah, that's what he said," Lincoln answered.
"He threatened to kill everyone at a hospital if we teleported away, and he'd know. He made it VERY clear that he had no problem killing babies. That guy was a total psychopath!" Lori stated.
Everyone gasped at that while Lucy was rubbing her chin.
"Edge had two powers. Lightning and telekinesis. Lincoln, you got his powers from Edge by absorbing them when you grabbed his arm, right?" Lucy asked.
"Yeah," Lincoln said with an unsure tone, trying to follow where she's going with this.
"So, that means you can get more than one superpower. How many superpowers will the you in the future have? How powerful do you get?" Lucy asked.
Everyone's eyes slowly widened.
"You mean, like, Lincoln gets more superpowers in the future?" Leni questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, dude. Maybe that's it! Maybe Edge traveled back in time because you were too strong and powerful in the future. So, he traveled back in time where you're less powerful and more vulnerable," Luna theorized.
"But why? Why would Lincoln get more than one superpower? What beef did he have with that guy?" Rita asked.
"And is time travel even possible? Within our lifetime? We don't have that technology now. Do we?" Lynn questioned.
Lisa rubbed her chin, "To the best of my knowledge, no. At least not publicly. Undoubtedly, the government is hiding advanced technology they don't want the public to get their paws on. I'm not saying they have that kind of technology, but if there is, I wouldn't know."
Lola shook her head, "Well, whatever! What are we going to do?"
Lincoln sat down in a chair, "Right now, nothing. I'll keep my eyes open for any future visions if anything comes up. We don't have to worry about Edge. He and his men are all dead, and the fire destroyed all evidence. Even if we come across another person who wants to attack me or my family, I'll protect you."
Lincoln raised one hand that glowed the telekinesis glow, and the other hand zapped lightning. Lincoln's eyes glowed the glue and green light like when he had a vision.
Lincoln swore in a serious tone, "I won't let anyone hurt you . . . and if they do, there's nowhere they can run or hide from me."
Everyone got chills from that, but also a feeling of pride mixed with relief. Their eyes glistened as they saw the fire in Lincoln's eyes. Their brother, who was once afraid of them, is now determined to go above and beyond to keep them safe.
"That was literally the coolest thing I've ever seen," Lori said with an ambitious smile.
"I got goosebumps, dudes," Luna added.
"Lincoln," Leni breathed with a smile, "You look like a superhero."
"Actually, when you think about it, he is one. He's got superpowers and saved people from life-threatening danger, including his sisters. Sure, he doesn't have a costume, but honestly, he'd look silly running around in tights and a cape," Luan commented.
"No kidding. They don't call them tights for nothing. You can see their buns all too well. Take about a constant wedgie," Mr. Coconuts said.
As Lincoln powered down, Lynn walked up to him.
"Did you really kill those guys . . . for me?" Lynn asked.
Lincoln got off the chair and looked her square in the eye, "Yes, Lynn. We did. We did it to protect you. I know killing is bad, but if that's what it'll take to keep you and our family safe, then I'd do it again. I'm not encouraging it, so don't worry, Mom, but I am willing to go the distance for all of you."
Lynn teared up before she hugged Lincoln tightly. Lincoln hugged her back, and everyone else joined in on the hug. After a long time, they eased up, and Lincoln asked their mother a question.
"So, Mom . . . are Lori and I in trouble?" Lincoln asked.
Rita inhaled deeply and exhaled a sigh.
"Was killing those men the only way to stop them from hurting Lynn and anyone else?" Rita asked.
Lincoln nodded, "Yes."
"Okay . . . while I'm not in favor of murder. However, if killing those men was the only way, then I have no objections, but I don't encourage it in the future. I'm guessing you didn't tell us because it would have messed up the timeline?" Rita questioned.
Lincoln nodded again.
"Alright. I understand, but I want you to be more careful. All of you. And Lincoln, just because you have more superpowers doesn't mean you can use them whenever you want. There's going to be some rules. So, listen up – all of you," Rita stated.
Everyone gave their mother their undivided attention.
"No one, and I mean absolutely no one, can know about your powers. Stella, Clyde, and Ronnie Anne are the only ones outside this family that know, right?" Rita asked.
"That's right," Lori answered.
"Good, keep it that way. No one else can know. That means you can't use your powers for anything else except for emergencies only and I want you to tell us more from now on. I understand that if we had all known, it would have messed up the timeline, which is why you only told Lori. However, I want you to count on us more. It's not just you protecting us. We protect you, especially me," Rita stated firmly.
"That's literally what the rest of us have been telling him," Lori agreed.
"Totes!" Leni sided.
"Yeah!" the rest of the sisters agreed.
Lincoln started while scratching the back of his head, "Yeah, but—"
"But nothing young man. Next time, whatever it is, tell us," Rita said.
Lincoln looked around to see that they were all serious.
He let out a sigh, "Okay, I'll try. But if I don't tell, it's because—"
"Because of the timeline," Everyone groaned.
"Just try to find a way where we can help," Lori requested.
"Okay," Lincoln said.
The mood wasn't exactly cheerful. Lincoln thought of how to turn it around, and then he got an idea. A grin grew on his face, and that caught his family's attention.
"So, I can't use my powers for anything other than emergencies?" Lincoln asked.
"Yes," Rita answered.
"Okay, but I think I can think of something you would allow."
Lincoln used his telekinesis powers and made all his sisters and mother hover in the air. This surprised everyone as their eyes were wide open, and they gasped, unable to move.
"Lincoln! What are you doing, young man?" Rita asked firmly.
"This," Lincoln replied.
He brought Rita close to him first, and Lincoln kissed her face. Then, after placing her on the ground, he kissed Lori's face, Leni's, and each sister's, from oldest to youngest – including Lily. Lincoln gave an innocent smile with half-closed eyes and a shrug. His mother gave him a look with her hands on her hips.
"You're only allowed to do that in the house when no one else is around, but don't get carried away, mister," Rita said.
"See? I knew you ladies love me," Lincoln said.
"Of course we do. Duh!" Lynn said, rustling her brother's hair.
Lisa tugged Lincoln's arm, "Now, can I study your new powers? Please?"
"Okay, let's go to your lab," Lincoln said.
They went upstairs to Lisa's room. Like before, she scanned Lincoln's body, mainly his chest and the computer analyzed the energy. Also, like his other two powers, the new powers had unknown elements, which Lisa found fascinating. Although, one question was brought up by one of the sisters.
"Lincoln got Edge's powers just by touching his arm, right? Why don't we get Lincoln's powers whenever we touch him?" Lola asked.
Lisa brainstormed theories, "It could be possible that it only works with him because he's been exposed the longest since he first touched the rock. I'll need to collect more data. I wish you could have saved Edge's bracelet, but it could not be helped with the fire."
"Will Lincoln get headaches again or not?" Lana asked.
"Unlikely, but we should keep an eye on him. Lincoln, anything unusual, tell us. Headaches, chest pains, shortness of breath, abnormal blood flood, etc."
"Will do. Do you need to do anything else, or can I take these cords and wires off me now?" Lincoln asked.
Lisa nodded.
"Good," Lincoln took them off and approached Lynn, "Now, since I saw terrible things happening to you, which is why Lori and I went out last night to prevent them, I can't express how grateful I am that you'll be okay. So, arms up."
"What?" Lynn asked, raising her eyebrow.
"Arms up. Reach for the sky."
"Why?"
"Just do it. You'll see."
Lynn glanced at the others before doing so. Then Lincoln hugged her and picked her up. Lynn grunted softly as Lincoln started walking. Lynn held Lincoln by his shoulders to keep steady.
"Yo, Lincoln! What are you doing?" Lynn asked.
"I wanna cuddle with my big sister! You can watch whatever you want on TV, but I wanna cuddle with ya, and I ain't taking no for an answer," Lincoln stated in a funny tone as he walked down the stairs carefully.
"If you wanted to cuddle, you could have just said so, and we could have walked."
"Nope, you're mine."
Lynn scoffed a raspberry, "Na-huh. I'm not yours. You are mine and our sisters."
"Says who?" Lincoln asked as he placed on the couch.
"Uh, says us! Because we said so!" Lola stated in a sassy tone.
"Yeah, you're totally ours forever, Linky," Leni agreed.
"Na-huh," Lincoln said, shaking his head.
"Yeah-huh," the other sisters said at the same time.
"Na-huh!"
"Yeah-hhhhhuuuuuuuuhhhhh."
They went back and forth at it until the sisters dogpiled on Lincoln. They held him down and took turns tickling him. Lincoln laughed so hard that he had tears leaking out of his eyes. This, of course, made the other sisters smile and giggle. Rita bent down on her knees, took a big, long inhale, lifted Lincoln's shirt, and blew a big raspberry on Lincoln's belly. Lincoln squealed a laugh while struggling to get free. Then Lori blew a raspberry on Lincoln's tummy, and the other sisters did too – Lily's raspberry was not as effective but still made Lincoln laugh. Lincoln lay on the floor, panting deep breaths with his stomach red. The sisters and Rita all circled Lincoln with wry smiles.
"Say it, Linky. Saaaaaaaay it," Lori cooed.
"Come on, bro. Let's hear it," Luna said while twirling his hair around her finger.
Lincoln caught his breath, "I love you ladies."
"And?" Leni cooed.
"I'm yours."
"And?" Lucy cooed.
"You're the best sisters and mother in the world."
"Aaaaannnndddd?" Lola cooed with a big smile.
"And . . . I wouldn't trade you for the world," Lincoln finished.
"That's right! Now come on, let's all cuddle and watch Dream Boat," Luan said.
They picked Lincoln off the floor and curled up on the couch. Lynn hugged his arm close to him. Lori sat behind him, resting her chin on top of his head. Lucy sat next to him, and Lana was on his lap.
"Hey, bro," Lana said, getting his attention.
Luna and Luan glanced at each other.
"We haven't spent much time together. Do you think we can hang out more after our Hawaii vacation?" Luna asked.
"Yeah, we want to be with you more," Luan said.
"Yes, and I know just how we can hang out. I'm not perfect in guitars and bass. So, maybe you can help me master my skills in that," Lincoln suggested.
Luna's eyes lit up, "I'd love to, dude! You read my mind."
"And Luan. Maybe we can explore different things to cook and bake. You may not like it in school, but you're really good at it."
"Maybe I haven't found the right stuff I like to cook. Every chef has their signature dish. If I find mine, maybe I'll find that spark that makes me want to cook more, and with your future visions, I can find it sooner," Luan said.
"Exactly," Lincoln agreed.
They watched several episodes of Dreamboat while commenting on who would be the best choice. Of course, everyone had their ideal choice and the reasons why. It opened up for some friendly disagreements. Lincoln had no problem with Lori saying he was one of the girls.
Lincoln turns to the viewers, "When you live in a house full of ladies, you're gonna pick up a few feminine things, and there's nothing wrong with that."
Then the doorbell rang. Luna went over to answer it. However, no one was at the door – just a package for the Loud family. Luna opened it up, and what she found inside left her in utter awe. An excited scream broke the quiet morning. Luna was jumping up and down while holding a magazine. Everyone got up, shaken and alarmed by Luna.
"Luna! What on Earth are you screaming about?!" Rita demanded.
"Dudes! Check it out!" Luna said, holding up the magazine.
Everyone looked closely. Their eyes widened, and their jaws dropped. It was a Time magazine, and their white-haired boy, Lincoln Loud, was on the cover. The title of the 'Person of the Year' edition was with Lincoln's name, and the words were 'Local Hero and Rising Legend.' The cover was a great photo of Lincoln wearing his blue tailored suit with his medal around his neck.
The girls and even Rita squealed in excited delight. In the box was more than one copy of the magazine, and everyone took one to look inside it. In the section that talked about Lincoln, it had several pictures of the day he got his medal. The governor placing the medal around his neck, Lincoln saying thanks, him saluting the two war heroes and them saluting back, photos of the three of them together, and photos of Lincoln preforming magic tricks in front of everyone. The article had a lot to say about Lincoln, what he did that made him a hero, the award ceremony, etc.
"This is literally amazing!" Lori praised.
"Lincoln, you look totes awesome! Those photographers really got your good side," Leni adored.
"And we look good too! I know I do," Lola stated with a confident smile.
"Yeah, I'll admit. I don't look half bad in that dress," Lana agreed.
"And Stella looks gorgeous. So does Ronnie Anne. Everyone at school will go nuts when they see this," Lincoln said while looking at their pictures.
That made the girls smile. Their brother's cheeks were blushing as he gazed at the pictures of his girlfriend in her fabulous dress.
"Is it me, or does Lincoln look taller in these pictures?" Luan asked.
"I was about to say the same thing," Luna nodded.
"Maybe he did grow a little," Lynn said, checking Lincoln's height.
Rita pulled a spare copy from the box, "This is so going next to your medal. We're keeping a copy for all times. God, I can't wait to show off this at med school."
As Rita placed a magazine behind Lincoln's medal and trophy, Lincoln suddenly remembered something as he snapped his fingers.
"Oh yeah. That reminds me. Mom, we should take down Lily's trophies," Lincoln said as he summoned the light stream.
This got everyone's attention.
"What?! Why?" Rita exclaimed.
Lincoln pulled out a light orb and tossed it to his mother. His sisters all gathered around and watched the light orb show its vision. It showed Lily as a teenager. She brought friends over to her house, but when they saw the thumb-sucking trophies, they laughed and made fun of her. After they leave, Lily throws a tantrum and breaks every trophy in the cabinet while arguing with Mom and Dad. Rita and the sisters cringed at the foul language that Lily used against her parents.
"I know you and Dad are proud of Lily, but let's be honest. Thumb-sucking is not a real achievement. Even if it was, it's not something to be proud of. For Lily's sake, just get rid of them," Lincoln said and then pulled out another light orb, "Besides, there are other things that she can accomplish that are more worthwhile to be proud of."
The light orb showed possible futures that Lily could have based on the decisions she makes. The orb showed visions of her winning bowling contests, art drawing contests, cheerleading competitions, and even horse racing. Rita and the sisters were in awe of the possibilities.
Lincoln picked up Lily, "Now, like all of us, she can do anything she wants if she puts her mind to it. So, just let her figure herself out as she grows up. She'll find her way like the rest of us. Although, I'd lean towards any of those besides horse racing," Lincoln used his finger to show a certain possible event, "If she does horse riding, there's a chance she could fall and break her leg, which is not good or fun at all. Plus, we very much don't want our baby girl, Lily, to get hurt. So, we could try to persuade her away from that, but that's just me."
"Yeah, I'm not a fan of her breaking her leg," Rita agreed.
"Well, let's get rid of all these thumb-sucking trophies," Lori said as she opened the cabinet.
This made Lynn not feel too bad as the cabinet got more space. Like her brother, Lynn never agreed that thumb-sucking was a real achievement. Keeping those trophies up even years later when she's all grown up would only humiliate her.
"Who's the idiot who thought thumb-sucking was worthy of getting a trophy?" Lynn asked out loud.
Everyone shrugged.
"I agree with you, Lincoln, but I am worried how your father will react to this," Rita said.
"He'll get over it. He has to," Lincoln said.
"And if he doesn't?" Lucy asked.
Luan shrugged, "Well, then he can be a big diaper baby about it, and we can scratch Lily's name off of those trophies and put Dad's name on them."
Everyone chuckled at that.
"Okay, that was a good one," Luna said.