"She's just being salty." Lynn said defensively. "I did nothing to her."
Having snuck up to and now leaning against the wall, inches away from the doorframe, Kathleen listened to the Loud family's conversation, picking up the nervousness in Lynn and Lincoln's tones, much to her intrigue.
"Grrrrr…." She glowered and noticed Charles looking at her, his posture tense and his neck fur bristling.
"Beat it, mutt." Kathleen sneered and leg-swept him off the porch, making him unceremoniously plop on his back. The dog whimpered and sneezed from the dust cloud.
"…yeah, the first thing she did out here was pet a stinkin' porcupine, and you know how stubborn Luan has been lately. Me and Lana had to drag her back after getting skunked. I had to be persuasive!"
Kathleen rubbed her chin, not sure what those two were trying to hide from their mother but she knew a vulnerable target when she heard one. She needed to wait for the perfect moment to strike.
"Haven't really thought about it myself…" Rita admitted after being asked about her plans for today.
"Great." Lynn clapped her hands, her tone still shaky. "Eh…I mean, no problem. Why don't you let us help ya decide on what to do today?"
Smirking deviously, Kathleen made her move. "May I make a suggestion, Lynn?" she leaned in and spoke into the jock's ears, startling the latter.
Absorbing the family's surprise, Kathleen met Lynn's gaze and saw the mounting fury in her enemy's eyes. This was perfect, the hot-headed idiot was on the verge of doing herself in, Kathleen just needed to act fast.
"Good morning, Louds. I hope I didn't barge in at a bad time." she said politely and gestured at herself, pretending like she was oblivious about Lynn being seconds away from blowing a fuse.
"Kathleen, you're here?" Kathleen barely heard Rita speak as she braced herself to dodge the incoming punch. Lincoln likewise saw all the warning signs. Acting quickly, he leaped between the girls, time slowing down as he did so.
"Nooooooooooo!" he shouted in a deep, slow-mo voice as Lynn threw a punch, her fist inching closer and closer to Kathleen's face. Rita gawked in horror, as did Lucy and Lana, the latter's cardinal flying away from the loud noise, while Kathleen slowly lowered herself via leg split.
But her lightning reflexes proved to be redundant, as Lynn's fist collided with her brother's nose, his body blocking Kathleen's move from the other Louds' sight as the boy was flung forward with great force. Lynn gasped in shock as she witnessed her brother flying back and time turned back to normal once he hit the porch with a thud and was left lying in a heap, groaning in pain.
"Lincoln?! Oh, my god!" Lynn cried and rushed to his aid.
"Lynn?!" Rita freaked out and rushed to her son's side as well, completely missing Kathleen's wicked smirk. She was ecstatic.
This was even better than she could have hoped for! She watched a frantic Lucy and Lana join their mother and older sister in accessing Lincoln's condition and helping him sit up, the dazed boy barely registering their calls.
"W-w-whut's goin' on?" Albert awoke from his meds-induced slumber.
"Lincoln, can you hear me?" Lucy tried to shake him awake, his eyes unfocused and half-lid.
"Luan…I don'wanna no squirrel suit…" he rambled.
"Guess I did barge in at a bad time…" Kathleen said while pressing her palm against her chest. "I didn't mean to startle you, Lynn. You have my deepest apologies."
Hearing that, the jock forgot about her dizzy brother for a second, stood up, and faced Kathleen.
"Yooou!" Lynn flared with unadulterated fury. "You've got some nerve!"
Without a second thought, she charged at Kathleen but was grabbed by the elbow, courtesy of a furious Rita.
"Go to your room! Right now!" her mother ordered her, trembling with barely contained rage.
"But she…" Lynn desperately pointed at Kathleen when Rita walked past their visitor and dragged Lynn after her, before gruffly swinging her towards the stairs.
"To your room." Rita hissed and pointed up, her tone final. "Go!"
Lynn barely had the time to register what had transpired and could only look back at her brother, who was clumsily getting up with the aid of Lucy and Lana, then at Kathleen, who stood at the side with a neutral expression, but Lynn could have sworn she saw the faintest hint of a smirk, as if saying, "Gotcha!"
Her temper flaring, Lynn's first instinct was to make a break for it and pummel Kathleen, but she held herself back. Their plan had been for her to steer clear of Kathleen as much as possible until they got the upper hand, less Kathleen managed to push her buttons, which she did right now. Lynn had been blindsided, caught off guard and she fell for the rich bitch's trickery. She wanted to scream, to break things, to yell that she had been duped.
But she couldn't, she couldn't exacerbate the situation even more. Mustering up all the common sense she had, Lynn managed to turn her back and stormed up the stairs, desperately trying to suppress the flurry of emotions galvanizing her, and the memory of what she did to Lincoln.
Wiping his bleeding nose, the dazed Lincoln watched her (or two of her) go before turning to Lana, who also seemed to be multiplying from his punch-drunk point of view.
"Go after her. Talk her d-down." He managed to say.
"But what about you?" Lana asked, visibly shocked by the red liquid dripping from her brother's left nostril.
"I've s-suffered worse." Lincoln insisted weakly and pushed her onward. "Just go. Tell her I ain't angry and to wait for us."
Reluctantly, Lana went after Lynn, giving Kathleen a passing glare as she did so.
"I hope you made plenty of furry pals, Lana." Kathleen smiled but was ignored by the little tomboy, to the former's slight annoyance, when a frightened Rita walked up to her.
"Kathleen, I'm so s-sorry. I don't k-know what in the world came over her." She fumbled over her words.
"Hmmm…neither do I." Kathleen shrugged before pointing over her shoulder. "But I don't think I'm the one who is owed an apology."
"I'm fine, it wasn't that bad." Lincoln insisted as he tried to stand still on wobbly legs, Lucy still having to support him.
"My poor baby." Rita rushed to his side and grabbed his arm. "Come, you need to sit down."
She looked at the couch but saw and remember her father, who squinted. "Hey, what's going on here?" Albert asked groggily, fortunately remembering to lie down this time. "Did someone get hurt?"
Rita didn't answer him as she led Lincoln to the armchair next to the couch.
His head aching, Lincoln plopped into it when someone offered him a hanky. "There, for your bloody nose." Kathleen gave it with a smile. "I think I owe you a token of gratitude."
Narrowing his eyes, Lincoln tried taking it, only to grasp the hem of Kathleen's shirt by accident, before quickly grabbing the hanky and pressing it against his nose. At her brother's side, Lucy sent their visitor a dark glare, which was obscured by her bags, before noticing that Luan was missing, and looked around the room.
"Lynn's got quite the killer right hook." Kathleen commented while ironing out her shirt, much to Rita's growing panic.
Once she was sure Lincoln was okay, Rita addressed Kathleen, terrified of what their host would say next. To her dismay, Kathleen was entirely unreadable but at the very least showed no anger.
As she tried to speak, Kathleen raised her hand. "Don't worry, I'm not one to anger easily. As an aspiring philanthropist, I've dealt with plenty of disagreeable folks, and I've grown used to Lynn and Luan's….subpar control of their volatile emotions."
"Hey, can someone please tell me what's going on?" Albert lamented, trying to be heard. "Who's our visitor and why does she sound like that snake-in-the-grass Kathleen Tisdale?"
Rita turned red and tried to shush him. "Dad…just stop talking…" she tried to explain to him when Kathleen approached the old man and handed him a pair of spectacles from the coffee table.
"I think these might help. You seem to have lost your contacts somewhere?"
"Ughh…I hate these things." Albert begrudgingly put them on, desperate to know what the hell was happening, only to be greeted by Kathleen's insidious smile.
"You…" Albert's brow fell, his tone decidedly unfriendly.
"Forgive me if my intuition is wrong, Mr. Winfield." Kathleen tapped her chin. "But you're either very tired or…you're having difficulty getting up?"
"Bah! I'm perfectly fine!" Albert insisted in a cranky manner and tried to get up, only to be pinned back down by his daughter.
"No, dad!" Rita said sternly. "Your back is still hurt, you need to lie down and rest."
"Uhhhh…" Kathleen made a cringe face, faking sympathy. "Threw out your back, huh? Lemme guess? Lynn's antics got a bit out of hand?"
"No." Rita said awkwardly, before trying to collect herself. "Ehhh…the twins had a small scuffle last night and accidentally knocked their grandfather off a stool while he was reaching into a cabinet."
Albert knew this wasn't the full truth but didn't comment on it, unwilling to give Kathleen any more ammo against Lynn. From the sound of things, LJ ticked off Rita again.
"Oh…I see, that Lola does have a bit of a temper." Kathleen chuckled. "But I see nothing too unfortunate came of it. And to think daddy was concerned that you might break something here."
Her simple comment made Rita tense up, her face and ears turning crimson, and Lincoln held his breath as he saw Kathleen giving the living room a quick scan and her gaze settled on the bottom of the stairs, where the framed mirror should have been.
Lincoln sweated profusely for a few seconds before Kathleen continued her observation and eventually shrugged. "But it seems I was right about you being far more gracious and careful as guests than most people would give you credit for."
The hairs on Lincoln's neck stood up as he saw Fenton wheeling onto the scene, carrying the fixed mirror. That was remarkably quick. Fortunately, Rita and Kathleen were distracted with their conversation to notice him.
"Of course not…I mean yes!" Rita said quickly. "You've been such a kind host and we wouldn't dream of making even a single scratch on this beautiful summer home of yours."
"Oh, I wasn't accusing you of being bad tenants, Mrs. Loud." Kathleen assured her before adding, "And I'm confident that a capable parent such as yourself can surely keep Lynn from accidentally causing any property damage, the great outdoors offer plenty of room for an adrenaline junkie such as her."
Rita felt hot under the collar and tugged it, while Fenton placed the mirror back where it belonged and silently saluted Lincoln and Lucy, before discretely wheeling backward and out of sight.
"She won't, I c-can assure you t-that. And she's usually not this high-strung." the nervous Rita tried to reassure their host. "She's just very upset over her grandfather getting hurt and being bound to this couch, and because he fell on Lincoln and gave him a concussion. It threw all of us for a loop and the climate has been a bit tense ever since then."
Kathleen had to use every ounce of willpower not to laugh at the revelation and turned to Lincoln.
"Oh, this is gold…" she thought with glee. "Then again? Perhaps this means plan A is unnecessary?"
"Really?" Kathleen offered Lincoln a sympathetic look and put her hand to her mouth. "You poor thing. Suffering head trauma twice in a row? Luck just isn't on your side despite your repeated acts of selflessness, huh?"
"You have no idea…" Lincoln thought bitterly, remembering getting socked by One Eye and slammed into a tree.
He tried to reply, only to have his mind and eyes wander away for a second, before shaking himself back to his sense. "It wasn't that bad, and neither was this…I can take a punch." He insisted with an aside glare.
"Hmmm…implying Lynn punched you in the nose multiple times?" Kathleen probed. Lincoln paled and went silent.
"No, no…far from it." Rita corrected her "…Lincoln just doesn't like showing vulnerability, that's all…you know how boys are."
Lincoln wanted to take offense to that but knew what his mother was trying to do. "I'm not…I'm tougher than I look." He claimed less-than-convincingly, his head still throbbing.
"Well, it seems my surprise visit was more than fortunate." Kathleen gave Rita a look of feigned concern. "I can't believe two of my tenants got hurt on my property. Maybe it's better if I stay and oversee this situation for a day or so?"
"Please don't…" Rita thought with despair. "That's very considerate of you, Kathleen. But you needn't bother yourself with us This was just a fluke, an unfortunate incident, plain bad luck. No need to supervise us."
"Yeah…" Albert scowled. "…so you can resume your hike and-umph!" Rita elbowed him in the side.
"Oh, don't consider it "supervising", Mr. Loud." Kathleen smiled. "I'm merely trying to look out for my tenants. This vacation was my anniversary gift to you, after all. If something bad were to happen to you, I could never forgive myself." She added while pressing her hand against her forehead.
Lucy wanted to gag from the insincerity of that statement.
"And we apricate that very much." Rita pressed her hands together. "But we would appreciate it more if…eh...we were left to our own devices…." She paused and weighed out her options. This was getting too convoluted for her liking.
While she had indeed enjoyed herself here (until last night's accident that is), this vacation carried a lot of baggage; half of her children openly despised it, and any hope of them easing into the situation was dashed with the arrival of their…controversial host. Furthermore, she herself was mistrustful of Kathleen, and now the twins' feuding had harmed Albert and Lincoln in one fell swoop, and Lynn almost decked Kathleen in the face. Perhaps this was her chance to put an end to this misbegotten vacation.
"Look…. maybe we should just end this vacation and go home." Rita reluctantly suggested, to everyone's surprise. "We don't want to be a burden to you, Kathleen. And given everything that has happened, maybe this wasn't the best idea…"
Lincoln's eyes widened hopefully and Lucy grew a small smile. Could their luck finally be turning around? Kathleen had the opposite reaction and tried not to panic.
"Don't be absurd, Mrs. Loud…" she raised her hands, determined to have the final word. "…you aren't any sort of inconvenience to me, I'm more than happy to let you stay for the rest of the week as agreed."
Rita looked uncertain. "But…given how Luan and Lynn have treated you, plus your father's concerns that we might cause property damage…and with my father…" she pointed at Albert, who likewise grew hopeful.
"Oh, I never said that about daddy." Kathleen insisted.
Lucy narrowed her eyes. "Yes, you did."
"You did claim he was reluctant about letting us stay here." Rita scowled a bit in suspicion.
Realizing her slip-up, Kathleen chuckled. "Oh right? I did say that. Sorry, slip of the tongue. But don't fret about him, you have a friend in me, and daddy isn't the vindictive type. Plus, you've caused no damage so far and I'm confident you won't."
"No, I agree with mom." Lincoln erected himself, snorting some of his own blood. "We don't want to cause you any trouble with your dad. We'll just leave, this vacation has been tainted anyway-"
"Don't be so modest." Kathleen firmly grasped his shoulder and pushed him back into his chair. "The week is still young, and I'm the one who should be apologizing. I…I'm sorry I came on so strong."
Sniffing with phony grief, Kathleen sighed and turned to Rita. "How could I be so inconsiderate? You Louds have been through so much in these last 24 hours, and here I come in and make you worry that you're bad tenants, when I should be offering you support in your time of need. I apologize to everyone, including Lynn. I can't imagine myself thinking clearly either if two of my family got injured the night prior."
"Oh, cry me a river…" Rita felt a migraine coming but didn't know what to say. Would rejecting her offer even after she apologized upset Kathleen and prompt her to take more drastic actions? She clearly wasn't taking "no" for an answer. And despite everything, Rita still wanted this vacation but knew that it came with baggage and felt worse and worse about it.
"Umm…you don't need to apologize." She said. "You couldn't have known about Albert and Lincoln's accidents, and it was an unfortunate coincidence that you happened to run into Lynn at the wrong time, who doesn't have the best impulse control anyway, and…eh…doesn't really like you."
"Oh, I've noticed that a while ago. I don't expect everyone to like me, that's just plain impossible." Kathleen said in an understanding tone, trying to regain control of the situation, and looked at Lincoln. "I've wronged Luan quite a bit, and I don't ask you or Lynn to forgive me for that, let alone Luan."
Lincoln scrambled to think of a response. "But still…maybe it's best if we leave, don't you think so, mom?" Rita gave him an unsure look.
"Me and Pop-Pop got hurt, and Lynn and the twins already created friction, this could be a bad omen. Maybe we should go back to Royal Woods and sort out our issues."
Rita understood his reasoning and wanted to agree, despite her own selfish desires. "Maybe you're right, Lincoln, we should-"
"At least take some time to think it over." Kathleen said hastily before collecting herself. "I mean….c'mon, this kind of offer doesn't come every day, at least take a day to think things through. And…shouldn't you consult the rest of the family before making such a decision?"
"I know plenty of us want to leave." Lincoln insisted firmly. "Me, Lynn, Luan, Lucy-"
"And what about Lori, Leni, Luna, Lola, Lisa…even Lana?" Kathleen countered sharply. "Have you asked about their opinions on the matter?"
Lincoln swallowed a lump, but Albert spoke up. "I sure as heck don't like this place. I'd rather have me and my family camping out in the woods, the good old fashion way."
"Miserable ingrates…" Kathleen felt her temper rising but suppressed it as she spotted her target, who, to Kathleen's surprise, was watching a preschooler cartoon with some other toddler. Plan A it was!
"Should you decide to leave now…" she tried to adopt an understanding tone "…you'll miss out on something incredible."
"And what would that be?" Rita asked carefully. "You insinuating that there's some surprise in store for us?"
Lincoln and Lucy didn't like the sound of that.
"Oh, not just for you, but for everyone in Bristlecone Woods." Kathleen stated as Lucy reached out and tugged the sleeve of the former's shirt.
"Oh, you're here?" Kathleen looked down at her. "Didn't see you there…ehhh….umm…" she paused and kept snapping her fingers trying to jog her memory, until finally giving up.
"Eh…pardon me, but your name escapes me?" she admitted, while Lucy's face gained some color as she growled under her breath.
"Why don't you elaborate on this "surprise" of yours, if you wish for us to stay?" Lucy asked. "I'm sure a busy philanthropist such as yourself has many more important matters to attend to, so did you take time out of your busy schedule just to check up on us, or is there more to it?"
Kathleen did not appreciate the little brat's demanding tone but maintained her friendly façade. "Of course not…" she replied evenly, eyeing the adults "…I did wish to see how you guys were doing, but the main reason for my arrival here is…well…"
She offered the family a sly smile "…I guess the need for secrecy has passed. See…me and daddy were already planning something special for Independence Day."
"You mean the Fourth of July?" Rita asked, before doing the math in her head and realizing that the holiday was the day after tomorrow. The Louds hadn't really indulged in the holiday spirit for a few years, mainly due to its association with fireworks.
"Precisely. I am planning a grandiose event in commemoration of our country's birthday, and I thought this pristine lakeshore was the ideal location to organize a festival of such magnitude!" Kathleen lied. "Fireworks, carnivals, parades, concerts, bonfires, billowing flags, the whole shebang!"
The Louds exchanged looks. "Eh…did that have anything to do with you offering us to come here?" Lincoln asked.
"Guilty." Kathleen said impishly. "I was hoping to surprise you like everyone else, but alas…"
"…this inquisitive youngster had to spoil it." she ruffled Lucy's hair patronizingly.
"I just asked a simple question." Lucy retorted. "After you already let it slip!"
"Well…" Rita rubbed her arm "…that was very considerate of you but I'm not sure we're up for this. We'd rather stay away from any fireworks… the authorities warned us about it."
"Oh, you needn't worry. You would just be simple attendants and friends of mine. There would be far more for you to enjoy than just elaborate pyrotechnics" Kathleen assured her. "I hope you will at least consider my invitation."
Looking for a way out, Rita nodded. "Sure…we'll think it over, we just need time-"
"But firstly." Kathleen cut in. "I would like to hear the thoughts of the other Louds, to try and settle this matter democratically. Speaking of which…" she shifted her gaze at the youngest Loud.
"Kathleen! You're back!" she was suddenly glomped around the waist by a little blonde in her pink jammies and with a sleeping mask above her eyes.
Though slightly peeved, Kathleen kneeled down and hugged her. "Awww…how is my little pageant queen been doing? Did your siblings give you any trouble?"
"Na-uh!" Lola tried to act nonchalant, until she sent her mother a hateful glare, recalling last night's events.
"Well…stupid Lana and Lynn did steal the shawl you bought me, gave it away to a deer, and then Lana refused to apologize and started a fight with me. And even though it was all her fault, mom sent BOTH of us to our rooms with no supper!"
"Look at me, I'm half-starved!" Lola added overdramatically and pulled on her shirt. "My PJs are slipping off me!"
Rita frowned. Despite Kathleen's presence, she was not intimidated by this. Lola was her child and she knew she was justified with her actions from last night, if not too lenient.
"She knows…" the woman responded and folded her arms.
"Really now…" Kathleen sounded intrigued "…well, don't you worry your adorable little head, I'll buy you an even better shawl. I'll have it tailor-made for you this time."
Lola squeaked and jumped with joy while doing a little clap, while Kathleen gave Rita a scrutinizing look. "Is Lola being truthful?"
Conflicted, Rita sighed. "Yes…Lana had been hackling her last night. I told her to apologize to Lola, and she did…sort of." She muttered the last part under her breath.
"But then she mocked me, blew spit on my fine clothes, and started the fight!" Lola argued. "While I did nothing to her and minded my own business all day! You oughta know, you were with me most of the day!"
Rita didn't take the bait. "She did steal your sca…shawl and she was being spiteful, but you were no better in that regard, throwing a gigantic fuss about it and demanding that I send her away. And you tackled her first. Am I lying?"
Her bravado waning, Lola grew tongue-tied, uncomfortable with lying in front of her honorary big sister. "Well…she was egging me to do it! She said she would steal from me again! She provoked me!"
"You were equally at fault." Rita shrugged, still folding her arms. "Hence I punished you both."
"Oh, I get the picture." Kathleen stood up. "Well…kids will be kids. It could have been a lot worse, and you acted accordingly, Mrs. Loud."
For once, Rita and Lincoln could agree with the rich girl, though neither acknowledged it.
"You believe me, don't you?" Lola whispered and tugged the teen's shirt.
Kathleen gave her a silent wink before asking, "So I take it you wish to stay here for the remainder of the week, Lols?"
"You bet I do." Lola agreed wholeheartedly. "Who wouldn't….wait, what do you mean by that?"
"See…some of your family are having second thoughts about this vacation, given last night's unfortunate accident and all." Kathleen shrugged, making Lola widen her eyes and she look at her family like they were insane.
"Have you all lost your marbles!" she cried in disbelief.
"Lola, you are partially responsible for it." Rita said sternly. "You should have kept your temper in check, otherwise your grandpa and Lincoln would be in much better shape."
Lola was about to retort when Kathleen patted her shoulder. "Let's not dwell on the past. The more important matter is to hear out the rest of the family on the issue regarding your continued residence here."
She glanced at the princess knowingly. "Glad to have your support, Lola."
"Of course you do! Who in their right mind wouldn't take your side!" Lola said in no uncertain terms.
"Yes." Kathleen said absentmindedly as she finally approached Lisa and Darcy. Lincoln and Lucy eyed her warily.
"And how's our little prodigy doing?" She asked sweetly, earning the toddlers' attention. "Have you been enjoying yourself, Lisa?"
"Hello, Kathy!" Lisa waved. "It's great here!"
"Glad to hear…" Kathleen smiled to herself "…so what do you-"
"Hey, Kaphween!" Darcy looked at her. "Remembew me?"
Kathleen blinked, having no clue who this was. "Sure I do…how you've been, kid?"
"Gweat, me and Wisa came here at the same time." Darcy gushed. "Now we can camp toge-"
"Riveting." Kathleen shut her up as she turned back to Lisa. "I assume you wish to stay too?"
"Mmhhmm!" Lisa nodded. "Thanks for everythin'!"
Though happy with Lisa's compliance, Kathleen cocked her eyebrow, finding the former's demeanor a bit strange. And why was she watching Blarney the Dinosaur of all things? For some strange research on children's media?
"Happy to be of service." Kathleen patted her head gently. "I hope you and your family can stay a while longer. It would be such a shame if you left so quickly."
"Of course we will, we'll stay all week. That's what mommy and daddy said." Lisa said naively. Rita too noticed her youngest daughter's odd behavior.
"Is it me, or does she seem a bit too interested in Lisa." Lucy whispered to her brother, who studied their host intensively. Kathleen showing fascination with their (former) child prodigy sister wasn't new and right now, it was more than a little concerning.
But he didn't have time to think about it as his mother asked him, "Lincoln? Would you know why Lisa is…umm doing that?" Rita pointed at the two toddlers, who were completely distracted by the crappy preschooler show.
"Yes, she seems a bit more…bubbly than her usual straight-laced self. I didn't get the impression that she enjoyed…this sort of content." Kathleen added while eyeing the tv and wincing in disgust.
"Umm….she's doing immersion research." Lincoln tried to explain. "Something about her studying the inner workings of a regular toddler's mind, Darcy's her test subject."
Rita and Kathleen gave him odd looks before he added. "Nothing to do with inventing, right mom?"
"I…suppose." Rita looked back and forth between him and Lisa. This was a strange development, especially after Lisa was already acting strange yesterday. But she would have to look into this later, not while Kathleen was still present.
"Alright, seems Lisa and Lola agree with me." Kathleen clapped her hands and walked up to Rita "How about we consult your husband next, Mrs. Loud? You seem a bit stressed and I won't force you to make any major decisions until you're good and ready, but since I'm here already…"
"Ehh…sure. He should be in the kitchen preparing breakfast, let's see him." Rita reluctantly agreed, conscious to try and take control of the situation and not allow Lynn Sr. to say anything foolish. He wasn't good under pressure.
"Excellent." Kathleen looked delighted before turning to the younger Louds. "By the way, if things work out, you'll get to ride on a luxurious lake cruiser. Today."
Lola gasped in amazement and clutched her hands. "You mean it?"
"Would I lie to you?" Kathleen nodded, while Lisa and Darcy talked among themselves and clapped their hands in childish excitement.
"Mom, don't you dare screw this up!" Lola glared and pointed at Rita. "You hear me!"
Rita rolled her eyes, not taking the pintsized prima donna's threat seriously, and gestured for Kathleen to follow her. "Let's go and see Lynn…eh…my husband that is."
Kathleen followed her while giving Lincoln and Lucy a passing glance. "Hope you change your mind." She said sweetly, while Lola happily skipped after her.
"You stay out of this, you hear?" The princess hissed at them in a low, dangerous tone.
"What's she up to now?" Lucy wondered. "We can't go on this cruise or whatever she wants of us."
Lincoln listened to her while watching Lisa and Darcy. Was Kathleen planning to do something with Lisa? That worried him, but he also knew that any potential plans of hers involving Lisa would be for naught; since Lisa the genius was no more. Then again…?
He suddenly got up on wobbly legs. "We have to talk with Lynn. Now."
"Sigh. Fine." Lucy agreed and followed him.
"Hey…can ya tell me what you're doing?" the immobilized Albert inquired as his grandkids brushed past him.
"We'll explain later." Lincoln said quickly as he and Lucy rushed up the stairs, when he accidentally bumped against the edge of the wall.
"Damn…" he rubbed his nose when Lucy guided him down the hall.
"This way." She instructed her still light-headed brother.
Albert had a nagging suspicion that his grandkids would forget about him while in his current state and sighed while glancing at the ceiling and letting his beefy arms dangle. He hated being useless.
Hurrying to their room, Lincoln and Lucy found Lynn sitting on the floor, against her bunk while hugging her knees and with her face buried in them. Lana was sitting next to her, trying to comfort her.
Hearing the door creaking, Lynn glanced up and a look of dread crossed her features as she made eye contact with Lincoln, prompting her to scoot to her left, away from him.
"Go away…" they heard her muffled voice as she buried her face again.
"She's been cursing at herself all this time." a crestfallen Lana explained. "Says she didn't mean to hit you."
"Lynn…" Lincoln said gently and sighed, trying to find the right words "…you and me both know this was an accident, and I'm not mad at you one bit."
Inside, Lynn knew he would say that, but hearing it out loud still irked her to no end and she gave him a vexed glare.
"Of course, why am I not the least bit surprised?" she said sardonically and rolled her eyes. "I punched your lights out, but it ain't no big deal, right?"
Lincoln looked uncertain. "Good, so can we talk about-"
"Oh, for the love of….can ya stop being a such freaking boy scout for once in your life and be pissed at me for at least an hour!" Lynn yelled at him, making him flinch. "You're impossible!"
Despite his aching head, Lincoln couldn't help but smile at the ridiculous statement. "Lynn, I know what happened, you don't have to explain yourself…"
She scoffed bitterly and looked aside. "What's there to say? I hurt you, made an ass of myself, and allowed Kathleen to hold mom over a barrel again. All that was missing was me breaking one of Kathy's precious belongings with a soccer ball."
"Yeah…that's about the size of it." Lucy shrugged while Lincoln, inwardly, was forced to acknowledge that.
Despite having come a long way, Lynn's impulsiveness was still a major flaw of hers, with this being the third time it had cost them dearly in the last few days. But they couldn't focus on that now, not when opportunity was knocking.
Lana scowled at the goth. "Always the supportive one, ain't ya?"
"It's the truth." Lucy didn't flinch. "But we can't bicker now, Lincoln might have a plan."
This piqued the two tomboys' interest.
"Lynn, what matters is that you didn't hit Kathleen." Lincoln tried to console her.
"Yeah, because you oh-so heroically jumped in the way…" the jock muttered as her brother kneeled next to her. She honestly didn't know if she should have been grateful for his action or not.
"I know…" he rubbed the bridge of his nose "…and it was not a pleasant experience, but you did nothing wrong. We agreed that you should avoid Kathleen but she got the drop on you. I think she did that on purpose, like when she provoked Luan into punching her in front of mom. And this came on the heels of a…very, very bad night, none of us were thinking clearly…"
Lynn hadn't thought of that, too preoccupied with loathing herself at the moment, but it did little to make her feel any better about acting out and breaking her brother's nose. She did meet his gaze though and Lincoln thought her eyes looked a bit puffy but didn't comment on it.
"You're feeling fine, right?" she asked with concern.
Lincoln didn't answer her immediately, spacing out for a few seconds with a vacant look before shaking his head. "Yeah… I'm alright, just a sore nose."
Lynn's brow knitted before she groaned in resignation, "Kay, what was Pasty talking about you having a plan?"
"I might have one." Lincoln nodded and sat next to her, with Lucy joining them. "Kathleen said something about taking us on a cruise on the lake, and that the main reason for her arrival is because she's organizing some big Fourth of July festival."
"You think she's telling the truth?" Lynn narrowed her eyes hatefully.
"Dunno, but it's not important. What matters is that this could be our chance to expose her, and more importantly, to get our family away from…" he glanced at Lana and decided to just say it "…ughh…One Eye."
"Who?" Lana asked and to the other's surprise, Lynn gave her a knowing if tired look.
"Long story, it's that mangy wolf that hurt Charles. Remember? That's why he had to wear that funnel on his neck."
Lana seemed to recall that but was still confused.
"You told her about him?" Lincoln asked, more surprised than accusing.
"You and Ryan couldn't keep your yaps shut, she overheard you." Lynn retorted. "You remember how torn up she was about our missing pets at the restaurant. And she knew Charles didn't wear that cone as a fashion statement, I had to fess up and tell her something." Lynn shrugged before looking at her roommate.
Lana remembered that; she knew why they didn't share that story with mom and dad, to avoid scaring them and possibly getting into trouble. It occurred to her that Walt and Geo still haven't returned but before she could inquire about that, Lynn cut in.
"And I didn't tell ya the whole truth, Lana. We ran into that cur a bunch of times…" the jock admitted, surprising her sister "…and I know this is a bad time to break this to ya, but…shit… I'm afraid we have more trouble on our hands than just Kathleen."
Lana's brow furrowed. "You mean…he's here now? That we're in danger?"
"Oh, yes. We're in mortal danger." Lucy reaffirmed. "The three of us ran into him last night, barely survived by the skin of our teeth. He's madder than ever and out for blood."
Unsurprisingly, Lana went deathly silent from the statement, looking like a deer in the headlights.
"But…I thought wolves were scared of us, that they minded their own business?" she struggled to follow. She knew a thing or two about animals and this didn't line up with what she thought she knew.
"This one's different." Lincoln said in a grave tone.
"Yeah, and he seems to be attracted like a magnet to us." Lynn spat. "Don't know why…just plain bad luck I suppose…"
"I know why." Lucy folded her arms but Lynn would have none of her conspiracy theories again.
"Shhht thhhh hlllll uppp…." Lynn warned her through clenched teeth before turning to Lana again. Might as well fess up entirely.
"Eh…yeah, but there was more to last's night's adventure than the unwanted reunion. See, we ran out into the woods because we saw Lisa running away, together with Fenton. They were doing some kind of experiment and we were worried, and in the end…"
"…Lisa had an accident." Lincoln said simply, deciding there was no point in lying to Lana anymore. "In a nutshell, she wore a helmet that screwed her brain up, because the wolf attacked and damaged it, and now she's just a normal 3-year-old, just like that Darcy girl."
"Wait…Lisa is "normal" now?" this was a lot for Lana to take in, as she was gripped with both fear and confusion. "But what about that wolf? Should we tell mom and dad now?"
"No!" Lynn was quick to shoot that down. "They'll freak out and…it's not necessary. Lincoln has a plan for how to handle this…you do, don't you?" she gave him a pleading look.
Lincoln took a deep breath. "I think I do…if we play our cards right, we can deal with both One Eye and Kathleen in one fell swoop, but it requires us taking Kathleen's offer…and a camera."
"What do you have in mind?" Lynn became curious. "How are we supposed to catch her in the act and film it?"
"Call it a hunch…" Lincoln's eyes met Lucy's "…but we think Kathleen might have her eye on Lisa."
"For what?" Lynn scowled. Though she wasn't overly fond of Lisa, she'd sooner kill Kathleen than let her get her hands on her sister. Not just for Lisa's sake but for the world's sake.
"We don't know, probably because the old Lisa was a certified genius who could build anything…" Lincoln figured.
"Sigh. And I fear Lisa's choice won't be taken into consideration." Lucy added ominously.
"What….but she can't just do that?" Lana said fearfully. "We'll call the cops."
Lynn snorted. "Lana, the authorities are quick to turn a blind eye when ya have money… or a bum rap…" she finished with a sullen look. "Remember how quickly she bailed Renee out of trouble when that nutjob broke out of the hospital? With just some phone calls and bribes."
"Yes, and I doubt Kathleen will take it well once she learns Lisa is no longer herself." Lucy nodded.
Lincoln sighed, "It won't matter, guys… if she tries something, or even just gets callous and lets her guard down, this could be our chance to expose her." He explained as he crawled towards and opened his suitcase and pulled out a video camera.
Lynn was intrigued. "Yes, or if we just rile her up enough to make her show her true colors show!" she said with renewed vigor. "Beat her at her own devious game!"
She remembered what Ryan had told her, that Kathleen would eventually stretch herself thin pretending to be this goody-good she obviously wasn't. Just like how Kathleen was hackling Lynn into screwing up, Lynn and her team could do the same with that conniving skank.
"Yes, give her a taste of her own medicine." Lucy grew a smile.
"Indeed, we can't let her out of our sights now, any slip-up of hers could ensure our victory and the end to all this madness." Lincoln said seriously.
"Then what are we waiting for!" Lynn stood up and pumped her fist. "We're cruising for victory!"
"No. No. Nadda. Forget it. Absolutely not!" Rita waved her arms flippantly as she confronted Lynn and Lincoln in the hall on the upper floor.
Lynn's lips trembled and she hung her head, unable to look her livid mother in the eye, her previous confidence ebbing away.
Lincoln looked at his mother pleadingly. "Please, mom. Just give her one last-"
"Just what the hell kind of demon possessed you, Lynn?" Rita continued her rant, making her daughter wilt with shame. "First you assault Kathleen at my anniversary party, and then you do it again!? You're lucky Lincoln jumped in, or Kathleen would have every right to file a lawsuit and-"
"I wasn't thinking clearly, alright!" Lynn retorted, hot tears forming in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I was stupid and impulsive and...I feel bad enough already for hurting Lincoln."
"Mom, please forgive her this one time." Lincoln cut in. "She doesn't trust Kathleen, and you yourself know Kathleen isn't being straight with us, you told me so."
"I did." Rita said sternly. "But this is her property and she wasn't antagonizing us in either case. Luan crossed the line by punching her, giving her all the justification to put together a pricey legal team and sue us into the dark ages if she chose to, and you…" she addressed Lynn disdainfully "…have only been exacerbating the situation."
"Mom, call me paranoid if you will…" Lincoln sighed "…but I think Kathleen was trying to provoke Luan, and did the same thing with Lynn right now. She knows the two of them don't like her and might be taking it out on them…" he paused and reluctantly added "…I don't know why, but my gut tells me that."
Rita's face softened a bit. This sounded like a stretch but she wanted to give Lincoln some credit. "You might be reading too much into it, Lincoln…but even if she is that petty, she was not the aggressor at any moment. If we harm her, we would be the bad guys in the eyes of any authority, no two ways about it. And you know our reputation wouldn't help."
"I know, and I'm really sorry, mom." Lynn pleaded, trying to regain her composure. "I didn't even want to come near Kathleen if she came here, honest. Both Lincoln and Ryan told me that was for the best, but Kathleen caught me off guard, and I was already so…so…"
"… stressed out about me and Pop-Pop getting hurt." Lincoln finished for her. "Please, just give her one more chance and let her come with us."
"No…" Rita scowled "…she'll stay right here and watch over your grandfather. After that, she'll stay at Aunt Ruth's place until further notice."
Lynn grew pale with horror, her voice failing her and she turned to Lincoln, her eyes begging him for help.
"Mom, I beg you." Lincoln clutched his hands. "She said she would steer clear of Kathleen, this was just an accident. She wasn't expecting Kathleen to pop up like this. I promise you, I'll keep her in line for the entire cruise. If she screws up one more time, you can send both of us to Aunt Ruth."
"I won't send you away, Lincoln." Rita put her hands on her hips. "You did nothing to deserve it, and volunteering to share her misery won't absolve Lynn of anything."
"Please, mom." Lincoln implored her. "Just give her a chance to prove herself. She hadn't caused any trouble until Kathleen showed up, right? She'll pull herself together if you just give her the chance. You trust my judgment, don't you?"
Rita pursed her lips. Her mind was telling her to stick to her guns but her son begging her to give Lynn another chance gave her reservation. She could believe Lynn's messy mental state, given how she herself took last night's accident.
"I trust her." Lincoln grabbed his sister by the elbow. "I trust that she will behave herself."
Rita knew that Lincoln and Lynn had been getting along remarkably well lately, and there had to be a reason for it. Rita didn't doubt that Lynn didn't mean to hurt her brother, her intentions were obvious. It was Lynn's volatile nature around Kathleen that worried her. And yet, Rita had the chance to call off this vacation but still let Kathleen talk her into prolonging their stay, she couldn't deny partial responsibility.
Perhaps she was losing her mind, but Rita gave in. "Fine…she can come along."
Lincoln and Lynn held back from cheering, knowing this agreement would come with conditions. Sure enough, Rita glowered and pointed at Lynn.
"But remember that you're walking on thin ice now, Lynn. This is your last chance, so don't take it lightly." Lynn gulped and shrank under her mother's glare.
Rita raised her hand above her head. "I had it up to here with your outbursts. One more, and you'll be heading to Aunt Ruth's place or worse, and no force on Earth will be able to change my mind then."
Lynn said nothing and avoided her mother's gaze, not wishing to ponder about what alternative Rita had in mind to their great-aunt's dreaded home.
Lincoln, meanwhile, met his mother's stern gaze. "I hope you know what you're doing, Lincoln."
"I do." He nodded with conviction. "I promise you, there won't be another incident as far as Lynn is concerned."
"Don't make me regret trusting you." Rita said somberly and headed for her room, already questioning her decision. "We'll be leaving in an hour."
"I'd hate to make you a liar, Linc." Lynn said gravely, knowing she was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
"Don't worry, by the end of the day, mom will know who the real bad guy is." Lincoln promised her. "We'll catch Kathleen in the act no matter what it takes, and you'll be off the hook."
Lynn said nothing, caught up in her thoughts. She had to control her impulses better, now more so than ever. Lincoln was one of the few things in their big, screwed-up family that gave their disillusioned mother some hope for their future. Lynn could never live with herself if she broke that trust as well, especially after her brother stuck his neck out for her.
While Lynn and Lincoln had been arguing with their mother, Lucy went searching for Luan. And sure enough, she found her hunkered down and hidden away in one of the lower cabinets in the kitchen. Upon opening the doors, Lucy saw the mime cowering and shaking in a fetal position, with the tear-drop markings around her eyes having seeped down and smeared all over her cheeks, in the wake of actual tears.
Knowing Luan wouldn't say anything, Lucy had to do all the talking. Kneeling down in front of her, Lucy said, "I have some good news and some bad news, but we need you to cooperate."
Her eyes puffy, Luan just watched the goth and sniffed. Lucy could tell from her demeanor that she was in no mood to leave the cabinet.
"Sigh. The bad news is that we have to go on a cruise with Kathleen." Lucy decided to be upfront, and unsurprisingly, Luan shook her head, pointed at Lucy, and then did a cuckoo sign.
Lucy really didn't want to force her to join them. Under normal circumstances, they could have gladly left her here to watch over Albert, and their parents were content with that, but Fenton was already appointed to guard the house, and Lincoln and Lynn agreed with Lucy that the risk of Luan wandering away from the relative safety of this house was very real.
But Lucy didn't know if telling Luan about One Eye would be the right choice either. The news shook up Lana pretty badly, while Luan was in a fragile emotional state already and nobody could predict how she would react to such dire news. Merely seeing Kathleen for five seconds gave her a massive panic attack already. Besides, Lucy was confident that Lincoln's plan would be successful, so this wouldn't be an issue for long.
"I'm not crazy…" Lucy replied evenly "…Lincoln has a plan to expose Kathleen, and I have a feeling it will work. But we all need to be discreet about it."
This seemed to catch Luan's attention, so Lucy continued, "Mom and dad feel pressured into it because Lynn nearly punched Kathleen and Lincoln took the hit for her. They are mad at Lynn, but Lincoln thinks we can still exploit this situation."
Frowning bitterly, Luan shut her eyes tight and banged on her head. Lucy got the meaning of the gesture.
"I hate to say it, but…the pot shouldn't be calling the kettle black, don't you think?" The goth pointed out. "You successfully punched that diabolical deceiver in the face not too long ago."
Luan stopped and grew flustered. "And far be it for me to defend Lynn…" Lucy scratched the back of her neck "…but she did have a reason for dragging you back home. I'll… explain it to you later."
Luan cocked an eyebrow, clearly expecting an answer. "It's…on a need-to-know basis…" Lucy tried to explain. "Let's not multi-task when we don't need to, our priority now is to expose Kathleen. And don't you want to be there to personally witness her downfall?"
Luan couldn't deny that the thought of it was very tempting. Sniffing, she pointed at herself and then did a shrugging gesture.
"You don't have to do anything…just come along and act inconspicuous, to lull Kathleen into a false sense of security. We'll do the rest." Lucy assured her before gently touching the teen's hand.
"And I promise you, we won't let Kathleen hurt you, no matter what. You're not alone in this, you never were." Lucy gave her big sister a reassuring smile. "Just trust us on this, and we might be leaving this dreaded place sooner than you think."
Feeling some semblance of hope, Luan returned that smile and nodded in agreement, prompting Lucy to lean in closer and whispered to her what Kathleen's plot might be and what their own plans were.