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

Chapter 19

Lincoln woke up with Lori and Leni sleeping close to him. He planted gentle kisses on their faces to wake them up, and they returned the same. The news talked about the bridge, but they couldn't fully determine what happened. The production company making the movie hid the fact that some of their C4 was missing to avoid bad publicity. Since no one was hurt or killed, it didn't gain a lot of attention. The motion to rebuild a new bridge was quickly underway. The mayor even mentioned that the bridge was so old and falling apart. Since keeping maintenance on it was getting expensive, they had already discussed building a new bridge.

Then he went with Luna to practice music at the garage where the Moon Goats usually practice. He played a steady rhythm on bass with Luna as she played her guitar. Luna and Sam were teaching Lincoln new skills, and he was a fast learner. They switched back and forth between guitar and bass. Lincoln liked rocking bass better.

"Yeah! That's it! You got it, little bro!" Luna praised.

"You're a faster learner. Let's see if you can keep up with me!" Sam challenged.

They rocked out together, jamming some sweet music. Stella, Clyde, Cristina, Girl Jordan, and Lincoln's friends watched in amazement and even recorded with their phones. Luna's bandmates were impressed. Mazzy was curious about how good Lincoln's drum skills were. So, Lincoln got on a set and showed that he mastered it with no problem. Mazzy's jaw dropped that a kid his age was so good at it – she even asked for advice, and Lincoln taught her a few tricks.

"Hot Diggy dog! Lincoln said they were good, but I didn't think they were this good," Liam said.

"I know. They got skill," Zach said.

Cristina raised her hand to get their attention, "Lincoln, are you joining their band?"

"Um, I doubt it. I'm mainly doing this to spend time with my sister, Luna," Lincoln replied.

"But the Moon Goats are trying to make it big, right?" Girl Jordan asked.

"Totally, dude! But that's not easy. It would be a dream to get a record deal, but they don't just hand those out to anyone," Luna explained.

"Yeah. Getting our music and name out there is the challenge and hard part," Sam explained.

"Well," Girl Jordan said, walking by Lincoln, "Not to plant ideas into your heads, but you do have a very famous little brother here who is a local hero and got a medal from the governor. If he joined your band and played at a few concerts, that's going to grab some attention."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"Oh snap, dogs! She's right. Everybody knows Lincoln. Him joining a band alone would get headlines," Rusty said.

"And if he joined Luna's band, they would be on the headlines too!" Clyde added.

"That's two birds with one stone right there," Liam pointed.

Luna walked over to her brother and put her arm around his shoulder, "Eh, I don't really care if we get a lot of attention, but rocking out with my bro on stage? Now, that would be awesome."

"What do you say, Snowflake? Wanna join the Moon Goats?" Sam asked.

"Aren't I a little young for your band?" Lincoln asked.

"We don't have an age requirement. I mean, babies and toddlers can't join, but you know what I mean," Mazzy said.

"I don't know, guys. I'm not exactly band material. I've gotten better, but I'm not as good as you and Sam on guitar and bass. I'm good at drums, but you already have a drummer, and I don't want to replace her," Lincoln replied.

"You could fill in my place as lead guitar, and I can do lead singer," Luna said.

"I don't know, Luna. I mean, if I was in your band playing at concerts, that'll grab some attention, but I don't want to mess things up for your band."

"You're better than you think you are. Besides, if we keep teaching you, you'll be as good as us," Sam assured.

"Yeah, it doesn't take a lot. Just a few hours of practice, you play at a few concerts with the Moon Goats, and we rock Royal Woods as sister and bro!" Luna explained.

"I've never even been to a concert, let alone performed at one," Lincoln said.

Luna gasped with stars in her eyes. She dashed toward him and held him by his shoulders, "Dude! You gotta let me take you to your first concert! My first was the most unforgettable, and I want yours to be too!"

"Lincoln, Smooch is coming to Royal Woods after your art contest next week. Didn't you and Clyde say it's the greatest band ever?" Cristina asked.

"It totally is. We've been saving our money to go there, but we're still short on buying VIP," Clyde answered.

"I'll buy them!" Luna stated.

"Really?!" Clyde and the other boys asked with joy in their eyes.

"Totally! Smooch knows how to rock. You gotta take me with you, little bro. I'll take you to see Smooch, and you join our band. Everyone wins. Pleeeeeassssseee! I ain't too proud to beg," Luna begged.

Lincoln stared at her as she was on one knee with her arms open. Lincoln glanced at the others, and they nodded, except Stella. She tapped her chin while thinking.

"Stella?" Lincoln asked.

"Well, as long as there's still time for us, I'm good with it. A local hero, an amazing artist and comic book artist, and a rockstar for a boyfriend? I'd like to see that," Stella said.

Lincoln turned to his rockstar sister, "Okay, Luna, I'll do it. But I'm still making time for myself, my friends, Stella, and our other sisters. So, I can't be everywhere at once. We'll play it by year, and I would like my first concert to be amazing. What better way to make it unforgettable than with the girl who knows rock and roll better than anyone?"

Luna's eyes sparkled with a smile, and she squeed with joy before squeezing her brother a hug. She nuzzled her face into Lincoln's chest.

"Thank you, baby bro, for being there for me! I love you!" Luna sang.

Lincoln hugged her back while holding her head, "Oh, Luna. Luna, Luna, Luna. My Loony-Toony-Cartoony. What am I going to do with you?"

"Love me. Rock out with me. Cuddle with me when I need cuddles and when Sam's not around to give me cuddles. Never leave me," Luna answered while still hugging Lincoln. Then her pupils shrank to tiny dots, and she seriously said, "Especially that last part."

"Check, check, check, and definitely."

Luna backed up to look Lincoln in the eye, "I'm serious about that last part, little bro. I still get nightmares of you running away from home. That night was the worst night of my life."

Lincoln patted her head, "Don't worry. You and the rest of our sisters will always have me around. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

Sam chuckled, "Loony-Toony-Cartoony? I'm so writing that down."

Lincoln, Luna, and their friends were headed home on foot. Luan met up with them on her unicycle. She and Lincoln were going to cook together to find her signature dish, and his friends would eat the food together. Then they came across a house with stuff in the front yard with a sign that said 'Free Stuff. Everything Must Go!' There was all kinds of stuff, from furniture, clothes, electronics, games, and other stuff. There was a big moving truck parked in the driveway.

"Hey folks, we're moving out. Everything in the front yard is not coming with us. You can have it. Anything that's still here is either going to the Goodwill or trash," a middle-aged man said.

Old Flip picked up a box of TV remotes and batteries, "I don't know what these are, but if they're free, they're Flips!"

Luna knew right away what she wanted: the Mick Swagger pinball machine. Luan saw a rubber goose boa that had her name written all over it. Sam found a neat ship in a bottle. Clyde found a telescope. Rusty found a classic Conion C-100F boombox that still works – he bragged how he's going to use it to show off his dancing. Zach found an incredible green glass bottle that looked like an alien's head – it used to have vodka in it, but not anymore. Liam found overalls that were his size. Girl Jordan and Cristina found some sweaters about their size – some had cool designs on them. Stella found a fantastic LED neon light stand in the shape of a skull with sunglasses and a lightning bolt in its mouth. She also found a cool jeans jacket with patches all over it.

"Who in the world would give these for free?" Stella asked while taking it.

Lincoln shrugged, "Eh, you gotta make sacrifices to make room."

The white-haired boy looked for something that would interest him and then found it. A PlayStation 2 with all its cords, controllers, memory cards, along with a box of many classic and yet underrated games. Sly Cooper 2, Destroy All Humans, Jak II, Jak 3, Viewtiful Joe, War of the Monsters, Onimusha 2, Spartan Total Warrior, Tekken 5, Okami, The Incredible Hulk Ultimate Destruction, Dark Cloud, Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2, Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2, Bully, and Call of Duty 3. Lincoln's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Sweet!" Lincoln praised with a big smile.

He got the box and a bag for all the games. He was so excited that he could barely contain himself. He couldn't wait to return home to try out some of these games.

"You might want to hide these from Mom. At least, when you play them back home, have only one game out and leave the rest in your room under your bed," Luna suggested while pulling a wagon with her pinball machine.

"Yeah, with all those games, Mom might think it'll spoil you or something. So, don't let on that you got a collection," Luan added.

"Got it," Lincoln said, giving her a thumbs up.

As they walked home with their new free stuff, Luan talked to Lincoln about making burger sliders for dinner. Lincoln thought that was a great idea. He also spoke with Luna about managing time with her and the band. They could make it work, and Lincoln could still have time for his girlfriend and himself. At that moment, Lincoln felt happy, like he was having a good day – the kind of day where the sun seemed to shine a little brighter. The happiness he felt made him feel totally at ease. It was as if everything was going right for him. Everything was falling into place for him. Stella caught his smile and smiled back at him. They leaned in close to give each other a tender kiss. The two sisters saw this, and their eyes sparkled with joy.

The Next Day

Lynn was back on the field in her next softball game. She was doing better than last time, but only a little. She threw some good pitches but didn't hit many good balls. It was just her at the game – her family was too busy to come. Rita was at college taking an exam, Lincoln was finishing up on his art for the art contest, and Lynn didn't want her sisters to come because of what happened last time. So, they kept themselves busy with their own activities.

However, as she was on the pitcher's mound. Scoots was heckling Lynn Jr. with comments from the stand.

"You call that a pitch?! I thought this was baseball, not cricket!" Scoots hollered.

Some of the crowd laughed. Lynn's eye twitched, and she could feel the anger boiling inside her. She threw the pitch, and the batter hit it, a line drive to left field. She was able to second base before the outfielder threw it to shortstop. Lynn threw the pitch, but it was a ball.

"Ball One!" the umpire called.

"Ha! So much for a pitcher. More like a duck with your arms flapping everywhere! Lynn the Duck!" Scoots hollered.

The crowd laughed again, including the opposing team. Lynn's anger continued to boil. She gritted her razor teeth as she threw a fast one. The batter hit it, and the ball flew high, hitting the back fence in the right field. The batter got to second base while the other stopped at third.

Right before Lynn threw the pitch, Scoots yelled, "Quack! Quack! Throw Lynn the Duck Loser!"

The ball slipped from Lynn's grip and hit the Squirrel's team mascot. Scoots laughed and continued to quack, mocking Lynn. Lynn was now growling, and her eyes had red cracks. This went on until the score was tied, and the bases were loaded.

"Come on, Lynn. Two outs. One more, and we're back swinging. Your team needs you!" Lynn said to herself.

She threw two balls and one strike, but she was lucky because even though it was outside the strike zone, the batter swung and missed it, making it count as a strike.

"Don't choke, little birdie! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Scoots hollered.

Lynn growled and threw a hard, fast one, but the batter hit it, and it flew twenty feet over the fence—a home run.

"Maybe you should flap your wings and fly since you suck at pitching! But you suck at being a duck too! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Scoots laughed.

Lynn's eyes were glowing red as she growled. Now, their own mascot was laughing, too.

"It just ain't your lucky day! Huh, little birdie? Ha! Ha! Ha!" Scoots mocked.

The moment the 'L' word reached Lynn's ears, something snapped within her. She saw all the visions that Lincoln showed her and her sisters. She saw herself blaming Lincoln, poisoning her family against him, Lincoln sleeping outside like an animal, the family not letting him back in, and forcing him to wear the stupid mascot costume after selling his furniture. She saw Lincoln calling the police, her family arrested, their lives ruined, and their one and only brother/son forever lost. Before Scoots said 'lucky,' Lynn was so angry that she was shaking, but once that word reached her ears, something snapped, and she stopped shaking. She lost control. Lynn took deep breaths with murder in her eyes as she turned toward Scoots.

When one of her teammates tossed her the ball, Lynn dropped her glove and marched over to Scoots, who wasn't paying attention because she was laughing so hard. Then Lynn wound up her arm before throwing it with all her might at Scoots' face. The ball hit dead center in her face, breaking both her sunglasses and nose and possibly fracturing her cheekbones. She fell off her scooter with a few drops of blood in the air. The old fart lay on the ground, completely motionless, as blood oozed out of her busted nose. The crowd gasped and screamed. After that, it was all fuzzy and blurry for Lynn Jr. as she was lost in her rage.

The next thing she knew, she was being held down by three different people. The squirrel mascot costume was ripped apart, and the guy inside was scared out of his mind. Lynn noticed that she had torn fabric in her hands and between her teeth. It didn't take long for her to figure out what had happened.

Later

Rita arrived at the principal's office and received a phone call telling her everything that happened. The worst part is someone recorded the whole event and shared it on social media, and because humans love to watch people suffer, the video went viral. Thankfully, the police won't be pressing charges against Lynn Jr. since she was provoked into attacking her, and it was her first offense. However, she was still in big trouble.

Lynn Jr. sat in the chair just outside the principal's office while Rita and Principal Ramirez talked to a police officer. Scoot was taken to the hospital for her broken nose. Of course, when she regained consequence, she made a fuss – it was unclear whether or not she was in trouble for provoking Lynn Jr. As Principal Ramirez and Rita walked back inside to the office, Rita shot a disappointing glare at the young athlete.

"I'm sorry for having you come here on such short notice. I know that nursing school requires a lot of attention," Principal Ramirez said while closing the door.

"Yeah, well, I apologize for how my daughter behaved. I suppose we have to discuss Lynn's punishment?" Rita guessed as they sat down.

"Yes, but I also want to discuss Lynn's behavior. Is there something going on in Lynn's life? Is everything okay at home?" Principal Ramirez asked.

Rita sighed and then spoke, "Well, we're still recovering from the trial. It's been a while, but some of us still feel guilty over what happened to Lincoln. We're reconnecting with Lincoln. Plus, my husband is still in the hospital. So, managing a house with eleven kids by myself is driving me crazy."

"How does Lynn feel about all this?"

"She's taking it hard – harder than the others."

Those words were more accurate than they realized. Lynn's guilt was digging into her sub-conscience, which was deepening her depression and anxiety. Lynn didn't breathe a word as to what really set her off. She felt no one would understand.

"I see," Principal Ramirez pulled out a file, "The thing is, Mrs. Loud, Lynn hasn't been doing well academically. This is her report card from before the trial."

Rita saw that it was average. Not straight A's, but not bad. Then, Principal Ramirez handed her another report card.

"And these are the most recent ones," Principal Ramirez said.

Rita's eyes widened as she gasped. They were all F's. Rita was speechless as she uttered.

"How . . . did . . . this happen?" Rita asked with her eye twitching.

"Mrs. Loud, it goes without question that Lynn's off sports indefinitely, thanks to her outburst today. However, with her grades failing, there's a chance that she could be held back another year," Principal Ramirez explained.

Rita groaned a sigh while rubbing her eyes. Then she looked up, "What can be done?"

"School's out in less than a month. I highly suggest that Lynn take summer school to get her grades back up. It won't be easy, and if she fails, she'll have to be held back a grade."

Rita nodded, "Okay, I understand. Is it possible for her to return to sports?"

"Right now, I don't see that happening. If her behavior changes for the better, then yes," Principal Ramirez said.

Later

The ride was uncomfortably quiet. Lynn Jr. sat by the window with a sullen look on her face, and Rita looked grim and disappointed.

Lynn Jr. broke the silence, "It wasn't my fault, you know."

"I don't want to hear excuses," Rita replied, "Is it too much to ask for you girls to stay out of trouble?"

"Mom, it was Scoots. She wouldn't shut up. She kept—!"

"I don't care!" Rita snapped.

Lynn flinched at that. Rita groaned a sigh.

"What is it with you, Lynn? Why does winning matter so much to you? Do you feel like you have to prove something to everyone that you're a winner? Is that it? Is that why you're so fixated on winning that you go as far as creating those stupid luck rituals?" Rita questioned.

"Mom, I don't do that anymore! I don't believe in luck. I was just trying to play baseball, and Scoots just kept barking! She got under my skin, and I couldn't focus on the game," Lynn Jr. defended.

"What, you can't handle some name-calling? You've been doing that to your siblings their whole childhood, especially Lincoln," Rita said.

"That's not—!" Lynn Jr. tried, but Rita stopped her.

"I don't want to hear it! You broke an old lady's nose, and it was a miracle that you weren't arrested for assault. But thanks to your lack of self-control, you're off sports for good."

Lynn Jr.'s eyes widened, "What?!"

"You heard me, and your principal showed me your report cards. You've been failing classes. This is unacceptable, young lady. Which is why you're both grounded and taking summer school," Rita stated.

"Summer school?!"

"It's either that or you'll be held back a grade. With sports out of the way, you'll focus on getting your grades up, and I expect progress out of you!

Lynn grunted and groaned while pulling her face.

"This is so unfair!" Lynn Jr. complained.

"Don't backtalk me, young lady!" Rita snapped.

"But I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Scoots' begs to differ, and if Lincoln didn't see the future, so would he."

All anger vanished from Lynn Jr. the moment she said that. She saw everything, including her nightmares, flashing before her—the nightmares when Lincoln revealed his powers and the ones where she ends up homeless.

"Yeah, I saw the video. The moment Scoots said 'lucky day' is what set you off," Rita said.

"Mom, I—"

Rita firmly grabbed Lynn's wrist and looked her in the eye.

"Lynn, I'm confiscating all your sportswear when we get home. All balls, gear, everything, so that you'll focus on nothing except improving your grades. If you cause any trouble, you'll find yourself in worse trouble than you already are," Rita stated clearly, and her voice had more venom with what she had to say next, "And if you harm your siblings, I will not hesitate to lock you away in juvie. Understood?"

"Mom—"

"UNDERSTOOD?!"

Lynn flinched and then nodded.

"Good," Rita said as she released her hand.

"But," Lynn started.

"End of discussion!"

Lynn Jr. sat in the van while trying not to cry. Her arm was sore from when Rita grabbed her arm hard. Driving back to the house, Lynn saw some homeless people begging for some change. The hole in her chest sank deeper, filling her with dread and sorrow.

Meanwhile

Future Lincoln found the source of the money where all the companies making time machines were being made. He had a plan to hack into the banks and take it all, but for that, he would need his two friends, Sonya and Eddy. The bank was big and inside a megacity where the skyscrapers ranged up to over a mile above the ground, above the clouds. It had all the fancy stuff, from flying cars and trains, floating structures, fancy 'modern' architecture, and people – lots of people.

"Time machines? Independent companies? This just gets better and better, doesn't it?" Eddy asked.

"And to think we were going to retire last year but were afraid we were going to get bored," Sonya added.

"Can you do it?" Future Lincoln asked.

"If you can get us in there, we can get the money, no problem. The problem is getting out of there. There's no way to do it undetected. So, once we get it, you need to get us out of there ASAP," Eddy stated.

Future Lincoln nodded, "Got it. Ready?"

Both Sonya and Eddy said, "Ready."

They set their cloaking hubs on, and Future Lincoln teleported them inside the bank. Future Lincoln knocked out any guards that got in their way as they headed to the main hard drives. Sonya and Eddy pulled their laptops and plugged in to work their magic.

"How long do you need?" Future Lincoln asked.

"About five minutes," Sonya replied.

Four and a half minutes in, and Future Lincoln's gauntlet biped. He looked at it to see enemy robots coming. Future Lincoln raised an eyebrow with concern.

"What the fuck? Why didn't I see them coming?" Future Lincoln whispered.

"Got it!" Sonya said.
"Look out!" Eddy pointed.

Future Lincoln summoned an energy shield just in time as a wave of laser shots from robots were fired upon them. He shot energy blasts to obliterate them.

"Get to the ship! Get out of here! Don't wait for me!" Future Lincoln ordered.

"Be careful!" Sonya called before Lincoln teleported them.

Future Lincoln used his telekinesis powers to tear apart the robots. When more were coming and shooting at him, he dashed with lightning speed and used his fists and hands to destroy them. He noticed something strange with all of them. They all had bracelets around their wrists. When Future Lincoln picked one up, he felt his future vision powers almost completely gone.

"What is this?" Future Lincoln asked.

Before he could ask himself more questions, a cyborg assassin almost sliced his throat, but Future Lincoln dodged just in time. For the first time in a long time, Future Lincoln felt fear and adrenaline – the kind where your life is in danger.

'Why couldn't I see them coming? Why are my future vision powers not working?' Future Lincoln thought to himself.

After several minutes of fighting, Future Lincoln found a live one. He grabbed him by the throat and held him up.

"What is this?" Future Lincoln asked, holding the bracelet.

"You like that? She figured out your secret," the assassin said.

"What secret?"

"You can see into the future. It makes sense. It's how you know everyone's coming. Well, guess what? So can she."

The assassin chuckled, but Future Lincoln silenced him by squeezing his throat.

"Where is she?" Future Lincoln growled.

The assassin said nothing.

"Where is the Golden Star?"

"That's the thing. No one knows, but you won't have to look for her. She'll find you. Just you wait," the assassin mocked.

Future Lincoln destroyed him with an energy flame. Then he gazed at the bracelet.

"Maybe Sonya and Eddy can make sense of this damn thing," Future Lincoln said.