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

Chapter 26

Rita and the older sisters drove in one of the vans to the location Lisa had given them after Lucy had woken them up. The younger sisters stayed with Lynn Sr. Of course, when they got there, they embraced Lincoln and Lynn in a tight group hug while expressing how apprehensive they were, followed by relief that they were okay.

"There you are! Thank goodness!" Lori breathed.

"O-M-Gosh! You had us worried sick!" Leni exclaimed.

"You gave us heart attacks, dudes," Luna added.

"I was beginning to fear for the worst," Luan said.

However, Rita demanded that Lynn explain why she ran away.

"What in the world were you thinking, young lady?! Why did you run away like that?" Rita asked firmly.

Lincoln showed and explained everything. When he did, his mother and older sisters were devastated. To hear that Lynn was suffering from depression and anxiety from thinking that she'd end up homeless in the future was so stunning that it was hard to believe.

"Oh honey," Rita spoke sincerely, "Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you tell us?"

"Yeah, Lynn! Don't you know how dangerous running away from home is?! Lincoln ended up in the hospital when he ran away from home!" Leni stated.

"She was too ashamed of herself over the Bad Luck incident almost happening and the Sister Fight Protocol going from bad to worse. Also, not to point fingers, Mom, but you were really hard on her lately," Lincoln answered.

Rita's eyes widened with a look of guilt and shame.

"Oh, Lynn," Luan said, "You should have told us."

Lori turned to their mother, "Okay, look. Mom, it's clear that we need to help Lynn. So, I say we get her to see Dr. Lopez for therapy. Also, Lincoln, can you ask Clyde to be Lynn's therapist when it comes to talking about things involving your visions and what could have happened? I got a feeling there are things that Lynn will want to talk about but can't with Dr. Lopez, or it could expose your powers. Do you think you can get him?"

"I think Clyde will be more than willing to help," Lincoln answered.

"Good, because two therapists are better than one," Leni stated.

"Clyde's not a licensed therapist, though," Luan commented.

"Details, dude. Details. The point is that Clyde will be able to help, and Lynn needs both therapeutic help and help from her family," Luna stated.

"I agree. For now, let's go home, please," Rita said.

"Of course, but first," Lincoln said, getting their attention with a light orb, "We need to make a pit stop along the way."

They looked at the light orb and didn't ask any questions. They just trusted Lincoln. Rita drove where Lincoln guided her—it was near the park. Lincoln got out with an umbrella and went to the park bench near the fountain. There, he found what his visions showed him—Taylor. She was hugging herself and crying. The fountain was within sight, so Rita and the girls could keep an eye on him.

Lincoln approached her and held the umbrella over her. After a short while, she noticed that the rain wasn't coming down on her. She turned around and saw Lincoln, which spooked her and made her scream. Then she steeled herself and glared at him. Her bruises and blackeye were very noticeable, but unlike the other two bullies Lincoln beat up, she could open both eyes.

"What are you doing here, kid? You come to beat me up again?" Taylor questioned as she scooted away.

"I came to apologize for hurting you, and I know you won't forgive me," Lincoln said.

Taylor tried to stop her tears as she roughly wiped her nose and eyes.

"I also came to help you," Lincoln said.

"I don't need your help! Do I look like I need anybody's help?!" Taylor snapped.

Lincoln didn't even flinch at her yelling or the mean and hostile look she was giving.

"Yes, Taylor, you do. Because I know why you're out here," Lincoln said.

"No, you don't. You don't know anything!" Taylor yelled before walking away.

"I know that your parents are fighting," Lincoln said.

Taylor stopped dead in her tracks, and her eyes were wide open.

"I know they're getting a divorce, and you don't want to live with your mother because she's mean, insensitive, and overbearing . . . that your cheek is red because she hit you. I know this because it's on your right side. From the fight, I hit you on the left side of your face and your nose. I know you don't want to hurt anyone, but you do because you're friends with Anderson and Pablo. You roll with them because they're your only friends, and you pick on other kids because they do. You don't want them to hurt you, so you do what they say. They're jerks, and you don't want to be . . . but you don't have anyone else," Lincoln explained.

Taylor's face twitched, and her eyes shifted as she tried to figure out how he knew so much. The worst part was that all of it was dead on truth, and hearing it out loud made her cringe inside.

"You . . . you don't know anything!" Taylor shouted.

"Yes, I do, Taylor," Lincoln replied.

Taylor turned around and marched toward him with his fists clenched. This would have terrified him any other time before Lincoln's training, powers, and things he went through. Now, he wasn't even a little scared because he knew what was going to happen. Rita and the sisters, however, were nervous seeing the angry look on her face.

"You don't know who I am or my life!" Taylor yelled, "You think you know what it's like to live with someone you don't love?! You think you know what it's like to live with someone who hurts you almost every single day?! You think you know what it's like to want to get away from everything you hate and everything that makes you feel shitty?! Huh?! You think you know what that feels like?!"

Lincoln lowered the umbrella, allowing himself to get wet. Lincoln left a moment of silence before answering, "Yes . . . I know exactly what that feels like. My family was bad to me before they got good again."

This surprised Taylor as her angry eyes slightly widened. She roughly grabbed Lincoln's shirt with one hand, and her other hand clenched in a fist, ready to punch him. Lincoln did not raise his arms in self-defense or do anything to get out of Taylor's grip. Lynn and Lori unbuckled their seatbelts to get out and help him, but Luna stopped them.

"Wait! Look," Luna pointed.

"I know you don't want to hurt anyone, Taylor . . . and you don't have to. I can help you, Taylor," Lincoln said.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Taylor screamed.

Lincoln gave a sincere look while Taylor's arm trembled. Her teeth gritted as she tried every ounce of her will to keep herself from crying, but the tears were streaming down her face. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. All anger within her vanished. Her angry face turned to one of sorrow. Her grip on Lincoln's face loosened. Taylor fell to her knees and hugged Lincoln's torso as she cried in his arms. Lincoln held her close in a comforting manner.

"It's okay. Everything's going to be okay," Lincoln said.

"I'm sorry (sobs heavily) I'm so sorry," Taylor sobbed.

Lincoln held her and softly shushed her. Taylor let out all the sorrows that she had kept in for so long. Watching her cry, Lynn could understand that feeling. It wasn't that long ago when she was in her shoes. She and her sisters, along with their mother, felt remorse for Taylor and pride for Lincoln. He was a hero in many ways, not just for saving lives but for helping them, too. Even now, he's helping another soul in need, and this person was a former bully who was in it out of fear. How could anyone know what she was really going through? How could anyone know that inside, she was screaming for help? After a long while, Taylor was done crying but was shaking from the cold. Lincoln helped her to her feet while getting the umbrella back over their heads.

"Come with me. My family can help you," Lincoln said as they walked.

"Seriously, why are you out here? I doubt that you just magically knew I would be here, and you don't strike me as the stalker type," Taylor said.

"My sister, Lynn, ran away from home. She's going through a rough time. She's kept her depression a secret from us . . . from me," Lincoln answered.

"That's terrible. I'm sorry to hear that . . . and I really mean it when I say I'm sorry to hear that. I'm not just saying that because that's normally what people say about stuff like this, and they're trying to be nice," Taylor said.

Lincoln nodded, "I believe you."

When they got to the van, Taylor looked down and away from them, which was awkward for her. Rita and the others pretended to be surprised to see her. Lincoln and Taylor explained what had happened and what was happening in her life. Rita agreed to help her as they went back home. They explained everything to Lynn Sr. and the younger siblings when they got home.

Taylor slept on the couch after they loaned her some dry clothes. As Lincoln got ready for bed with Lynn Jr. and Lucy, he saw Lynn's back and side full of bruises as she changed her clothes. He gasped, and that got her attention.

"Lynn, did I do that to you?" Lincoln asked.

She sighed heavily, "Yeah, you're a lot stronger than you think. Some of the hits during training got me really hard, but I'm okay."

"No, Lynn, you're not okay. Look at this bruise! You're telling me I did that?" Lincoln questioned.

Lynn hid her bruises behind her shirt. Lincoln sighed as he looked at the champion belt he got from beating Crikey sitting nearby. Lincoln felt dread while looking at the belt and remorse as he looked back at Lynn. Seeing those bruises ached his heart, and he hated himself that it felt so good during training to roughhouse her as she did to him in the past.

He picked up and said, "I don't deserve this trophy belt. Tomorrow, I'm returning it to the school."

Lynn's eyes widened, and she lunged to grab Lincoln's arm, "No! No, don't! Don't, Lincoln!"

Lincoln stopped and looked at her to see her eyes watering.

Lynn spoke in a broken voice, "Please don't get rid of this. Please, I want you to have it."

"I don't deserve it," Lincoln replied.

"Yes, you do! You earned it. I want you to have it. Please, Lincoln. I want you to have something to be proud of. I want you to be as proud of yourself as I am of you," Lynn pleaded.

"You should have told me that I was hurting you during training. Do you have any idea how much it breaks my heart to see you like this? To see the damage I have done to my sister?!" Lincoln questioned desperately.

"How much do you think it hurts to see what I've done and would have done?! Do you know how much it breaks my heart that I almost ruined your life and the lives of our family?! All because of my stupidity?!" Lynn replied with tears bursting.

Lincoln's eyes widened at that, and his heart sank as Lynn cried. Lincoln hugged her, and she hugged him back.

"Alright, Lynn. Okay. I'll keep it. I'll keep it and remember that we won this together. But I'm still not proud that I hurt you," Lincoln said.

"I'm fine, Lincoln. It's just been a while since I've come across someone tougher than me," Lynn said.

"Okay, let's head for bed," Lincoln said.

Lincoln slept holding Lynn in his arms, and Lucy close to her with no nightmares, which made Lynn feel better. In the morning, Lincoln and Luan made everyone waffles for everyone. Taylor had a hard time keeping herself from crying. She couldn't remember the last time she had such kindness.

Rita and Lynn Sr. called social services, and it didn't take long for someone to show up and take Taylor away to get her help. When social services arrived, Taylor hugged Lincoln for the longest time, and he hugged her back.

"Take care of yourself," Lincoln told her.

Taylor nodded. Before she got in the car, she looked back, "I know things will get better for you, Lynn . . . especially if you got someone like that for a brother."

That made Lynn and some of the sisters smile.

Taylor looked at Lincoln one last time, "I wish I had a brother like you."

Lincoln blushed at that. She got in the car, and it drove her away. Lincoln and the others waved her goodbye. Rita booked Lynn Jr. an appointment with Dr. Lopez for this coming weekend. Lincoln talked with Clyde at school and told him everything that happened last night. Of course, when he asked to be Lynn's second therapist, he agreed without hesitation.

Lincoln turned to the audience, "He's good like that."

Lynn went straight to her bedroom. It was the end of the day, with the orange sunlight casting its light on everything in Royal Woods – even inside the house. She was so emotionally exhausted that she collapsed on the bed. Lynn couldn't shake the fear of her possible future. She could see it all so clearly. Nowadays, Lynn naturally avoids anything that could serve as a reflection. She would see her homeless adult self, and that depressed the heck out of her. The only comfort was from her brother. Now that he knows what she's scared of, Lincoln swearing it will never happen gives her hope.

Lincoln dropped his backpack and got in bed with Lynn. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close from behind. Lynn looked over her shoulder at him with quivering eyes.

"I'm here for you, Lynn," Lincoln said, "I'll always be here."

Lynn kissed Lincoln's hand, "Promise me . . . promise that you'll never leave."

"I promise, Lynn. I promise," Lincoln said before he kissed her head.

They lay together in the bed until dinner. Meanwhile, Future Lincoln lay on the house's rooftop, cloaked in invisibility to remain unseen.

He spoke softly, "Don't worry, Lynn. Little me is going to make you better . . . and soon, Dad, you'll be ready to learn the truth as well. Then maybe your family will love and respect you again, depending on how you react."

Future Lincoln looked back into the stars.

"What are you doing, Golden Star? What do you got planned?" Future Lincoln asked out loud, "Not knowing what's going to happen is killing me. How ironic."

Later

The last day of school finally arrived on Friday. While it felt like freedom for everyone, it did not for Lynn Jr. since she had to take summer school. The next day, Rita took her to see Dr. Lopez. The clinic was spotless, like an excellent dental office.

"You nervous, sweetie?" Rita asked.

"A little. I never thought in my life that I would need to go to a therapist. Does it really work? Therapy?" Lynn asked.

"In some ways, yes. Maybe not for everyone. It depends on the person and how good the therapy is. Part of therapy is determining what the problem is. So, that's why there's a lot of talking. Dr. Lopez is not going to judge you at all. She's going to ask questions to know how to help you," Rita explained.

Lynn looked away with a nod, "I see."

"Now, honey. Some of the questions she's going to ask are going to be very personal questions, and it may be uncomfortable to talk about the answer, but that's okay. The more she knows about you and what you're going through, the better she can help."

"I'm just trying to figure out what to see without revealing Lincoln's vision powers."

"You'll be fine. Plus, you're seeing Clyde later. He agreed to help, and you can talk to him about anything involving Lincoln's visions."

The receptionist said, "Lynn Loud Jr., Dr. Lopez will see you now."

Lynn got up and headed in. She looked over her shoulder, and her mother gave her an encouraging nod. Lynn went down the hall until she found Dr. Lopez's room. The room was just as lovely as the waiting room. On her door, it said, 'Dr. Yolanda Lopez.' Dr. Lopez was a beautiful woman of Hispanic descent with raven hair, tight blue jeans, a pink shirt, a green blazer jacket, and white glasses. She had a friendly and welcoming smile.

"Ah, you must be Lynn. I'm Dr. Lopez," Dr. Lopez greeted.

"Hello," Lynn spoke nervously.

"Please have a seat. You may lay down if you wish."

Lynn laid down on the leather chaise lounge couch. Dr. Lopez sat in her chair and readied her notepad and pen.

Author's Note: The following scene will show Lynn's therapy session with Dr. Lopez and Clyde afterward. With Dr. Lopez, Lynn will talk about her feelings and nightmares. With Clyde, she'll talk to him about things involving Lincoln's visions. So, when you read Clyde and Dr. Lopez talking, they're not in the same room. The scene will flip between the two, and you'll see that they both come to the same conclusion about Lynn. I'm explaining this so you don't get confused and know what's going on.

Clyde's house was neat and very clean. Not a significant change from being in Dr. Lopez's place. Luckily, Lynn and Rita were able to catch Clyde at a good time. He had the house to himself while his dads were out. Like with Dr. Lopez, Lynn lay on the couch while Clyde sat close by with a notepad and pencil at ready.

*Lopez*

Dr. Lopez adjusted her glasses, "So, before we begin, let me tell you a little bit about how therapy works. My job is to help you. In order to do that, I have to ask questions so I can determine the problem. There's no rush, and I want you to know that you are safe, and no one else has to know what you'll say or let out. Okay?"

Lynn nodded, "Okay."

"Anyway, I heard you haven't been doing so well. What seems to be the problem?"

"What did my mom tell you?"

*Clyde*

"That you ran away after overhearing something Lincoln said, but it was a misunderstanding. What happened?" Clyde asked.

"Lincoln and Lucy were talking downstairs. He confessed that he hated the old me. The overly competitive sore loser who only cared about winning. He talked about how he went through the five stages of grief. During his anger stage, he considered murdering me," Lynn explained.

Clyde's eyes widened.

"Yeah, so . . . I freaked out and ran away. But then Lincoln found me and explained everything," Lynn said.

"So, he knows about the nightmares you've been having? The ones about you being homeless?" Clyde asked.

"Yes."

"And you know he's going to help you, right?"

"Yes."

*Lopez*

"You've been having nightmares, but they're very specific. Is that right?" Dr. Lopez asked.

"Yes . . . lately, I've been seeing nightmares of myself. I'm grown up, and I'm homeless. I got no job, no home, no money . . . and no one. In them, I'm constantly looking for food or shelter or begging people for money. It feels so real," Lynn said.

"When did these nightmares start?" Dr. Lopez asked.

"Around the time, Lincoln got his medal from the governor. Before that, I was having nightmares after Lincoln got in the hospital after he ran away. Those ones were seeing him get hit by the car. I felt so guilty, because it was me and my sisters' fault," Lynn answered.

"Because of the Sister Fight Protocol?" Dr. Lopez questioned.

Lynn nodded. It was hard for her not to get choked up about it. Even though it was a long while since it happened, she could still remember it like it was yesterday – the look of fear in his eyes. Lincoln breaking the action figure on her head and, throwing her to the wall, and running away as if his life were in danger and getting hit by the car. All because of her and her sisters.

"It sounds like you and him are close," Dr. Lopez commented.

"We are . . . or at least, we used to be. When we were little, we used to do everything together. Lincoln would follow me everywhere I'd go . . . but then he grew up and made friends. He stopped being interested in the stuff I liked – sports and athletics. He got into comics and video games. In my mind, I thought my roughhousing would toughen him up. I had no idea I was giving him a reason not to trust me. Hence him running away from home," Lynn explained.

"Do you feel responsible for what happened to him?" Dr. Lopez asked after writing some notes.

"Yes . . . because I am responsible. My sisters and I made him that afraid. You don't run away from home if home feels safe," Lynn answered.

"And you said the nightmares of you becoming homeless started coming around the time Lincoln won his medal from the governor, right?"

Lynn nodded, "Yeah."

"Did Lincoln getting that medal affect you in some way?"

*Clyde*

"Do you feel jealous of him?" Clyde asked.

"No . . . yes. I don't know. I'm proud of him, of course. Lincoln has this strength that can't be measured. He's smart, he's brave, he's cool, and everyone loves him . . . and they should! He deserves to be in the spotlight," Lynn explained.

Clyde wrote down some notes.

"So, you're jealous, but you don't hold it against him. Are you jealous that he's winning now and you haven't lately?" Clyde questioned.

Lynn shook her head and stared at the ceiling, "I'm not really jealous of him winning. That doesn't bother me so much. What bothers me is he's a better person than me."

Clyde raised his eyebrow as he looked up from his notes.

*Lopez*

"Better person? Can you explain what you mean by that?" Dr. Lopez requested.

"I'm his big sister. I'm supposed to protect and take care of him," Lynn said, then closed her eyes as her mouth quivered while shaking her head.

The therapist saw that as she was paying attention to the little emotions she was showing.

"Growing up, as I got more athletic and after I got into middle school, I became a bully at home . . . and Lincoln was the main target of it mostly. I've roughhoused him the most, called him names the most, made fun of him the most, and treated him the worst. I was the worst sister . . . and I didn't know or cared what that was doing to him. And yet, despite it all, Lincoln did not let that make him into a bad person," Lynn turns her head to face Dr. Lopez, "Even after everything I did to him, he still loves and cares about me. He wants to help me just like he helps our sisters and other people. He saved Leni and Lana from dying! And I bet you a quarter a pop, he didn't even hesitate to help them. That's who he is. He has something better than greatness . . . goodness."

Dr. Lopez looked slightly concerned, "And you don't think you have goodness? Is that what you're jealous of when it comes to Lincoln?"

*Clyde*

"Yes!" Lynn exclaimed.

Clyde slightly flinched at that.

"I always thought he was better than me. I pushed myself to be stronger and better because I wanted to live up to him – to be the sister he deserved. I want to be a better person and a good human being like him! So, that I could be worthy to stand by his side," Lynn explained before she whimpered, "But I can't . . . because I'm capable of doing such horrible things to him."

Lynn lay on the couch holding her arms as her eyes watered. Just thinking about Lincoln's visions of what could have happened made her want to cry. Her whole family was capable of doing horrible things to him . . . and she was the one who would have started the fire to that powder keg.

Clyde wrote down some notes on his notepad.

"Lynn . . . you have to keep reminding yourself that those visions didn't come true. They changed because of you. Deep down in your heart, you knew what the right thing to do was. You knew what choice to make. You chose Lincoln. You chose family, and because of that, you changed the future.

*Lopez*

"You see yourself as a bad person and as a bad sister, but I don't see that, Lynn. A truly bad person wouldn't care nearly as much as you do, nor would a bad person want to be better. You have seen the error of your ways, and you want to change. Have you continued to hurt Lincoln since you came to this realization?" Dr. Lopez asked.

"No!" Lynn nearly exclaimed.

"Then you succeeded in the first step of changing for the better. Lynn, the world is not split between good and evil."

Lynn turned to look at her.

Dr. Lopez continued, "We're all capable of doing good and bad things. What we do defines who we are and whether we're good or bad. You have to keep doing good things and not bad things. It's so easy to make the wrong decision. Doing the right thing is not always easy . . . and sometimes it's hard to know what that is, but that's okay. We all need guidance before becoming the person we want to be."

Lynn took a moment to let those words sink in, and she was right. It made Lynn feel a little better than knowing that being capable of doing good is within her grasp and that her wanting to change for the better doesn't make her a bad person.

"Now, let's go back to the nightmares. Why are they so specific on you seeing yourself homeless?" Dr. Lopez questioned.

Lynn looked back at the ceiling, "I just . . . I haven't been doing so well at sports lately. I don't know if you've seen or heard, but I . . . I lost control of myself and attacked an old lady mouthing off to me."

"You mean Scoots? Yes, I've seen the video. That woman (sighs) has a filthy mouth. Anyway, please continue," Dr. Lopez said.

*Clyde*

"For a long time, it seemed like the only time I was ever winning was when I was playing as an overly competitive sore loser . . . and all those stupid luck rituals, and I don't want to play sports like that. But when I tried to play the right way, it just . . . I don't know. It, for some reason, didn't work out for me, and I don't know if it's me or if I'm just no good at sports anymore," Lynn explained.

"Losing two games doesn't make you no good for sports, Lynn, and both weren't your fault," Clyde said.

Lynn turned to look at Clyde, "But don't you think it better that I walk away from—"

"No, Lynn. No. You lost your confidence in yourself. You see yourself capable of doing terrible things, so you don't love or trust yourself, and because of that, you think you won't amount to anything in life. Hence the nightmares of you ending up as a hobo," Clyde stated.

Lynn's eyes widened as he continued.

"You need to believe in yourself. You need to trust and like the good things about yourself. You can't let all the bad things drag you down and make you feel worthless because that's not how Lincoln or your family and friends see you. You're not worthless or a bad person. That's why they want to help you. That's why they care about you. That's why they love you. Do you remember that movie 'The Prince of Egypt' and that song 'Through Heaven's Eyes'? It wasn't just about seeing yourself through God's eyes. It was about seeing your worth and yourself through a worldly view. What your worth is not only for yourself but for others and the world we live in. You need to see yourself from a different perspective to see your worth. Right now, you only see the bad things in you, but that's not all that Lincoln sees, is it?" Clyde explained.

Lynn sat up straight, and her eyes shifted between Clyde and looking away while thinking and letting his words sink in.

"Lincoln doesn't just see you as his sister. He sees the good in you. Believe me, before you and your sisters changed for the better after he got hit by the car, he was going to leave you. He used to think that you guys were a lost cause . . . but then something else happened. You guys saw the terrible in you and didn't want to be that, so you changed. You changed the future. Not just your sisters, Lynn. You did that, too, and he knows it. Now, he's not forsaking you. So, you need to try to see how he and your family and friends see you. See the good in you and allow yourself to trust yourself . . . to love yourself and the good things within you," Clyde stated clearly.

Lynn was quiet for a long while. A tear from each eye rolled down her face. Clyde handed her some tissues, and she wiped her eyes and blew her nose. Lynn thought about all the things he said. It was true. She did change the future and Lincoln's not giving up on her. He must see something in her if he still loves and cares for her.

"You're . . . you're making a lot of sense, Clyde. Dr. Lopez said something like that, too, but your version is better," Lynn said.

Clyde shrugged.

"You'd make an excellent therapist when you grow up," Lynn said.

"Thank you."

"So, if I do all that . . . then maybe I'd win again and not be homeless?"

"Yes. That saying that you can do anything if you put your mind to it is actually very true. It's been said a dozen times over, but it's true, Lynn. I promise you it is. Besides, Lincoln told me how you train him to be a fighter and take down not only those bullies but Crikey as well. If you can turn him into a martial artist, then you can do anything."

Lynn raised her eyebrows with a slight nod, thinking, "Yeah, that's true. If all else fails, I'd make a good instructor."