Repressed Memories - Chapter 4

the princess and her knight

plane-theory

8

Lincoln's pace slowed as their house came into view. As he and Luan approached the lawn, his movement had slowed to a crawl, and Luan was practically dragging him towards the steps of the house.

Normally, the house had a chaotic, but comforting aura around it, but for now, all Lincoln could feel was dread and anxiety.

Lincoln hadn't even realized that he had stopped at the bottom of the steps. Luan shook his shoulder slightly, bringing him back to reality.

No words were exchanged as Luan lightly squeezed his shoulders and started up the steps, beckoning for him to follow.

Taking a deep breath, Lincoln stepped into the foyer, preparing for the worst.

When Lincoln stepped into the living room, the first thing he noticed was the silence. The normally boisterous house was uncharacteristically quiet. Lincoln looked around, seeing the twins on the sofa, watching TV. He heard some dishes clanking quietly in the kitchen, and he assumed it was his father's doing.

When Luan closed the door behind them, the eyes of the twins suddenly shot towards them.

"Linky!" Lola exclaimed, hopping off the couch to grab his arm. "You know that favor you promised me the other day? I'm cashing that in right now."

"R-right now?" Lincoln asked nervously. There was an unusual edge to Lola's voice, and Lincoln did not want to be the one to weather that particular storm.

"Yep, now," Lola said with a smile. "Unless you are just far too busy for little old me… in which case…" Lola's voice trailed off, her voice becoming more menacing as she continued.

"Actually I had something to do with Lu-" Lincoln started, before Luan cut him off by clapping a hand on his shoulder.

"Nope, that's cancelled." Luan said, voice chipper as always. Leaning closer to Lincoln, she began to whisper. "I'll try to talk to Lynn and Luna, but I can't help you with the little princess, sorry."

"Luan wait-" Lincoln started, but before he knew it, Luan was already bounding towards the stairs, leaving Lincoln alone with the twins in the living room.

"No objections then?" Lola remarked, her grin widening.

Lincoln glanced towards the couch, where Lana shrugged at him, and then he shot a glance towards the stairs, where he saw Luan mouth something at him.

I think she said 'good luck'... or maybe it was 'you're fucked.'

Lincoln sighed internally, somewhat agreeing with the voice's assessment.. "No objections," he replied, sealing his fate.

With Lincoln's resignation, Lola's shark-like smile softened into a real, genuine one, or at least Lincoln thought her expression had softened. Grabbing his hand, Lola dragged him to the couch.

"So what did you have in mind, Lola?" Lincoln asked, his apprehensiveness dissipating, being replaced with curiosity.

Lola hummed as she hopped back onto the couch. "We-ll," she said, stretching out the word. "Normally you would be formally invited to one of my tea parties but…" Lola suddenly paused, smirking.

"...But what?" Lincoln asked, his nervousness returning. It showed on his face, and his palms were beginning to dampen the longer Lola stayed quiet.

After a bit of watching him squirm, Lola's smirk morphed into a real smile. "What are you so nervous about Lincoln?" she giggled. Stretching herself out on the couch, she continued. "But I just don't feel in a partying mood right now, so the plan is for you to watch this fashion show with me."

"That's it?" Lincoln asked, relief flooding his voice. "Bit of a waste of a favor, isn't it?" he said rhetorically as he also moved to sit on the couch.

Lola's expression shifted for a second, a fleeting expression that Lincoln couldn't quite place… and as soon as he had noticed it, it was gone, replaced with a haughty smile. "Too easy, then?" Lola said teasingly. "Go and fetch my favorite blanket, and my special tea from my room then, my knight."

Lincoln sighed deeply, before donning his 'formal' voice. "Of course, my princess," he said, exaggerating a bow. "Just… I don't know where those things are."

Lola rolled her eyes. "Useless…" she scoffed, but her tone was light and playful.

"I'll come with you Linc," Lana piped up, hopping off the couch.

"Ah yes, my most loyal knight, show the new recruit the ropes," Lola said, still in her princess-voice.

Lana rolled her eyes back at her. "Aye-aye captain," she said sarcastically as she walked towards the stairs, Lincoln in tow.

"You could at least pretend to play-along," Lola's indignant voice echoed after the duo as they ascended the steps.

As they reached the top of the steps, Lincoln heard Lana chuckle. Looking left and right, the hallway was mercifully clear. Lincoln let out another sigh of relief as Lana looked at him, puzzled.

"You good Linc?" she asked as she opened the door. Lincoln nodded in reply, and Lana narrowed her eyes slightly before dropping the subject.

"Anyways," Lana said, pointing at Lola's nightstand. "The tea set is under there, in the pink toolbox." Lana turned and opened the closet door, grabbing a pink blanket.

Picking up the plastic pink toolbox, Lincoln looked inside, seeing a small box of chamomile tea, and a couple of actual china teacups. "Hey, what happened to the actual toy tools inside this toolbox?" Lincoln mused. "Wasn't this initially yours?"

Lana grinned, "Yeah, I remember not liking it because it was pink…" Lana shook her head, her smile dropping. "Linc," she said seriously, shutting the door, "I need your help."

That caught Lincoln's attention, half due to the request for help, which would always catch his attention somewhat, but also due to the parallel to the situation he had with Lucy earlier this morning. His guilt redoubled, and he paled, something that did not go unnoticed by his younger sister.

"Linc, you sure you're alright?" Lana asked.

Recomposing himself, Lincoln shook his head quickly. "Yeah, I'm fine Lana, just lost focus for a second. What did you need?"

Lana sighed. "It's about Lola…"

Lincoln nodded, waiting for Lana to continue.

"Lately, she's been more upset than usual about something…" Lana's voice trailed off as she tried to further articulate her thoughts. "I don't know… usually she tells me about whatever is bothering her but… she just dodges my questions." Lana shot him a dirty look. "Kind of like what you're doing."

The last statement caught Lincoln off guard. "Uh-" he started, but Lana quickly waved him off.

"I get it Linc, you don't gotta spill whatever's bothering ya." Lana said with a shrug. "I really am somewhat concerned about Lola though…" Lana continued, eyes downcast.

"I hear you," Lincoln said. "Now that I think about it, she was acting a bit weird downstairs earlier, huh."

"Honestly, she's been acting sorta weird all week, but it was really obvious today," Lana replied, straightening up. "Ready?"

Lincoln nodded, and quickly stole Lana's red hat, ignoring her surprised cry. "Detective Lincoln is on the case, don't worry," he said with a smile, ruffling her hair.

Lana suddenly turned around and hugged him. "Thanks Linc," she said, before holding her free hand out expectantly. Lincoln looked at her confusedly, prompting her to sigh exasperatedly. "My hat…" she said flatly, a smile still on her face.

"Oh… right," Lincoln said, ruffling her hair one last time before placing the hat in her hand. "Best not to keep the princess waiting, miss loyal knight." Lincoln said wryly, picking up the pink box.

"Whatever you say bro…" Lana replied as she opened the door, and the two made their way back downstairs.

"Took you guys long enough," Lola's voice, lofty as ever, echoed in the living room as Lana and Lincoln walked down the stairs.

Lana tossed the blanket at her as Lincoln brought the box to the kitchen. He could hear Lola and Lana begin to squabble about something, and he shook his head ruefully.

Some things never change.

"Lincoln? Did you need something?" The sound of his father's voice brought Lincoln back to attention.

"Oh, yeah dad, Lola wants this tea brewed, so I need to use the stove." Lincoln said, opening the box and placing it on the counter.

His father smiled. "Glad to see you hanging out with your younger siblings, sport," Taking out the kettle, he filled it with water and turned on the burner. "I can prepare the tea for you guys," Lynn Sr. said, patting Lincoln on the back.

"Thanks dad," Lincoln replied, walking back to the living room.

Reaching the living room, Lincoln noted that the small fight had stopped, and Lana had disappeared.

"Where did Lana go?" Lincoln asked, wincing as he saw Lola's expression darken.

"The more important question is where's my tea?" Lola replied, arms crossed.

Lincoln rolled his eyes as he sat down on the couch next to her. "Dad's boiling the water for it right now, surely you don't want cold tea, right?"

Lola turned her nose up and sniffed at the mention of cold tea. "I suppose not," she conceded. "Cold tea is a sin."

Lincoln slouched on the couch. "So what are we watching, exactly?"

"Fashion documentary," Lola replied, curling up next to him. "Linky, the blanket," she whined.

"Of course, my princess," Lincoln said in his formal voice, eliciting a smile from Lola. He reached to his left, grabbing the pink blanket, and draping it over them. "Why me though?" Lincoln asked in his normal tone. "I don't really know much about fashion, wouldn't Leni be better for this type of thing?"

Lola shifted. "I need someone to explain the big words they use," she whispered, her cheeks turning slightly red. "Plus Leni already knows all these things about fashion, so I feel a little dumb when she gets all of it and I don't and-"

Lincoln cut off her rambling by pulling her closer. "Man, you like overthinking things, huh?" he remarked, giving her a half-hug. "Just like me," he said with a laugh.

"Hmmph," Lola grunted, sinking further into the couch, but Lincoln could see a small smile on her face.

All things considered, Lincoln had to admit that the documentary was more interesting than he thought it would be. Additionally, the tea wasn't half bad either, but Lincoln realized that Lola was right about cold tea.

"So what did you think, Linky?" Lola asked, turning towards him.

"Honestly, a lot of it went over my head, but it was pretty interesting." Lincoln replied, stretching his arms out.

Lola, satisfied with that answer, turned back around and snuggled up closer to him.

"So what now?" Lincoln asked, putting an arm around her shoulder.

"I'm going to take a nap," Lola yawned. "You can change the channel, if you want," Lola gestured to the remote on the table.

"Am I not allowed to move?" Lincoln asked sarcastically, reaching for the remote.

"Nope," Lola said, pulling the blanket around herself and laying her head down in his lap.

"Fine," Lincoln smiled, pulling one end of the blanket over her shoulder. "But only for you, my spoiled younger sister."

"Liar," Lola retorted with her eyes closed. "You'd do it for any of us."

"I guess you're right, " Lincoln replied.

"I always am." Lola said with a smile.

The two stayed like that until Lynn Sr. called them for dinner. Lola demanded to be carried to the table, which Lincoln reluctantly agreed to do. Lincoln took his seat at the kids table, silently dreading the appearance of the rest of his family.

Lana and Leni had come in together, both giving him a wave as they passed. His mother walked in, looking somewhat worse for wear, carrying Lily. Lisa had been the next to walk in, staring at him, studying him.

"You, uh, need something from me, Lisa?" Lincoln asked nervously.

"Actually, yes, brother." Lisa replied, eyes narrowing. "I have a couple of questions I need to ask you, privately."

"Sorry Lisa," Lola butted in. "Not tonight, Lincoln's booked with me later."

"Lola I must insist-" Lisa started, but Lola cut her off again.

"No can do, brainiac," Lola said, glaring daggers at her, and Lisa relented.

Moment of truth, buddy.

The voice rang inside his head as his 4 other sisters filed into the room. Luan was first, averting her eyes, not looking at him.

So much for anything…

Luna was next, looking at him with a mixture of cool confusion, and disappointment, which honestly hurt more than Luan's rejection.

Third was Lucy, and for a brief moment, Lincoln felt their eyes meet through the veil of her hair, and Lincoln saw her flinch, averting her gaze. Lincoln wanted to call out, to apologize, but this was neither the time, nor the place, and he stayed silent.

Finally, Lynn Jr walked in, closely following Lucy, her gaze burning a hole through Lincoln, hostility evident. Lincoln jerked slightly, staring at the table.

"What's her problem?" Lola asked, but Lincoln didn't respond.

The rest of dinner was a blur. Lincoln excused himself quickly, saying that he wanted to get a head start on the bathroom before anyone else, and scampered upstairs.

After showering and brushing his teeth, Lola was waiting outside the bathroom for him.

"What now, Lola?" Lincoln asked, slightly on edge.

Lola ignored his tone. "Read to me for a bit, Linky," with that, she spun on her heel and started towards her room, gesturing for him to follow.

Shaking his head slightly, Lincoln followed.

After depositing his dirty clothes and towel in his room, Lincoln found himself in the twins' room again.

"Took you long enough," Lola snarked, tapping her bed.

Lincoln sat, taking the book from Lola, and began to read aloud.

Finishing the book, Lincoln closed it, the book making a whooshing sound as he slammed it shut. "Are we good, Lola?" Lincoln asked, beginning to get up.

"Lincoln, wait," Lola said quietly, grabbing his arm.

Lincoln suddenly remembered his earlier conversation with Lana, and settled back down on the bed. "What's bothering you, Lola?" he asked gently. "You can tell me anything, you know."

Lola's face seemed surprised. "Lana…" she hissed, but her hiss lacked malice.

Lincoln patiently waited for her to continue.

"Lincoln…" Lola said, her face and voice hesitant. "Do you think that our siblings… hate me?"

"No, of course not," Lincoln replied immediately, a confused expression on his face. "We all love you, what gave you that idea?"

'That was the wrong thing to say,' Lincoln thought to himself, as Lola's face drooped further.

"Nobody willingly chooses to play with me, or do want to do anything with me." Lola said quietly, drawing her knees towards her chest.

"That's not true-" Lincoln started, but Lola interrupted him.

"Lincoln, when's the last time any of our siblings, minus you, Lana, or Leni, did anything with me without me calling in a favor?" Lola asked, a resigned tone to her voice.

Lincoln stayed silent, thinking. "See, you can't think of any times…" Lola remarked, deflated.

"That doesn't mean they hate you, though," Lincoln exclaimed, grasping both her hands. "Everyone just has their own things going on, you know. When's the last time any of our sisters just hung out with me, without needing something from me?"

Lola stared at him. "It's different with you," she said bitterly. "You're everyone's favorite."

"What?" Lincoln asked, dumbfounded.

"Do I really need to spell it out for you, Lincoln?" Lola spat, a mix of anger and desperation in her voice. "You're Lisa and Lucy's favorite, Lynn always asks you to be her sports partner, Lori and Luna have a soft spot for you, Luan literally takes you on as her assistant sometimes, you know how Lana and I feel about you, and hell, you're even mom's favorite!"

Lola was crying at this point, and all Lincoln could do was hug her. "I-im sorry?" he said hesitantly, rubbing circles into her back.

"Don't apologize," Lola whispered, clinging tighter to him.

"Alright, sorry Lo - Ow…" Lola shot him an angry look, slugging him in the shoulder as he instinctively apologized again.

Lincoln shifted his weight, prompting Lola to look at him. "Listen Lola, no matter what, none of us could ever hate you."

"You really mean that?" Lola asked, her voice quiet and scratchy.

"I mean… don't push your luck and murder someone," Lincoln joked, earning him another swat to the shoulder.

"Alright, I get it, no more jokes," Lincoln said soothingly, patting her back.

The two of them settled into a comfortable silence, as Lola's sobs subsided.

"...Lincoln?" Lola's voice cut the silence hanging over the room.

"Yeah?" Lincoln responded.

"Do you think I'm selfish?" Lola had somewhat recomposed her voice, although it was still quiet.

"Lola, you're six." Lincoln laughed. "Six year olds are supposed to be selfish sometimes."

"But-" Lola's eyes began to tear up again.

"We all have our bouts of selfishness." Lincoln said, cutting her off. His hand reached up to stroke her hair. "We love you, selfishness and all."

Lola buried her head in Lincoln's chest, and Lincoln placed a kiss on her forehead as the two settled back into silence.

A couple minutes passed, and Lola's breathing had returned to normal. Lincoln gently shook the small girl, receiving no response.

"Lola?" Lincoln asked, his voice light.

No response.

"Lola, I know you're awake," Lincoln laughed, poking her side.

"No, I'm not," Lola's voice was muffled by his shirt.

"Come on, you still gotta get ready for bed," Lincoln said softly, slowly peeling her off of his body.

"...carry me," Lola said in a pouty voice, now looking right at him.

Lincoln rolled his eyes at her as he stood up from the bad, prompting a whine from the girl. "Fine," he said, a reluctant smile on his face. "But only if you grab your stuff right now."

Lola walked to her closet, grabbing a pair of pajamas, and a towel, both pink, of course, and walked towards Lincoln, who was now standing near the door. Lincoln stretched his arms out, but Lola suddenly stopped.

"Lincoln," she said, looking at the ground. "You don't actually have to carry me."

"What if I want to?" Lincoln asked as he swept her into his arms, ignoring her yelp of surprise.

"Suit yourself," Lola replied, covering her face in what seemed to be embarrassment, a red hue spreading on her cheeks.

"Just for you, our little princess," Lincoln said, laughing as her face grew even redder. He turned to open the door, when Lola spoke up again.

"...Lincoln," she whispered, and he stopped.

"Yeah?" he asked, turning his head back towards her..

"...thanks," Lola muttered, still covering her face.

"Anytime," Lincoln replied with a smile.

After carrying Lola down the hall to the bathroom, Lincoln turned around to go back to his room, freezing as he heard a pair of footsteps coming up the stairs. Lincoln wanted to run back to his room, but his feet were rooted in place. His mind raced, mentally dreading Lynn or Luna rounding the corner.

"What's got you looking like a deer in headlights, Linc?" a voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

Lincoln relaxed, thanking his lucky stars. "Just thinking, Lana," he replied with a shaky smile.

Lana narrowed her eyes at him for the second time that daw, and Lincoln's nerves began to return. "Everything alright?" she asked, suspicion evident in her tone.

"Y-yeah of course," Lincoln replied, mentally cursing his stutter.

"You sure?" Lana started walking towards him, and Lincoln took an instinctive step backwards. "Cuz you seem mighty nervous about something, and Lynn didn't seem too pleased with you at dinner earlier…" Lana's voice trailed off, leaving the connection unspoken.

Lincoln shook his head again. "Nah, everything's all good," he said, shooting her a thumbs-up.

Lana shrugged, "Whatever then," suddenly, she rushed forward and gave him a hug.

"Huh?!" Lincoln exclaimed in surprise.

"Thanks for helping Lola," Lana said, her voice returning to her usual scratchy state. Before Lincoln could respond, she continued. "Since you helped me out, I'll drop this for now."

"I didn't do it for a favor," Lincoln responded, reciprocating the hug.

"I know," Lana said. Lincoln could hear the smile on her face. "That's why you get one." And with that, Lana pulled away and scurried back to her room.

Lincoln walked back to his room, feeling slightly better about himself.

Back in his room, Lincoln laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The events of the day were beginning to hit him hard, and he wasn't sure he wanted to deal with those thoughts at the moment.

Once he started thinking though, he couldn't stop, replaying the morning in his mind. Lucy's small frame, the fear, the flinch, Lincoln's guilt welled up inside him, starting to overflow.

Covering his eyes with his arm, he felt the tears begin to flow.

Lincoln wasn't sure how long he laid there, but as the seconds turned to minutes, and minutes turned to what felt like hours, he laid there, feeling like a shell of himself.

Suddenly, he was interrupted by a knock on his door, and his whole body tensed instantly.

Another knock, this time more insistent. Mentally bracing himself, Lincoln dragged himself off the bed, flicking on the lights. Rubbing the now dried tears off his face, he opened the door, relaxing as he saw Lola standing in the hallway.

"Did you need something else, Lola?" Lincoln asked, still rubbing his eyes.

Lola was wearing her pajamas, clutching a pink bundle in her hands. "Yes, move aside, Linky," her voice had regained her usual authoritarian tone, leaving no room for disagreement.

Lincoln stepped aside, a confused expression on his face. Lola then sauntered past him, tossing the bundle onto his bed, which unfurled into a blanket and a pillow.

"Lola what are you doing?" Lincoln asked, recovering from his initial surprise.

"What does it look like, Linky?" Lola hopped onto the bed, her voice slow and condescending.

"It looks like you're hijacking my bed," Lincoln snorted, running a hand through his hair.

"No, I'm gracing you with my presence," Lola proclaimed, fixing her blanket and pillow on one side of the bed.

"Do I get a choice in this?" Lincoln asked, already resigned to the situation, moving to close the door again.

"What do you think?" Lola asked, sliding her eye mask on and snuggling under the covers.

Lincoln sighed, turning the lights back off and laying back down on his bed, now shifted slightly to the side.

It was going to be a long night.

A/N:

oops…

So it's been almost two months since I updated this story, and there are a few reasons for that, I guess. Firstly, finals kind of kicked my ass. Then I had some computer problems, then I had a health problem (that is now fixed, for now) and then I got hit with a bit of writer's block.

Anyway, you guys probably don't care about these excuses, but I did write a bit of a longer A/N sorta thing, and I posed it on my new WordPress blog/website thing, so give it a look if you wanted to know what I've kinda been up to this past month, and why I didn't update.

(https) : / / (planetheoryff)(.wordpress) (.com) /

remove the spaces and parentheses ()

-easier to read link in my profile - gotta get around FFnet's thing about links.

I meant for this chapter to come out before Christmas, but writing the last part of the chapter was somewhat difficult for me - more details on the blog post thing if you're interested.

I did receive some nice messages, DM's and Reviews asking me if I was alright, and for those, I am thankful for, it is nice to know there is a bit of a community behind me. Updates more often, hopefully. (Picking up the Pieces chapter for sure before the end of the year.)

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Reviews Welcome