It had finally been a month, the text came through that Friday morning, and Lincoln was frantically preparing pizza in the kitchen with Luan. The kids were almost all excited, any excuse for pizza was good for them, all except one. Loan sat on the couch, holding her support Bobby in her arms, trying to explain her distaste with the situation to Him, Lupa, who was reading a book in the arm chair on different funeral precessions around the world, Lacy, who hadn't stopped pacing since the word, 'pizza,' Liby, who was listening intently, and Reina, who was laying in BJ's lap.
"All these years apart and his in there rushing over her," She grumbled as she ran her hands through her younger brother's curly hair, "I just don't understand it..."
"Dad makes Pizza anytime my mom, Aunt Luna, or Aunt Lola come back from a tour, I don't know why it's that big a deal," Liby noted as she kicked her feet back and forth sitting on the coffee table.
"Yeah! Just be happy we're getting pizza like the rest of us!" Lacy suggested as she cartwheeled into a handstand.
"That's easy for you to say Lib, your mom hasn't ignored him for the better part of his life!"
"It's dad," Reina shrugged as she rolled into her brother's shirt, "It's not that surprising he already forgave her. I really think you're making a mountain out of a molehill."
"Like hell I am!" Loan fired back, tightening her hold on her brother causing him to yelp, "He's her little brother and she was the eldest sister! She got knocked up by him and abandoned him, running away from her problems, so she could mooch of Bobby!"
"L-Loan! C-can't breath!"
"Oops! Sorry BJ," she loosened her grip.
"Doesn't Uncle Roberto make less than your mom?" Liby clarified as she leaned back.
"...Irrelevant," Loan mumbled sheepishly.
"Very relevant," Lupa disagreed, slamming her book closed, "I think Reina's diagnosis is slightly off."
"Hey!"
"Not from lack of trying, mind you. No I think it's simple projection. Your trying to push your jealousy and resentment of Lori onto our dearest father."
"Why the hell would I be jealous of my mother?!"
Lupa turned her gaze directly to her younger brother, "Well... for having the lack of control to do something you've been wanting to do since BJ-"
"-What are you talking about?!" Loan demanded as her face began to flush.
"Oh for God's sake," Lupa rubbed her temples, "We all know you want to fu-"
"EAR MUFFS!" Loan shouted before blocking Bobby's ears.
"Hey!" he began trying to shake off his eldest sister's hands.
"What the hell Lupa?!" she chided as her face turned a few shades redder, "What in the hell gave you that idea?!"
"All your streams. Your chat brings it up constantly."
"You know about those?!"
"Not to mention your search history-"
"HEY! My computer is private, Lupa!"
"Ugh!" Reina crossed her arms in disgust, "Nobody cares about Loan's porn habit."
"Reina?!"
"Come on, everyone knows!" Reina rolled her eyes, "Well... everyone except the boys."
Loan glared at Liby, "Hey! It wasn't my fault this time! I mean... it's in your dossier but I don't just let random people read those! Those are... personal. Besides, Lupa was the one who told me too..."
Loan glared at Lupa who smiled maliciously before clasping her hands together, "Oh Bobby, don't worry, your big sister will teach you everything!" Loan was beginning to feel light headed from the embarrassment, Reina's cheeks were reddening to at the mocking impersonation of their sister mid tension relief thinking about her twin and she wrapped her arms around Bobby protectively, glaring at Loan.
"Reina I wouldn't... I would never... IT'S JUST FANTASY! What does that have to do with anything anyway?!"
"Everything," Lupa stated as she sat back down in her arm chair, "Your mother acted upon her carnal wants, you are still too meek or scared of the repercussions to do anything about it. But I don't know where this outrageous level of hatred in your mother stems from. I have a... similar issue to you... but I don't hate my mother near to the level you do."
Loan looked away, "Because your mother actually cares about you..." she released Bobby's head, and he turned to complain, but stopped when he saw her draw her legs in close to her, "Mine... all she's ever done is glare at me... and with Rinny and Rose were born... it was like I was invisible."
Bobby glared at Lupa, "What did you say to her?!"
"Don't take that tone with me, Robert."
"I'll take whatever tone I want with you! What did you say to her?!" he demanded again as he wrapped his arms around his oldest sister causing her to smile and return the hug.
"It's okay BJ... She didn't say anything..."
"Then why did you cover my ears?"
Loan's blush returned, "S-Sister talk?"
"Good god, this girl is doomed," Lupa sighed as she reopened her book.
"You're one to talk, Electra," Liby chided, earning a scowl from her younger sister.
Before Lupa could say anything back her father knocked on the side of the doorway, "Loan, your mom's coming up to the door, Liby, get your ass off of my coffee table, Lacy, settle down the pizza will be ready soon," Lincoln walked away and Liby stuck her tongue out, "Put that back in your mouth or I'll pull it out!"
Liby jerked her tongue back in her mouth and Loan sighed as she stood up, and sighed, "Damn it."
When Loan walked to the door she had known what to expect. She hadn't changed anything about herself. She was still her slovenly, slouchy, sluggish self. The combination of things she knew her mother hated the most. Her father was buying her time with his and her long embrace. She had to admit, she hadn't expected her nearly 50 year old mother to litterally jump into her father's arms like a giddy teenager. She had both arms and legs wrapped around him and was snuggling into his chest. How could he stand that woman. When he set her down she turned to see her daughter, sheepishly looking away and gripping her arm. She had expected many things; her to insult her appearance, her to chide her about not having a job, her to complain about her posture, but she would have never even entertain the idea of what happened. Her mother rushed her into a tight embrace, leaning her head on her shoulder.
"My baby..." she sighed, "I missed you."
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Lori was vomiting profusely again. Her baby was due soon, but she was still suffering the effects of morning sickness. Roberto, her loving husband, was holding her hair back for her as she suffered. She felt as if she deserved this. She was filth. She had broken both her brother's and her boyfriend's, now husband's, trust. It had worked out just like she had drawn it up. She had gotten back swiftly and managed to secure some alone time with Bobby. Two weeks later she dropped the news on him. He so readily accepted her words, so readily eloped with the promise of a larger wedding when they were more financially stable. She would be repenting for her actions for the rest of her life if it took it... but it still felt wrong. She knew who her child's real father was.
"There there, babe," Bobby comforted her, "It's alright."
"Thanks Boo-Boo Bear," she sighed as she laid face down next to the toilet.
It always came in threes.
She quickly moved back to the toilet as the second torrent hit her. It felt like even her daughter was punishing her for what she had done to the girls real father. Bobby had stated after they had gotten married if this one was so bad for her, they could stop after the one child. How could she tell him that the emotional fits were more due to her knowing that the baby in her womb was that of another man... one Lincoln Loud. She had taken the meds Lisa had given her religiously, and she felt a rush of relief when the doctors said that the baby was healthy with no genetic defects. Her daughter had avoided the consequences of her actions, but she hadn't. The more she thought about it the more it hurt.
"Babe? Are you alright?!" Bobby asked as he embraced her.
Lori hadn't realize it had begun again, the burning tears had turned into full on crying as she was thinking of him again, "I-I'm okay Boo-Boo Bear," she lied as she turned back to throw up for the last time.
How could she have been so blind? How hadn't she realized that she was exactly the same as Lucy? Everything she had done to run away from her strange affection from her younger brother had become so clear in the past few months. Her baby would be born in fall, weeks after her younger brother's own birthday. Just another thing to remind her of him. Always emotional... always romantic... always dramatic... always insecure. She spent all her time running away from being a child, not realizing that she was trying to run away from him. Every night they spent awake playing videogames together, every little fashion show her and Leni would put him through, every night she's sneak him out of him and Lynn's room to share her bed... every night she would argue with her younger sisters over who he had to spend time with... every thing she used to do she labeled as childish and refused to do anymore after she had set her mind on Bobby. She wasn't running away from being a child, she was running away from him. Now she was doing it again.
The best thing she could do for her younger brother was to run from him. A child was a huge responsibility, and just because she ran away from her childish ways didn't mean she wanted him to. She was, after all, in love with him the way he was.
"Babe! It's okay!"
She hadn't realized that she was hysterically crying now, "I-I... I-I," she stammered out several times.
He took her back into his arms and began rocking her, back and forth, and shushing her, "It's alright babe, I'm here."
And what about Bobby? She did love him, she knew that. She had steeled herself to give him his own children as penance for this, in addition to doing everything she could to support him in every way necessary. She would do anything to get a high paying position, golf in every tournament she qualified for, sell her soul even to bring him happiness. He deserved it, and he deserved better than her, but she was selfish. She was childish. She desperately missed her brother.
She stayed like this for a while longer. It wouldn't be long now until she welcomed her daughter into the world. She had been getting updates from Leni, she knew that Lincoln had passed all his classes for his freshman year. She was proud of him. She wanted to take him into her arms and congratulate him. But she had to stay away from him...
...All to protect him.
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Loan was sitting off to the side of the couch as her mother sat in her father's lap, his arms draped around her. Lori was drinking her third glass of wine, a bottle Lincoln had picked out for her, as they watched a season of Dream Boat they didn't get to during Loan's youth. The season was one of the few times they had a male captain. An ex-Navy captain named Roger. Early twenties, well built, college degree, and several jobs lined up, he had it all. He was extremely polite and intelligent to boot.
"He was alright," Lincoln noted as his introduction ended, "... for a squid."
Lori elbowed him and he chuckled, "This season was, literally, the weirdest though, why did they feel the need to invert the premise?"
"Ratings probably," Lincoln shrugged, "I've heard this was one of their highest rated seasons since season one."
Lori smiled a mischievous grin and Lincoln sighed when he saw it, "Don't give me that... I just wanted to ask you which one of the girls was your favorite."
"Oh, no!" Lincoln held his hands up, "I'm not falling for that again! That conversation almost started world war 3!"
"He chose Amy," a voice behind them made them jump as Lucy materialized from the darkness and wrapped her arms around her brother.
"What?!" Lori shouted after regaining her composure, "The Goth?! Lincoln Albert Loud!"
"Oh great," Lincoln shivered, "The full name... Dang it, Lucy. Thanks a lot."
"Why, of all people, her? Why not Jessica?!"
Lincoln smiled as he decided he might as well continue digging since he was already in the hole, "The loud bossy one?"
Lori lowered her eyes, "So you've literally chosen the human pretzel?"
Lincoln chuckled nervously, "I mean... Amy was sweet and shy-"
"And a manipulative little shit that pulled Roger away at every opportunity, sometimes after starting the fight!"
"Maybe our dearest brother has a type," Lucy suggested as she placed her chin on his head.
"His type is going to be salt and mustard when I'm done with him."
Loan stood up and began walking away from the couch, "I'm... tired... I'm going to bed."
She couldn't stand it. Watching her mother and father flirt was torture to her. The way he held her and the way she spoke to him. It was all too much for her. Her mother had been trying to talk to her all night... at least the parts of the night she wasn't to busy eye fucking her father. Loan wasn't blind, or stupid, her father had, as she feared, forgiven her mother entirely. She felt betrayed and hurt. He was the only escape she had... and even here she couldn't get away from that woman. She stomped up the stairs out of sight.
No quicker than she disappeared had Lincoln seen the pained expression on his older sister's face. He started to stand up but she stopped him and walked after their daughter. She walked directly to Loan's door and readied herself.
"No more running, Lori," she sighed as she gently tapped on the door.
"Go away dad..." Loan demanded in a low voice.
"Sweetheart? It's me..." no answer came through the door, so she opened it.
Loan didn't move from her pillow, "What do you want?"
Lori took a deep breath and sat next to her daughter, stroking her hair out of her face, "Sweetheart... I think we need to talk."
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The morning had been like any other. Lori had woken up and ate breakfast and drank a cup of coffee, only to vomit it up an hour later. She had put her feet up in the recliner, not quite being awake enough to realize what day it was when her water broke. Her mother-in-law was the obvious choice to bring her to the hospital while calling Roberto on the phone to scream at him the baby was coming. He would say he never saw his grandmother move so fast for anything in her life. She practically dove over the counter to relieve him from the Bodega to be present for their first born daughter. 6 hours of labor and a nap later she was in her arms.
"Wow, babe," Bobby warmly congratulated his wife, "She looks just like you!"
Lori could only smile at him. It was a somber smile though... because he didn't know how wrong he was. Lori still remembered the awful baby pictures she had hid from him for all these years. Her oblong head that thankfully straightened out, webbed toes that had fixed themselves, she wasn't the best looking baby on the planet... not like her. This girl in her arms with her bright blonde tuft of hair, soft eyes, chubby cheeks, and peaceful look. There was no doubt in her mind who this baby looked like.
She was the spitting image of Lincoln.
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Lori was silent for a while, Loan staring at her. She was trying to figure out how to word things, how to explain herself. But, sadly, she hadn't inherited that silver tongue that Lincoln so readily flaunted.
"Well, aren't you going to say anything?!" Loan demanded.
Lori said nothing, just glared at her causing her to defensively pull in her legs. She might not have inherited the tongue, but the presence was unmistakable. She hated it sometimes. She didn't want her daughter to fear her like she did. But that's not where her rebellious nature came from. Lori knew that.
"I... how do I tell you I'm sorry?" She sighed, "For everything."
Loan was in disbelief, "Sorry? You're sorry?! Yeah! That really makes things better mom! All the lies, how you treated me, treated dad! Not to mention the blatant favoritism you show Rose and Rinny!"
Lori smiled and turned to her daughter, "Is that what you think? They're my favorites?"
Loan froze when she saw her mother's warm smile, "W-well... yeah... I... I thought that was obvious..."
Lori shook her head and leaned against her daughter's knees and gently stroked her cheek, "I... I wish it were that simple."
Loan winced a little but didn't pull away, "What are you talking about?"
"Loan... I... I think it's time I try to explain why I stayed away from your father... my brother..."
"Explain?" Loan shook her head, "What's there to explain? You hated him for causing me! That's all there is to it!"
"God, Loan, will you just listen to me for once in your life?!" Her mother groaned and rolled her eyes, "You literally always do that shit! Always trying to blame yourself, it drives me crazy! My younger sister is Lisa Loud for Christ's sake! If I didn't want you, you wouldn't be here!" Loan balled herself up in silence, Lori hated having to do that to her, but it didn't look like she had shut down just yet, "I literally adore you-"
"-Well you have a-"
"-Weird way of showing it... I know. What else could I do? I'm a terrible adult! There are you happy?! I wanted to grow up so much I lost sight of who and what I really loved! Then I saw... something," she rolled her eyes, "Your Aunt Lucy... I got drunk... I forced myself on your father... It's not his fault you're here, it's mine!"
Loan's eyes widened, "Wh-What?"
"That's right... you ever wonder why I knew every move you were going to make on BJ before you made it? There you go... it's all the same shit I would've done at your age... if I had stayed. I had sex with your father the first night we were here-"
"-Gross! And I already kne-"
"-14 times..."
Loan's eye twitched, and she gagged, "14?! Jesus mom! I don't need to hear-"
"Your father is in peak physical shape now... He's grown into," Lori bit her lip, "quite the man..."
"Gross!" Loan repeated, "What the hell?!"
"He wasn't always like that. He was always a scrawny teenager... didn't have any stamina to speak of, minus what he gained from being forced to deal with your Aunt Lynn... I was... the same though... the alcohol made me tired... I fell asleep before I could take it further."
Her daughter finally picked up what she was trying to say, "Y-You..."
Her mother smiled, "I... I'm every bit my mother's child. Thankfully your Aunt Lisa came through again, or else you'd probably have around 8 or 9 other siblings," she looked away, "and if I hadn't removed myself from the picture probably another 10..."
"Jesus mom!" Loan shook her head in disbelief of the conversation they were having, "For God's sake, I'm your daughter!"
"You're also 21," Loan rolled her eyes, "Adults have sex, get over it. And if you weren't my daughter, you might be too."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"
"It means you realized something that it took me damn near your entire lifetime to realize," Lori smiled and narrowed her eyes, "The sweet little dorky ones are always the most enticing."
The younger woman blushed, "I-I..."
"BJ is cute... He is his father's son after all... But... I just... I don't want you to feel the heartache I felt."
"Wh-what about me?! Why didn't you at least let him be a part of my life."
her mother's smile never faded as she drew her knees in like her daughter, "You... You don't know how bad I wanted to run back home to him... show him how gorgeous our baby was... have him be a part of your life. But he was a teenager, Loan. He had his whole life ahead of him... or so I thought. Then Leni had Liena... I knew immediately what had happened. I blamed myself for that too... but I was also mad at him."
"See! I knew you hated dad!"
She rolled her eyes, "You are litterally such a dork," She squeezed her daughter's cheeks earning a yelp, "No you dweeb. I was mad at him for throwing his life away anyway. I thought about forcing him to take responsibility!"
"Mom?!"
"I was literally so jealous every picture Leni sent me! 'Look at how good Lincy is with Liena!' or 'Look at how hard he's working to keep her fed!' I was losing my damn mind! And every time I looked at you all I could see was him! Your sweet, trusting eyes, that smile of yours, even your voice reminded me of him! Good God Loan, it was torture! And then I just had to give in!"
"M-Mom calm down-"
"After Rinny and Rose were born Bobby was all, 'We should go see your family!' but I didn't want to! It's a miracle that I didn't jump him when I saw you two on the couch! God dammit! Why was he such a good father?!"
"M-Mom Breathe!"
"Then you got hooked on those damn video games and all I could see was him! Then you had to get obsessed with comics, just like him!"
"Manga-"
"Whatever! Do you understand how crazy it drove me! I tried my damndest to find something, anything, else for you to do! But no! You just had to inherit everything from him! It was like you were all tempting me! And I was so fucking good too! Then you just had to drop this!" she waved her hands around for inference, "All this shit back on me! What was I supposed to do?!"
Loan had never seen her mother like this, she was completely in disbelief, but the man smiling, arms crossed, in the doorway wasn't, "Ah... the old classic Lori neurotic breakdown... I missed those."
"Lincoln?!" Lori gasped, and glared at him blushing, "I-I thought I literally told you to stay downstairs!"
"And leave two emotionally vulnerable girls in a room together?" he rolled his eyes, "I've been a brother far too long to do that."
"I still owe you a human pretzel, you want to try for two?!"
Lincoln winced, "Um... Well... No. But I figured this couldn't hurt your case."
He threw his phone to Loan and Lori's eyes went wide, "L-Loan! Don't read those!"
Loan's eyes went wide when she saw the number of back and forth messages, "300,000?! You've only been on speaking terms for a month!"
Lincoln nodded and Lori groaned, "Your mother's... really bad at being level. When she reacts, she over reacts. Everything with her was a massive issue, it was either the end of the world or she was the queen of the world. You didn't get your anxiety from me."
"Hey!"
"Matter of fact, I don't think you got any of those traits from me," Lincoln smiled, "The only reason I liked videogames in the first place was your mother. I honestly think if your mother never met Bobby and never decided she wanted to fight her inner child to the death she'd be way more like you than I am."
"Bullshit!" Lori blurted as she pointed at him, "Don't you give me that smug smile, Lincoln Albert Loud! She's way more like you!"
Both froze when they heard something coming from behind Lori. First it was a silent giggling, then a bit of a laugh, then it developed into snorting hysterics. Loan was flipping through their messages, laughing harder as she went.
"Jeez mom! I didn't know you were so... cringe!" she gasped between laughs.
Lori's face was beet red as she swiped for the phone, "That's enough young lady! Those are private!"
Loan dodged her mother, reading another message after each failed swipe, "Lincy! I miss you so much! I can't wait to see you! How's our beautiful daughter! Jeez mom, it's like you're a damn teenager!"
"You will quit making fun of me this instant! I am your mother!"
Loan hid behind her father, "Protect me, Lincy!"
"That's it!" Lori growled as she swiped at her.
Lincoln picked up both girls, smiling ear to ear, "Every bit your mother," he chuckled before taking the phone back.
"Hey! I wasn't done reading!"
"Lincoln! Spank her right now!" Lori demanded.
"Not going to happen, an unruly 10 year old, sure, but it's just weird when your daughter is 21."
"Well, maybe she should act like it!"
"You first, hag," Loan teased.
"What did you call me?!" Lincoln couldn't help but laugh, "Don't laugh at that!"
"No... No... that's not it. It's just better to see you two like this... getting along."
Both women glanced at each other for a moment and smiled, first Loan then Lori. It was going to take a while... but for once Loan felt like she could connect with her mother. She had never seen her mother so... relaxed. And for Lori's part, her daughter was finally genuinely smiling at her.
"You girls want to go downstairs and finish the Dream Boat?" Lincoln asked as he began moving towards the stairs.
Loan nodded, "Yeah dad... I think I'd like that."
This was the first, but wouldn't be the last, time Loan had truly connected with her mother that she could remember... but Lincoln knew of one time before then. He had seen that smile on Lori's face once before, so he knew everything was going to be alright.
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Lincoln was leaning his forehead on his locker, staring down at his phone. His smile was somber as he glanced at the photo that Bobby had sent him earlier that day. A picture of Lori holding a small blonde baby girl. The smile that Lori had holding the bundle was a motherly one. A warm one. The smile of a woman in love.
"Lincoln, are you okay?" Clyde asked, breaking him out of his stupor.
"Huh?!" Lincoln jolted up, "Oh! Yeah! Sorry... I'm just... I have a lot to think about."
He followed his friend silently, thinking that in that moment, in that picture, his older sister had never looked more beautiful... but all he could do was wish her the best...
For her own happiness.