A few hours had passed since the kids had left and soon after the mothers all followed, leaving Loan, Liena, Lisa, Lulu, Lincoln, and Sid. Loan quickly disappeared up the stairs in a huff after her younger brother had to leave her and Liena disappeared into her greenhouse. Lisa disappeared into her lab immediately after breakfast. Lincoln was, for the time being, relaxing on the couch watching reruns of old gameshows to pass the time. Sid soon joined him with a couple of sodas. She was staring at him, grinning.

He sighed and took a sip from the can, "Go ahead, speak your mind."

"Just thinking about how much has... well... changed since the last time I was here."

Lincoln leaned against the arm rest, "Go on, tell me how it's Loan's fault."

She slowly frowned as she leaned her head on his shoulder, "Oh, come on Linc. It's not Loan's fault."

He glanced at her from the side of his eyes, "Yeah? Try explaining that to Ronnie."

She chuckled for a moment, "Well, I think any mother who's kid is being aimed for by someone 11 years older than them would be a bit frazled," she looked at him and smiled again, "Especially when they're still underage."

Lincoln leaned back, "It's not like she's creeped on anyone else. She had her brother back home, Lemy, Lyle, their friends, even Connor... she acts just as dodgy around them as she does anyone who isn't Bobby. I don't know why she's gravitated to that boy so hard."

"Well, he is a cutey," Sid noted, "But so are all your kids. I guess we really can't choose who we fall in love with," She leaned on his chest, looking up at him, "Can we?"

He nodded, "Yeah... but I'd prefer if they wouldn't fall in love with their own cousins."

"Or siblings," Sid corrected.

He averted his eyes when she said that, "Mhmm."

"You know Ronnie already knows, right?"

"Don't know what you're talking about, Sid," he said numbly.

"Oh come on, Lincoln," She slapped his chest, "You were always good at lying, but 20 years and I've pretty much got you figured out. So has she."

Lincoln said nothing.

"You can't deny someone who looks so much like you," she began circling his chest with her finger.

"As if," he chuckled, "Look at her. She's every bit as beautiful as her mother."

Sid shook her head, "No, from the pictures Rosie looks just like her, just tanner. Loan's got her father's smile, I saw it this morning as she held BJ."

He turned away, "I... just wish they were different than me and their mothers."

Sid nodded, "It would definitely make life easier on them," she looked up at him, "I... understand why you're so against it. Your sons are exactly like you. I could see any of them repeating your mistakes... but that's not really for you to decide for them."

Lincoln closed his eyes, "I'll do anything to protect them from it."

Sid was silent for a moment, but smiled, "Well, according to Loan if BJ just stays home with her she'd support him."

Lincoln shook his head, "So you heard that, huh?"

Her response was to laugh, "Does she do that every morning?"

"Only on school days," he noted as he ran his hand through Sid's hair.

"How the Hell would she support him anyway?"

"I haven't quite figured that out," Lincoln admitted, "I have no idea what the hell she does in her room. She's sound proofed it. She never asks for money, just shows up at meal times and randomly throughout the day, but packages occasionally arrive that she tries to sneak up to her room."

"So," Sid smiled, "What's in them anyway?"

Lincoln lowered his eyebrows and scrunched his face, "You think I would invade my children's privacy like that?" Sid tilted her head and pursed her lips until he smiled, "Alright, mostly porn, figurines, and manga. Some of that shit isn't cheap."

"See," Sid grinned, "I told you she was like you."

Lincoln rolled his eyes still smiling, "Fuck you."

She bit her lip, mounted him, and wrapped her legs around him, "Thought you'd never offer."

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Leni was laying on her brother's chest, relaxing after a day of sewing now that he was home from school. She would drift in between jealousy, when he would text Ronnie or Sid, to happiness every time he closed the messages when she saw his background innocently smiling at her. A picture of Loan from her first birthday with an Intel Blue onesy that Lincoln had bought for her. The fact that Lori hadn't burned it when it arrived had given him some hope, but the smile on that little girls face made it so much better. He couldn't thank Bobby enough for sending him that image. Everytime Leni saw it she rubbed her nose against her younger brother's neck, kissing it occasionally.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but you were right Lincy," Leni stated.

He cocked an eyebrow, "What are you talking about, Leni?"

"That color was way better than the Robin's egg I sent her. Look at how well it complimented her eyes! And her light blonde hair," Leni sighed, "She... She really is perfect Linc."

"Yeah," he agreed, "I just... wish I knew how."

"What do you mean?" Leni asked, "Look at her, she's all you, she's all Lori, she's always goin to be too."

That wasn't quite what he meant, but he smiled at the sentiment. He still had no idea how Loan came out so... perfect. He opened his gallery and shifted through the few photos he had of her from Leni or Bobby sending them to him. The first photo of her he ever received, the photo of her coming home from the hospital, the photo of her first toy, the video of her first laugh, her first steps, her first words, being, 'da da,' much to Lori's annoyance. the video of her first birthday cake, her first time trying ice-cream, and the image of her as his background.

He didn't even realize how he was smiling until he looked back down a Leni, who was smiling back at him. The look of love he had for his daughter was like a drug to her, sparking her possesive hunger for him. She swiftly brought her lips to his, parting them with her tongue. His older sister rarely was in such a mood, but the look of love he had for his daughter sparked her maternal instinct and her wants to share such a life with him. She still hadn't forgiven Lori, she wasn't sure how she could. She was certain Bobby was taking care of Loan, but she could see how much Lincoln wanted to be her father... even if he couldn't. It was written all over his face when he looked at these photos, and she was aiming to grant his wish.

On the other end of the lens observing them Lisa was jotting down notes on one of many vin diagrams with her three eldest sister's names on them. All with pros and cons of making them the first control. Luna's and Luan's vin diagram was almost neck and neck with positives and negatives. But Leni's... the only negatives she had were her intelligence and her habit of getting trapped in things meant to keep babies. The pros were a landslide. Emotional stability and availability, least likely to suffer from depression, least volatile, the only one with a consistent income, the list went on and on. It was, to Lisa, extremely obvious who the choice would be. She would wait until Loan turned 2, there was still plenty of time for something to go wrong, she needed to know how quickly the girl would develope. 2 is the average age for vocalization and mobility, one of which Loan already achieved at 10 months and the second she already had a head start on at 14 months. It wouldn't be long until the first dose would have to be administered. A year on the compound should be enough to see if the effects were truly reversable, and if not... well... they would surely forgive her for trying.

She swapped cameras as Leni began removing her top, rubbing the bridge of her nose, "I've seen enough of that for a life time," She noted before rewinding the tapes to half a week ago when he was laying in bed with Lucy.

That face... was she sure this was the best idea? She didn't even know what she was looking at in that glare of his. It made her skin crawl. What had her sisters done to him that made his eyes so... cold? She would have to study him more closely over the next year to make sure that he's safe enough to have a child. Something that seemed obvious to her in the beggining had become an unknown... how could he have changed so much in just over a year?

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Lincoln stumbled up the stairs with his shirt slung over his shoulder. His mouth was a little dry, like it always was after an hour of action, but he had to get a new shirt first. He pulled the tattered cloth from his shoulder, looking where the rip was in the center of the back.

He rolled his eyes and smiled, "Impatient little shit. I really need to start keeping clothes on lower floors."

As he climbed the stairs, the closer he got to the top floor and his room on it the louder a sound of either a working sawmill or one of Lizy's monsters got. He noted on the floor below his that the sound was coming from his eldest daughter's room, door partially open. When he entered the studio appartment he saw the culprit, laying comfortably in her bed with a lamb stuffed animal, real wool, in her arms, laying her head on the soft plush. Her posture was the culprit of the loud snoring. Laying on her back with the stuffed animal between her breasts, chin on top of it, and arms wrapped tightly around it's legs. She was out of her usual sweets, just in a tanktop and her panties now, legs wrapped around something that wasn't there. Lincoln noted how much she looked like her mother when she was her age. He also thanked God for her image issues and the fact that she hated wearing skimpy and tight clothes, otherwise there was no way he'd be able to protect the boy the plush was replacing.

He didn't know if she thought he didn't know why she had bought that plush, or if she just didn't care. He had felt it when she bought it and noticed a very similar texture to her younger brother's hair. He dreaded smelling it. He didn't want to believe his daughter would go as far as washing the damn thing with her brother's shampoo... but she was a Loud woman. He smiled as he ran his hand through her hair then sneered when she started giggling.

"Beej Bear... stop it..." she mumbled under her breath smiling.

He rolled his eyes and sighed, both at the comment and the familiar naming scheme. He'd have to do something about it eventually before she did something everyone was going to regret... he just didn't know what. But, the snoring couldn't be healthy for her... so his paternal instincts kicked in first and foremost. He gently lifted his daughter and turned her on to her side, making sure she was still gripping the stuffed animal however she wanted. The snoring subsided and Lincoln nodded before taking a look around the disaster area of a room. Clothes were strewn about next to several stuffed animals and fumos. She had a few hentai books peeking out from under her bed. From what Lincoln could see she was still, very much, on brand for her. Tanned younger boys, older sister types, curly hair. He didn't know how the hell she thought she was hiding it. How little did Lori pay attention to her? They'd have to have a long talk next time she was in town. At this point he's honestly surprised she doesn't just have a Daki with a, 'suspiciously similar,' character on it. He looked up on her shelves where some anime figurines from various popular anime he had seen or heard about, and even some he didn't know at all, kept with care.

He looked over to her computer desk, lock screen with a younger picture of her and BJ from when he was around 4 or 5, making her still a teen. Lincoln couldn't help but grin when he saw her awkward smile and the peace sign she was giving while BJ had his arms wrapped around him. He wondered how long she had that as her background. His eyes drifted to all her equipment. Microphones, cameras, ring lights, even a VR headset and a few consoles next to a small TV attached to her computer via a capture card. How the hell did she afford all of this? Another moment of parental dread set in... but quickly dissipated.

"It's Loan for God's sake," he reminded himself, "But still... I hope she isn't doing anything... dangerous at least."

He looked over to her, smiling and breathing gently now. She was beautiful, even for all her blaringly obvious faults. She was his first precious daughter. Even if worst came to worst, he would throw himself away to protect her. He kissed her on the forehead, causing her to stir and her smile to soften.

He expected her to say another off color comment about her brother, but froze when she softly whispered, "...Daddy?"

He checked to see if he had accidently woken her up, but she barely stirred into her Lamb plushy, he sighed in relief, then ran his hand through her hair, "Love you, sweetheart."

She grinned, "Love you... too."

He exited the room as silently as he came in and continued his trek to his room.

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Lori was gently bouncing her daughter, smiling as she cooed in her mother's arms. Lori had discovered many things about her now one year old baby, how sweet her voice was, how she had her father, her real father's, smile from when he was around her age, but most of all, she was an attention seeker. If she noticed her mother was spending time focusing on anything else she began screaming. She couldn't be mad at those blue eyes though. She feared post partum depression and the possibility of doing something wrong to her baby because of it. But every time she looked at her face she saw his face. She was teetering between hating herself and remembering more innocent times, playing with the small white haired baby staring up at her in awe. When Loan was there... she felt happy. Anytime Loan demanded her attention, she was there... because it distracted her. When she was alone, when Loan was sleeping, whenever she had time to think... inevitably she would think about him.

She would think about what she had done. She would think about the events leading up to it. She wondered if it was still going on or if both of them had grown out of it. She felt a tinge of jealousy when she thought that they might not have, much to her disgust. But Lucy, to her knowledge, still hadn't come up pregnant. Maybe this would just be a her and him thing? A secret she'd have to take to the grave. She was sure he knew. Leni stating he was asking about her every day told her as much. But he hadn't exposed her, hadn't demanded anything, and hadn't done anything to try to contact her. It made her sad... but she knew it shouldn't. She figured she was as much to blame as he was at this point... but she refused to put him in that situation again.

She didn't dare ask how he was doing. She didn't dare send him a message thanking him for the birthday gift. She didn't dare acknowledge his existence... least she finally crack. Right now she had Loan and that's what mattered. She was healthy, she was happy, she was safe. Though she was a little devil in her own right. She was still upset about her first words, directed at Bobby none the less, but she had nearly given her a heart attack the other day.

She set the girl down next to her in an effort to keep her placated for a moment while she sulked. Lori was weak sometimes, looking at old pictures of her younger brother when she was comparing their features. Loan had grabbed the phone and tilted it towards her. She studied the young boy smiling with the chip in his tooth taking a selfie with a younger version of her mother, and after a moment looked up at Lori with a big smile and the little blonde side ponytail that Lori had put in her hair in her light blue onesie... that he bought her.

She cooed out, "Da da!"

Lori's eyes immediately widened when the girl said that, time felt like it froze for a moment as she was confronted with the truth. She wondered if it was something like a sixth sense in her daughter. She started feeling anxiety... But then she remembered the offending girl was still a baby.

"Get a grip, Lori. It's the only damn word she knows," she sighed, "She called the checkout boy at the Inanout Mart da da too..."

"Da da?" her daughter repeated.

She smiled at the small girl, "No sweetheart... that's your Uncle Lincoln," she corrected before stroking his face with her finger, smiling weakly, "My... baby brother."

Loan looked back at the phone again, studying the boy in the photo and smiled looking up at her, "Da da!"

Lori shook her head smiling, kissing her forehead, before leaning on her arm, "Can you say, Lincy?"

The little girl looked up at her, smiling before shouting, "Inc!"

Lori nearly dropped the phone when she shouted it out. Her heart fluttered a little when she heard her baby's second words. She could feel it in her throat as she quickly pulled up contacts and clicked the one marked, 'Boo-Boo Bear,' Bobby picked up almost immediately.

"What's up, babe?" he asked in his usual jovial voice.

"B-Bobby! Loan just said her second word!"

"What?!" he screamed in excitement, "Did she finally say ma ma?!"

Lori's eye twitched, "No..." she answered through her teeth, realizing her daughter had snubbed her again.

"Oh..." Bobby chuckled nervously, "A-Anyway, what did she say?!"

"Well," Lori gathered herself, "I was... uh... scrolling through some old photos," at least it was a half-truth, "She saw Lincy in one of them and called him da da."

Bobby laughed, and teased, "I mean, that is her favorite word."

"Mhmm, rub it in," Lori chided putting a hand on her hip, "Anyway, I corrected her... she said Linc!"

"Inc!" the baby repeated throwing her hands up.

"Holy crap!" Bobby shouted in excitement, "We have to call him! He'd love that!"

"Inc!"

Lori froze at the suggestion, "I-I don't know Bobby... I'm still... I still don't think I'm ready to get her involved with my family."

"Babe," Bobby sighed, "Come on, I know you miss them."

She pulled her legs up on the chair, wrapping her arm around them, "Of course I do... but we have to focus right now... I'll tell him someday, but right now we have to focus on... well... us."

Bobby was silent for a moment, "Okay, whatever you say, babe... he'd still get a kick out of it though."

She smiled weakly as the image of him holding Loan flashed through his head as the baby called his name... her at his side, "Yeah..." she agreed before shaking the image out of her head, "A-anyway... her second word... and she'd not even 15 months yet!"

"I know! God, we're doing great at this parenting thing, babe!"

Lori looked at the little girl smiling at her, and nodded, "Yeah... Yeah I guess we are."

Lori wasn't proud of what she had done. She wasn't proud of the lies she was telling. But when she saw that smile, or when she got the demands for her attention, or when the little bundle of social energy shouted at random passers by, for a moment she felt as if all of it was worth it. Maybe one day she would be okay... but regrettably... nothing lasts forever.