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What She'd Been Missing	By : Trillhouse Category: +G through L > The Loud House Views: 8870 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own The Loud House, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Ronnie was not having a good night's sleep.
She frowned as she glanced over at the empty space beside her. She missed his warmth, his presence, his embrace… she always did when this sort of thing happened. Over the years she'd come to understand the cycle of these arguments: they would fight, even if one of them knew they were wrong they'd continue to press the issue, they'd fume on their own for a while and then the next morning they'd make up. She'd once asked her mother-in-law if this was normal for a married couple, and she'd been assured that it was. Still… it didn't make her feel much better. She'd never seen Lincoln so furious before.
Ronnie sighed as she turned onto her side. Quite frankly, she was still mad with her husband… he had completely disregarded her feelings and made a reckless decision on his own. He had always been one driven more by emotion than logic, but this was going too far. Yes, Loan was his daughter, but that didn't change the fact that she was mentally ill. To accept such a massive responsibility without hesitation was a stupid choice, one that her husband had no right to make without at least discussing it with her.
However, that wasn't to say she hadn't been in the wrong as well.
Ronnie knew she had crossed the line. She'd been unfair to the poor girl… beyond unfair. She'd called her a thing. She hadn't even meant to… it had simply been in the heat of the moment. She didn't actually think that.
…Right?
Ronnie felt a pit in her stomach. She didn't hate Loan. A small part of her resented the girl perhaps, but that was more due to what she was rather than who she was. In truth, she liked Loan well enough… despite her instabilities, she seemed like a sweet girl. To disregard her as a human being just because of the circumstances of her birth was a disgusting act, and Ronnie knew this. Loan had never asked for this… she'd never asked to be born of such a sinful union.
There was one thing Lincoln had said that still weighed heavily on her mind. If she had been yours and Bobby's, you'd do no different. Ronnie couldn't say that she would… nor could she say that she wouldn't. It was such an absurd hypothesis that she couldn't even begin to consider it. But one thing was clear: what bothered Ronnie the most wasn't that Loan existed.
It was who her mother was.
Ronnie grumbled in annoyance as she glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was nearly five A.M… as much as she wanted to get in another hour or two of sleep, she knew she wouldn't be able to. With a grunt, she swiveled herself around to sit on the side of her bed. She rubbed her bleary, tired eyes; she figured as long as she was up, she may as well get an early start on breakfast. Ronnie forced herself to get up, sliding her feet into her slippers before heading out to the living room.
The sight that greeted her stopped her dead in her tracks.
Lincoln and Loan were seated beside one another, fast asleep; they were both leaning against each other, the afghan lying askew across their laps. Ronnie's eyes narrowed. For a moment, all she could see was her husband and that bitch snuggled up together.
But only for a brief, fleeting moment.
As much as she looked like her, that girl was not his sister. She was his daughter, andwhether or not she was Ronnie's did not change that fact. And seeing them like this… seeing that scared, nervous wreck of a girl sleeping peacefully alongside her father… if she were to be completely honest, it was downright adorable.
Ronnie was still mad, but at some level she could understand. For twenty-one years this girl had been virtually unknown to Lincoln, and now, as if guided by fate, she had entered his life. The same was true for Loan as well: she'd just discovered a father she never knew she had. Whether or not Ronnie approved, Loan was here now and she wasn't about to force the girl to leave… besides, she and Lincoln both deserved a chance to know one another.
Ronnie sighed softly as she headed to the kitchen. She'd have to make a good breakfast today.

Lincoln's dream started out pleasant enough. He was making love to his wife… she straddled his waist, bucking her hips against him in ecstasy. Lincoln threw his head back against the pillow, shutting his eyes as he thrust his hips up to meet hers. "Fffuck…" He hissed.
"That's right…" Ronnie cooed. "That's right… feels good, doesn't it…?" He was about to respond, but something seemed… off.
That wasn't Ronnie's voice.
Lincoln opened his eyes to find not his wife, but Lori riding him… not as she was then, but as she was now. She looked down at him with that same hunger in her eyes she'd had all those years ago. He tried to scream, to throw her off, to do something to stop this, but he wasn't in control of his own body; in fact, to his horror, he was still thrusting against her, his hands planted firmly on her waist.
"Yeah… you love it, don't you?" His sister hissed. "You LOVE it!"
"Yes…" He found himself responding, despite his best efforts to say otherwise. Lori let out a low chuckle, stopping her assault long enough to lean over and give him a deep, passionate kiss… one he found himself returning without hesitation.
He could taste the alcohol on her tongue.
The kiss broke. "Fuck me, little brother…" She whispered into his ear. "FUCK me."
Lincoln awoke with a jolt, his eyes snapping open instantly. His chest heaved with deep, ragged breaths; his heart was racing, and his body was coated in a cold sweat. The shaken man swallowed, then took a deep breath to steady his nerves. To his relief he was back in his living room, the TV idly displaying the GetFlix main menu. He realized he must have fallen asleep during the movie.
As his senses returned to him, he became aware of a light pressure against his side… he glanced over, only to see the sleeping face of Loan inches away from his. Lincoln nearly screamed before realizing that the girl beside him was not his sister, but his daughter. He let out a soft groan, rubbing his tired eyes. This was not how Lincoln had hoped to start his day.
Carefully as he could manage, Lincoln eased the sleeping girl onto the sofa as he got up. He was sweaty now, and his argument with Ronnie had given him no opportunity to change out of his clothes from the day prior. He figured a shower might ease his rattled nerves.
Lincoln entered his bedroom to find that his wife was nowhere to be seen. He figured she was probably in the kitchen… that, or she'd walked out on him. He shook the thought aside; as bad as their fight had been, he still loved her, and he was sure she still loved him.
Well, he hoped, at least.
He stripped off his clothes and chucked them in the hamper before stepping into the bathroom. This was one of many welcome changes from his childhood home… it had always baffled him that there had been only one bathroom for six bedrooms, let alone that it was upstairs of all places. It was bad enough for him and his sisters, but he couldn't imagine how frustrating it must have been for his parents to go upstairs every time they needed to take a piss.
Normally Lincoln would wait for the water to get warm before stepping into the shower, but not today: this time, he turned the handle to its coldest setting. The icy water sent a jolt through his body, waking him up instantly. This was what he needed right now… something to take his mind off the horrible dream he'd just experienced.
Well… if only it had worked.
Lincoln rarely had dreams. Or, rather, he did, but he rarely recalled them. He used to, and he wasn't sure exactly what had changed that nor when… but he could count the number of dreams he remembered within the last ten years on one hand. But this time? This time, he could remember every detail vividly, as though it were burned directly into his mind.
He hadn't really stopped to consider the reality of the situation at the time… it had been such a jarring revelation that he had barely been able to process it, especially with Loan in the picture. But now that the initial shock had worn off, it was really starting to sink in. Lori had raped him.
But only because he let her.
Lincoln's eyes narrowed. He tried to tell himself that he couldn't have helped it, that he had just been a boy going through puberty, but it did little to ease his troubled mind. He could have run. He didn't. He could have screamed for help. He didn't.
He just… let it happen.
He knew he had fought it at first, but the more he thought about it the worse he felt. He should have kicked Lori out as soon as she touched him… why didn't he? Because he felt sorry for her?
Or was it because he wanted it from the start?
Lincoln felt sick to his stomach. Even if it was twenty-one years ago, it was still fresh in his mind; he knew it was absurd, but he couldn't help but feel like he cheated on Ronnie. Don't think about it, he told himself. It's in the past. Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it.
He hung his head, letting the ice-cold water splash across the back of his neck. Quite frankly, he could barely even feel it anymore. With a small sigh, Lincoln turned off the faucet and stepped out of the shower. He couldn't even remember whether or not he had actually washed himself, but right now he didn't particularly care. He toweled himself off before heading back into the bedroom to get dressed.
Lincoln returned to the living room to find that Loan had woken up… for lack of a better term. She was sitting upright, yes, but she seemed completely out of it; she was squinting to the point that her eyes were nearly shut, and her head was bobbing back and forth slightly. "Uh… mornin', Loan." He greeted his daughter. "You doing alright, there?" She turned her head towards him slightly and a sleepy grin spread across her face.
"Heeeeyyyy uncle… dad…" She mumbled, giving a small wave. Lincoln couldn't help but chuckle under his breath; he supposed 'uncle dad' was a fair enough assessment. Loan yawned and glanced around the room, her brow furrowing in confusion. "This… isn't my room…"
"You're in the living room, remember?" Her father reminded her. Loan rubbed her eyes and then blinked a few times.
"Right…" She said as the previous night's events returned to her. She never thought she'd have fallen asleep watching Akira, especiallywhen she'd just taken her meds… though she supposed it had been an exhausting day. "What time is it?"
"About six or so, I think…" Lincoln replied.
Loan seemed a bit surprised. "That early…? Usually I wake up at… noon or so." She said with a self-depreciating chuckle.
"Night owl, huh?" Lincoln wasn't particularly surprised… he hadn't been too different himself during his college years. Just as his daughter was about to respond, the clank of a pan from the kitchen nearly made her jump out of her seat. "…Guess that's Ronnie." Lincoln muttered. He sighed, scratching the back of his head; he supposed he'd have to talk to her. "Hey, Loan…" He began. "How about you go take a shower before breakfast?"
"A shower…?" Loan frowned, sniffing at herself. "Is it that bad?"
"It's… a bit rough, yeah." Lincoln admitted.
"Oh… sorry." Loan mumbled sheepishly; she bathed even less frequently than she changed clothes. She supposed that both she and her mother had simply gotten used to the smell, but now she was living under someone else's roof… the last thing she wanted was to be discourteous. "I'll… do that, then." The young woman said as she got to her feet. She made her way back upstairs, and Lincoln couldn't help but notice that she kept her eyes focused on the steps beneath her as she did so. He could see her mouth moving slightly as well, so he could only assume that this was part of her OCD. He shrugged it off and headed for the kitchen; he figured he should trust her claim that she had it under control.
Ronnie was hard at work mixing her signature waffle batter. It was one of her specialties, and Lincoln wasn't quite sure how she did it… she kept her recipe a secret even from him. What he did know was that she made the best damn waffles he'd ever eaten.
He hesitated at the door, unsure of how exactly he should start this conversation. Their fight had gotten… heated, to say the least. But he knew he'd have to confront this now, before Loan or, God forbid, Bobby ended up in the midst of it. "Uh… hey." He said. Ronnie stopped mixing for a moment, turning her head towards him slightly… not enough to even see her face.
"…Morning." She replied, before returning to her work. Lincoln took a few moments to consider his words before taking a deep breath.
"Look, Ronnie-"
"No," Ronnie sighed, setting down the bowl. "Me first." She turned around to look at her husband, her expression hard to read… perhaps angry, perhaps remorseful. Maybe a little bit of both. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said such horrible things about Loan. I don't hate her, Lincoln. I hate Lori, and I let that get the best of me. So… I apologize for that."
Lincoln was about to tell her that he wasn't the one she needed to apologize to, but Loan didn't know… and quite frankly, it was probably for the best that she didn't find out. Instead, he simply gave a small nod.
"Loan's a good person," Ronnie continued. "But that doesn't change the fact that she's got… issues. Issues that I'm not sure you'll be able to deal with. You had no right to make such a big decision on your own, and I stand by that."
Lincoln frowned. "…She's my daughter, Ronnie."
"I know." Ronnie said softly. "That's why I'm going to give this a chance, at least. She deserves it. You deserve it. And honestly, I'd rather have her here than in Lori's hands."
"…Thank you." Lincoln said with a smile. "And… I'm sorry, too. For screaming at you, I mean." His wife shot him an annoyed look, and he rolled his eyes. "And for not discussing things with you."
"That's better," Ronnie huffed. "Just… I hope you know what you're doing, Lincoln. What happened to her last night was terrifying. I… don't want Bobby to be exposed to something like that." Lincoln had to agree with his wife on that point.
"I don't think that's going to be a problem. She's like a different person when she's on her meds," Lincoln explained. "Anyway… I'll talk to Bobby. I've got a lot to explain to him, huh…" He added with a chuckle. Ronnie narrowed her eyes.
"Watch what you say, Lincoln. He's too young to know about… that."
"I know, I know, I'll… dance around it, somehow." Lincoln assured her. He had no idea just how he was going to 'dance around' Bobby's cousin suddenly being his sister, but he'd figure it out.
…Probably.
"So… forgive me?" Lincoln asked, holding out his arms for a hug. Ronnie pursed her lips, then shrugged.
"Fine… I forgive you, you idiot." Ronnie sighed, embracing her husband.
"I forgive you too," Lincoln said. "Everything's going to be-"
"But no sex for a week."
"Oh, come on…" Lincoln groaned.

Loan grumbled under her breath as she pushed her wet hair away from her eyes. She was not a fan of bathing. She understood it was a necessity, of course… but she hated getting wet, and she hated being naked even more than that. Still, at least the warm water felt nice on her body.
She looked down, noticing the dark streaks of dirt and grime swirling their way down the drain with the rest of the water. Her father had been right... it was pretty bad. Thinking back, she couldn't actually remember when she had showered last. She was certain, at least, that it had been within the past week.
Well… pretty sure.
You really ARE fucking disgusting, aren't you?
In any case, she'd have to get used to making this a regular habit. Different house, different rules, after all… she didn't want to be more of a bother than she already was.
As if that were possible.
Loan sighed, taking a moment to clear her mind. Meds or not, the intrusive thoughts would come and go… sometimes it felt as though there were a whole other person in there, trying its best to drag her down to a dark place. She'd learned over the years that it was best to ignore it, though sometimes that could be a difficult thing to do. For now, at least, there was a task at hand to keep her distracted.
Loan picked up the shampoo bottle sitting on the counter. Unsurprisingly, it was children's shampoo. She figured Bobby was probably the only person to use this bathroom. This didn't really matter too much to her… she couldn't imagine that children's shampoo was much different from regular shampoo. Still, it wasn't like she had much of a choice.
She wasn't about to use his bar of soap, though. That'd be weird.
God forbid you did something WEIRD, right?
Once she was done, she stepped out of the shower and grabbed a dry towel off the rack. She had to admit, she did feel somewhat refreshed… maybe it was just due to the comfortable environment. Either way, she supposed she could get used to this.
Loan began to towel herself off, starting with her hair; she had a lot of it, of course. It wasn't like she had the courage to go to a barber shop, and her mother just tried to make it look like hers, which Loan definitely didn't want. So she'd taken the task on herself, which consisted of nothing more than letting it grow until it bothered her and then shearing it off right above her shoulders. Granted, this always resulted in an uneven, sloppy cut, but it hardly mattered… her hair was an unkempt and tangled mess even at the best of times.
Loan tossed her hair back and then moved on to her body. This part always made her feel unusual, for reasons she couldn't explain… particularly around her breasts and nether regions. Trauma or not, she would hope that her own hands wouldn't be an issue. Besides, it wasn't like she didn't have urges from time to time, even if she rarely acted on them.
You know why you don't.
Once she was dry, Loan let out a sigh and ventured a look in the mirror. She definitely looked a bit better… or at least cleaner. Her eyes scanned her nude body; the curves she'd inherited from her mother were completely negated by her borderline malnourished frame. Despite her near-constant consumption of junk food, she was so thin that her ribcage was visible through her pallid skin. Her mother always told her she was beautiful, but as far as she was concerned that couldn't be further from the truth.
Maybe you could be, if you gave a shit.
She quickly snapped her gaze away from the mirror. She'd seen enough. She had to get dressed.
It was then that Loan realized she had forgotten to grab a change of clothes from her room. She groaned and picked up the clothes she had already been wearing. She felt that this somewhat defeated the purpose of a shower in the first place, but she wasn't about to walk out wearing nothing but a towel. Besides… she'd only been wearing them since last night. How bad could it be? They certainly didn't smell bad, at least. Loan shrugged and slipped on her boxers, followed by her pajama bottoms.
She had only just pulled her t-shirt over her head when the door opened.
Loan yelped and pulled her shirt the rest of the way down as quickly as possible. Before her stood none other than Bobby, his eyes wide as dinner plates and his face as red as a tomato. Loan was no less embarrassed than he was, and for several moments the two simply stared at each other in silence.
Well, good fucking job. You flashed a child.
No, she thought. I was too fast. He didn't see.
He did.
"U-um…" Loan stammered. "Good morning."
"…Hi," Came the young boy's mumbled response. Bobby averted his gaze from his cousin, grinding his foot against the ground sheepishly. He knew fully well what breasts looked like… he had a computer, after all. But he'd never seen them in person before, and certainly not so sizable. Quite frankly, he had no idea what the heck he was supposed to say now. Then again, it wasn't like he would have much to say to the strange girl anyway.
Another awkward silence fell over the two. Loan couldn't help but steal short glances in his direction; he was wearing red pajamas patterned with blue and gray rocket ships. Between that and his shy, withdrawn demeanor, it took every ounce of restraint Loan had in her not to scoop him up and hug him right then and there.
Sure, go ahead. Make this even more uncomfortable.
"Uh… do you know what I'm supposed to do with this…?" Loan asked, raising her used towel.
"Hamper…" Bobby replied in a small voice.
"I, er… I don't have one."
"…You can use the one in my room, then." Bobby muttered. "I, uh… I need to go, so…"
"O-oh… right. Go ahead!" Loan hurried past him, and Bobby quickly shuffled into the bathroom.
"…Sorry." He said before shutting the door. "Should have knocked…" And then, Loan was alone.
"Ugh…" Loan groaned, burying her face in her palm. She'd been so used to having her own bathroom that she completely forgot to lock the door. She would be slightly relieved that it had been Bobby as opposed to someone else, but she'd probably just traumatized the poor boy.
Don't worry… this is only your second day. I'm sure you'll do worse.
Loan tried her best to put it out of her mind as she headed into Bobby's room.
It seemed like a pretty standard bedroom for a young boy, at least as far as Loan could tell; she'd never been in one before, after all. The walls were painted a dark blue and decorated with numerous posters, mostly for sci-fi series such as Star Wars, Godzilla and, to her surprise, Star Trek. Not even one of the reboots, but the original Star Trek. It looked like an old poster too, so either it had been handed down or he'd actually gone out of his way to acquire it.
In fact, even a cursory glance around the room made it readily apparent that the boy loved science fiction. His bedsheets had a rocket ship pattern not too different from his pajamas, there was a model of the Millennium Falcon hanging from the ceiling fan, and lying on the small desk against the back wall was a half-finished model robot… more specifically, a Gundam model. Loan had tried and failed to assemble a few herself in the past, her shaky hands resulting in far too many broken parts.
Loan spotted the hamper next to a bookcase and walked over, dropping the towel into it. She couldn't help but take a glance at the bookcase; the top shelf mostly held an assortment of toys, figures and completed models. The other shelves, however, held only books… it came as little surprise that they were mainly in the science fiction genre. But what was surprising was the selection itself: alongside such age-appropriate titles as A Wrinkle in Time and Escape to Witch Mountain were far more advanced novels, several of which Loan herself had read in the past. She spotted Neuromancer, Ender's Game, various collections of short stories from the likes of Ellison and Asimov… too many to count. For a seven-year-old, it was impressive to say the least.
Loan figured she'd snooped around long enough. She exited the room, content that she at least shared some common interests with the boy… perhaps she'd be able to get him to open up to her a bit. He was her brother, after all.
Wait, she thought. He's my brother. I have a little brother! Loan was barely able to suppress a squeal of delight. She'd always wanted a younger sibling, after all. Now she finally had one, and a downright adorable one at that.
Yeah, and you already showed him your tits. Off to a great start.
Oh… right. Loan sighed. She made a mental note to apologize to the boy later, for all the good it would do.

As if the previous night's dinner wasn't awkward enough, breakfast managed to top that. As before, Bobby remained completely silent, his attention focused on his waffles. However, he was still noticeably flustered, and his eyes kept flicking in Loan's direction. The young woman did her best to ignore it as she finished cutting up her waffle; she preferred cutting up everything before eating, though most people seemed to find this weird. As far as she was concerned, she was just spending a bit more time up front to save herself time later. Of course, this did sometimes result in her food getting cold, but she didn't particularly mind.
"…Oh my God." Loan exclaimed as she took her first bite. It was delicious… possibly the best thing she'd ever eaten. Lightly crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, and perfectly sweet on its own even without syrup. Lincoln chuckled at her reaction.
"Good, isn't it?" He asked.
"Y-yeah…" Loan muttered. "Are all waffles this good…?"
"No, just mine." Ronnie said proudly. "You've never had waffles?"
"Not really…" Loan sighed. "Just frozen ones. Neither me or mom know how to cook."
"…Huh." Ronnie wasn't particularly surprised by that… Lori hardly seemed like a homemaker, after all. "Well, as long as you're going to be living here, I promise I'll keep you well-fed." She said with a smirk.
Bobby glanced up. Something about what his mother said sounded off… she said living here, not staying here. Bobby knew the difference.
"By the way, Loan…" Lincoln began. "I was thinking we could go get the rest of your stuff today. If you're up to it, I mean."
"Today…?" Loan frowned slightly. She didn't really want to see her mother right now… or any time soon, for that matter. But she did need to get her things. Heck, she only had two days' worth of clean clothes left. Somewhat reluctantly, she nodded. "…O-okay. Um… it's going to take a while, though. I… have lots of stuff."
"That's fine," Lincoln said with a reassuring smile. "It's Saturday… got all the time in the world." Loan returned his smile. Bobby, however, only grew more perturbed.
"Why would she need to get her things…?"
His parents exchanged a glance. "Er, well…" Lincoln mumbled. For her part, Loan just bit her lip and did her best not to look at the boy. She'd completely forgotten that he had no idea what was going on; as far as he knew Loan was just his cousin, and she'd only be staying for a few days. She was glad she hadn't unknowingly let something slip earlier. He was already wary of her now… no telling how he'd take a bombshell like that.
Might as well have. You let two 'bombshells' slip already.
"I'll… explain after breakfast," Lincoln told his son. Bobby stared at him in silence for a moment, and then briefly glanced at Loan.
"…Fine." He mumbled, returning to his food.
Once their meal was finished, Bobby quickly scurried out of the dining room as he had the previous night. Loan was about to gather up her plate and glass, but Lincoln stopped her. "I've got it," He said. "You go get ready, okay? And, uh… call your mom to let her know we're coming. I don't have her number."
"Oh… right. Okay. Thank you, unc-" Loan caught herself. "…Dad." She exchanged a grin with her father before heading off herself. It would take a bit for her to get used to, but she had to admit… the word felt good on her tongue.
Lincoln gathered up the remaining tableware and brought them to his wife in the kitchen. Normally, he'd help her wash up, but he figured he should have a talk with Bobby before Loan came back down. "Here you go, honey." He said as he set them down on the counter.
"Thanks." Ronnie replied; she paused from her cleaning for a moment and turned towards her husband. "Lincoln… are you sure it's okay to do this right now?"
"Do what…?"
"Go to the city," She said. "You're already behind on your work, aren't you?" Lincoln winced; she wasn't wrong. He'd messed up twice the past week, drawing line art on the same layer as the pencils… hours of work, down the drain. Taking a day off meant he had almost no chance of meeting his weekly quota.
"…It's fine," Lincoln said, waving it off. "I'll just pull a few all-nighters this week."
"Lincoln," Ronnie huffed. "You know I hate it when you do that…"
"I know, I know…" Lincoln muttered. "Trust me, I'm not crazy about it either. But she's-"
"Your daughter. I know." The Latina sighed. "Just don't push yourself too hard, Lincoln. You're not the young man you used to be." Lincoln raised an eyebrow.
"…We're the same age, honey."
"Yes, but I take care of myself. Speaking of which…" Ronnie poked her husband's slightly-protruding gut. "You're getting fat, dear. We're going to have to work on that."
Lincoln frowned, giving his paunch a squeeze. "Is it that bad?"
"It will be, if we don't do something about it. Now, go." Ronnie ordered, pointing to the door. "Talk to your son."
"Alright, alright, I'm going…" Lincoln groaned as he headed for the door.
"And watch what you say!" Ronnie called after him. Lincoln just rolled his eyes; sometimes he felt like his wife had no confidence in him.
Not that she didn't have reason not to, of course.
Lincoln found his son already waiting for him in the living room; he was seated on the couch, twiddling his thumbs in apprehension. Clearly, he wasn't willing to wait any longer for an explanation than he had to… as shy as he was, the boy could be surprisingly persistent when he wanted something.
"So, Bobby…" Lincoln began as he sat down on the couch near his son. Quite frankly, he wasn't really sure where to begin. "Um… what do you think of Loan? Do you like her?"
"…She's… okay, I guess." What more could he say? He'd barely spoken to the girl.
"That's good, that's good." In all honesty 'she's okay' wasn't the answer Lincoln had hoped to hear, but coming from his son he supposed it was good enough. "Loan's… going to be living with us from now on."
Bobby frowned. "For how long…?"
"For… forever, I guess." Lincoln replied. "Or at least until she's ready not to."
"Forever?" Bobby's brow furrowed; that had been exactly what he didn't want to hear. "But… why?"
"Well…" Lincoln sighed, scratching the back of his head. "It… it turns out that she's my daughter. And your sister."
Silence. Bobby stared at him as though he were speaking another language; he could barely even process what he'd just heard. "That's… I-I don't have a sister…"
"Well… you do."
"But… but she's my cousin." Bobby said. "And she's too old, isn't she…?" Lincoln let out a small groan. He should have known this wouldn't be so easy… his son had always been a very inquisitive boy.
"Look… she's your sister. Let's leave it at that." Lincoln knew this wouldn't be enough to satisfy the boy, but he had to put a stop to things here. "Now, listen… I know this is a lot to take in so suddenly. Honestly, it was a shock for me too… but she's here now, and she's going to be staying for as long as she wants." Bobby didn't reply. He simply sat there in silence, his eyes downcast as the reality of the situation hit him. He had a sister… a sister that clearly wasn't his mom's daughter. She was going to be living with them. Forever.
Right next to him.
"I… I don't, um…" Bobby stammered. "She's weird."
"Now, Bobby… that's not nice." Lincoln scolded his son.
"But she is," Bobby continued. "She's a grown-up, but she doesn't really act like one. Why is she like that…?"
"Loan's been through a lot," Lincoln explained. "Stuff I can't really talk about until you're older. She's kind of… mixed up right now, but she's a good person. Just give her a chance, okay?" His son just gave a quiet, noncommittal grunt in response. "Bobby, look…." Lincoln sighed. "I know this is a big change for all of us, but it's a big change for her, too. Like I said, she's been through a lot… so try to make her feel welcome, alright?" He squeezed his son's shoulder, offering him a reassuring smile.
Bobby was far from convinced. He didn't doubt that Loan was a good person… but she was still a strange woman that he'd never met before. Very strange, in fact… quite frankly, he did not want to live with this girl.
Plus, things were a bit… awkward, thanks to their earlier encounter.
"…Okay." The troubled boy grumbled. His father smiled and patted his back.
"Good." Lincoln said. "I'm sure you'll get along with her just fine. You have a lot in common." Bobby simply gave a small nod before hopping off the couch. He supposed that whether he liked it or not didn't matter… the girl was here to stay. He'd at least have to get used to it.
Bobby mulled over this as he headed back upstairs. She was weird, but she did seem nice. And he knew she liked video games and anime… so that was something, at least. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad?
Unless he walked in on her changing again… that would be pretty bad.
Bobby had just reached his bedroom door when Loan's opened. She shuffled out of her room, looking no less disheveled than before despite a change of clothes. She didn't seem to notice him at first as she was fiddling with her phone. "…Hi." He said.
"Eep!" Loan jumped, nearly dropping her phone. Bobby couldn't help but jump slightly himself. The frightened girl's eyes flicked over to him, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh… Bobby." She said sheepishly. "…S-sorry about that."
"…It's okay. Sorry I scared you." Bobby muttered. He took a moment to look over the girl… she definitely wasn't like any grown-up he'd met before. Unkempt hair, faded grey sweatpants, socks with Crocs, ratty old 'Doom'hoodie hiding a very ample-
Bobby averted his eyes, his cheeks reddening slightly. "Is everything okay?" Loan asked, taking notice of the boy's troubled expression. Bobby bit his lip and gave a small nod.
"Are you, um…" He mumbled, glancing back up at the girl. "Are you really my sister…?"
Loan's face brightened slightly and she gave an enthusiastic nod. "Y-yes… I am." She certainly seemed happy about it… Bobby wished he felt the same.
"…Okay." He said quietly before entering his room. "See you…" Loan was about to reply, but he shut the door.
Bobby let out a soft sigh; he knew that was a bit rude of him. It wasn't that Bobby tried to be rude… he just couldn't help it. He never knew how to talk to people he didn't already know… and even among the people he did know, there were very few that he felt completely comfortable talking to. In fact, outside of his family he really had no friends to speak of, just 'kids he talked to slightly more than others'.
Quite frankly, he didn't feel comfortable with Loan, and not just because he walked in on her changing. He didn't dislike her… but her sudden appearance in his life was disconcerting, to say the least. Bobby wasn't stupid… he knew where babies came from. He knew that the age gap between Loan and his father was far too small. He knew that it made no sense for her to be his cousin one day, and his sister the next.
And he knew that she looked almost exactly like the woman that had been there last night.
Clearly there were things his father wasn't telling him, and he'd get to the bottom of it in time. For now, however, there were more pressing matters at hand…
…His Gunpla model. He wanted to finish the darn thing within the day, after all.

Loan sat in the passenger's seat of her father's SUV, watching the passing scenery much as she had the previous day; it was even raining again, though it did little to ease her apprehension. When she ran away from home, she knew it was likely that she would be dragged back before long… though she was glad the circumstances were different than expected.
It's a trick. He's going to leave you with her. Why wouldn't he? Nobody wants you.
Loan ignored her thoughts. She knew her father wouldn't do that… he seemed to like her, and she liked him. Heck, she might go so far as to say she loved the man already.
He'll never feel the same.
What concerned Loan was the prospect of seeing her mother again so soon… Loan still loved her, but she hadn't forgiven her. She wasn't even sure if she could; what Lori had done hit far too close to home for the girl.
"Loan? Are you alright?" Lincoln asked, taking notice of his daughter's tense expression. "We can turn back if you're not ready yet." Loan shook her head.
"It's alright," She assured him. "Better to… face things head-on, for once." Lincoln gave a small nod and turned his full attention to the road. If he were to be completely honest, even he wasn't too eager to see his sister again, especially not after that dream he'd had. But he figured there was no use delaying things... besides, he wanted Loan to feel at home.
The two continued their drive in silence. Despite clearly being an older car, Loan found the SUV to be more comfortable than her mother's Corvette… perhaps due to her having more leg room. Normally she preferred to sit in the back, but the rest of the car was filled with empty boxes. She could only hope that everything would fit.
She tapped her finger against the armrest in tune with her father's rock music. It sounded familiar, though she couldn't quite place it. "Um… what band is this?" She asked.
"SMOOCH," Lincoln replied, a small smirk crossing his face. "They're my favorite band… always have been. You like?"
"Yeah… they're pretty good."
"What kind of stuff do you usually listen to?" Her father asked.
"Um… little bit of everything, I guess." Loan muttered. "I don't think there's any genre I really dislike. I… listen to a lot of music from anime and video games and stuff, though."
"Well, I don't mind. Here." He handed his daughter his phone. "Put on whatever you like."
"O-oh… um, okay. Thank you." Loan flicked through his music selection. He had a lot to choose from; though his musical tastes definitely skewed towards rock, he also had various anime, game, and movie soundtracks. She put on the Killer Instinct soundtrack and handed the phone back to her father. She was terrible at the game, but she had to admit that the music was great. "I must get this from you," She said, chuckling softly. "It always drove mom crazy."
"Honestly, Ronnie's not too crazy about it either." Lincoln said. "She plays games sometimes, but for the most part she can't stand all the 'nerdy crap'. Sometimes I wonder what she sees in me at all." He shrugged and let out a sigh. "I mean, nerdy crap's kind of my whole thing… Bobby, too."
"I saw," His daughter said. "He really reads all of those books…?"
"Oh, yeah. He's always been a great reader, better than I was at his age." Lincoln scratched his cheek. "He was a preemie, so we were worried for a while… but he's a smart one, that's for sure."
Loan tilted her head slightly. "Preemie…?"
"Oh, uh… he was born earlier than expected." Lincoln explained. "They tend to have… problems. And at first, we thought he did too. He had a bit of a slow start."
"Oh…"
"He barely even spoke until he was five. He just kind of… babbled, most of the time. Then one day, he started talking normally. Just like that." Lincoln said with a snap of his fingers. "Full sentences. Proper grammar. It was like something just clicked. Apparently that happens sometimes with preemies, but still… it was something else, alright."
"Wow…" Loan muttered. "He's pretty incredible, isn't he?"
Lincoln smirked and nodded. "He is. By the way…" He glanced over at his daughter. "Have you talked to Bobby at all?" Loan frowned, shaking her head slightly.
"Only… a little. I, uh… I don't think he likes me too much. At least, not yet."
"Give him time… I'm sure he likes you. This is just a lot for him right now." Lincoln assured her. "He'll come around, I promise."
"Um… dad… I don't know about that." Loan mumbled sheepishly. "Something… happened earlier…"
"Huh?" Lincoln looked over at her, cocking an eyebrow. "What happened…?" Loan immediately regretted saying anything. Oh God, she thought. He's going to hate me. He's going to kick me out. He's going to kick me out of the CAR and I'm going to DIE because I forgot to lock the DOOR and Bobby saw-
Jesus fucking Christ, calm your tits.
Loan took a deep breath. That's right. Don't be stupid. It was an accident. Just an accident…
"Loan…?"
"I'MSORRY!" Loan blurted out suddenly, making her father jolt in his seat. "I-I forgot to lock the bathroom door and when I got out of the shower I was changing and Bobby saw me and it was my fault and I'm sorry I didn't mean for him to see me I'm not… I'm not…" To her confusion, her father didn't look angry… rather, he was snickering. "U-um…"
"Oh, man…" Lincoln laughed. "Sheesh, you had me worried there for a second."
"Uh… I… what…?" Loan stammered. "B-but Bobby… he saw my-"
"Luna, Leni," Her father began, counting out each name on his fingers. "Lynn, Lori, Lola… hell, even mom. I've walked in on all of them at one point or another… some of 'em more than once. And that's not counting the number of times they've walked in on me." Lincoln explained. "We forget to lock, we forget to knock, it happens. It'll probably happen again."
"…Oh."
"Trust me, he'll forget about it soon enough. You both will." Lincoln assured his daughter. "Bobby's just… well, you know. It always takes some time for him to get used to people. It was the same with the rest of our family, too. Heck… he's still a bit scared of Lucy." Lincoln paused a moment as he switched lanes to get around a slow car. "Then again… I guess most people are." Loan gave a small nod. Not that she'd actually met Lucy, but she'd heard things from her mother.
Still, she had to admit she felt better about things now. Putting it in perspective, it really wasn't that big of a deal… he'd only seen her breasts for, what, a fraction of a second? It was nothing. She was overreacting, as usual.
Just wait 'til your dad sees them. THAT'LL be the REAL shit-show.
Loan groaned, burying her face in her palm. She really wished she had brought her fidget cube.

"I trust you found the place alright?" Lori asked as she led her brother into her apartment.
Lincoln had to admit… his sister had a nice place. Much like her car, the entire apartment was sleek and dark, decked out in modern-styled furniture and art. He knew she made good money, but he could only imagine how much a place like this must have cost… and how much she'd be making at her new job to leave this behind.
"Um, yeah… Loan pointed me in the right direction." He muttered. He was finding it hard to look at his sister, and not just because of the dream… her lip was terribly swollen, and apparently the cut had been bad enough to require a few stitches. The bruise on the side of her head was far more apparent, too. He could hardly blame Ronnie for attacking her, but he couldn't help but feel a bit bad about it.
For her part, Loan trailed behind the two, noticeably keeping her distance from her mother. She kept her gaze firmly planted on the floor and her hands jammed deep into her pockets. She didn't want to be here. It felt so… confining. It always had, but even more so now. Between the low ceiling and the presence of her mother, she felt as though she were being smothered. She could swear that the ceiling was coming down on her and it was going to crush her and she couldn't breathe and she-
"Loan?"
Lincoln's voice snapped the girl out of her daze. She glanced up to see that they were standing outside her bedroom door… her father was smiling warmly at her. "Would you like to show me your room?" She couldn't help but smile herself when he asked like that.
"O-ok." Loan muttered as she shuffled past them and gripped the doorknob. "It's, um… it's pretty bad, though."
"I'm sure it's not that-" Lincoln's words died on his lips as Loan opened the door. 'Pretty bad' was an understatement… her room was absolutely disgusting. The floor was littered with junk, ranging from dirty clothes to empty chip bags to wadded-up, grease-stained paper towels; the corners of the room were especially bad, with trash piled up to knee-height in some spots. The walls were lined with anime and video game posters, as well as shelves so overstuffed with figurines and trinkets that Lincoln was shocked none had fallen over… actually, many had fallen over, the thick layers of dust blanketing them showing that Loan had just never bothered to pick them up.
Her bed was completely unmade and it looked as though the sheets hadn't been changed in far too long. Her desk was no better than the floor, covered with empty Chinese takeout boxes and soda cans. The room had a stale, musty odor, no doubt a horrible potpourri of old snack food and unwashed clothes. It was the sort of mess Lincoln had always seen portrayed in film and TV but never thought was actually possible in real life. "Jesus Christ…" He muttered.
"Disgusting, isn't it?" Lori sighed, withdrawing a cigarette case from her breast pocket. "I used to try and keep it clean, but as you can see it was a wasted effort."
"…I'm sorry…" Loan mumbled sheepishly. "It just kept… piling up, and I guess I just got used to it. U-um… I promise I won't let my new room get this bad!" She assured him. Her father only gave a small nod, coughing into his fist as he stepped into the room. He knew how that could be… procrastination was a slippery slope. He'd let things go to shit himself when he first started living on his own. Still, even at his worst it had never gotten anything like this.
"Well, I'll… I'll leave you to it, then." Lori said quietly. Lincoln wasn't particularly bothered by her not offering to help… Loan didn't seem to want to be around her right now, and quite frankly neither did he. Besides, he could detect the sorrow in her voice… no doubt all this was still taking a toll on the woman.
"Sure. We've, uh… we've got this." He said. Lori nodded and walked out of sight. He took a deep breath before turning back to the task at hand. Loan hadn't been joking… this was going to take a while. "O-okay… I think it'd be best to start with the floor…"
For the next few hours, Lincoln and Loan worked together to sort through and organize her belongings. As she had said earlier, she had a lot… surprisingly, even amongst the mess she seemed to know where everything was. Unsurprisingly, she seemed content to just shove everything into a box. So they worked out a system: Loan would gather, Lincoln would pack.
"You have a Super Nintendo?" Lincoln said, looking the old piece of hardware over. It wasn't in the best of shape… the plastic casing had faded to an ugly yellow color, and it was mottled with baked-in dust.
"Yeah… kind of an impulse buy…" Loan chuckled. "It works, but it's really finicky. These days I mostly just emulate."
"Thank you," Lincoln groaned as he placed the SNES into a box. "I've got this friend that swears by playing things on the original consoles… all he's doing is wasting time and money. Still, I'm surprised… that's way before your time, isn't it?" Loan nodded.
"I like old games," His daughter said as she dug out a storage case full of game cartridges from beneath a mountain of trash. She blew across the top, scattering dust into the air. "I like new ones too, but… it's all just the same stuff now. I wish I'd grown up back then, you know?" Loan sighed, setting the case down on the bed.
"Hey, it's not like I was around for it myself…" Lincoln replied with a smirk. "I'm not that old, you know."
"I-I know!" Loan stammered. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"
"Relax, it's fine." Her father assured her, giving a small laugh. "You've got a pretty nice selection," He said as he skimmed through her cartridges. "Aladdin's better on the Genesis, though."
Loan's demeanor changed in an instant; her eyes narrowed into tiny slits and her hands balled up into tight fists. "...What."
Lincoln shrugged. "I mean, in the Genesis version you get a sword…"
"A-a sword does not make it a better!" Loan cried, wildly gesturing with her hands. "The SNES version is a better-made game! Period! That's it! That's…" The young woman trailed off as she realized her father was snickering into his palm. She let out a groan and slumped forward, her face growing hot. "Sorry… I got worked up again…"
"N-no, it's…" Lincoln managed to choke out between laughs; he took a moment to compose himself before speaking again. "You're really cute, Loan."

Lori stood outside on her patio, cigarette in hand. She'd always wanted an apartment on the top floor with a balcony overlooking the city, but Loan's fear of heights had always gotten in the way of that. Now that the girl was off her hands, perhaps she could finally realize her dream in Tokyo.
At least, that's what she told herself… not that it made her feel much better about things.
Lori took a long drag from her cigarette. It was her fifth since her Lincoln and their daughter had arrived; normally she wouldn't be burning through them like this, but despite her best efforts she was finding it difficult to maintain composure. She'd checked in on them every so often, catching brief snippets of their conversations. Quite frankly, she'd never heard Loan speak so freely before… in barely even a day the girl had a better rapport with her father than she'd ever had with Lori. On one hand, she was glad… any worries she had about leaving her daughter in Lincoln's hands were easily assuaged by watching the two interact.
On the other hand, it made her feel sick.
"Since when do you smoke?" Lincoln's voice snapped her from her thoughts. Lori glanced over her shoulder to see him stepping out onto the patio, forehead slick with sweat.
"I smoke when I need to, Lincoln." She replied curtly. "Are you two finished already?"
"Nah, just taking a break," Lincoln huffed as he flopped into one of the lounge chairs. Lori grunted under her breath. She was about to tell him off for being so carefree with her furniture, but she supposed it hardly mattered now… it wasn't like she would be bringing any of it with her to Japan. Just like everything else, it would be left behind. "Mind if I bum one of those?" Lincoln asked. Lori raised an eyebrow.
"Since when do you smoke?"
"I don't, really… not anymore." Lincoln muttered with a shrug. "Still, I figured I may as well ask." Lori frowned slightly. Part of her wanted to scold him, but then again she was hardly one to talk. With a sigh, she withdrew a cigarette from her case and handed it to him along with her lighter.
"Here. Just the one." She grumbled. Lincoln took it and looked it over before placing it in his mouth. It looked a bit different from the kind he was used to… it was slightly longer and slimmer, completely white without the usual orange tip. Instead there were thin silvery stripes marking the filter, and a silver brand logo that was so overly ornate that Lincoln couldn't read it even if he tried. The strong odor of tobacco was even masked somewhat by faint undertones of vanilla. He couldn't help but chuckle under his breath as he placed it between his lips.
"Even your smokes are fancy," Lincoln said, lighting the cigarette and taking a few puffs. Lori scoffed and took back her lighter.
"My apologies for having a taste for the finer things in life." His sister replied. "What is it you do again? Doodle… cartoons?" Lincoln cocked an eyebrow and blew out a plume of smoke.
"...I do line-art. For comic books." He corrected her. "Laugh if you want, but I'm doing what I love." Lori didn't really have a comeback for that… rather, it just made her feel bad.
"…I'm sorry." She said quietly, taking a seat in the chair beside her brother's. "I'm just a bit on edge." Lincoln simply nodded. In all honesty, he wasn't particularly offended by her comment… Lori had never really thought too highly of his interests, after all.
"How're you holding up?" He asked. Lori didn't answer right away; she tapped out her ash before taking another long drag, holding it for several seconds and then exhaling.
"I, uh… stopped by the emergency room last night. Obviously." She explained, gesturing towards her stitched-up lip. "They gave me some pills for the pain. Strong stuff, too. But even with that… I couldn't sleep. Not one wink." Lori let out a humorless chuckle and tapped out some ash. "…It's funny, you know. Most of the time, she was so quiet I literally didn't even notice she was here. But now… all I can think about is that she's not."
Neither said anything further for a few moments. Lincoln wasn't sure what he could say, really. It was not lost on him that Loan entering his life meant that she was effectively leaving her mother's. He couldn't even begin to imagine how he'd feel if someone were to take Bobby away from him, and he was only seven… Lori had raised her daughter alone for twenty-one years. She'd told him last night that Loan was all she had, and he believed it.
"Lori, look…" Lincoln muttered. "I'm sorry. About… last night, I mean." He took another small puff of his cigarette before continuing. "Accusing you of hurting Loan. I… shouldn't have jumped to conclusions." His sister smirked slightly and shook her head.
"I can't blame you. And it's not like you were wrong, really… I've laid my hands on her more times than I can count." Lori chewed her lip in thought, her expression growing wistful. "…To this day I can't understand why I went back to the bottle. That night… that night should have been the end of it. But I went back. I went back, and I hurt my baby girl time and time again." She frowned as she glanced down at the cigarette in her hand. "At least this only hurts me."
"There's always time to-"
"I know, Lincoln. I know." Lori sighed. "'There's always time to set things right. There's always time to fix things.' It's a nice sentiment, but it's more complicated than that. I've done my best to patch up the damage I've caused, but in the end that's all I could do… patch it up. The damage still remains." Lori took a drag from her cigarette. "…Sometimes you need to replace the support structure itself."
Lori turned to her brother, a serious look in her eyes. "I had every intention of bringing Loan home with me last night, Lincoln… even after I told you the truth. But when she had that panic attack, you were able to do what I couldn't. You got through to her. After seeing that… there's no way I could have dragged her back."
"Lori, I think you're being too hard on yourself…"
"I'm not." Lori stated plainly. Lincoln was about to respond, but his sister continued. "I've been listening in, you know. You're… good with her, Lincoln. She likes you. She trusts you. You're what she'd been missing… not just a father, but a friend. I've only ever been a mother, and not a very good one, at that."
"That's not true."
"Oh, please." Lori huffed. "You've seen her. You've seen how she acts around me. Chester may have broken her, but I'm the reason she was cracked to begin with. And since then, I've only made things worse." She tapped out a bit more ash. "She deserves better. She deserves the best. And if that means letting her go… so be it."
Lincoln pursed his lips, mulling over his next words, but before he could say anything he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
) hey uncle lincoln im ready 2 get back 2 work
) i mean only if ur ready no rush
) *dad lincoln
) *dad
) sry
) anyway ill be waiting
) but no rush
) sry
Lincoln snickered and put his phone back in his pocket. He hadn't realized how long he'd been out there with Lori; he took one last drag from his cigarette before reaching over and grinding it out in the ash tray.
"Lori," He said as he got to his feet. "A bad mother wouldn't have tried at all."

Loan lingered in her cleared-out bedroom a moment. It was almost surreal seeing it bathed in natural sunlight like this, with the drapes pulled open for the first time since they'd moved in. Between that and the multitude of posters, she had completely forgotten that the walls were a nice periwinkle blue. Or they had been, at any rate… now they were stained, faded, and baked-in with dust. And that wasn't even mentioning the carpet; quite frankly, Loan couldn't even tell what color it had been. Now it was just a mottled, disgusting mess of splotches and streaks. It looked like a Jackson Pollock painting… a bad one, at that.
She did a quick once-over to be sure they hadn't missed anything. She knew they hadn't, but she wanted to be sure anyway. Once she was satisfied, she picked up the last box and headed for the door. The girl paused briefly, taking one last look at the room.
For years this place had been her home… or perhaps more appropriately, her self-imposed prison. She'd been happy here, for the most part. Even now, a part of her didn't want to go, but she knew that one way or another she had to: she could either follow her mother to Japan and live out the remainder of her
Hopefully short
Life the same way she had been,or set off towards an unknown future with her father. Well, she'd already made up her mind. Loan had always been one to take the path of least resistance, but not this time… this time, she was determined to see just where this new path may lead her.
Probably to a casket. Or the looney bin.
With a small sigh, Loan turned away and flicked off the light switch before leaving the room. As she walked down the hallway towards the front door, she felt that same crushing sensation again; she wondered if perhaps she'd always felt this way and just not noticed, or if the high ceilings of her father's house made her mother's apartment feel downright stifling by comparison. Possibly a bit of both. In any case, the only thing keeping her from having another panic attack was the open front door.
Sure enough, as soon as she stepped outside it was as though a great weight had been taken off her chest, and she took a deep breath. Thankfully, her father had pulled his car up as close as he could. "This the last one?" He asked as she handed the box off to him.
"Yeah… that's it." Loan replied. Lincoln somewhat awkwardly wedged the last box between two others before forcing the trunk closed. It was tight, but he'd managed to fit everything.
"Guess that's that, then…" Lincoln muttered. "We did pretty damn good, I'd say." He shot his daughter a grin that she couldn't help but return.
"Thank you for cleaning up the mess, too…"Lori said, making Loan jump; she had completely forgotten that her mother was standing nearby. "You really didn't have to do that."
"It was no problem," Lincoln assured her. "Right, Loan?"
"…Yeah." Loan mumbled under her breath, hugging her arms across her chest. "No problem…" Her eyes were downcast, and it suddenly dawned on Lori that she hadn't seen her daughter so much as glance in her direction all day. Their relationship had always carried a note of tension even at the best of times, but this was new.
"U-um…" Lori cleared her throat, doing her best to regain her composure. "Loan, sweetie… I need to talk to your father for a-"
"Okay." Loan didn't even wait for her mother to finish; she simply opened the passenger door and got into her seat, shutting it behind her. Lori sighed and turned to her brother. Lincoln couldn't help but feel sympathy for her, though he had to admit he didn't feel entirely comfortable around her either.
"So… what's up?" He asked, leaning against the side of his car.
"I'm going to call Dr. Patel on Monday," Lori said.
"Doctor… oh, you mean Loan's psychologist?" Lincoln asked.
"Psychiatrist," Lori corrected him. "Although I suppose she's a bit of both. Now, I'm sure it goes without saying, but I will not be explaining the… exact circumstances of the situation. As far as she or anyone else knows, I am simply leaving Loan in her uncle's care for the foreseeable future."
"Right…" Lincoln muttered, scratching the back of his head. In truth, he hadn't even thought about that… let alone how he was supposed to explain this to the rest of the family. He supposed Lori's version would have to do for now. "Wait… aren't there like… forms and stuff?"
Lori cocked an eyebrow. "…Forms?"
"You know… like 'legal guardian' stuff." Her brother asked. Lori simply shook her head.
"…Loan's not disabled, Lincoln. I never wanted that label hanging over her head," She explained. "Dr. Patel will have paperwork to fill out, but legally speaking Loan is a fully capable adult. I mean, she is a fully capable adult, but… you know what I mean." Lori sighed, rubbing the side of her brow. "She has her own bank account and everything, and she's more responsible with it than you'd think."
"O-oh… well, alright. Good to know." Lincoln was pleasantly surprised by this, given Lori's somewhat overbearing nature. Then again, he assumed that she of all people would have a good handle on Loan's capabilities.
"Like I said, she mostly takes care of herself. She just… needs someone." Said Lori. "I know you'll-" Just as she placed a hand on her brother's shoulder, he let out a sharp cry and jumped back. Lori remained frozen in place, her hand hovering in mid-air. Lincoln was staring at her with wide, frightened eyes; his breaths were coming out in short, rapid bursts.
Lincoln had flinched.
"…Lincoln." Lori gasped. Her brother swallowed, regaining his composure somewhat. His fear was quickly overtaken by a deep sense of shame. He didn't know what had come over him… he was a grown man, for crying out loud. He knew he was safe. He knew Lori wasn't going to hurt him. And yet, as soon as she touched his shoulder that dream came back in vivid detail… all he could see was her lusty face hovering above him.
"…L-Lori…" Lincoln stammered. "I-" Lori raised her hand to hush him.
"It's fine." His sister's voice came out barely higher than a whisper; she sniffed and bit her lip before turning away from him. "I'll, um… I'll talk to you later, Lincoln." It was clear from her tone that she was forcing back tears, and Lincoln could feel the guilt pooling in his stomach. Even now, he hated to see Lori cry… let alone make her cry. But he couldn't bring himself to console her.
"…Yeah. See you, Lori." Without another word, he walked around his car and got into the driver's seat. "You ready, Loan?" He asked, not waiting for a response before clumsily fastening his own seatbelt. As he adjusted the rearview mirror, he caught a glimpse of Lori standing with her face buried in her palm. Her shoulders were noticeably trembling with sobs.
"Dad…? Are you okay?"
Lincoln snapped out of his daze. His daughter was looking at him with a concerned expression; he took a deep breath to steady his nerves and then forced a smile for her. "Yeah, I'm good. Here," He said, handing his phone to the girl. "Pick some tunes for the ride home."

Bobby set down his Gunpla. He wasn't sure how long he'd been at this, but he needed a break. He squeezed his tired eyes shut and massaged them for a few moments, then blinked a few times to clear his vision.
He'd made a lot of progress, that's for sure. For most kids his age building a Gunpla would be far too tedious of a task… but if anything, Bobby enjoyed the tedium. Besides, it helped take his mind off the situation at hand.
Things had been quiet in the room beside his for nearly half an hour now. He supposed that meant that Loan had finished unpacking, at least for the time being. It was still quite jarring to the young boy. This time yesterday, he had been an only child… as far as he knew, anyway. But now his long-lost sister was living right next to him. He never thought something like that could happen so suddenly, at least not in real life. It's kind of like Luke and Leia, he thought, before deciding that no… it really wasn't.
Bobby drummed his fingers against his desk. He still had a lot of unanswered questions, and his mother had been no more forthcoming than his father had. Maybe he could just try asking Loan again?
Bobby frowned, glancing at the unfinished Gunpla. Chances were he wasn't going to be finishing it today. With a small sigh he slid off his chair and headed for the door. He figured he may as well try speaking to his sister again… he'd have to get used to it if he was going to be living with her.
Loan's bedroom door was wide open, and it became immediately clear that not only had she not finished unpacking, but she'd barely even started. More than half of the boxes hadn't even been opened yet, and none of the others were empty. At first he thought that she may have gone downstairs, but then he spotted her on the bed, sprawled out across her stomach. She'd fallen asleep.
Bobby considered waking her… it would be time for dinner in about an hour or so, after all. But just from looking at her eyes it was clear that the girl didn't get enough sleep, and Bobby wasn't about to interfere with that.
Still, he found himself lingering a moment. Now that she was asleep, he could study the strange girl a bit more closely. There was no doubt in his mind that the woman from the previous night was her mother… they looked far too similar for that not to be the case. She didn't look much like their father at all, save for the nearly-unnoticeable freckles dotting her cheeks.
Bobby recalled how nervous and frightened Loan had seemed the previous night. Their father had said she'd been through a lot, and Bobby couldn't help but wonder just what could have reduced an adult to such a pitiful state. She looked… small. Fragile. More so than Bobby himself, in a lot of ways.
But more than anything, right now she looked cold.

Lincoln hissed in frustration as another line completely missed the mark. He hit CTRL+Z to undo, then tried again.
Still slightly off.
Lincoln had to stop himself from slamming the stylus through the screen. He took a deep breath through his nose and set the stylus down on his desk. He was letting himself get too worked up again… he needed to take a moment to calm his nerves.
He leant back in his chair and ran his hand through his snowy hair. He tried to shut his eyes for a moment, but he could only see Lori's face when he did. Damn it, Lincoln, FOCUS. He couldn't let himself get distracted… not now.
Working freelance had its benefits. For one, he got to work from the comfort of his own home. Since Ronnie's job as a chef kept her out for much of the day and often well into the night, this left him responsible for most of the chores during the week. It also meant he could be there for Bobby without leaving the boy in the hands of some nanny.
Another benefit was the flexible schedule. He had a deadline and a weekly quota… that was it. For the most part, he was damn good at managing his time. He'd only missed his deadline once, and that was due to Bobby's birth and the complications surrounding it… thankfully, his employer had been understanding of the situation.
On the other hand however, this also meant that Lincoln couldn't afford to slip up. There was no shortage of starving artists out there looking for their big chance… ironically, in the art-dependent world of the comics industry artists were seen as a fairly disposable resource. Either you do well and you keep doing well, or you're replaced. Lincoln had built up a quiet but positive reputation during his ten years in the field, and it would only take a few bad moves to throw all of that right down the drain.
Lincoln loved his job… he'd have to love it to do it in the first place. But it could be stressful. Particularly situations like these, where things were already coming down to the wire before he started getting bombarded with shit. The fact that he was even trying to work right now felt absurd to the man… he should be with his daughter right now, for God's sake.
Still, he had to try and keep on schedule. Ronnie's job paid fairly well, but it took effort on both their parts to support the family, especially now that Loan was in the picture. Then again… Lori had said she would send money for Loan… and she did mention that Loan had her own bank account. He supposed he'd have to ask her about the specifics at some point.
Lincoln pulled himself back upright. He shook his head and slapped his cheeks to focus himself. He took his stylus in hand and got back to work.
…Or, he would have, anyway. Just as he pressed his stylus to the screen, his phone vibrated with a text from Ronnie; dinner was ready. Lincoln sighed and set down his stylus. Maybe this was a good thing. A good meal might calm down his nerves some.
Lincoln stood up and stretched, grunting in satisfaction as his spine popped loudly. He'd need to ask Ronnie for a massage sometime this week… long work crunches wreaked havoc on his back.
He opened the door and winced slightly as his eyes adjusted to the bright hallway. His studio was dimly lit by comparison, as he figured it best to keep his focus on his monitor. He made his way down to Bobby's room and knocked on the door.
"Bobby!" Lincoln called to his son. "Dinner!"
"Okay." Bobby replied in his usual quiet tone. A moment later the door opened and Bobby stepped out.
"How's the model coming?"
"Good…" Bobby muttered. "Don't think I'm gonna finish it tonight, though." He gave a small shrug. "At least now I've got something to do tomorrow."
His father chuckled under his breath. "…We really need to get you a Clyde, Bobby."
"…Huh?" Bobby asked, raising his eyebrow.
"Ah, nothing. Go on, now. I'll get Loan." Lincoln patted his son on the head. Bobby gave a small smile and headed downstairs. Lincoln walked to the end of the hall and peered into his daughter's room. He quickly spotted her lying across the bed, still completely out cold. He felt bad about waking her, but the girl needed to eat.
"Loan," He said, gently rapping his knuckles against the open door. "Loan, time to wake up." His daughter groaned and shifted slightly. "Loaaaan~" He knocked again.
"Whyyyy." Loan mumbled.
"It's time for dinner."
"Time for…?" Loan's eyes slowly blinked open; she squinted, glancing briefly around the room in confusion before remembering where she was. "O-oh… hey, dad." She mumbled sheepishly, her cheeks heating up slightly. "I fell asleep, huh…"
"It's alright." Lincoln assured her. "Dinner's ready, so whenever you're ready…"
"R-right… thank you. I'll be right down." Her father smirked and headed off, and Loan let out a sigh. These little catnaps were just going to make it harder for her to fall asleep later.
As she pushed herself up, she felt something slide off of her and fall onto the bed. "…Huh?" Someone had draped a blanket over her; it was a deep blue color and covered with bright stars and planets.

"Oh, there you are." Ronnie teased as Loan entered the dining room. "Sleep well?"
"Sorry…" Loan apologized, giving a nervous laugh. "It's… comfortable up there."
"Don't worry about it." The older woman said. "Sit, Lincoln's getting everyone's plates right now." Loan nodded and sat down near Bobby as her stepmother returned to the kitchen.
"Hey… Bobby." Loan said quietly. "Thank you."
"…Huh?" The young boy glanced up at her.
"For the blanket. That was you, right?" Loan grinned warmly at her brother. "Thank you. That was really sweet."
"…Oh. Yeah. Y-you're welcome…" Bobby mumbled, staring back down at the tablecloth. "You… looked cold." Loan giggled, making him blush a light pink. He didn't see what the big deal was. She was cold, he gave her a blanket. That's just common courtesy, isn't it?
The rest of the meal went by much the same as the previous two. His parents and Loan made small talk amongst themselves, and he mostly tuned it out and focused on finishing his dinner as quickly as possible. He didn't want to be rude… but he also didn't want to be here for any longer than he had to.
"I'm done." Bobby said as he finished. "Can I go back upstairs?"
"Sure, Bobby." His father said. His mother simply rolled her eyes; she knew Bobby was shy, but she really wished her husband would be a bit stricter with the boy.
"See you, Bobby." Loan smiled and gave her little brother a wave.
"Y-yeah… you, um… you too." Bobby mumbled as he skulked out of the room. He wished he could be as friendly towards her as she was towards him. He wished he could fake it, at least.
As Bobby stepped into his bedroom, he noticed that the blanket had been folded up nicely and set on his bed. That was nice of her, he thought. But then he noticed that there was something sitting on top of the blanket. He walked over to take a closer look.
It was a small vinyl figurine of Spock in a simplified, cartoony style. Bobby picked it up and looked it over; it stood about two inches tall, and he could only assume it was one of those blind-boxed figurines meant to sucker in collectors. Personally, Bobby was not a fan… he preferred to buy something and actually know what he was getting. In any case, what was it doing here?
…Was Loan giving this to him?
It was the only explanation that made sense. This must have been her way of thanking him, but that was silly… all he'd done was lend her a blanket. That was nothing worth a reward. He was tempted to go put it back in her room, but refusing a gift was considered rude, wasn't it? He'd already been rude enough as is. With a shrug, Bobby walked over to his bookcase. He stood up on his toes and set the vinyl down on the top shelf, right between a Dalek and an Ewok.
A small smirk crossed the boy's face. He didn't like vinyl figurines very much… but for some reason, he liked this one a lot.
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