30. A Light In The Fog

A/N: Yes yes, I'm still alive. I know it's been some months since Syn got any attention, what with Worth being wrapped up and Lil Roomie getting a small update. Plus, life gets in the way most of the time with working at a different and busier location along with this maintenance stuff I'm doing. But good news is, with Worth finished I'm limiting myself to two fics again (or until I get bored make a 3rd because I have a few more ideas I want to write).

Anyway, the girls have plotted a way to get Lincoln to trust them again, and with the boy himself slowly coming to terms with his fear, he just might come around to see reality. The girls better hope their idea works, or it's back to square one..

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from the Loud House.

Spending your days in seclusion normally wouldn't be that bad if you were just trying to relax. All the time in the world to unwind, putting your stress into a box that gets dumped into a bottomless pit in your mind, and forgetting your troubles until they smack you in the face with a 12 foot steel beam. Unfortunately, for one certain boy currently in hiding from (most of) his estranged siblings, sitting around in his and Clyde's cave wasn't doing him any favors.

Lincoln was slouched in his seat on a large couch, a mix of depression and anxiety ever present in his eyes as he watched a news report talking about the recent events of the Full House Gang. He viewed it while he was in the city two days prior, disguised as some random kid running errands. True to their word, the girls had released edited footage of the fight at the docks, only showing the parts where Ace was managing his own and the event where Deuce began raining grenades on them to save him. The oldest siblings were quick to label the two as traitors with High Card, Strong Suit, and Queen of Diamonds promising to bring them to justice by any means necessary. This in turn led to the police issuing a warrant for their arrest as well as any co-conspirators affiliated with Ace and Deuce.

As much as Lincoln saw it coming, it still made his heart ache that his own sisters would be so ready to turn on him. It instilled thoughts that, outside of Lily, they probably never loved him to begin with; they likely only tolerated his presence since he was the best at finding criminals. Lily assured him that wasn't the case, though even she was unsure what caused the girls to snap. Still, the grenadier was outright pissed at being framed by the media, offhandedly challenging her ex-sisters to try and bring them in.

If Clyde or Ronnie Anne were concerned about the law coming for them, they didn't show it. Ronnie had been issued a warrant quite few times over her career; the charges were inevitably dropped when it was revealed that her victims were far from innocent. As for One-Eyed Jack, he distracted himself with keeping tabs on the other Loud siblings; he was also confident in his and Ace's ability to evade the police as well.

In spite of Lincoln's mood, there was some good news as the boy shifted his attention from the news to the other part of his social circle playing cards at a table. Liam leaned back in his chair as he calmly stared at the cards in his deck, his cowboy hat hanging on the back side of the chair as he kicked his spurs up on the table.

Rusty had beads of sweat developing on his forehead, letting Lincoln know he probably had a bad hand. If he had to be honest, Rusty looked like one of those old styled magicians with a cape, eye mask, and a fedora of all things. It shouldn't be surprising that the curly-haired boy wore a tux with several card emblems stitched to the cuffs; he always tried to present himself as a 'Ladies Man'. Perhaps the only oddity was his chosen color. A black, white, and even a red tux were pretty common these days; but a green one? Ok, to be fair, it had some black patterns in it, but Lincoln could not hope to wonder how Rusty would manage to keep himself hidden unless they were in a forest. He's known as the Mirage Master. Pretty bland, and Lincoln knew Rusty would've picked Dr. Strange, but someone was already using that name and Rusty sure as heck didn't have a Ph. D.

Panning over to the last of the 3 redheads, Zach was...how could Lincoln put it? He'd looked like a grenadier he saw in a video game before, almost similar to Lily but with a different layout. Wearing what Lincoln assumed was a tactical vest, several odd looking spheres were hooked to the front, sides, and a launcher of sorts was lazily hanging by its strap on the head of his chair.

Zach might've been a nerd in every sense of the meaning, but it was easy to see why he gets A's in chemistry. The 10 year old could turn piles of scrap into working bombs, and as the little guy proclaimed, all he needed was some good metal, chemicals, and a working timer. In secret, he would test his devices to achieve a set radius, explosive power, and ease of use. He also had to be very careful with how he made his bombs, knowing one errant twitch could blow him up, or ruin an entire batch. However, all of his bombs weren't just plain old explosives; Zach also made some smoke bombs, flash bangs, and worst of all, shrapnel mines. It made sense as Lincoln once recalled a time Lana swore she spotted the boy at the junkyard while running an errand. Might also explain why the boy's hair had that spikey look to it. Since he didn't have a name for himself, everyone else decided to give Zach the title as Mad Bomber. Lily suggested a puny name like Junkrat due to the fact his bombs were literally made out of trash, only to earn a glare from her supposed partner. And let's be honest: after Zach blows up a few things, he acts like he just took 5 adrenaline shots and starts laughing like a maniac. A little unhinged, but that level of unpredicted chaos would be useful against an organized team like the Full House.

Lincoln squinted his eyes a little at Zach, seeing faded patches of smoke intertwined with the red spikey follacles. "Zach must really know his stuff of he hasn't blown himself up yet. Though I imagine he nearly did a few times."

A feminine groan got his attention. "You're not seriously watching that old thing again are you?"

Lincoln twisted his body around to face Lily, who shuffled in with a tired gaze. She was still dressed in her pajamas despite it being around noon. His lips straightened into a small frown. "You didn't sleep much..."

"Not that I could after patrolling all night..."

"Lily, I told you it was too dangerous to go out there with our sisters looking for us." Lincoln turned back to the TV. "Not to mention the police."

Lily threw her hands up in irritation. "I was with Ace-sassin, wasn't I?!" She stopped at the back of the couch, turning before falling over the top and onto the seats. "Not like we found any clues for them anyway. Crime's been rather low surprisingly."

Lincoln nodded. "I guess the girls might've scared the rest, given what they did to Card Shark."

Lily gave a small nod, gazing on half-interest at the upside down TV. She blinked a couple times as a small memory came to the forefront of her mind. "Oh," She dug into her pocket before pulling out two sheets of folded paper. "I also found these while we were out yesterday."

Lincoln raised a brow in confusion before taking them from his sister. Inspecting the sheets, they were clearly ripped off from some building as he noted the dust and torn edges. Unfolding them, Lincoln glowered a little as he stared back at a far off picture of himself in his Ace Savvy uniform. Below the picture was a large cash reward being offered along with a charge listed as 'Reckless Vigilantism'. The other paper was the same, but with a lone image of Deuce scanning for something on top of a roof. This wasn't mentioned on the news...

Given how fresh the paper looked, the police must've passed them out recently. If you ever want to get normally unwilling volunteers to help in a pointless search, just put up wanted posters offering a large sum of money. Typically, most wouldn't bother looking for a hero who was known to appear only when they wanted to be seen; to chase a ghost would be nothing more than wasted time and money. But for a $100,000 reward? Might as well treat it like the lottery and hope for the best. And there was always the option they could always increase the amount to attract more.

"This isn't helping Lily..." The 11 year old said in slight irritation.

"No, but at least you won't be surprised if some mercenaries or whatever decide to come after us."

Lincoln blew hot air out of his nose. "At least they just think there's only two people to look for." He rubbed his eyes as his lids started to feel like sand bags.

Lily gave a half-smirk. "Guess I'm not the only one who didn't get any sleep." The 7 year old lifted her legs, pivoting herself so she was lying on her stomach while facing her brother. "Wanna talk about it?"

The 11 year old shook his head. "Just the same old worry of waking to see one of my sisters ready to kill me in my sleep..."

"Lincoln..." Lily frowned, losing her joking demeanor. "They're not gonna find us. I mean, you said it yourself that none of our sisters knew you and Clyde made this cave. I never knew of this place until Clyde brought us here."

"That may be, but we both know they're resourceful. We only have half as much info gathering than we would back at home. Not to mention Lisa has way better computers." The boy grabbed the remote and flicked the channel to some old movie, not that he had any intention of watching it. "Call me paranoid, but I stand out too much for my own good. Hiding my hair is easy, but my teeth..." Lincoln rubbed his oversized choppers subconsciously, his fingers then sliding down to his jawline where a small and subtle scar was still hardening.

Lily eyed it, a small migraine developing instinctively. During the time Lincoln was out cold from his beating, she did some quick surgery to remove the tracking devices Lisa inserted into all of her siblings in the event one of them was kidnapped. What was normally a good safety measure was now proving to be a glaring weakness, and the grenadier set to ensure the girls wouldn't be able to track their movements. Another benefit of having a genius for a roommate was having the knowledge to remove foreign objects under the skin. Lincoln's was easy to remove since his was located just above the lower left side of his jaw, and him being under heavy anesthesia made it painless. Lily's was tougher to remove though; Lisa installed it close to her temple. With Clyde busy, she was forced to perform a little surgery on herself. The 7 year old spent a grueling two hours cutting open her head, biting fiercely into the bill of her cap to keep from screaming in agony as Lily silently prayed she didn't screw up something important. The device was successfully removed, at the expense of Lily now being forced to deal with flaring headaches every now and then. Her hat also had permanent tooth marks as well.

Still, two hours to remove a tracker was enough time for the rest of the Louds to make it back to base and potentially fire up the scanner. She didn't want Lincoln to worry even further, but all Lily could do was hope she destroyed hers before that happened...

"If it helps," Lily sat up before scooting closer to him. "Clyde's been watching them through several public camera systems. He still can't access the ones at home, but from the look of things everywhere else (and looking through areas we would usually go to), they seem to be acting normal." The last word was spoken with malice. "But what are we going to do? We can't just sit aside and let them frame us as the bad guys."

"I know..." Lincoln replied, uncertainty ever present in his form. "I want to set the record straight, but at the same time, I don't want to put them in a bad light too." Lily's face contorted in displeasure, but Lincoln continued on before she could spit more fire. "Just think about it. Everyone in the city looks up to us to protect them. If we did the same thing our sisters did, then people would get confused and lose trust in all of us." Lincoln gave a short pause to let it sink in. Lily raised a finger to refute that statement, but could find none the more she thought it over. "When I first became Ace Savvy, I swore to protect the innocent as best I can. I don't like the way things are now, but it's better that the city doesn't think the whole team is crazy." The 11 year old glanced at the TV, flicking the channel again. Now it showed some talk show host giving disparaging comment about Ace himself and his leadership. The boy furrowed his brows before muting the TV. "That doesn't mean I don't want to do something about it. More importantly, I don't want to have to deal with the girls where everyone can see it. If one of the villains is up to no good, then chances are the rest of the Full House will come out to stop them."

Lincoln then felt a pair of arms resting on top of his head. "So you want to run an interception mission Lame-O?" Ronnie Anne stated. "Didn't think you were looking to be that bold."

"Wait, if we do that, what about the bad guy?" Lily asked.

Lincoln hummed in thought. Depending on who it was, they could either let them slip away and deal with them later, or have to apprehend them as soon as possible. With so many villains out there, it was going to be a luck of a draw that it wouldn't be any of the major players.

A few minutes later, Clyde poked his head into the room. "Hey guys." Several pairs of eyes immediately turned to him. "Not to ruin anyone's fun time, but I've been looking over some camera footage and other information, and-"

"Get to the point Clyde..." Ronnie Anne ordered.

"I was!" The boy frowned. "Wild Card Willy is on the move, and I think he's planning a heist tonight."

Lincoln raised his brows in surprise. Well that was certainly a stroke of luck; Willy wasn't as bad as say, Card Countess, but he could still be a pain to deal with. The Full House had clashed with him a few times, usually beating the villain, but he always managed to get away. As unpredictable as he was, Ace couldn't account for everything the man would throw at them. However, the new Full House may not be so forgiving...

"Well bro, what do you think?" Lily asked in a serious tone.

Lincoln bit his lip as he mulled over his options, growing more nervous by the second as he felt everyone staring at him. He didn't want to admit he wasn't quite ready to face his other sisters again, but at the same time, he didn't want to let his team down and let this opportunity go to waste. If they did go, it'd be the first time meeting his other sisters since they started their coup; awkwardness aside, no doubt one could expect a brawl to take place. But what would happen then? What would happen if Lincoln and the others managed to win? The savvy crime fighter doubted his sisters would go down that easily, and were more likely to work as a unit than individually unlike last time. Locking them up wasn't much of an option either because like it or not, Lincoln needed them if they want to be able to deal with a serious threat.

And if they lost?...

Images of Lincoln lying on the floor in agony with barely a breath to spare flashed through his mind, painting a similar picture for his teammates. The sinister laughter of his other sisters rang in his ears like an unholy noise from the deepest pits of hell, making the 11 year old want to scream out in terror. A calm hand rested on his shoulder, making Lincoln aware of not only his surroundings, but the rapid breaths he didn't know he was giving.

"This isn't a one vs. nine Lincoln...you have a team now." Lily smiled sincerely.

"We're always ready back you up buddy." Clyde proclaimed.

"And we're not gonna let them have a repeat of the last fight you had. They deserve what's coming to them." Ronnie Anne hummed, lightly massaging Lincoln's hair.

"Yeah. They'll learn not to underestimate us." Rusty boasted. "And speaking of underestimating..." He turned his hand towards his opponents, showing a deck stacked with aces.

Liam held his mouth open in angered shock while Zach threw his cards into the air. "What?! How?! I had a jack, a queen, and a king!" The shortest redhead yelled.

"All about misdirection fellas." Rusty smirked, covering the cards in his hands before opening them, showing nothing but empty palms.

"Show off..." Liam groaned, folding his arms. Zach banged his head on the table in frustration.

Lincoln gave a slight chuckle, the nervousness he felt all but disappearing. Maybe they really did have a chance. He and Lily knew their sisters better than anyone, and aside from Clyde, there was an advantage to be held by forcing the girls to deal with opponents they're unfamiliar with. Not to mention they'd likely be overconfident at having to fight a bunch of kids, hypocritical as it was since none of them were of legal age.

Oh how Lincoln would prove them wrong.

"Alright." Lincoln gently took Ronalda's hands off his head. "If everyone's in favor, then it's clear what we'll have to do." He stood on the couch. "We'll go after Wild Card Willy, but the real objective is waiting for the Full House to arrive."

"What do we do then?" Liam asked.

"Just expect a bunch of fighting, some name calling, and lots of collateral damage. But during it all, I hope I can find some answers to figure out why all of this has happened..." Lincoln paused, an uneasy feeling overcoming him. "The way they acted that night...I just have this odd feeling that there's something else going on. If they had any problems with me, they'd be the first to let me know. My sisters aren't exactly good at hiding their aggression." Lincoln closed his eyes for a moment, letting images of that savage beating play in his head. "They didn't hesitate to try and kill me," He looked at his team. "And I'm sure they would do the same to you. So...just be careful, ok guys?"

The rest of the kids voiced their approvals in unison before filing out of the room in order to make some last minute arrangements. After the last person left, Lincoln glanced back at the muted TV. High Card was on the screen explaining something to a reporter, no doubt giving more false information about Ace Savvy's 'betrayal' or how they've yet to find him. Giving a low sigh, the Loud shut the TV off. No matter how much he tried to shake it, a sense of dread was constantly present in his stomach. Fighting with his own family on this scale was something the boy never could've predicted, nor wish it. But with his mind already set and a plan beginning to form, Lincoln really hoped to diffuse the ensuing quarrel before someone else feels the same pain he's currently dealing with.

Unfortunately for Lincoln, who he was in his dreams was not the same boy who walked to school with his best friend that Monday morning. Dreams and reality really were two different fields of play, as Lincoln was beginning to understand. As the Loud was growing more accustomed to looking through two different perspectives, he felt himself growing envious of his Ace Savvy persona. At least he had the courage to face his sisters head on, something the real Lincoln lacked. Even so, a fearful Lincoln could at least say his worries about school were dwindling. His social circle did a good job keeping him away from his sisters (aside from last Thursday, but he didn't hold that against them), and since at least one friend shared a class with him daily, it was a 9 to 5 operation. They were taking their jobs seriously, to the point Lincoln couldn't even use the bathroom without a buddy watching outside the bathroom. In most circumstances, it would be annoying; after hearing Lola singing in the opposite restroom, it was anything but to Lincoln.

A faint smile formed on Lincoln's face. With his friends always having his back, maybe he'd actually get the courage to face at least one of his sisters. Speaking of siblings, the middle child started to wonder how Lily was faring. He hadn't seen her since he left the hospital, but he sure as heck wasn't about to come into the house with his...other sisters around...

He didn't doubt that she missed him greatly, and he to her...

Speaking of which, there was one other sister who felt like she was going to crack under pressure. Lynn was nearing the end of her science class, feeling rather uncomfortable and fidgety about her appearance and choice of clothing. She brushed some hair behind her ear, shifted a bit to make sure her hair (which now ran just past her shoulders) didn't get caught between the seat and her back. In many cases, the tomboy would dominate when under the gun to score a win, even if the subject matter wasn't anything competitive. She liked the attention, almost as much as she liked winning. This time though? She felt she drew the short stick...

The girls decided (and after a rock, paper, scissors match) that the young athlete would be the one to try and break the ice with Lincoln. Lynn immediately objected due to her well-known aggression, aforementioned competitiveness, and the injuries she inflicted on Lincoln. However, Luan was also as hesitant due to her past behavior, not to mention being almost twice as tall as Lincoln would add to her intimidation factor. The comedian was also uncertain if Lincoln would keep the protection she gave him on Thursday in consideration.

In order to make Lynn appear less intimidating and more relaxed, the girls had her wear jeans and bright colored hoodie, have her hair down, and practice giving a warm smile. Naturally, the jock didn't think anything was wrong with her smile. No, scratch that. Her missing teeth did ruin it a bit, but Lynn through it still looked good. However, Lisa stated it could make Lincoln feel less secure than he already was if she gave a crooked smile; plus, who wants to see a smile that has gaps where teeth should obviously be? With a frustrated groan, she accepted their 'conditioning' and felt rather ridiculous about it all. It was one thing about not being able to wear her favorite jerseys, but baggy clothing was NOT something Lynn ever liked. She occasionally felt she might trip on one of her pants legs and constantly had to pull on the sleeves to keep her hands free.

Perhaps the easiest part was how simple the plan was: let Lincoln see her from a distance before calmly walking up and try to start a casual conversation. On paper, a monkey could do it. But, this is why we say things are easier said than done. The biggest issue for Lynn was the fact she and Lincoln would only see each other in school during lunch a few days out of the week like today. Even more so, as Lynn shuddered in thought, the crowded room would instantly draw unwanted attention if Lincoln were to freak out. Last thing she needed to catch another food tray to the face, in front of a quarter of the student body...

Glancing at the clock, the jock realized she had 5 minutes to put aside whatever doubts she had before putting the plan into action.

Lynn grasped at her sleeves, pulling them back as her foot tapped the floor vigorously. "Stupid hoodie...what the heck was wrong with my other shirts? And it's spring!" The 13 year old growled in frustration. She could feel her arms starting to become damp in the heat. Lynn actually liked to sweat, seeing it as proof of a good workout. She just hated sitting still and sweating like she was in a goddamn oven. It almost made her lose her focus on the test she just finished. On the bright side, at least her legs weren't suffering...

A buzzing in her pocket let Lynn know someone sent her a text. Reaching into her pocket, her eyes traced over the message.

Nervous?... - Luan

Lynn began thumbing her response, quickly putting her phone on vibrate once she her a few ticks echo somewhat loudly.

More than you can imagine... - Lynn

Sorry about this. I just didn't think Lincoln would be ready to see me again so soon... - Luan

It's fine. Not any better than you are, just wish I didn't have to wear this dumb hoodie. - Lynn

Do you think you can handle it? I mean...I'm not saying you can't, but I...let's just say I'm second guessing myself a lot and wanted to talk with him too. - Luan

Lynn frowned a bit. This had been going back and forth with Luan since the weekend.

Lu...I got this. I don't like the fact I might get hit in the face again with gross lunch food, but I'll take that chance anyway if it means letting Link see we aren't out to get him. - Lynn

The bell rang, signaling the start of Operation: Sister Affection.

I gotta go. But if this works, you're next in line. - Lynn

Good luck...- Luan

I don't have a four leaf clover - Lynn

The brunette stuffed her phone in the pocket, hoping that last text would at least get the comedian to smile at the inside joke. Grabbing her books, Lynn made a short trip to her locker before heading down to the lunch room. The closer she got to the cafeteria, the more that unsettled feeling in her gut made itself known, growing to the point her veins were pumping a constant flow of anxiety. Upon reaching the doors, Lynn felt her legs lock up as she stared inside through the windows. She couldn't spot any traces of white hair among the various students of multiple grades, and that made Lynn flinch unconsciously as a chill descended down her spine.

If Lynn wanted to make this plan work, she needed to make contact with him first. If it were the other way around, Lincoln may want to sneak out while she wasn't looking. To make matters more complicated, none of the sisters and Ronnie Anne told Lincoln's other friends about what they were going to do; they were too close to him to risk the Loud figuring out both groups were communicating with each other. Plus, Ronnie Anne admitted that Lincoln's other friends would be rather poor at feigning knowledge of this agreed meeting.

In a stroke of luck, Lynn darted her eyes to the left where the food line was, spotting her brother, Clyde, and his three of his geeky friends walking away from the lunch lady with trays full of food. She tracked them throughout the room as they sat at a table not too far away from the windows, immediately conversing about something Lynn could likely care less about. Lynn wasn't concerned about any mean looks she might get once she strolled in; most of the student body didn't care, but Lynn's friends still refused to talk to her, only being aloof than giving hateful glares nowadays.

Ronnie Anne was no where in sight, much to Lynn's disappointment. Although uncomfirmed, Ronnie Anne claimed that Lincoln was more at ease when she was around; Lynn could only guess that was due to what happened the day after he was sent to the hospital. The 5th grade tomboy soon regretted saying that as she was nearly swept up in a sister-nado asking nonstop questions about her and Lincoln 'dating'. Even more so, Lynn was armed with the thought that Ronnie's very presence would help smooth things over.

However, studying his face, Lynn could see that Lincoln appeared just fine despite Ronnie's absence. Not to mention he seemed to have gotten used to the fact his sisters were in school. Her eyes were drawn to the black cast over his left arm, catching the small movement of his fingers poking out of it. Her stomach sank at this subtle reminder of why she shouldn't be doing this. Maybe she should just go and eat from outside like she usually did on these days, silently watching her brother heal from a distance. After all, why would he want to talk to the same girl who wrestled or jumped him without warning, tossing sports balls in his direction when she knew he wasn't looking? And why the heck would Lincoln even bother talking to Lynn after she broke his arm over a little mistake?

Lynn curled her hands into fists, her brows knitting as she started gaining back her resolve. Lisa spent a good while doing her homework figuring out the best way to tackle their brother's problem, and was Ms. Sporty really going to spit on it like Lisa did to her face and call a quits? Lynn was never one to take a challenge lightly in all her years of competing, no matter how stacked the odds were. Sure, the circumstances were different, but right now? Her main goal was to win Lincoln's trust, or at least test the waters on how long he could tolerate her presence before getting too unnerved to speak.

"Ok Lynn...as long as you don't do anything to scare him, this should be easy." The jock spoke to herself. "Just gotta stroll in, smile, and ask how his day is. And don't look at his arm..." Lynn added, though her confident tone faltered as she found herself staring at the obvious injury. Pushing the door open, the young athlete calmly walked through the masses of students, making her way towards the boys who failed to notice her presence. A gurgling sound from Lynn's stomach made her pause half-way towards her targets. Looking to the lunch line, a new idea popped into her head. Surely they wouldn't mind her eating with them for a few minutes, right?

"No, the cops were too busy tear gassin' him to ask what he was doing up there." Liam told the other boys, who were a mix of half listening and half eating absentmindedly. "Ellis screamed for six whole months every time he opened his eyes. It was funny after a while, but then it got sad. And then it was funny again because we found him trying to put the moves on a cow." The farm boy let out a short chortle. "The look on his face when we told him was priceless!"

"Doesn't it sound a little extreme for the police to gas him when he was just shooting birds?" Zach asked.

"He technically had to have a gun with him to do that, and it doesn't take a genius to know that someone firing a gun like crazy is against the law." Clyde inquired, biting into his sandwich.

"Yeah, I remember auntie sayin' it had somethin' to do with that." Liam replied.

"Is your cousin kinda weird?" Rusty added, giving a light snort. "I mean, what else did he do? Get run over by his own lawn mower?"

"Actually, he did." Liam replied, biting into his sub. "It was one of them mowers you can ride in. Didn't get cut too deep, but most of his body was covered in 'em."

Rusty gave a surprised blink. "...I was joking, but ok." He shrugged.

Lincoln stayed silent as he ate. He listened to Liam's tale, but didn't have anything to say that wasn't already said. The longer he stared at his 3 redheaded friends, the more he began to understand why he ended up developing the personas they have in his dreams. Liam being a cowboy from his farmer aspects was very noteworthy, though now that Lincoln thought about it, didn't cowboys live on a ranch? He guessed that Liam's farm counted as one since it had animals like chickens and pigs. He even saw a few cows at some point too.

With Rusty, there have been numerous times he acted like he knew something but really didn't, normally playing around whatever he said in order to save face. He also brags about knowing certain people to get things done, like fancy duds from his dad. That would explain the tux...as well as the few times Rusty did have a credible source, it was to everyone's benefit. It could go either way with that guy.

For Zach, Lincoln recalled the one time the boy really did blow up the science lab after unknowingly mixing two volatile chemicals. He distinctly remembered how bad his hair looked, covered in smoke, a big bald spot in the center of his head, and it was fizzing out in all directions. A flash of guilt flowed through Lincoln as he also recalled how the girl...what was her name...Kat? Anyway, Kat complained about getting part of her hair burnt off, though it still flowed down to the middle of her back. Zach was, understandably, upset at Lincoln for the rest of the day. It ended when Lincoln took a bunch of salty pies to the face though. Because this incident was a one time thing, it did feel a little odd that Zach was a true demolitionist. Unlike Lily, Zach used real bombs; you know, the kind of stuff that would leave you in so many pieces they'd have to glue you back together in hell? Lincoln supposed that Zach in his dreams grew interested in explosives following that incident, and he could definitely make a deadly match-up with Lily. Distraction and live explosives? Good luck walking away with all of your limbs still attached.

Temporarily moving away from his dreams, Lincoln absently took another bite of his sub whilst lazily looking around the lunchroom. He spotted a few other students he knew in his class like Girl Jordan, Mollie, Chandler, Artie, and Andrew. The rest were students he knew were in his class, but didn't remember their names, or older and younger kids who weren't in his grade. Well, besides a certain Loud sister calmly walking towards their table with a food tray in her hands.

Lincoln's mind stopped hard like a train suddenly activating its emergency brake.

Doubling back to the right, he thought he was just seeing things for a second. His heart began to quiver anxiously as he confirmed that it was indeed one of his sisters coming up to them. Even worse, it was the strongest one...

Lynn started walking slower upon seeing Lincoln make eye contact with her. She noted how his body was tensing up like a deer or rabbit that looked frightened upon a nearby human approaching it, which told the brunette he was getting ready to bolt as soon as he felt threatened. "Ok, he's looking at me...don't do anything to make him run...and now the others are looking too..." The young athlete sighed inwardly.

The general chatter in the lunch room filled the silence between herself and the boys as Lynn stood 5 feet away from their table. Lynn studied each of the boys without much of a word. Clyde and Liam were rather surprised she came up, both of them constantly peeking looks at Lincoln to show they were more concerned about him. Rusty and Zach were utterly confused as this wasn't part of their normal agreement. With Lincoln...Lynn tried not to stare at him for too long. The poor boy was on the verge of having another anxiety attack; every few seconds he would give a tremble or two, all of which was caught by Lynn's watchful gaze. The athlete couldn't tell whether Lincoln was trying hard to mask the fact he was scared, or debating on whether or not he should make up an excuse to get as far away from her as possible. During the times she wasn't looking directly at him, Lynn could tell Lincoln was slowly growing interested.

The boy's gut was telling him to discreetly get out of his seat and calmly walk towards the exit, then run like hell once he got past the door. However, Lincoln's brain was telling it that such movement would be impossible. He knew Lynn was much faster than he could ever hope to be, as him trying to escape his fateful beating was enough proof; heck, she was strong enough to whoop not only him, but everyone at the table and still have energy to spare. Lincoln was really wishing Ronnie Anne was here...at least she could stand a fight against the terror standing in front of him...

Lincoln stared down at his food to avoid looking at his sister. "Last time she was this close...I hit her with my tray..." Even in his own head, his voice sounded like a whisper. The fingers of his right hand grazed the side of the tray in thought. "She ran off last time...maybe I could do it again if she tries anything. Yeah, that may work." The boy bit his lip as his confidence began to fade. "But...it might've just been in the moment. She's probably mad at me about it too..." His eyes widened in terror. "What if she's here to pay me back for that? Or what if she wants to break my other arm?! Wait, why is her hair down?" Lincoln thought as his thought process grinded to a crawl.

It was fortunate for everyone that, unlike previous times where Lincoln only knew fear when it came to being near any sibling besides the youngest, there was a layer of confusion blocking his anxiety from taking complete control. Aside from her hair being down, Lincoln also noticed she was wearing a hoodie and jeans in favor of her usual jersey and shorts. Now that he thought of it, she wasn't wearing them either when she visited him in the clinic. Looking back up at her hair, Lincoln couldn't remember a time at any point of his life he had seen Lynn's hair free flowing so willingly. Sure, there were some nights where he might've caught a glimpse of Lynn without her ponytail after she just got out of the shower, but she usually kept it up when she slept; as if the time they shared a room together was enough proof. Even when they were younger, Lynn always had part of her hair tied up in pigtails like Lana once it grew out enough.

The boy's mind wondered back to the day they had that school assembly, when Luan actually...helped him. She was dressed in her usual skirt and blouse, but her light brown hair was down past the middle of her back. And if he thought hard enough, her fake flower wasn't on her shirt that day either. Like Lynn, Lincoln knew Luan never had let hair down without reason, even while sleeping. He honestly didn't understand why they didn't. Ronnie Anne once told him she undoes her ponytail before bed since it feels uncomfortable sleeping on a mass of knotted hair; plus, both of his sister's ponytails were positioned directly on the back of their heads as opposed to Ronnie Anne's hanging near her shoulders.

Where was he going with this again? Oh, right. Luan's hair...there was a time when he did witness such a site, similar to what Lincoln had witnessed that day. Luan had been in a bit of a slump due to being in a position his older sisters called 'The Friend Zone'. He didn't know exactly what it meant (or what was wrong with it since he had plenty of friends), but the gist was that Luan really liked this guy named Benny, but he didn't feel the same way and preferred to stay friends. If the middle child had to guess how long ago it was, it had been around the time he had been crushing on a girl named Paige, which was about a month or so before Ronnie Anne started picking on him; and that was like, nine months ago? Honestly, he forgot about Paige after Ronnie Anne revealed that she really did like him, so Lincoln supposed he was spared from whatever pain Luan was feeling. Either way, Lincoln at least knew that Luan would have her hair down because she was too depressed to care about her overall appearance.

Did that mean...Luan was sad?...Was that the reason why she didn't even try to hurt him? And if so, why?...

Many more questions were popping up in Lincoln's head that he almost didn't catch the little discussion happening in front of him.

"Sorry Lynn, but we can't let you sit here." Clyde answered.

"Yeah, this is a 'Boys Only' table." Rusty added.

Lynn bit her tongue to hold back a frown at that statement. She didn't want to give Lincoln more of a reason to not trust her. "I just wanted to spend time with you guys and my brother. We don't really see each other these days..." She spoke in a sincere tone, using a semi-broken voice to added effect.

Sort of truth to that. Lincoln couldn't tell if Lynn was being sincere, though his friends weren't too convinced. "Well, uh, we're kinda busy eatin' here and there ain't enough room for ya to sit." Liam spoke softly, idly moving his books into a space next to him.

"Also, lunch is gonna end soon." Zach pointed out.

"Actually, we still have 20 minutes to eat, then we got recess." Clyde corrected.

Rusty elbowed him. "Dude!" He hissed in a low voice.

"Simplest advice I can give is to keep an open mind. Fear can be both rational and irrational." Mrs. Lopez's words repeated themselves in Lincoln's head as his sister continued pleading with his friends for a seat.

On one hand, Lynn would have a reason to be after him after the incident at the hospital. Denying her a seat could also set her off knowing what little patience she has. On the other hand, she wouldn't try to cause a ruckus with so many students around, and she didn't change her appearance for any reason unless a competition was involved. Along with the fact her hair was down like Luan's, Lincoln started to think Lynn might've been upset about something as well. At least, not upset in the usual way; broken punching bags could attest to a pent up Lynn needing to cut loose. Maybe there was something wrong that went on a deeper level that he couldn't quite understand, and Mrs. Lopez did tell him to try and see things for what they were instead of assuming the worst.

Lynn was growing steadily frustrated, but tried not to show it. "Look, I know this is about what happened over a month ago, and me saying 'I'm sorry' isn't gonna fix anything, but-"

"L-Let her sit." The rest of the group went wide-eyed, directing their attention to the white-haired child. "S-she can sit with us...she's my s-sister..." Lincoln spoke in an uneasy voice, holding onto his bad arm to keep himself still.

Lynn's mind went blank for a moment, making sure that she didn't hear him wrong. Did he...did Lincoln really allow her to sit near him? Just a week ago, he was panicking at the being in the same building as her and everyone else, and now he was offering her a seat? Seeing Liam moving his books, Lynn decided not to press her luck in asking and sat down, just to the opposite of her brother. The other boys kept making glances between Lynn and Lincoln, wary of anything that might suddenly pop off. Surprisingly, Lincoln kept quite as he ate, though every minute or two Lynn would catch him staring at her before hastily looking back at his food to avoid drawing an ire that was never there.

It wasn't long before Lynn finally allowed herself to munch on her sub. "So..." She took a bite. "How's everyone doing?" The jock spoke with a mouth full, spraying a few bits onto her tray.

"Peachy..." Rusty claimed, sulking into his seat. "My main weakness is right after recess, and I'm not ready for it!"

"You mean math?" Zach asked.

"Pff, no. I'm an ace at math!"

Liam squinted his eyes at the taller redhead. "Didn't you beg Ms. Johnson to give you a C last time?"

"No? I mean, just a little."

Lynn gave a light chuckle. "Ever ask for a tutor?"

"Well, if Rusty would pay attention instead of gawking at the girl that lives across the street from my house, he would be passing easily." Clyde smirked.

Rusty gave a faux hurt look. "I will have you know that I DO NOT do such things." He folded his arms. "Most of the time..."

The group let out a small laugh, even Lincoln managed a small smile. Lynn stole a glance at her brother, who luckily didn't appear to notice. Having a closer view of him, he looked to be healthier than he had been weeks prior; the bags around his eyes weren't from lack of sleep but more of how they typically were. Come to think of it, Lynn actually noticed that aside from Lincoln, only their parents had eyebags. Neither her nor her sisters contained them, surprisingly as many times they get on each others nerves. Maybe she'd ask Lisa about it, though chances were it might be due to his constant stress. Anyway, Lincoln's hair was better kept, the face appeared to lack any residual sweat that Lynn assumed would come from his panic attacks, and he appeared to be eating just fine despite knowing how much his teeth were damaged. The iconic chip in his tooth was noticeably bigger from Lynn's perspective.

The Louds knew the cause behind the first chip, but for those that didn't, let's just say a wayward ball from Lynn found a target on Lincoln's face. The young athlete could still remember the tongue lashing she got from both parents for her recklessness, especially with that crack being on the only tooth that was permanent at the time.

Shifting her gaze southward, Lynn found herself once again staring at the hardened black cloth that was the cast of Lincoln's arm. The brunette told herself not to stare, but she couldn't help it. Lynn wasn't by any means a doctor, so she couldn't tell what kind of condition the limb would be in. It must've been doing nicely seeing that Lincoln was flexing his fingers without any issues. If there was a smile on her face, it faded as Lynn thought about the potential complications her brother could have after breaking his arm at the elbow. He might not be able to use that arm to its full potential due to a weakened joint, have a limited stretching aspect, stiff movement, or even experience sudden aches with it for the rest of his life. Now, the 13 year old wasn't sure if any of those would be true, but it'd likely be the same way if she broke her leg one too many times. Last time she did, she was stuck with crutches for a few weeks, and seeing Lincoln stuck with this cast for more than a month made her feel even worse; it felt as if she gave him a scar he would never be able to get rid of, and Lynn felt she nearly ruined his life before Lincoln had a chance to really start it.

Lincoln watched his sister carefully through his peripheral, wondering what she was trying to do. He subtly followed her gaze to his cast, and unlike the smirk or whatever smug look he expected Lynn to have since her injury lasted the longest, he saw a forlorn frown that matched the sorrow filling her eyes. As Lincoln began to silently stare back, the other boys ceased their discussion out of confusion; did the Louds just enter some unspoken staring contest, or were they talking to each other mentally?

After a few minutes, Lynn finally broke her gaze, staring at her food while her stomach no longer wished to be filled. Giving a sigh, "I hope you can forgive me Lincoln..." She muttered in a whisper. "I gotta go..." Lynn spoke loud enough for the boys to hear, standing up before walking her tray to the trash can.

The boys followed the jock with their eyes until they saw her exit the lunchroom entirely.

"Well, that was weird." Zach started.

"We still got like, 12 minutes left don't we?" Liam asked, to which Rusty looked at his watch.

Clyde looked towards his best friend, who was still staring at the exit doors. "You ok Lincoln?"

The Loud blinked his eyes as he came back into focus. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine."

"You sure? You looked like you spaced out for a sec. Lynn didn't scare you too much, did she?"

Lincoln shook his head. "No...but, I'm...I just have a lot on my mind right now." He stared his food tray for a moment, before pushing it away from him. "I'm not hungry anymore..."

The other boys looked amongst themselves in confusion and worry. They didn't know what exactly was eating up Lincoln this time; they expected him to be more relieved that his sister was no longer around, and yet, he seemed upset by that. They also worried about failing to do their job, but in spite of them refusing to let Lynn sit, they never expected the boy whose avoiding his own kin to allow one to be that close to him. Then again, it wasn't like Lynn was actively threatening them; though they had no prior warning via text what she was planning to do. Regardless, as lunch was coming to an end, the boys hoped Lincoln would feel better after some time outside.

What no one realized however, was that Lincoln heard those six words Lynn uttered to herself before leaving. And part of him wanted to say that he did...

A/N: I had more I wanted to write, but I'll save it for the next chapter as Lincoln needs some time to think about what's been going on, especially after this last meeting with Lynn. Confusion is beginning to override his fear as Lincoln is taking Dr. Lopez's advice to heart, and trying to peak through the haze clouding his mind with thoughts that his sisters want to finish the job. It is also bringing up some past memories that aren't so bad, but now the Loud boy is further questioning his own actions as well as those of his siblings, trying to determine who is in the right and whether what his sisters were telling him are true.

For this chapter, I decided to go with Lynn since I had no idea how I could fit Luan into this scenario; aside from the reasons listed in the chapter, Lynn is more predictable than Luan is. Lynn will get angry when things don't go her way, while Luan will put on a nice face before pranking you later on. And those are two facts Lincoln would be well aware of. If Luan were to go first, it'd be even more awkward because of those facts, and Lynn already had a hard time due to Lincoln still healing his broken arm.

As for Rusty and Zach's personas, I figured Rusty would be some kind of magician since real-life magic tricks are largely based on illusions the audience would be surprised by until they could figure it out, and Rusty being Rusty, that can work into his favor by using his wits and environment to his advantage. He'll be at a serious disadvantage if the girls get within punching distance though. As for Zach, honestly had no idea what to do with him, so I took that one moment from Girl Guru and morphed that into something that's similar to Junkrat from Overwatch. In quite a few fanfics on that game, authors write that junkrat is pretty smart when it comes to building his own bombs and testing them daily for good results; could easily fit in well with a kid who accidentally destroyed a science lab.

Anyway, with that out of the way, both sides will be dealing with the aftermath of this first meeting. Whether this will increase the chances of Lincoln losing his fear quicker is up for debate.