13. Chapter 13

When Lemy woke up on July 7th, Lyra was sick. Not a cold or anything, she was just sick. Girls got sick every few weeks and got better a few days later. His mom had told him so. He'd seen it happen to Lyra plenty of times. He could always tell because she liked to stay in bed and wear sweat pants.

He always steered clear so he wouldn't get sick too, and because it was the only time she still got mean like when she was younger. Not with him though; she was only grouchier. She could still fly of the handle on mom sometimes though. One morning when they found out mom had crawled into bed with them in the middle of the night (it happened sometimes), he'd seen Lyra roll mom right off the side onto the floor and then lay back down like it didn't matter.

Not that she was mean all the time she was sick. She'd sit and watch tv with him a lot, either in hotels or on the tour bus. She'd still chaperone him if it wanted to go to an arcade or something. It just took her longer to wake up in the morning. There was no risk as long as he didn't do anything that might annoy her, and he make sure not to.

The only rule she had was no hugs while she was sick. He had no idea why. He remembered doing it once when he was around six, and she'd shoved him right to the floor. And no, he hadn't cried over it.

Much.

So Lemy treaded softy that morning when he got up for breakfast and realized she was sick. After breakfast, she went back to bed, and he went into the living room where their uncle was already working.

"Lyra's sick." Lemy told him as he flopped down on the couch and picked up a controller. "Don't bother her." He warned. His aunts and cousins could understand because they were girls too. But Lemy wasn't sure he did. Maybe, since he'd had sisters too.

"Sick?" Lincoln asked without looking up. "Sick how?"

"Girls get sick every few weeks." Lemy told him. His uncle froze up.

"Ooh." He said, nodding to himself. He set the pencil he'd been using down and spun around in his chair before getting up. Lemy paused the game, wondering what he was about to do.

"Where are you going?" He asked when it was apparent he was about to leave.

"Just to the store to grab a few things that'll make her feel better." He explained.

"Grab what?" Lemy got up. Was there medicine for this? He thought it just went away after a few days.

"Some different things. You want to come along?" Lincoln asked.

"Yeah." Lemy agreed. If it was something for Lyra, why not?

"Lemy and me are heading down to the store!" Lincoln called down the hall.

"Stay safe!" Lyra called back, probably not thinking anything of it. They headed downstairs and out onto the street. The weather before noon was a cool low 70s. Like last time, they walked down the street to the Flip's automated store.

"What are we getting?" Lemy asked.

"Some medicine, some chocolate, and some tea." He explained. "We have some tea at home, but it's cold. We'll need some hot."

"And that'll make Lyra feel better?" Lemy asked.

"It isn't a cure." His uncle admitted. "But it will make her feel better." That made sense, he guessed. If he had a cold and mom or Lyra gave him medicine his cold didn't disappear, but it didn't feel so bad. He didn't know there was a something like that for when girls got sick though.

"Where'd you learn that?" Lemy asked.

"It's just one of those things you learn when you live with so many girls." Lemy only lived with one. Two if he countered his mom, although it was weird to think of her as a girl. "It's really useful." If it helped Lyra, it was.

They went in and broke for different sections of the store. Lemy made a break straight for the candy since he'd planned to get some for himself, but he grabbed a few for his sister. His uncle got the other things, they paid for it all, and they headed back for the apartment.

When they climbed up the stairs and through the door, his uncle bid him to the kitchen. Lyra was still in the back bedroom. "Just give me a second to make this." He started making the tea.

"I know how to make that." Lemy stated. His mom loved tea. It was part of her British theme.

"That's good." He nodded. "Just remember it has to be warm. You got that chocolate?"

"Yeah."

"Put it in the bag with the other stuff." Lemy pulled out some of the candy- only some, he had gotten most of it for himself- and put the rest in the bag. The only other things in it after his uncle had taken out the tea was some aspirin.

"Here we go." He finished a cup of tea. Steam was coming out the top. "Take this and the bag to your sister." He carefully handed the hot cup to Lemy. "Trust me- she's really going to like it."

"If you say so." Lemy shrugged. If it really helped, he'd over look being ordered around. He headed down the hall slowly with both in hand. The door was cracked so he just went right in. Lyra was sitting up in bed against the headboard, her book propped on her knees. She looked up curiously as he approached the bed.

"Uncle Lincoln told me to get you these things because they'd help you feel better." She checked the bag and the drink he was holding, and her face went pink for some reason. "Uh…does it?" Lemy asked uncertainly. She smiled.

"Yes, it does." She set them down and pulled him in a hug. Not a full one, just holding him against her shoulder. "Thank you, Lemy."

"Uh…right." He muttered awkwardly. "Hope you feel better soon."

"I'll be fine soon." She told him and let him go.

"See you later." He backed out of the room.

"So, did she like it?" Lincoln asked as Lemy came back out into the living room and flopped down onto the couch.

"Yeah. She liked it." Lemy answered, feeling suddenly pleased with himself.

"Keep it in mind if you want to keep helping her in the future." His uncle advised him. "Might be useful when you get a girlfriend too."

Girlfriend? Lemy shuddered. Gross! He picked up the controller again and got back to what was actually fun.

A Few Hours Later

"Feeling better?" Lincoln asked his daughter when he ran into her in the kitchen later that day while she was getting more tea.

"Yes." She nodded, although a little embarrassed. "Thank you."

"Sorry for the embarrassment." He wanted to cover his bases just in case. "I grew up in a house full of girls, so it's kind of an automatic response."

"No, it's fine." She shook her head. "Thank you, really. He already knows a little bit about it anyway." Lincoln nodded and made to go back to work. "Uncle Lincoln?" Lyra stopped him and he turned around. "Thank you." She said again. "I've always kind of worried about him having a good male role model. That was…a good lesson for him to learn." She was still embarrassed by it even as she thanked him.

"That? That's just basic stuff." He tried to wave it off while trying his hardest not to smile giddily.

"Thank you all the same." She took a fresh cup of tea and headed into the living room to sit down beside her brother. He waited to make sure he was composed before casually walking across the living room back to his desk. A half-finished commission was sitting there- something from one of the super hero blockbusters that had dropped this summer. But he didn't resume work immediately even though he should.

He couldn't help it- he was still bubbling with excitement. Okay, so maybe it wasn't a milestone event, but he'd still taught his son something, right? Knowledge befitting a man? Maybe he was making a big deal over a few small words, but he'd take what he could get. Sure, Lemy and him had talked about video games a lot, but that was only entertaining your kids, not raising them like he so wanted to do.

That's what parenting was, wasn't it? Teaching your kids what you knew and watching them growing and succeeding at life? He'd missed a lot of their early years, Lupa and Lemy's entirely. Time and the gender difference meant he couldn't even teach them a lot of lessons now. But Lemy was a boy (he should've figured he'd have at least one) and still had a lot of years ahead of him, so Lincoln really hoped there was a lot he could teach him.

Except courtship- the boy could figure that out for himself. Whatever dramatic failures he might commit, they'd still be better then the dumpster fires that would result if he took any advice from Lincoln.

Call it a benign lesson, but Lincoln stayed in a good mood for the rest of the day just out of goofy hope.

Two days later, Lincoln left late in the morning to go pick up Liby so she could stay over for a night. He told Lyra and Lemy he'd be back, left the apartment, got into his car, and started the drive. Luan had one of the nicer apartment blocks in the city, a decent drive from the rattier one he occupied.

These trips and the necessary foraging of food tended to be the only time he ever got out of his little apartment. It was a great breath of fresh air. For all of four years he'd hated the outdoors. Within a year of having to work indoors though, he'd grown to miss it. Irony.

The apartments were middle class at best, but his old car was still the junkiest thing in the parking lot. "Morning Jack." Lincoln greeted the daytime security guard when he stepped into the lobby. The man could remember faces he'd only seen once, and he'd seen Lincoln's here more a few times.

"Mr. Loud." He nodded politely from behind the magazine he was reading. "Picking up Liby again?" The building guard was very familiar with Liby: when the girl was younger she'd had a sleuth phase, probably spurred by some books she'd read, and had been fond of slipping the guard notes on suspicious things she noticed in a building. A lot of them had actually panned out to be important. He'd remarked to Lincoln once that if Liby could learn to string a sentence together without stuttering, she'd make a good police detective.

After the idea of her figuring out the truth about who he was cost him a few nights of sleep, he'd thought that would actually be amazing if it turned out that way.

"Yeah, always got to make time for my niece." He said cheerfully as he climbed the stairs to Luan and Liby's apartment. 2nd floor, 3rd room on the left, apartment no. 205. He had a key- he had one to all three of their places, actually- but he still always knocked first.

And like always when he came to his apartment, he stepped to the side as soon as he did. A habit you picked up after one too many gag assaults when you opened the door.

That was after 3 pie-ings, two water blasts, and one time Luan had dressed like an old man to make him think he had the wrong apartment. In his defense, it had been a good costume. He couldn't be mad though because the second thing he always saw was Liby laughing at his misfortune.

The door knob turned and the door opened. Luan poked her head out. "Hey Linc." She smiled when she saw him. "Come in." She leaned back into the apartment, leaving the door open. After making sure that there wasn't a bucket of water propped on it, he followed her in.

It was a modest apartment, not luxury but leagues above his and even slightly topping Lynn's. A fairly spacious living rooms and kitchen, two bedrooms, and a bathroom that had more than just standing room.

But what always stuck out to him about it was how it lacked any personality. Lynn's apartment had jock scattered throughout it (you ever stub your bare toe against a 15-pound dumbbell in the dark? It hurts), Lucy's fit her eternal mood perfectly (so many busts, dolls, and paintings that seemed to be staring at you), and even Luna's tour bus the one time he'd been on it screamed out her preference (how can someone look at that much purple day after day?). But nothing like that here. No comedy posters. No props or gags sitting around. You wouldn't think a comedy genius lived here.

But Luan was a different woman now, more restrained. Around him she was more restrained, anyway; Liby had told him how her mother could still be as hyper and talkative as when she was a teenager. But never around Lincoln though. He'd never brought why she was up with her because he could never figure out if it was a good or bad thing.

Speaking of Luan, she was in the kitchen getting a cup of coffee from the pot. He just now noticed she was wearing pajamas. She must have just gotten up even though it was almost 11. He didn't see Liby- the girl liked to stay in her room most of the day. And since that coast was clear…

"Late night?" He asked softly in Luan's ear as he came up behind and wrapped his arms around her midsection. She performed at a lot of those late-night comedy shows. You know, the kind of places parents go after they put their kids to bed?

"Kept the audience laughing till closing time." She leaned her head back just enough to give him a peck of the cheek before wiggling out of the embrace to go sit in the living room chair with her coffee. Lincoln followed and collapsed on the couch.

"So I guess there's no trouble with the bills?" He casually questioned.

"No, Lincoln. Not at all."

"Okay, okay." He put his hands up defensively. It was an exchange they always had. Lincoln always asked, but as far as finances went Luan was completely self-sustaining. Not that it was a bad thing; she didn't have to deal with the same stresses Lynn and Lucy did and that meant he didn't have to work his fingers to the bone trying to help. But Lincoln kind of felt left out of it all when he wasn't contributing; even if he couldn't spend time doing the raising part so much, he could at least say he was doing that. Not the case here.

But if he wasn't helping Luan make ends meet, that was money he could spend on Liby. All of their visits involved a store trip for new a new book or a new board game or something like that, stuff that always made her happy. This one probably would too. A small consolation to see her face light up like that.

But they disagreed on that sometimes too. Lincoln couldn't argue because he knew he should be grateful Luan understood and negated him of any further financial hardship.

He should be even more grateful that any of them still spoke to him at all.

But it still made him feel left out. Well, he knew he would just come off as ungrateful is he complained. That he had no right considering how everything was. So he just bared it.

"What about yours?" She returned the question. Lincoln shrugged.

"Luna was nice enough to cover for the next two months, so I'm trying to get some savings stored for once." She nodded. "Work's been steady, although I've had one commissioner who does nothing but badger me with emails every day."

"Ugh." Luan rolled his eyes. "Online haters have gotten really insistent this summer."

"You want online harassment? Try nerds who want to constantly rag at you over your superhero portrayals."

"Oh, like you?"

"Oh very funny." But he genuinely smiled, especially when she moved from the chair over to the couch next to him. "I stopped being a nerd years ago."

"Hmm. Nope." His sister concluded. "Still a nerd. Pretty sure only nerds draw superheroes."

"So I guess that means you're still a clown, since you still do comedy?" He joked. There they were talking about work and poking fun at each other like an old married couple. Lincoln had noticed he seemed to slip into certain dynamics with each his sister- him and Lucy were like young lovers, him and Lynn were like a newly married couple (passionate. VERY passionate), and Leni was a long-distance girlfriend. Speaking of his first, he made a mental note to arrange a video call in the next few days or so to her and Liena.

But him and Luan had something easier going even if she seemed the least likely person for him to settle easy with. Their earliest years 'together' had been crazy and very…wild. The kind of stuff you look back at when your older and think 'what was wrong with me?' (in Lincoln's defense, he thought that ever other day anyway). It was like they'd gotten all their energy out then and there and were content to spend the rest of their lives together (or however close they could get to that) taking it easy with Liby the only concern.

Unless their child or their limited family was around; Luan had to make an audience and her daughter especially laugh. Then it was like she'd only grown up in age but not spirit. But when things were quiet Lincoln thought it was kind of nice. Even if he was still in his 20s, he felt old and the simplicity of only doing what he wanted to do was a very content life.

"How's Lucy?" She snapped him out of his thoughts. He'd mentioned the goth's call discretely at the pool one of the times Lynn was out of ear shot.

"She's doing fine." He looked over to see her taking an eyes-closed sip of coffee. "Still writing her books and talking to the dead." He involuntarily shuddered. "Lupa is still Lupa. We went over for the 4th of July and all had fun. I still think they could use more visitors."

"Liby!" Luan suddenly called. "Your uncle is here to pick you up!"

Of course that didn't work. He'd only ever managed to get the three together in a room once. Probably never would again unless his casket was in it (maybe Lucy was rubbing off on him; that was dark). But he felt obliged to try every few visits.

A door opened somewhere in the apartment and he heard approaching footsteps. Liby appeared shortly after. In her pajamas too. Like mother, like daughter, at least in some ways.

"Heeey." Forgetting his aborted conversation with Luan, he got up to embrace his daughter. She seemed embarrassed by his enthusiasm but still returned the hug. "I didn't know we were planning a pajama party." Behind him, Luan snorted in amusement.

"I'll…go get dressed." Liby mumbled and quickly took off. Lincoln watched her fondly and sat down to wait. He might as well; girls took forever, daughters even more than sisters.

"Don't spoil our daughter." His sister reminded him in her 'mom voice'. Lincoln pretended innocently not to hear her. By the way she brought the coffee cup up to hide her mouth, she knew and was trying not to smirk.

Sorry, but there were just some things he couldn't do.

Later that day

Sleepovers were normally a phrase that would strike apprehension into Liby's heart. The girl liked familiarity. Her own home was familiar. Her 'lair' as she'd put it. Safe from all, and free to plot and pursue whatever interests, with or without air quotes, she preferred. Other houses, there wasn't any. Other people, you couldn't get as familiar with as the family you lived with. That was why Liby refused even when offered by her small but closely-knit group of school friends.

Being a bedwetter till the age of nine might've had something to do with it too.

But she had no apprehension about sleepover at her uncle's. Somehow, his place had that same homey feel to it. And there was always something fun to do. She was in such a hurry she ended up putting on mismatched socks but decided to go with it anyway.

Her uncle probably was apprehensive about all her overnight stuff he had to carry up the stairs: Not only overnight clothes, but board games. A lot of board games. And DVDs. And one or two video games Liby kept in her room for specifically when she came over. She had someone to play with and bedtime was optional now. She was going to take advantage of it.

Lyra and Lemy looked up from the tv as entered, surprised by the amount of stuff their uncle was carrying. "Hey guys." Liby greeted, turning about to take some of the weight out of her uncle's arms.

"How long are you staying again?" Lyra asked.

"Only tonight." Their brace faced cousin responded.

"Okay." Lincoln breathed out in exhaustion, glad to be free of that weight. "What first?" He asked with a smile. Liby had already made her mind up on the drive over. She fetched the box was the stack of luggage- Guess Who. "You're the boss."

Five minutes later, they were all set up at the kitchen table, Liby blue and her uncle red. Red always went first.

"Man or women?"

"Woman." Liby answered. He started knocking down tiles. "Male of female?" She reiterated the question at him.

"Woman." Liby knocked down nearly half of hers too. That was always the basic starting question- if you were an amateur. But she always felt like giving her uncle half of a chance to win against her. He got down to 3 suspects before Liby correctly Guess Who'd him, cementing victory.

After that, it was a game of battleship. The trick was to mix it up- keep some things spaced and others close- and to avoid the edges. Liby put her big ships in the upper right but grouped two of her smaller ones in the center. Her uncle ALWAYS started at the center. She knew his patterns at all their games by now. But even he could surprise her; he first guess was in upper part of the map and got the end of her battleship. The war was on.

He won that one. And the next three hours suddenly flew by in the blur broken up only by an occasional snack or bathroom break - it was UNO, then connect four, and then a very tense game of Jenga. This was why Liby loved it here so much- she could play her games. Given, they were all ancient by now and all online in some matter, but computers always cheated. She liked playing against people. The stimulation and thinking felt cathartic. But her mom didn't have to lack of energy for the long sitdowns, her cousins weren't very good, and Liby was too shy to play against strangers if she could even find them. But her uncle was always excited to play them too, and he could be surprisingly good at them.

On top of everything else her uncle was, as far as relatives went, he was all the best things in one.

She thought her cousins peeked into the kitchen at least once during it all, but she was so focused she couldn't be sure. Lemy might've even come to stand by the side of the table and watch, but her wits wouldn't let her be distracted.

But even with youth she had to take a break. Her aging uncle even more.

"Ooh." He said as they both heard something pop as he stretched. "So, you read through those books we got last time?" He asked, referring to the novels he'd bought her during their trip to the mall on her last visit. That had been over a month ago. She'd finished all of them after three days.

"Yep." She answered. She'd guessed most of the twists, but that was gratifying in its own way.

"Glad to know. There any others you've been looking for?"

"Maybe." Liby admitted shyly. She knew he was going to offer to take her and get some of them. He always did. Every time she visited. She'd never asked him to get her anything. It didn't take critical thinking skills to realize he lived on a smaller budget than her mom did. So she always felt a little guilty even though he practically insisted on it. "If it isn't too much trouble." But she wasn't going to protest if he insisted on it.

"Never." He shook his head patted her shoulder. "Lyra, Lemy!" He called into the living room. "I'm taking Liby to the mall. You guys can come along if you want." A small exchange later the two agreed and were getting ready to leave. Liby quickly snagged a sticky note and pen from her uncle's desk and jotted down everything that had been on her mental list recently. She knew the mental anguish of buying a lot and only realizing after you left the store that you'd forgotten one or two. Not this time.

That they would be going to a crowded public place didn't cross Liby's mind at all.