16. Bonus Chapter II

Another bonus chapter. Like the last one, this was written from something on the 4chan threads. And like the last one, I wanted to use this to expand a little on things and make the universe more understandable. It's just a single day in the back story, but there's a lot to gleam from it.

Sorry for anyone who saw the email and expected a new chapter. It's in progress.

In the past

The room was dark and silent, filled with the gentle snores of its occupants. Then from that same darkness came a noise like fussing, and very shortly that evolved into loud, grating, high pitched crying. It emanated from a crib on the right side of the room, reverberating all around the walls and quickly reaching the bunk bed situated on the opposite side.

"Luna…" The bottom occupant groaned, hiding under her covers.

"I hear her." The girl on the top bunk muttered. 17 year old Luna Loud swung her feet over the side of the bed before hopping down. Clad in only a t-shirt and her underwear, the brunette shuffled across the dark room by memory and stopped by the crib. She could just make out the toddler standing there holding onto the side.

"You're up early." Luna joked as the toddler's cries tapered off once she realized someone was there. A quick glance at the digital clock revealed it was only 2:31 in the morning. "C'mon." She lifted her out of the crib and grabbed a bag on the floor next to it by memory.

"I'm never making the same mistake." Luna's younger sister groaned from the bunk bed. She knew the truth. She was part of it, even.

"Smart move, dude." She yawned and carried the bag and the toddler outside into the hallway. The little girl in her right arm, despite quieting down before, grew impatient when she realized she wasn't getting what she wanted immediately and started fussing.

"Lyra. Lyraaa." Luna sung her daughter's name to try and calm her down as she carried her into the bathroom. "I got you, little dudette." She grabbed a spare diaper from the bag and changed the fussing 14 month old. She didn't have to come all the way here to do that, but she'd woken up with a full bladder anyway. Besides, it'd probably take a while to get her daughter back to sleep and she didn't want to bother Luan with it.

The idea had already been proposed for Luna to just bunk with Leni now instead of staying in the room she shared with Luan. It made obvious sense to have the two girls with babies to share a room. Leni was by herself since Lori had moved out with Bobby and their little girl last summer anyway. But Luan had insisted, and practically begged, Luna not move out. So she was still there, despite the annoyances day and night of having a toddler in the room.

Getting changed put Lyra in a good enough mood she decided to wait till her mom was done and carrying her back into the hallway to start fussing again.

"What, hungry?" Luna guessed. The girl didn't stop fussing. "Alright, alright, we'll get you a midnight snack." Her words alone didn't placate her daughter, but taking her downstairs did.

See, babies were smart, smarter then people gave them credit for. Even before they could talk, they were good at giving you the run around. There'd always been at least one baby in this house (that was still ongoing technically) so Luna knew this. Lyra had stopped crying when Luna came up to the crib, when she prepared to change her, and now that she was walking into the kitchen, because she knew she was getting what she wanted.

They just liked to cry to make you hurry, cheeky little things.

Still sleepy, Luna hummed something close to a lullaby while she made a bottle. Lyra was already eating food, but she still had an appetite for milk, and once she started teething the way mother nature intended become too painful to deal with.

The little girl made a noise and reached out with her tiny hands as her mom removed the bottle from the microwave. See, they knew exactly what they wanted. Luna let her grab the bottle and she started sucking it down immediately. She was old enough to hold it on her own.

Luna shuffled out into the dark living room and sat on the couch, leaning back against the cushion. Her daughter laid on her arm and continued to drink, although Luna kept a tight grip on the purple onesie she was wearing to keep her from falling. Despite the darkness and how heavy her eyes felt, she stayed completely awake as she listened to her daughter drink till she was finally done.

"Happy now, little dude?" She yawned the question. Lyra curled up on her arm and seemed to get comfortable. "Thought so." From sitting up, Luna swung her legs up and adjusted herself so she was laying down. She shifted her daughter so that her head was resting on her right shoulder. Now she was resting snugly in the little dip between her mother's torso and her arm, against the back of the couch with no risk of falling off. Already drifting off to sleep by the look of it.

Luna decided she'd catch a few more zzzs too. Despite it being early February, the house was nice and toasty; having babies meant the thermostat was always turned up past 70. Maybe her legs were a little cold, but she was so tired it wouldn't keep her awake. Making sure again her daughter was comfortable and secure, she finally closed her eyes.

It wasn't the first time she'd done this. She just knew she'd wake up later with a blanket draped over her.

Morning came far too soon. With 14 people in the house, of course any morning would be loud and chaotic. Lyra woke up from the noise and, almost immediately after her, Luna did too. It was like a 6th sense. And just like she'd expected, someone had thrown a blanket over the lower half of her body.

She sat up while adjusting her daughter to her lap. Most of the noise echoed from the dining room behind her. "Come on, let's get you some breakfast." She stood up and carried her to the kitchen. From there, she got a glimpse into the dining room where everyone was already eating- her parents, her siblings, and her niece. They were already dressed and ready for either work or school.

She set Lyra on the counter and started looking in the cupboard for food when she heard footsteps coming up behind her.

"Hey mom." Luna glanced behind her just long enough to identify them as the matriarch of the house.

"I'll feed her. You go upstairs and get dressed.

"Nah, I got it." Luna declined the help.

"Luna, go get ready for school." That wasn't an offer; it was an order. Luna just knew she'd see a stern expression if she turned around. She was absolutely sick of that expression, so she left the kitchen with her head hung low to avoid eye contact.

It would be a lie to say she'd been getting along with her mother the past year. The last two, really. Sometimes it was little moments like that. Other times, it was full blown arguments. First it had been about getting pregnant. Now it was bitching about how she was raising HER daughter.

Luna really thought she could piss off on that last part.

Mom never rode Leni over these things, but she always seemed to be there to criticize Luna. Just last week they'd gotten into a shouting match. Lyra had started crying for a snack downstairs, so Luna had stopped her homework and come downstairs to do it. Apparently, that was a crime in this house.

It was obvious her mom just wanted Luna to finish school on a good note, but her idea to achieve that was to take care of Lyra entirely and cut Luna out of it so she wouldn't have any distractions. She was just supposed to sod off and not take care of her daughter? Bogus!

They'd nearly come to blows over it a few months ago, when it had been suggested Lyra's crib be moved to her parents' room. They tried to justify it with how much sleep both Luna and Luan was losing. Luna wouldn't have it, and even her younger sister backed her up despite the identical bags under her eyes. She'd gotten into another shouting match with her mother, and both of them seemed ready to take a swing at each other before Lincoln stepped in between them.

Luna smiled a bit as she reached the top of the stairs. Having Lyra might have caused a rift with her parents and some of her sisters by extension (don't associate with a trouble maker), but she knew she'd always have Leni and her little bro behind her.

She went into her room and slipped off her sleeping clothes to get dressed for the day. Having a baby on board had meant loose fitting clothes, but there was nothing that said she couldn't go back after having the baby. Skirts and t-shirts were still in good style.

Fitting into them was a different story. You know those things they call baby fat and after baby thighs? They were real, and they were impossible to get rid of without prescribing to Lynn's borderline torture. Luna never had; she'd always kept thin with her constant rocking- bobbing, weaving, moving around. Couldn't do that while pregnant or have the time for it now when taking care of a baby. She'd have to be bothered to dig her axe out of the closet behind the mass of stuff that'd been moved to fit the crib and other things in the first place. She managed to squeeze into her usual outfit regardless and headed back downstairs.

The dining room was just as loud as when she'd gone upstairs. Like always, mom and pop were sitting together at one end of the table with Lily. The three-year-old no longer youngest child had grown out of a need for a highchair. At the other end where Luna and Leni sat was Lyra's highchair and Liena's empty one; Leni liked to hold her daughter in her lap now. And between them and their parents on the other side of the table was all of their siblings sans Lori.

"Good morning!" You think a kid would make someone always sluggish on the mornings. But for whatever reason it made Leni bubbly and happy every morning.

"Morning, dude." Luna yawned before looking over at her daughter. "Miss me, dudette?" Lyra was reaching out for her. Luna let her grab her hand and the little girl smiled. The simple things were the most precious.

Leni had already fed Lyra half of what was on her plate in front of her. Luna spooned some of it up and lifted it up. "Open up." Her little girl opened her mouth eagerly.

Everyone else was talking about whatever was going on in their life to each other or their parents- sports, show bookings, school events. None of them spoke to Luna or Leni. That was something else about having a kid of your own: people suddenly thought you were too busy to bother. She wasn't going to lie- it was kind of the pits being cut out of things.

There was one person though who bothered to acknowledge them. She noticed Lincoln watching all four of them at the end of the table, looking antsy. Luna winked at him. Luan was the only person to recognize the interaction.

After breakfast, everyone had to get ready for school or work. All of them left the dining room, except for Lincoln, Luna, Liena, and their little girls. "Come on," Luna lifted Lyra out of her high chair. "You pop wants to see you." She turned around and handed the toddler to her daddy. Lincoln took her and lifted her up by holding under her arms.

"Hey." He said softly. He leaned in and mumbled something. Lyra must've liked whatever it was, because she giggled.

Seemed like every morning they did this, and it never got any less adorable. Or 'totes cute!' as Leni would put it. Speaking of which, she put the slightly heftier Liena in his other arm so he was holding both of them. Lincoln always had that same awed expression on his 13-year-old face, like it was the first time he was seeing either of his daughters again.

Maybe that's how it was to him; as Luna had to remind herself many times, he really didn't get a chance to see them as much. There were reasons why.

"Luna! Leni!" It was their mom. "Gets the girls ready to go to daycare!" There was a brief flash on panic in Lincoln's eyes when he heard the matriarch's voice followed by disappointment as he sadly handed back both girls to their mothers. He'd only had both his daughters for just over a minute. Both of them seemed upset at the abrupt separation as well.

"Sorry dude." Luna said sympathetically. They all headed upstairs.

What's the answer to the problem of there being three children in the house who were too young to go to school, but everyone else in the house either had work or school? Or the fathers of the two youngest were gone and unwelcomed? (That was the parents' idea, but Luna and Leni knew the truth) Daycare, obviously. Five days of the week. All money that came out of their parents' paychecks, as they were quick to remind Luna.

Luna got her dressed and checked the bag to make sure everything needed was in there. While she was doing that, Lynn came upstairs to tell Leni her friend was waiting outside- someone she'd met in one of her classes at the craft school she was going to. They carpooled together every morning.

After that, a warning came up the stairs that the bus for the high school would be coming soon. That got Lynn and Luan out of the house. Luna took Lyra, the bag, and her backpack downstairs and sat in the living room. Liena and Lily were already there, her sister entertaining her niece. Lincoln came into the living room like he was about to sit down next to her, but then the bus for the middle school came. He had to leave.

They both thought it was a bummer.

"Can I play with Lyra?" Lily asked, already dressed in her puffy coat like the others. The girl, just short of her 4th birthday, rocked back and forth innocently.

"Sure dude. Just for a few minutes though, 'k?" Luna handed Lyra off to her aunt. Lily absolutely loved playing with her two nieces. They might as well be sisters from how close they were in age. Luna leaned on the arm of the couch and watched them for a while. The elementary school bus came, and the last of her siblings were gone too. That just left Luna, her folks, and the three toddlers in the house.

"Come on Lily, it's time to go." Rita stepped into the living room and picked up Liena. Lily followed her mom out. Nothing had been said to Luna, but she picked up Lyra and the bags and followed. Outside, her pops was already sitting in Vanzilla's passenger seat. Her mom was already strapping Liena and Lily into the second row of seats. Luna wordlessly climbed into the back row and started strapping Lyra into her own car seat.

Every morning the parents took the youngest to a babysitter, dad got dropped off at work, and then mom went to work. The last four months had added Luna tagging along to drop her daughter off personally and then her mom dropping her off at school, at the former rocker's insistence. It had been decided suddenly one morning. A very loud and argument filled morning that Luna had eventually won out after her parents realized she won't back down.

Every single one of those rides so far had been dead silent affairs. Tense silence, not awkward silence. There was no point trying to identify or fix it- it was already obvious. The same exact disappointment as 2 years ago, and the exact same argument they'd been having the last year over who would raise Lyra.

They could be silent and angry all they wanted though. Luna wasn't going to relent.

Since it was the still winter, the outside of the daycare was entirely deserted. They had to carry all the girls in. Mom carried Liena and Lily walked beside her. Luna trailed with Lyra. Pops stayed in the van. The inside was bright, warm, and colorful.

Once upon a time, Lily had been enrolled in an elite one. But that was gone now- too much of a hassle to drive her to that daycare and then Liena and Lyra to one on the other side of town. That could've been something to feel guilty about, but Luna had overheard Lily talking about how she liked the new one more, so her conscience was at ease.

Dropping your kid off meant checking them in with one of the staff who'd mark them as being there. Luna always made a point to hand Lyra off to a different person then Liena and Lily.

"Have fun with your friends, dude." Luna told her daughter once she was in the employee's arms and flashed the horns. Lyra made a loud noise and stuck her fist out, smiling. She'd get there one day. "See you later, dude." Ironically, Lyra had learned to not get upset over these separations by this point. Her mother hadn't, which was why she didn't see her looking back over as her shoulder as she left the building.

Luna wouldn't get to see her daughter again till that evening. Bloody school.

After that, it was dropping dad off at his job as a chef. Once upon a time, he'd had inspirations on opening his own restaurant, even getting a few investors lined up. A passion of life turned into a career. It'd gone on hold when he'd become a grandparent. That, all of them did feel a guilty about. But it could still happen. The date had just been pushed back.

Her mom and dad said goodbye to each other, lovey-dovey even at their age, and he got out without saying a thing to Luna.

"Luna." Her mom saying her name sounded pretty similar to a sigh, she noticed. She barely heard it from the back row.

"Oi?" She acknowledged.

"Why don't you come sit up front?" Her mother offered. She wanted something. But Luna still climbed her way over the two rows of seats to plop down into the front passenger seat and buckled herself in. Her mother didn't say anything immediately; she put the van in drive and drove off. The silence managed to last three whole streets before her mother started talking again.

"We got a packet on graduation photo options in the mail." She revealed to Luna. Graduation was in May, and it sounded like they were already trying to capitalize on it. "Aren't you excited?" Her mother sounded just a little enthusiastic.

Luna felt a small pang of guilt. There was more than just the woman that seemed to want to keep her away from her daughter; there was still the mother who was happy to see her children succeed.

"Yeah." She leaned back and put her feet on the dashboard. "No more school's out for summer. School's out forever." Graduation didn't match the context of the song she was quoting, but you got the idea. Luna couldn't wait; school had become an absolute tosser in the last year and a half.

"Have you thought about what you're going to do after you graduate?" Her mother asked her now, voice cautious.

"Get a job and an apartment." Luna replied automatically. That had been the plan for a while now. Well, the full plan had been to get an apartment with Leni for the next four years, but that sounded suspicious.

"How about college?" Her mother asked in a peppery and hopeful voice. "Or a trade school like Leni?"

"Nah." Luna brushed the ideas off. "I've had enough schooling. Besides, I'll have a hard enough time looking after Lyra with just a job."

"We can look after Lyra, dear." Her mother interjected. There was no excitement or cheer in her voice now, real or forced. "And you can use the time to make something better of yourself." Oh, so that's what this conversation was about? Insisting now that even after she graduated, she still wasn't fit to be raising her daughter? Drag on the torture for a few years longer? Luna had only one response to that.

"Fuck off."

"Luna!" Her mother gasped. Not even angry, just extremely shocked.

"That's bogus and you know it!" She accused. "You guys just want to get Lyra away from me!" Her mom tried to talk, but Luna cut her off. "I'm already finishing school. What the hell more do you and pops want?" Luna didn't wait for an answer. Even though they were driving down the road, she unbuckled her seat belt and climbed over the seats back to the third row over her mother's protests.

The rest of the ride was the usual dead silence, but when they got to Royal Woods High School, her mom told her to have a good day. Luna said nothing.

It was ironic school served as her escape; normally Luna couldn't stand the place. Never liked it to begin with, but she out right hated it now. But the reason was less 'We don't need no education' and more 'Everyone's an ass'. No witty song pun there. A lot of her peers really were just assholes.

Assholes that loved to talk. Loved to point and stare. Fucking cunts. First they did it when she got with Sam, then again when Lyra came around. Leni hadn't gotten this kind of attention, just pity. But Luna? Obviously, she was just a whore.

But what did they know? Still, Luna couldn't wait to be out of this dump. She was only hovering about low Bs, but it was enough to graduate.

Besides occasionally seeing Lynn in passing Freshman mobs, she did have one good thing going for her here. One daily break from a slog she just wished to be over quickly. She still had friends. They had been her band mates too, but Luna hadn't played anything in a long time. No reason to bail on her though. The four of them still got together before classes and during lunch.

Sam was part of the group, obviously. Luna could still say she had that going for her. There was Mazzy and Sully too- the drummer and singer respectively although Luna filled that second role sometimes herself. They'd even wrote a few songs with two singers. Had. Past tense.

But again, they were still friends. They'd at least shown some concern when she got pregnant. They didn't hold it against her when she physically couldn't play with them anymore or was too busy. They all still loved to hang out and talk, and they were their own little clique in school with their own dress style: rocking.

Weren't for them, Luna might've honestly dropped out and found a job.

Going to their usual spot in the cafeteria before classes started though, she noticed Sam was the only one sitting there. The other two were probably sneaking around somewhere; they were an item like Sam and Luna had been. Had been. "Hey Sam." Luna greeted the only blond in the group as she set her bag down and fell into a seat.

"Luna, dude." The enthusiasm in her voice was a little forced. "You…don't look so good." She noticed.

"Yeah. Lyra had me up last night." Luna explained.

"Right." Sam acknowledged, not even bothering to try sounding interested.

They'd been an item when it happened, and in spite it all Sam had seemed willing to power through it. It'd been at a party, Luna had insisted. Bad things happened at parties sometimes. So why blame her? But the lack of trauma and an unsuccessfully suppressed trickle of enthusiasm clued Sam into the fact no matter how much Luna denied it: The hookup that had caused it had been, if not intentional and pre-planned, not regretted at all. Things had gotten tenser and tenser and silently broken off around the time Lyra was born.

And that really cut Luna deep. She really wished she could explain it to her ex-girlfriend, that there wasn't any infidelity. But even if Luna could get it out, she was pretty sure the other girl just wouldn't understand. But they were still friends, and Luna tried her damnedest to keep that alive.

"Where are the others?" Luna asked.

"They'll get here soon." Sam mumbled.

"You alright, Sam?" Luna asked. Her old flame said nothing, but Luna knew something was up. "C'mon dude, you can tell me!" Luna insisted. She found out a moment later, but not from Sam.

"Luna!" Sully and Mazzy were coming over to the table. The brown-haired boy and purple-haired girl were both waving, and even from here Luna could see the excitement on their faces. They quickly slid into their seats, and the whole band was together, with their stylish hair and outdated fashion sense.

"Did Sam already tell you?" Mazzy asked.

"Tell me what?" Luna looked between her friends, two excited and one not meeting her gaze. One of the former pushed a piece of paper into Luna's hands, but Mazzy was already talking before she digested even one word.

"We got picked up! A label in California. They're going to fly us out there once school's done." Luna's eyes rapidly flew over the paper, taking in the heading and logo at the top of the page, all the technical terms, and the address at the bottom. It was an actual business letter, and some words stuck out: 'contract' and 'royalties' in particular.

"Dudes…" Luna said in awe, looking up at them. "You guys made it!" She lifted her hand up for a high five. "Hell yeah!" She got two hard replies from those two, and only a half-hearted one from Sam. It was obvious something was up with her, but Luna figured she'd ask somewhere that wasn't in front of their other two friends. The bell rang 5 minutes later and they separated, since they didn't have any classes together.

At lunch later that school day, Luna got lucky and caught Sam in their usual table alone; the others were at another talking to some of their more casual friends. And just like that morning, Sam seemed awkward.

"You alright, dude?" Luna leaned over the table and whispered. "You made it! California's going to be awesome. So why so down?" Sam met her eyes for more than five seconds for the first time that day, like she was scrutinizing her.

"Aren't you upset at all?" She asked, throwing Luna for a loop.

"Upset?" Luna asked.

"That we got a deal and you didn't."

"What, you mean jealous? C'mon Sam, that isn't me! I'm happy for you guys, really!" She insisted. The blond looked at her critically and questioningly.

"Are you sure?" Now she sounded uncertain. "You always wanted to hit it big more than us."

"Yeah, but I got my own thing going here with Lyra." Luna answered, and as the words were leaving her mouth something started to pick up in her mind. "But I still support you guys." She finished, and as the last word left her mouth she felt a slight jump in her chest and her smile starting to slip slightly.

"Guess you don't like music that much anymore…" Sam let that hang in the air, frowning too. Luna opened her mouth, wanting to refute that. But the thoughts running through her head prevented that.

Luna had just had a stark realization: music, the interest that had always defined her, wasn't really part of her anymore. They talked about it, yeah, but words were cheap compared to actually playing. She couldn't even remember picking up her guitar in the last year. Sam was right. It stunned Luna just how much she hadn't really thought about it. Hell, did the subject even breech her mind besides the two times a day she saw her friends?

The reality was creeping in on her on how different she really was from her friends. Music was their lives now. Luna probably wouldn't see them after this. See Sam after this. She'd be doing something else entirely. Somehow the fact their paths would diverge hadn't crossed her mind.

Luna could've gone with them.

All of this hit her in just a moment, and she sat there blinking. So what? She wondered. She didn't know. All that information and she had no idea what to make of it. She even forgot to respond to Sam's claim. The blond teen was watching her for a reaction and Luna just sat there dumbly. She did so for the rest of lunch, and then through her last two classes of the day.

When school was out, she caught the bus home. She was still thinking about that realization until she got home and the subject and all the worry with it left her mind.

The tykes didn't get home until the evening; mom and dad picked them up on their way home. Leni's classes took her even later into the evening than them. Luna could've done it if she had a ride, but those were expensive. So the afternoon was spent lazing on the couch glancing at the clock every now and then.

They got back a ways past six, Lily skipping through the door and pulling off her coat on her own and the 'rents coming in after with mom carrying both. "Thank you." She took Lyra out of her arms before she even uttered a word. "Hey dude." Luna held her daughter up in front of her. Lyra squealed and kicked her feet. "Yes, it's momma." Luna coo'd, carrying her up the stairs.

When she set foot on the second floor, she didn't head to her room. Instead, she diverted to a room at the end of the hall. No one was in there at the moment, but its owner had seen them come in. He'd be there shortly.

Lyra giggled as Luna laid on the bed and lifted her up in the air like she was flying, a toothing smile responding to her mother's softer one.

As early as a year ago Luna had still had dreams of grandeur. Being a Rockstar. Her face plastered all over magazines and tv screens across the country and maybe beyond. More money then she could ever spend. Mansions and houses she'd never visit but people would tell her were nice. Thousands of people chanting her name.

But interest had gradually started to wane over time, and it had only been today after Sam pointed it out that Luna realized how much she'd forgotten her own ambition. And right at this moment she had an epiphany why: she was looking right at the reason.

It was no where near as exciting, but it scratched the same itch. She had the biggest fan in the world right in her arms.

The bedroom door opened, and Lincoln slipped in before quickly closing it. Lyra squealed when she saw him. Luna sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed as Lincoln sat down beside her. He picked Lyra up out of her lap and held her in front of him and starting baby-speaking to her, much to her amusement.

Maybe there was another reason Luna's interest in being a traveling star had waned. And had to do more with her daughter than herself.

Was she being too casual about this? It felt like it was supposed to be some big part of her life was over. But she didn't really seem a little upset. Bummed out Sam was going to move away, yeah, but not really sad. She hadn't even dwelled on it once she got home. She'd just stared at the clock waiting…

"Is something wrong?" Lincoln took his attention off Lyra to look at her.

"What? Oh." Luna realized she must've been staring into space. "I'm cool. Just thinking about something."

"About what?" Lincoln asked.

"Nothing really, just… you remember my old band?" She asked him. "Sam, Mazzy, and Sully?" She noticed a slight reaction when she mentioned Sam.

"Yeah." He said, voice uneven. "What about them?" Lyra was starting to twist in his lap, so Luna reached over and pulled her back in her own.

"Someone in Cali picked them up. They're flying out there after we all graduate. The band's going big, but I'm still gonna be here. And I started thinking about it and realized that beyond Sam moving away it doesn't really bother me." She looked over at him while he frowned in anxious concern. She looked back to Lyra, staring up at her curiously. "And I'm just wondering if it's weird, you know? Giving up music."

"Giving up?" Lincoln asked in surprise. "You can't give up on music!"

"Dude, I ain't played my axe in months." Luna told him. "Been busy looking after our little dudette here." She looked at her daughter, who'd adjusted herself to rest her head on her mom's arm. Something else with them: they can be wide awake and then fast asleep within minutes, and Lyra looked she was ready for a doze. "And I realized that's kind of what I want."

"Well, you can always start again. You're that good!" He insisted.

"I appreciate the encouragement, Lincoln, but I put all that stuff in storage for a reason. Can't do both."

"Well, you could always…"

"Hang on, bro. I think Lyra's ready for a nap." The toddler's eyes were closed. "I'll go lay her down." Luna stood slowly up.

Luan wasn't in their room when she went to lay Lyra down. Luna set her down and laid a blanket over her. She stood by the side, looking down for a few minutes to make sure she was absolutely asleep before heading back. Lincoln was still sitting there, looking anxious.

"Why the long face?" Luna asked.

"Isn't it a little early to be swearing off music?" He asked her as she sat on the edge of the bed and then pivoted to lay down.

"You know, I realized something today: I don't really care about tunes anymore. Listening, sure, but playing? Nah." Luna dismissed the idea while she stared up at the ceiling.

"But…what will you do instead?" He asked.

"Stay here and get a job. Something that can get a place for me and Lyra to stay. Kind of have to."

"You can always let her stay here," He suggested. "That way you can still play-" He shut up when Luna suddenly jerked upwards, glaring. "Uhh…"

"Dude." She wasn't in a good mood. "No way. Mom and Pop are already trying to get me do that. I'm not giving in to them!" He asked what she meant, so she explained the conversation with Mom that morning. "It's bullshit! And now you too?" He flinched.

"I just thought I could take care of her…" Luna's attitude started to ebb, and she realized she'd gone a little off the handle.

"Alright, sorry. Got a little angry there." She scratched the back of her head. She thought she had a reason to complain about her parents interfering. Lincoln probably wished he could see either Liena or Lyra as much as their mothers; Mom and Pop seemed to think letting any of the younger siblings in the house get interested in the subject of babies would be a bad idea, so they tried to keep them away. Probably other reasons too.

Lincoln still tried anyway. Sneaking whatever moments possible. Luna wasn't above feeling guilt for what had happened and the few people hurt by it. Lincoln didn't have it nearly as bad; he still liked to read his comics, he still hung out with friends he had at school. Luna was pretty sure he even still spoke to Ronnie Ann online.

This had never been about romance.

Point was though, he hadn't given anything up. And he didn't have to.

"Lincoln, bro." She told him as he laid down on his side next to her, head propped on a hand. "It's cool. It's like being a star too." She explained the fan analogy she'd thought of earlier. "I'm still following my own dreams."

"So you don't want to go back to music at all?" He asked. "I can watch her when she gets older. And then you can play then." Always thinking of ways to help. 'This'll ruin your life' was something their parents had said to Luna, and Lincoln seemed determined to avert that.

"Maybe." She agreed. She couldn't drum up the enthusiasm now, but maybe her feelings would change later. Her daughter would be older one day. Her daughter wouldn't need her as much. Luna wouldn't even be in her mid 30s by the time Lyra was an adult, and plenty of rockers had started their careers later than that. And she'd have to afford Lincoln some time with Lyra, time Luna could use to herself...

Maybe she was getting her enthusiasm for music back after all. "You're good at this bro."

"Huh? Good at what?" He asked.

"Why don't you lock the door?" Luna suggested with a wink. His head slipped from his hand and he clumsily rolled off the bed and stumbled over to the door to lock it before hurrying back over the bed. Luna lifted her left leg up enough for him to slip under and get between both of them, upon which Luna locked them around his midsection and pulled him close.

Then they started hearing crying from somewhere on the second floor outside. "LUNA!" That was Lola's voice. "Get out here!" Had to be Lyra. She took some of the shortest naps in the world. Oh well.

"Maybe another time, bro." Luna got up. He didn't look upset and neither did she.

In their own way, they each knew what was more important.