INTRODUCTION

"Are you sure you don't want a ride? My dads said it was cool if you put your bike in the trunk," Clyde asked, following Lincoln to the door.

He waved him off. "No, it's fine. I took it to the park yesterday, and there's still some mud on the tires." Lincoln grabbed his backpack by the door and stepped into his shoes. "I wouldn't want to get any of it in your dad's car."

Clyde opened the door. "Okay, see ya tomorrow!"

Lincoln waved goodbye with a smile as he slung his backpack over her shoulders and hopped on his bike. The moonless night covered his familiar neighborhood in a blanket of darkness. The cones of orange light descending from the street lamps provided the only illumination as he set off down the abandoned streets.

Chirping crickets serenaded his ride as he took his feet off the petals. Coasting down the hill, the cool night breeze blew what little hair stuck out from beneath his helmet across his forehead. Lincoln found himself still less than halfway home when he spotted a two older teens on the sidewalk, one sitting on a bike beneath the streetlamp, the other leaning against it.

He knew most of the kids in his neighborhood, but he didn't recognize these two. A bolt of fear raced down his spine. Lincoln swallowed it and kept on pedaling. The strangers turned their attention towards him, dropping an anxious weight in the pit of his stomach. It was far later than anyone should have been out on a school night, that much he knew. In fact his Mom had always told him that only future criminals stayed out late on school nights.

Lincoln turned off of the sidewalk in an effort to avoid any confrontation. The strangers eyeballed him as he passed. Lincoln gave a single glance over his shoulder. To his horror, the troublemakers had begun chasing him, both of them on one bike.

"Hey kid! Why you running? I could use a new bike!" one of them shouted as Lincon's heart tried desperately to escape his chest. He pedaled until his legs burned, then pushed them even further.

They were gaining on him, despite his best efforts. Lincoln just wasn't strong enough to outrun them on a bike.

"You should just stop now, make it easy on yourself!" One of them shouted, now much closer than they were before.

Lincoln was terrified. All his life, he had taken comfort in the fact that he had ten sisters who would do just about anything for him if he was in trouble. Lynn had even threatened to beat up some poor kid on the assumption that he was picking on him. And now, alone in the streets, being chased by delinquents, it didn't matter how many sisters he had.

Before he knew it, they were right beside him.

His legs were at their breaking point. There was no way he could pedal any faster, and to top it off, there were still two hills to climb until he reached his house. Lincoln only managed a glance to his side before he felt his front tire jerk sideways. With a swift kick, they sent Lincoln crashing hard to the asphalt. His helmet saved his head, but he managed to skin up his palms, elbows and knees pretty badly. After tumbling to the street, his assailants skidded to a halt in front of him.

Lincoln managed to sit up before a fist grabbed the buttons on the front of his shirt and picked him up off the ground. Lincoln focused on his attacker. This wasn't any older kid with a testosterone imbalance, this kid was probably even older than Lori! He wore a ratty old NASCAR t-shirt, while his partner wore a similarly dirty shirt with a beer logo on it and jean shorts.

"Didn't I tell you it'd be easier if you stopped?" He growled, Lincoln's feet dangling helplessly as he fought for breath. "Now I'm gonna have to hurt you."

"Please—" He only managed one word before a fist to the gut robbed him of air. As Lincoln clutched his stomach, the next punch rocked his eye. The next thing he knew, he was flat on his back in the middle of the street.

"Nice bike," He heard one of them say as a kick to the ribs further robbed him of precious oxygen. Lincoln felt them rip his backpack from his shoulders. There was nothing he could do to stop them as he coughed up a bit of blood on the asphalt, praying they'd just take his pack and leave.

"Pfft, Ace Savvy? That's gay."

Lincoln heard the fluttering of papers around him as they dumped the contents of his backpack next to him. Unfortunately for him, he kept his wallet in his backpack when he rode his bike.

"Check it out, Hutch! This kid's got a wallet!"

Lincoln had been saving up to buy Lola and Lana a birthday present by himself this year, and as a consequence, was carrying a considerably amount of cash.

"Nice, seventy bucks!" He leaned down as Lincoln cowered in the street. "Since you just got me money for tons of smokes, I'll let you off easy with one more lick!"

Lincoln managed to put his arms in front of his gut as the boot came crashing in. He blocked most of it, but the impact felt like it shattered his arm.

He wheezed out a cry of pain as they finally, mercifully, left him alone.

"Thanks for the bike, nerd!"

Lincoln didn't know how long he laid in the street, trying to spit the copper taste of blood out of his mouth. He glanced around, picking his head off the ground. The streets were empty, just as they were at the start of his journey. His comics fluttered in the light breeze as he managed to sit upright. His entire body screamed at him to rest, every muscle aching. He looked himself over, trying to assess the damage.

He could feel his eye already beginning to swell shut. His palms were bleeding, his shirt and jeans were torn and streaked with black stains from the asphalt, and his head pounded with ache.

He staggered to his feet, his legs still felt like jelly as he gathered his comics with unsteady, bleeding hands. His attackers had at least left him his backpack and now empty wallet. He gingerly put his hand into his pocket and retrieved his phone. Maybe he could at least call for a ride. Lincoln stared back at a cracked, blank screen. Tears began to well in his eyes as he began the long, painful walk home. The hills were brutal, and his pace was slow.

Lincoln flinched at every rustling bush and fluttering bird.

Finally, he arrived home. Every light in the living room was on. No doubt they were all waiting up on him. He had texted them that he'd be home soon, and that was far beyond the average time it took for him to get home on his bike from Clyde's.

Lincoln wearily climbed the steps to his house and reached for the knob, relief washing over him. He was finally safe, finally home.

The door yanked open before his injured hand could touch the knob.

His sisters and parents all collectively gasped as they saw him.

Their shock didn't concern him. All that mattered was that he was finally home.

He could barely stay on his feet as his mother's shrill scream blasted his eardrums. His sister's crowded around him, but their father pushed them back.

"Give him some room! Rita, get me some ice!" he heard his father bark as he felt the familiar arms of his Dad wrap around him and pick him up. In a blur of motion, he was on his back, laying on the couch. Every bone in his body ached, but none more than his forearm, which he was sure was broken. Through his one good eye, he managed to look around. His sisters had all gathered around him, tears threatening to spill from their eyes as his already crying mother returned with an icepack. Lincoln's father wrapped it in a cloth and began to gently dab it against his swollen eye.

He winced as his father kept it light. For a while, there was silence, as though everyone in the room was too shocked to speak. None of the girls were without tears in their eyes. Lana comforted Lola with a hug at the foot of the couch as she cried into her overalls. Lisa seemed even too shocked to begin diagnosing his injuries. Luna simply had a hand over her mouth as she sat on the armrest of the couch next to Lori and Leni, all sharing similar expressions of outrage and sadness. The only peculiar reaction he noticed in his hazy state, was Lynn. She simply stood there beside their father, eyes watery, and mouth agape.

"Son, can you hear me?" His father was the only one in the room besides Lynn to have any semblance of composure.

Lincoln drew in air, burning his tired lungs as they expanded after his experience. "Yeah," he rasped weakly. His throat burned, his mouth matching the Sahara for dryness.

"Water!" his father ordered to no one in particular. "Lynn, go get your brother some water!" he snapped, bringing Lynn out of her daze as she nodded and raced off to the kitchen.

"What happened?" Liam asked. "Did you fall off your bike?"

Lincoln shook his head slowly, his every muscle demanding he stop moving immediately. Lynn quickly returned with his water, handing it to him. He greedily drank it down, coughing and sputtering about halfway through. With his throat wet enough to speak without too much pain, he tried to raise himself up onto his elbows.

"Ahh!" His injured arm sent him down to his back once more, his mother stepping in to cradle her son. He waved her off, taking another breath so he could tell his story. Up until now, he hadn't cried a bit. Even through the pain of the beating he'd received, he managed to keep it together. Now, as the full weight of what happened to him began to set in, tears stung his eyes. He was completely helpless against his older and bigger attackers. For the first time in his life, he was powerless, completely at the mercy of two thugs that meant him harm.

"T-They... they beat me up, and... s-stole my bahaha-iiiike!" he wailed. He closed his eyes tightly, flushing a stream of tears down his bruised and battered cheeks. His mother hugged him immediately, asking how could they live in a world where someone would do such a thing to her sweet little boy.

Similar sentiments flowed from his sisters as Liam got on the phone with the police. Finally, his mother released him, going to get the first aid kit. Lincoln gingerly wiped the tears from his injured eye as his sisters all huddled around him for a group hug. All except for one.

Lynn was still standing behind all of his teary eyed sisters. He glanced over at her. Tears were now freely flowing down her face, but there was no mournful frown across her lips. Her teeth were clenched, cheeks red with fury, and her fists balled so tightly they were beginning to shake. Their eyes met. She looked away, wiping her eyes and sniffing up her tears before heading into the kitchen. Lincoln heard the side door leading to the garage open and then slam shut.

"Just wait till the cops find the jerks who did this, Lincoln!" Lori said, still part of the massive yet somehow surprisingly gentle group hug. "They'll make them pay!"

"Not if I find them first!" Lola hissed angrily.

The warmth of Lincoln's sisters put him at ease as he managed to stifle his tears into submission. They cleared space for their mother as she returned with the first aid kit. She set to work applying bandages and disinfectant to his cuts and scrapes, while putting his arm in a sling.

"We'll go see the doctor in the morning, but for now, take this," his mother said, breaking a rather large white pill in half. Lincoln took the pill in his hand, examining it before looking back to his mother, her eyes still puffy and red from crying.

"What is it?"

"It'll stop the pain until morning," she said, breaking down in tears again after she had just gotten herself under control. She threw her arms around him once more, assuring him that the police would find out who did this to her sweet little baby boy. He could have done without the end of that sentence, but he appreciated the sentiment all the same. Rita stood up and dried her eyes as she went into the kitchen with Liam, still on the phone with the police.

Lincoln swallowed the pill as his sister's helped him into a sitting position. Luan fetched the large blanket from the hall closet as they all gathered next to him on the couch. Snuggled close with him at the center, they spread the blanket across themselves, giving Lincoln control of the remote.

It was almost unheard of for there not to be an argument when all of the Loud children wanted to watch tv, but tonight was the exception. After having his sense of security brutally stripped from him, it began to slowly return. Surrounded by the people he loved most, he finally felt a safe sense of warmth begin to wash over him.

Or maybe that was the Hydrocodone his mother had given him. Either way, there was only one thing keeping the picture from being complete.

Lynn was still nowhere to be found.

"Guys, I'll be right back," Lincoln said, forcing himself to upset the sisterly cocoon of warmth they'd built around him.

"Take it easy, bro!" Luna insisted. "We'll get you whatever you need."

"It's okay, I'll be fine, I promise," he replied, freeing himself from the sister pile and heading towards the side door to the garage.

He stepped outside back into the cool night air, acutely aware of every unusual rustle or sound. One sound, however, was more rhythmic, followed closely by grunts. It was coming from inside the garage.

Lincoln opened the small door to the garage to find Lynn in a tank top and shorts, absolutely punishing a punching bag, but for what crime, he was unsure. She wore only the UFC style gloves, and kept her back to him. Sweat was dripping from her bangs as she finally decided to stop after a few more resounding kicks and punches. She panted for breath, steadying the bag before Lincoln spoke up.

"Lynn? You okay?"

She looked over her shoulder, eyes still red from crying earlier, only now those tears mingled with sweat on her face.

"I should ask you the same question."

Lincoln shrugged off her reply. He knew his sisters well. If there was one sister beside Lucy and Lisa who weren't exactly fond of expressing earnest emotion, it was Lynn.

"We're all watching TV inside if you want to come sit with us," he offered.

"Thanks, but I'm a little sweaty," she said, wiping the sweat from her face with the bottom of her shirt.

"Okay, suit yourself," he replied, turning to leave. That half a pill was really beginning to mellow him out.

"Linc, wait."

He stopped as he reached for the handle.

"I'm..." Lynn began as he turned back around, tears threatening once again. "I'm sorry."

Lincoln raised an eyebrow, confusion across his face. "Sorry? For what?"

"I'm your older sister, I'm supposed to look out for you and I didn't!" Lincoln felt as though he was beginning to get to the root of why she was out here and not inside. She was in full blown tears, a sight Lincoln had only seen one other time before, and she had made him swear on his life that he would never tell anyone he saw her crying. "I'm supposed to keep this from happening to you, and I let you down!"

Lincoln stepped towards her.

"Lynn, there was nothing you could have done. You didn't let me down!" Lincoln insisted, gently bringing his sweaty sister in for a hug. "Dad already called the cops. They're gonna catch those guys and make them pay. Lori even said it!"

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly, her tears falling from her cheeks and staining his still-tattered orange shirt. She dried her eyes as best she could and broke the embrace. "You're right, Lincoln. Let me wash up and I'll go inside."

Lincoln smiled. His swollen eye and cut up face stoked a fire inside Lynn that she'd never experienced before. She could hardly stand to look at it, it made her so furious, but she endured her emotions for her brother's sake.

"Thanks, Lynn," he said, heading out of the garage.

Lynn stood there, staring at the closed door. She cracked her knuckles loudly.

"Yeah, Lincoln... they'll pay all right."