chapter 9

Harper was now ateenager, thirteen years old. For his birthday he decided to go on another ski trip with his family and friends. He was determined to start his teen years with less cowardice, and figured that a good place to start would be to practice skiing.

They went to the same place they did before, the mountain resort. It was fun at first, they all went skiing played their Five Corners game, had a snowball fight, and various other activities. Well except for Angelica obviously, she stuck with the spa and other related recreations. This went on for a few days. About two days before it was time to leave, the gang got a new idea.

"How about tonight we go outside and observe nocturnal animals?" stella suggested.

"Sure, if it's okay with our parents." mallow agreed.

"Count me in. You want to come to Harper ?" Lincoln said.

"Well normally I'd refuse but I am trying to be braver so sure." Harper said, a little nervous but willing to join his friends. "I mean the dark can't hurt you."

"Right, and we'll take anyway so it should be fun." stellasmiled.

"I'm game." Sarah nodded.

They went to their parents, who were all relaxing in the resort's dining area. Angelica and Susie were there too, along with bonnie . He wasn't at home sick because technically they were out on a birthday celebration, not a vacation.

"Mom, is it okay if we go out to observe nocturnal animals?" Lincoln asked. "We'll bring ."

"Well...I don't know, even with you could get lost." Didi hesitated. "And there are coyotes and other predators out there..."

"Come on Deed our pups know how to take care of themselves." Betty said.

"How about Susie joins them? That is, if she wants to go." Lucy, Susie's mom, suggested.

"Sure, sounds like fun." Susie smiled.

"Well, okay then." Didi agreed.

"Great, come on!" stella said excitedly, leaving the room.

Susie and the other Rugrats followed. They all went to their rooms to grab , bundled up in jackets, mittens/gloves, and hats, and headed outside.

It was a lot of fun, even though they didn't see many nocturnal animals. Most of them were scared off either by the glow of the or by hearing them coming. However, they were able to spot some owls, raccoons, and a colony of bats. They continued for another hour, but then Sarah shivered.

"*Whew*, it's getting really cold out." He put his arms around himself to warm up.

"No kidding, we are at a ski resort." mallow smirked.

"Still, Sarah has a point. We should head back before our moms start panicking about us catching pneumonia." Lincoln jokes.

The others chuckled and started to head back, when Harper stopped.

"Did you guys hear that?" He asked.

The others stopped.

"Hear what?" Susie asked.

"I thought I heard something move over there." Harper pointed diagonally behind them.

"It was probably just another nocturnal animal." stella shrugged.

But then, they all saw a dark figure starting to walk towards them.

"Looks more like a person to me." mallow said. "Maybe it's a traveler who got lost and needs a warm place to stay."

Just then, the dark figure picked up a really heavy branch and stepped into the moonlight. Susie and the Rugrats gasped, this guy was wide-eyed and had a crazy frown on his face! He also had messy hair and torn clothing.

"Kids..." He said in an abnormal voice. "I HATE KIDS!"

He charged at them with the heavy branch over his head like it was a club!

"That's no lost traveler that's a lunatic!" Susie gasped.

"Run!" Lincoln ordered.

They all started to run back towards the resort, the lunatic following them and shouting random bad things about kids.

"For your information the two of us are teenagers!" Harper called back, pointing at himself and at Susie.

The lunatic showed no sign of hearing Harper .

"I don't think he has enough sense left to understand that." Sarah muttered.

Meanwhile, back at the resort Angelica and the adults were now in the lounge drinking hot cocoa. Bonnie was already in bed. The radio was playing classical music, the kind that wasn't too energetic yet also didn't put you to sleep right away. Suddenly, the music stopped.

"We interrupt this program to bring you an urgent message." The voice on the radio said. "A kid-hating lunatic has escaped from NutBox Asylum. He was last seen near Holm Oak Mountain. Parents please keep their kids locked inside at night. If you see a crazy looking guy call the authorities right away."

"Holm Oak Mountain!" Chaz gasped. "That's where we are!"

"THE KIDS!" All the adults cried out before rushing outside; Angelica followed.

Susie, and the Rugrats had a great head-start, and it looked as if they were going to make it back to the resort in time. Unfortunately, stella suddenly tripped! Her cry of pain alerted the others.

"Kimi!" Harper gasped.

The lunatic stopped and raised his branch at Kimi! Harper tried to run to stella's rescue, but Lincoln beat him to it...by actually pouncing on the lunatic with an angry cry! and a gun in his hand and said you are under arrest ⁰Harper stopped and he, Susie, sarah , and mallow stared, beyond shocked. Lincoln was actually fighting the lunatic, trying to take his branch away! They had never seen Lincoln act like that before.he ssid Harper get stella out of here

Around the same time, the adults reached where Susie and the Rugrats were. They saw Lincoln fighting for stella safety, and also stared at the scene. Chaz, Kira, and Harper then went over to stella and helped her up.

"Are you okay stella?" Kira asked.

"I believe so, except I think I sprained my ankle." stella said, resting her injured leg by only standing on the toes part.

For a moment, it looked as if Lincoln was going to win, but then the lunatic tossed Lincoln off! Lincoln hit his head on a rock and fell to the ground unconscious! Susie, Angelica, the adults, and the other Rugrats gasped! The lunatic was now going to hit Lincoln with the branch! But then, stella suddenly rushed towards Lincoln and the lunatic and knocked him out with a different branch that she picked up nearby! stella then collapsed to the ground; she was so determined to save Lincoln that she temporarily forgot about her ankle.

Everyone rushed to them. Didi and Stu picked up Lincoln and carried him towards the resort. Chaz and Kira supported stella so that she could get medical treatment at the resort too. Harper followed them. Lucy, Randall, Howard, and Drew walked Sarah , Mallow , Angelica, and Susie back while Charlotte called the authorities on her cellphone. Betty stayed, holding the two branches in her hand just in case the lunatic might wake up. He didn't, he stayed knocked out until the authorities arrived. They put the lunatic in a straightjacket and transported him back to the Asylum. Charlotte and Betty then headed back to the resort.

Lincoln didn't have that bad a bump, so he was just put into his bed with an ice pack on his head. stella had to get her ankle put in a slight cast. Other than that, there were no casualties

The next day, Lincoln continued sleeping for most of the day. Stu, Didi, Harper and Bonnie took turns spoon-feeding Lincoln broth so that he could keep his strength up.

stella rested on her bed, and at one point mallow and Susie came in to check on her.

"Are you feeling any better?" Susie asked.

"A little, except I'm so worried about Lincoln." stellasaid, putting down the magazine she was reading.

"Oh I'm sure he's fine, the doctor who bandaged you did say that Lincoln should be awake sometime today." mallow said comfortingly.

"Even so...girls, I have to tell you the truth."

"What is it?" Susie asked.

"I...I'm still in love with Lincoln. I lied when I said that I liked him for 'a second'. Actually, I've been in love with him all this time, but never admitted it for fear that it would harm our friendship. And then when Harper reacted like that back when you all found out that I carved those initials on the basement wall..."

"I had a feeling you still had feelings for him." mallow smirked. "No one has a crush for just 'a second'."

"Wait what?" Susie said, confused.

stella and Mallow told her the story of the TP and KF incident. stella then added that she had mostly 'forgotten' about her feelings for Lincoln on purpose back when she first fell in love with him, but the TP and KF incident 'reminded' her.

"Girl this is great! You should tell Lincoln the first chance you get!" Susie smiled.

"But what about Harper ?" stella pointed out.

"Don't worry, I'll keep him occupied and convince him that it's a good thing." Mallow smiled. "I did have a slight feeling that you two would make a great couple."

"Thanks mallow ." stellasmiled.

Later in the afternoon, Lincoln woke up with a slight headache. Harper , who was taking his turn to give Lincoln broth, found out first.

"Hey Lincoln, how are you feeling?" He asked, pulling up a chair to the bed.

"I've felt better." Lincoln chuckled. "How's stella"

"stellafine, except for a sprained ankle and worrying about you. Of course she would be worse off if she hadn't saved you after you got knocked out. Everyone else is worried too actually. Do you want me to get them?"

"Not yet, I need to talk to you first."

"What is it?" Harper asked.

"You're probably wondering why I attacked that lunatic like that last night."

"Well, I do have to admit it was unlike you." Harper agreed.

"It was-it was because of Kimi. Seeing her in danger like that...I just snapped." Lincoln admitted. "You see I...I love her."

Harper looked surprised, but not angry. Even so Lincoln quickly spoke up:

"But if you don't approve I'll back off, I remember how you freaked out during that TP and KF incident so..."

Harper raised a hand, smiling.

"No Lincoln, actually this is great." He said.

"Really?" Lincoln said, surprised.

"Yeah, listen during the TP and KF thing I overreacted big time. Instead of being jealous I should've been happy with the idea. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay, at least it worked out in the end. Wait a minute, 'happy of the idea'?"

"Yeah, you see if any guy is going to end up with stella it should be you. You're the best guy for her. Plus, I wouldn't mind having you for a brother-in-law." Harper grinned.

Lincoln, annoyed and amused, took the extra pillow off his bed and flung it at Harper .

"Hey watch the glasses!" Harper laughed.

"Well watch what you say, come on Chuck we're not even in high school yet." Lincoln chuckled back.

"Still, the way we've gotten along together...remember back when we believed Angelica's ridiculous story about family trees and thought that we came from the same tree?" Harper chuckled.

"Yeah, though it was understandable that we believed her. We still had a lot to learn about expressions and such back then."

"True." Harper nodded. "So, anyway, you should tell stella your feelings when you're ready. I think she might've lied back when she said that she only liked you for 'a second'...I've learned that if she says things whenever she's annoyed or angry she usually doesn't mean them."

"Okay, when I'm feeling better and the two of us are alone I'll tell her. You can bring everyone else in now."

Harper did. Stu, Didi, Bonnie , and stella were very relieved to see him awake. So were the others, but not as much comparatively speaking.

"Bro it was awesome how you saved stella, you must've been like an action hero!" bonnie smiled.

"Nah, just a good friend who didn't want to see her hurt." Lincoln chuckled.

"We are proud of you for saving stella but please be more careful next time." Didi added.

"Come on Deed, Lincoln did a selfless thing back there let's not scold him for it." Stu said.

"Stu is right, Kira and I really owe you for saving stellalife." Chaz agreed.

"Same here." stellasaid.

"You? Nah, Harper told me you saved me after I got knocked out. We're even." Lincoln smiled.

The others expressed their praise for Lincoln's actions. They hung out with Lincoln for a while, talking about what to do next. They first decided to stay until Lincoln was better. However, Angelica then mentioned about a dance that she wanted to participate in. Even though it was taking place about a couple of days later everyone agreed.

The next day, stella went outside for a breath of fresh air. She couldn't go far due to her ankle still being sprained, so she just hobbled over to the walkway on the first story of the resort. She leaned on a balcony and gazed at the view. Lincoln was now well enough to go outside too, so he went out onto the walkway and saw stellathere. He gazed at her for a moment, then went over to her.

"Hi." He smiled.

"Hi." stella smiled back.

They enjoyed the scenery for a while, both of them working up the courage to admit their feelings.

Meanwhile, Harper was inside when he saw Lincoln and stella through a window. Mallow , Sarah , Bonnie , Angelica, and Susie saw Harper seeing Lincoln and Kimi. Mallow and Susie immediately went over to him.

"Now Harper I know that you were against Lincoln and stella ending up together before but..." Mallow began.

"Relax guys, I'm a supporter now. I was being stupid last time." Harper smiled.

Angelica and Bonnie hadn't heard of the TP and KF incident, so they were confused. Everyone else told them the story, and then Mallow told them that stellastill loved Lincoln. Harper added that Lincoln had feelings for stella and was glad that stella returned them. They all then watched the window.

Lincoln and stella finally got the courage to admit their feelings...at the same time.

"There's something I have to tell you." They both said together.

They then looked at each other, stunned, and burst out laughing.

"Wha-what did you want to tell me?" Lincoln gasped, still trying to stop laughing.

"You go first." stella was still laughing a little.

"Nah, ladies first."

"But a gentleman can go before a lady if the lady allows it." stella retorted.

"Okay fine, if you want to be like that." Lincoln pretended to be insulted.

"Hey you started it." stella retorted good-naturedly.

"Actually we both did." Lincoln corrected her.

"Oh yeah."

They laughed again, though not as hard as before, and took a few moments to calm down.

"Okay, how about you go first this time and I'll go first next time?" Lincoln suggested. "We'll do it alphabetically."

"Works for me." stellasmiled; then she became serious. "Lincoln, back during the TP and KF incident...when I said that I liked you for only 'a second' I lied."

"You did?" Lincoln was surprised; then he remembered what Harper believed about that moment and stopped being surprised.

"Yes, actually I loved you three years ago, I continued loving you...and I still love you." stella admitted.

Lincoln smiled.

"I love you too." He said.

stella smiled back.

"Really?" She said.

"Yeah, after that incident, when we all went out Trick-or-Treating together, I realized that I had developed feelings for you." Lincoln explained. "But I was still dating Rachel at the time, so I decided to 'forget' about my feelings for you and stick with being friends. Ended up working better than I thought, I completely forgot about my feelings for real until I saw you in danger. Seeing the lunatic about to seriously harm you...I snapped. During my fight with him I started questioning my actions, and that's when I remembered my love for you. I realized that I'd rather be dead then see you hurt. If you had gotten seriously hurt it would've broken my heart."

stellagazed at him, she was so touched that tears started to form in her eyes. Lincoln noticed.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked, a little concerned.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine." stella wiped her eyes. "It's just that...that was beautiful. Truthfully I felt the same way when I saw you knocked out, I even forgot about the pain in my ankle until the lunatic collapsed onto the ground unconscious."

Lincoln was now really touched, and had to wipe his eyes. Then he looked like he had just thought of something

"You know, I think my feelings for you was why I wasn't hurt when Rachel moved away." Lincoln realized. "I subconsciously must've thought that I finally had a chance with you. But then when she dumped me for real, it was mostly her words and not her dumping me in general that really hurt me."

"Yeah...sorry about the misunderstanding." stellasaid. "I really did feel bad when you were hurt for real."

"It's okay, and I am sorry for hurting you and our other friends when I lied beforehand." Lincoln said.

"It's cool."

They hugged. They continued hugging for a while, enjoying each other's warmth. They then gazed at each other...and kissed. Lincoln was overwhelmed, this was more powerful than any kiss he had gotten from Rachel. He then realized that stellawas the one, the one he would be spending the rest of his life with. stella realized it too after she got used to the power of Lincoln's love.

Inside the resort, Harper and most of the others pumped fists or high-fived with quiet cheers. Angelica was indifferent, mostly because she was jealous that Lincoln had two girlfriends before she could have even one boyfriend. Bonnie didn't join in the cheers, but he did smile proudly.

"Way to go bro." He said.

Eventually the adults found out and they all supported the couple. Chaz was especially relieved, he was hoping stella would find somebody trustworthy and sincere. Even though her friend Z turned out to be a really great guy the whole thing did have an impact on Chaz... he said i have to go see your mother and ask her something he went and asked if she could make a kimono for him for the dance she said yes and did

The dance was an evening dance, combined with dinner. Everyone dressed in their best. Lincoln wore his kimono and sarah , Harper , and bonnie didn't wear tuxedos, it wasn't that formal, but they did wear their best shirts and pants. mallow , stella Susie, and Angelica of course dressed up. Angelica wore a pink gown, Susie wore a green one, and mallow wore blue. It was stellawho really stood out though, she wore a kimono with lotus flowers on it. She also had her mom style her hair in a simple Japanese bun. stella didn't wear the makeup though, she just stuck with her natural look.she saw Lincoln in a kimono and said is that what you asked my mother about he said yes

Everyone enjoyed the dance, but no one more than Lincoln and Kimi. Lincoln's breath was taken away by stella beauty, and they danced almost all the dances. Especially the slow ones.

Harper didn't dance that many dances, as he couldn't gain the courage to ask the girls there. That was the one thing he wanted to work on the most: his fear of girls. Then at the last dance...well, it was the slow dance. Lincoln and stella and the other couples there danced it of course, but poor Harper was off to the side. He hadn't felt this lonely since the mommy and kid dance during the reception of Lou and Lulu's wedding. He watched Lincoln and stella dance, happy for them but also really sad. However, he wasn't the only one not dancing. Sarah wasn't dancing either, but by his own choice. And then Mallow came up to Harper ...

"You okay?" mallow asked.

"Huh? Oh hi mallow ." Harper said, distracted. "Yeah I'm fine, I just want to join them in the dance, but I'm too scared to ask a girl to dance with me."

"What if a girl asked you to dance with her?" mallow suggested.

"Yeah, that'll be the day." Harper scoffed.

"Well there's a girl who's asking you right now." mallow smiled hintingly.

"Who...?" Harper turned to mallow . "Wait a minute, are you saying that you...? Is this a pity invitation?"

"No." Mallow shyly looked away. "It's a sincere invitation."

Harper was beyond stunned. Mallow understood why, and led Harper out onto the dance floor. Lincoln, stella and Sarah noticed and watched Harper and mallow with surprise. Mallow helped Harper find his rhythm, and they started to dance. Soon, Harper got used to it and found himself enjoying it. Then when he looked at mallow , it was like he was seeing something new.

"So...you like me?" Harper wanted to make sure.

"No...I love you." mallow admitted.

They had just danced passed Sarah when Mallow said that, so Sarah overheard. Sarah dropped his mouth open, but then closed it, smiled, and shook his head. Harper was surprised too, though he didn't recover as quickly as Sarah did. Lincoln and stella overheard too and smiled. They were glad that Harper finally found a girl who loved him, and they were amused that it ended up being a girl they had known for about twelve years. Heh, irony.

"Really?" Harper found his voice.

mallow nodded.

"I just...always found myself connected to you, but it wasn't until last year that I realized that I had fallen in love with you." She explained.

Harper smiled.

"Weird...I had always found myself kinda connected to you as well but never even thought of the idea of us becoming a couple. I guess it's because we're friends and all." Harper chuckled.

"Yeah." Mallow smiled. "Hey, remember the time Angelica 'married' us when we were babies?"

"Yeah, even though it has its downsides it was fun. I actually liked being married to you...even if it was just for the day." Harper smiled.

"Downsides?" Mallow frowned as if she was thinking. "Oh yeah, Angelica saying that we couldn't play with Lincoln and Sarah anymore. That definitely was the worst part of the whole thing."

"Yup, but fortunately we were able to get around that."

Harper and mallow continued talking, and Harper realized that he had fallen in love with mallow . Eventually, they kissed.

After the dance was over, the couples and Sarah walked back to their rooms.

"So sarah , you cool about me and mallow ?" Harper asked.

"Sure dude, I'm not like mallow who ruins a relationship just because she's jealous." Sarah smiled.

"Hey!" mallow protested. "Come on, I already apologized for that! Besides, that was months ago."

"Well if I ever get back together with Wally..." Sarah said.

"Don't worry, I'll let you two date without interfering." mallow cut in; then she froze. "Wait a minute..."

"Whoa, you still love Wally?" Lincoln said.

"Yeah, and I think she might still love me back, I'm not sure." Sarah smiled. "Wally and I only stuck with being friends so that we can be three friends instead of a couple and a sister."

Mallow hugged him.

"Ew, sister germs!" Sarah gently pushed her off.

mallow just laughed.

"What you did, with Wally, was really selfless." She said. "You know Sarah , you may be gross and immature, but you do have a good heart."

"mallow 's right, that was cool of you to put her feelings before your feelings for Wally." stellasmiled.

"Eh, what can I say." Sarah shrugged proudly. "If there's one subject I can make good decisions in, it's the subject of friendship."

Everyone else just smiled and continued walking to their rooms.

The next day they prepared to go home.

Time passed, and the two couples continued to date. Most of the time they double dated. It wasn't long before it became triple dating, because Sarah got back together with Wally.

"Hey Wally." He said to her one day before soccer practice.

"Hey sarah , it's been a while." Wally smiled. "Say, I've noticed that mallow and Harper are dating."

"Yup, same with Lincoln and Kimi." Sarah nodded.

"I hope that doesn't make you lonely." Wally said, a little concerned.

"Me? Nah." Sarah shook his head, smiling. "Actually I was thinking that we could get back together. mallow 's cool with it now and...I still love you."

Wally smiled.

"I still love you too." She said.

They hugged.

The first triple date was a blast, and at the end of it Sarah and Wally had their first kiss. mallow chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Sarah asked.

"Nothing's funny, that was just a happy laugh." mallow said. "You see any girl who can handle kissing a guy who likes gross things has to be the one for him. Meaning..."

Sarah and Wally blushed.

"You mean sarah and I might...?" Wally hesitated.

"Now obviously not, but in the future who knows?" Mallow shrugged, smiling. "I will tell you this: I would like to have Wally for a sister."

Sarah and Wally shyly looked at each other, still blushing, and smiled.

The three couples continued dating all the way into high school. It wasn't always triple dates, sometimes a couple wanted to go on a date alone or one or more of the group couldn't make it, but either way they all had fun.

Eventually they all graduated. Lincoln of course still wanted to become a director, but had trouble landing a job. Sarah became a scientist in the field of mold. Mallow continued soccer, but not as a player. She wanted to stay in town with the others so she became the new soccer coach for their old middle school. Harper joined the police force, as the only major talent he had ever shown was mystery solving. stella decided to become a stunt person, this way she could get in a lot of action without being away from Lincoln and her other friends too often. Angelica became a reporter for a fLincolnion magazine, while Susie obviously became a famous singer. After Bonnie graduated he became a marine biologist, specializing in dolphins.

One evening, Harper took Mallow to a park. They sat near some flowers (fortunately Harper 's sinuses had improved by that time). Harper then kneeled and took a ring out of his pocket.

"Mallow , ever since I was two I had hoped of finding the right girl. But it amazingly took me eleven years to realize that you were the right one the whole time." He said. "Now that I know that you are the right one, I don't ever want to lose you." He held the ring up. "mallow , will you marry me?"

"Yes, of course I will." Mallow smiled. "You know this time we're going to have a real wedding."

"Yeah...I hope I can memorize the vows. They seemed simpler back when we were babies..." Harper joked, putting the ring on mallow 's finger.

"You'll do fine." mallow chuckled. "Besides, we don't have to be that traditional, we can write our own vows."

"True, but I'd prefer the traditional ones since you don't have to worry about picking the wrong words." Harper smiled. "We can just say the 'have and hold' and all that and skip the 'I dos'."

"That's a good idea, we already said the 'I dos' when we were babies so saying them again would feel redundant." mallow agreed.

They had a grand wedding. Their parents split the cost and chores of the wedding. Howard handled the catering, while Betty booked the church, reception site, and a few other things that needed to be ordered (trust me, you do not want to get on her bad side). Mallow and Kira took care of what the decorations should look like, but let Harper and Chaz have second opinions on their choices. Harper and Chaz also took care of the invitations. For the honeymoon Harper and Mallow picked Florida, where they could relax on the beach but also have adventures in the swamps.

However, they were planning to have their honeymoon much later, since they wanted to be at their friends/families weddings. Actually, the group decided to take all their honeymoons at the same time, even if they were at different locations. That way they can share their adventures and photos online through e-mail and web videos instead of boring each other later at home with home movies. And also, that way no one would be home wishing they were on an adventure while the others were. After all, they had always shared their adventures before and even if they couldn't be together they weren't going to let that stop them now.

Lincoln and stella married next, since Lincoln wanted to get a job as a director first. Fortunately, after many tries he finally got a job at a studio where he could work his way up to head director. Everyone went out to celebrate, since they knew how frustrated Lincoln was about not finding a job before. They went to one of the fanciest restaurants in town, and had a lot of fun eating and talking. They then toasted Lincoln and his new job.

"May Lincoln become the most famous director ever!" Harper said, raising his glass

"Hear hear!" Everyone else chorused.

Lincoln then stood up.

"Thank you everyone, this is one of the best nights of my life." He said. "But it won't be the last, I hope."

He took a small box out of his pocket and turned to stella who was sitting on his left. He dragged his chair away so that he could kneel onto the ground.

"stella the years we've been together have been more wonderful than I ever could have imagined, and I don't want it to end." Lincoln opened the box, revealing a ring. "So, will you marry me?"

A few of the adults, like Chaz and Howard, started crying with joy.

"Of course I will." stellasmiled, trying not to cry.

Lincoln slipped the ring on her finger, got up, and they kissed.

Later, Lincoln and stella discussed what kind of wedding to have. They decided on an American wedding, except stella the maid of honor (her mom of course) and the bridesmaids would all wear kimonos. However, Lincoln had a plan to surprise stella and for this he needed Kira.

The day of the wedding, Lincoln was getting ready when Harper and Sarah knocked on his door.

"Come in!" Lincoln said.

They opened the door, only to be surprised: Lincoln was wearing a black mens' kimono!

"Lincoln, I...wow." Harper was touched that Lincoln would do this for Kimi.

"Whoa, you actually look good in a kimono." Sarah was surprised. "And here I thought they were only for girls."

"Thanks." Lincoln grinned. "Kira helped me pick out the right one. She's keeping it a secret though, I want to surprise stella at the altar."

"And boy will she be surprised!" Harper said. "In a good way I mean."

"Come on men, time to get Lincoln to the altar so he can tie the knot and hang." Sarah joked.

"sarah , come on, we know you're thinking of marrying Wally." Lincoln smirked. "No more 'ball and chain' jokes okay?"

"Okay, geez, can't a bachelor have his last few days of fun before he marries the one he loves?" Sarah retorted good-naturedly.

The three of them chuckled as they entered the altar. Once there Lincoln surprised all the guests (except for Kira obviously) with the outfit he picked. The wedding march started, and stella started to walk down the aisle in Chaz's arms. Her birth father stellaand Chaz were happily surprised upon seeing Lincoln's outfit. Tears almost formed in stellaeyes, and she smiled at him with love once she reached the altar. Chaz took his seat next to Kira, and the ceremony began.

For Lincoln and stella's honeymoon, they went to Paris, France. After all, if Lincoln's dad hadn't been called to Paris about his robot Reptar and if stellamom hadn't been working for that company, Lincoln and stella might have never met. And this time, Lincoln and stella planned to enjoy Paris and Euro Reptarland without a bossy evil lady ruining things.

Sarah and Wally married next. Sarah wasn't the traditionalist when it came to romance, instead he kept it simple. He did add his own touch though, instead of taking the ring out of his pocket he pretended to take it out of Wally's ear. After that no words were needed, Wally knew what he was asking and accepted his unique proposal.

Their wedding was traditional, except a lot simpler. Sarah and Wally only said 'I do', none of the rest of the vows. And their reception was a real bLincoln, people popped crackers and snakes-in-a-can and only one dance was a slow dance. That dance was for couples only. Sarah and Wally later had fun feeding each other cake - with their hands. Their honeymoon also took place at a swamp in Florida, except it was a different part of Florida.

Years passed, and the couples had kids. Lincoln and stella had a son named Jerry, Harper and Mallow had twins (Mallow became very sympathetic to her mom because of that) named Max and May, and Sarah and Wally had a daughter named Penny Their kids became the new Rugrats.

stella finished cleaning up the smoothie. She swept up what she could on the floor with the broken glass and scrubbed the rest away. Once she was finished she looked at the time seeing a half an hour had passed by. "Lincoln, ready to go?" She asked up the stairs. When she didn't get an answer she frowns lightly. "Lincoln?" She called his name again before walking upstairs to the spare room. Seeing the door slightly cracked she knocks politely before opening it. "You okay?"

Lincoln was sitting on the bed with his arms resting on his legs. He looked a little worried. "I... I don't know. What if I hear something I don't like? What if my anger gets the best of me and I snap?"

stella walked over and sat down next to him. She placed a hand onto his thigh. "Hey, it's going to be okay. Besides, I'm going to be right by your side. I'll help keep you calm and even answer some of the questions this doctor might ask if you don't want too. I'm going to be with you every step of the way."

Lincoln looked down at her hand and slowly takes it into his. "I guess I'm just a little nervous."

"It's okay to be nervous. Some people avoid going to therapist because they are too scared of what they might hear. But hearing the truth is something that can make a big difference in your life. Trust me, this will be great for you." stella smiled standing up holding onto his hand. "Come on, we should get going. Since there aren't any scheduled appointments it's first come first serve kind of thing."

Lincoln stands up with her in his still and sighs out. "What are we going to talk about?" He asked grabbing his jacket.

"I don't know, I guess that will be up to you and the doctor. I can't make that decision for you Lincoln. All I can do is be there as support. Everything has to be up to you even if I am able to answer some of the questions. Everything that is happening right now is happening to you not me." stella let's go of his hand. "I'm grabbing my phone real quick and getting changed. I'll meet you in the car." She kissed his cheek gently for going into her room.

Lincoln let out another sigh as he slowly walked down the hallway to the stairs. He looked up at the family photos that stella had on the wall. Staring at each one as he took one step at a time down, Lincoln suddenly gripped the railing of the stairs glowing pink once again. He felt anger fill his body. ".... No... Stop it." He spoke softly taking a deep breath in. The glow quickly faded away and he continues the rest of the way down the stairs not looking at any of the photos. He opened the front door and headed off to the Dondai. "God I just want this day to be over." He groans out unlocking the car and got inside. He sat in the driver's seat and stared out at the road ahead of him. He blinked silently as flash images of the photos back inside the house came into his head. With another heavy sigh, Lincoln closed his eyes just letting it happen as his body glowed once again not understanding why he was getting angry. His breathing got extremely heavy as he continues to sit silently in the car waiting for stella . "Why... Are you making me feel like this?" He grunted through his teeth as he clenched his fists.

stella opened the door to the passenger side and sat down. She looked at Lincoln and gasps lightly seeing him glowing again. "Lincoln?"

"What?!" Lincoln replied with anger in his voice.

stella gulped lightly. "A-are you feeling okay?" She asked softly being really scared having never seen her friend this angry before.

"I'm fine." Lincoln opened his eyes. They were pink in color with white diamond-shaped pupils. "Just taking a moment here." He chuckled lightly as he went to start up the car.

"It's like we were frozen in time..." stella looked down at her phone frowning more. "Do... Do you still want to go to the therapist? It's probably closed by now."

"It can't hurt to check." Lincoln puts his seatbelt on and leans forward finally started up the Dondai and drives off down the road. "Where am I heading?" He asked.

"I can't really remember the name of the place but I know what building it's in. Just keep going straight until you see a light, then turn left and it should be on the right side." stella explained as she still tried to process what had just happened to them.

Lincoln looked over noticing that she was shaken up about what happened. "You okay?"

stella shrugged her shoulders as she continues to stay silent.

Lincoln wanted to help her but had to keep driving. He turned on the radio and it started to play one of her favorite songs.

stella giggled softly as she looked out the window. Soon she started to sing along with the music.

Lincoln smiled softly as he stopped at the red light. After it turned green and he turned left he saw the building that they needed to go to. "Wow, you weren't kidding on how close it was."

"Looks like it's still open too." stella takes her seatbelt off as Lincoln parked the car. She looked over at him with a faint smile. "You ready?"

Lincoln stared at the building for a good minute before turning the car off. "Might as well be." He slowly got out of the car.

stella gets out and closed her door. "Remember Lincoln, I'm right here."

Lincoln locked the car up before going over to stella 's side to hug her.

The sudden hug took stella off guard for a moment. "What?" She giggled lightly.

"Nothing." Lincoln lets her go before heading inside the building. He walked through the door and looked around at the dimly lite room. "Whoa."

"I know, it feels so cozy in here." stella smiled brightly seeing how warm feeling the place was.

"That's what I want for my clients. A warm welcome to a safe place." A male's voice is heard. He stood up from behind the check-in desk and walked over. "Hello, I'm Dr. Adrian Carmichael, you can call me by either of those names." He held out his hand to shake.

Lincoln shakes the hand lightly. "It's nice to meet you, Dr. Adrian. I'm Lincoln, and this is my girlfriend stella ."

stella shakes the doctor's hand after Lincoln. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise, it's rare for me to see people come in this late." Dr. Adrian smiled. "What brings you two young rascals into my building this late?" He asked.

"Um... Well, I... Uh.." Lincoln got extremely nervous.

stella held his hand gently into hers trying to comfort him.

Dr. Adrian hums lightly as he watched Lincoln's reactions. "Okay, I can see that you're the prime suspect of being here. Lincoln, I can assure you that this is a safe place and what is said here stays here. There is no reason for anyone shape or form outside my building to know of this."

Lincoln nods his head listening to the doctor. "I'm sorry, it's just that I'm not like any of your other clients. The problems that I have are way beyond compare."

Dr. Adrian nods his head as he listened to Lincoln. "Why don't we sit down in here since we're alone and you can tell me about yourself." He picked up a clipboard and a pen. "This little form here is just a patient sheet. It's just a list of basic information."

Lincoln looked behind him at a set of comfy chairs and sat down in one of them with stella next to him in the other.

stella leans against Lincoln's arm as she held onto it. "Is it okay if I stay? Lincoln is... Very um... Well, he's..." 1

Dr. Adrian held up his hand to quietly silence stella . He stared at the two silently for a moment. "All is welcome here. If it is Lincoln's wish to have you then you may stay."

Lincoln lets out a very shaky held in breath of air. "S-sorry, this is just my first time ever doing something like this. I'm not someone that likes to talk about my problems."

"And that's okay, I'm here to break that barrier. I'm the type of person that went to school to get a piece of paper that tells me that I'm here to listen to those in need. This is who I am what I do." Dr. Adrian leans back in his seat. "Let's slowly crack this barrier of yours with simple information." He pats the clipboard in his lap. "Does that sound like a plan?"

Lincoln chuckled lightly. "Sounds good to me."

"Great, first off let's start with your first and last name, age, and birthday." Dr. Adrian clicked the pen and waited.

"Okay, Lincoln Universe, 19, August 17th." Lincoln spoke slow enough for the doctor to write.

"Oh, happy late birthday." Dr. Adrian chuckles. "Now, I'm going to ask you a set of questions, on a scale of zero to five, zero being that this hasn't happened, five being constantly happening, you answer to the best of your ability, okay?"

Lincoln nods his head slowly. 'Here we go.' He thought to himself getting nervous.

"The following questions must be answered depending on how you have been feeling within the past two weeks." Dr. Adrian reads from the paper.

Lincoln lowered his head with a sigh. "That might be a little hard considering I've been awake for two days now."

"I'm sorry?" Dr. Adrian looked up a little confused.

"Lincoln woke up from a coma two days ago. Everything that has happened to him within those two days is why he is here." stella explained as she rubbed Lincoln's hand to comfort him.

"Wow, that's very surprising to hear actually." Adrian wrote on the paper. "I'll just make the note here that you've had this experience. Can I ask how the coma happened?"

Lincoln clenched his hand onto the armrest of the chair. "We'll get to that later."

Dr. Adrian raised an eyebrow with a slight nod. "Okay... I'll be right back. I need to grab another paper." He stood up and went to the desk.

stella frowns looking at Lincoln's face seeing that he was getting upset. "Please don't be like this. He's just doing what needs to be done."

Lincoln takes a few deep breaths to keep himself calm. "I'm trying okay, this isn't easy for me. No one knows me like you do."

stella laid her head onto his shoulder. "I know Lincoln, but let him get to know you like I do. Let another human into your life that can help you more than I can."

Lincoln lifts his hand up to stroke the back of stella 's head. "Okay... I'm not going to hide anymore. I'll talk."

"Great!" Dr. Adrian walked back over with another clipboard. "I'm starting to see the picture here Lincoln. The problems that you're having are causing you to have anger but you also seem to be having an issue with being opened. I think you might be a little depressed."

"The anger for sure but... Depression? I'm not so sure about that." Lincoln shakes his head not completely agreeing with him.

"Uncertainty is one of the biggest blocks with depression. We think that we're alright and nothing is wrong but deep down inside we're hurting." Dr. Adrian explained.

Lincoln sat back in his seat getting a little chilled hearing this. "W-wow..."

Dr. Adrian nods his head. "It's amazing what we can dig up with just a little explaining and some questions. I have two new sheets here that are full of questions to help us figure out how you feel about multiple different things. I'll leave it up to you which one you want to answer first, the depression or the anger?"

Lincoln thought for a while before answering. "Let's do the anger one, that's the reason why I'm here in the first place."

"Understandable." Dr. Adrian flipped the pages around. "Let's see..." He reads the page silently to himself. "Alright, I'm going to read you a line. You answer them with either a one, two, or three. One, being no or very little. Two, being very little to a lot. And three being a lot to constantly. But in your case, let's factor this to one being that you haven't don't it at all, two is that I wanted to do this of felt like doing this, and three is I've done it. Sound fair?"

"Sounds easy enough." Lincoln chuckled getting nervous again.

"Take your time to answer." Dr. Adrian smiled softly as he began. "Has shouted at someone that I care about or is close to me?"

"... 3" Lincoln answers.

"How many times and to who?" Dr. Adrian asked.

"I've done it to my brothers, a friend I guess, and stella ." Lincoln explained.

Dr. Adrian nods his head as he writes his notes. "Has become physically ill due to anger?"

"... 1" Lincoln answers

"Has broken something due to anger?" Dr. Adrian asked.

"3." Lincoln lowered his head.

"What did you break?" Dr. Adrian asked.

"I broke a glass in my bare hand by squeezing it." Lincoln explained.

"Did you cut yourself?" Dr. Adrian looked up a little concerned.

"I did, but stella was able to get the glass out and I healed it." Lincoln smiles.

"Healed?" Dr. Adrian tilts his head.

"Here we go." stella giggled.

"Well doc, I'm not just a normal human man." Lincoln lifts his shirt up to show his diamond. "I'm part of a race of people that are known as Gems. They have powers and abilities depending on who they are and what they were made for. I'm a special Gem known as a Diamond and that gives me a special healing power that no one else has. I got those powers from my Mom."

Dr. Adrian nods his head as he listened to Lincoln and then looked surprised. "Oh, you're that Lincoln Universe, from Beach City."

"Y-yeah." Lincoln lowered his shirt a little confused.

"I've seen your little TV commercial about your Gem Town you helped build. Curiosity got the best of me and I took a tour of the place and learned a lot from a lady named Pearl about Gem people and who you are and where you came from. She even handed me this nifty little booklet about Pink Diamond." Dr. Adrian explained as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled it out.

"Wow, so you know a lot more about Gems then I thought you would have. That's awesome." Lincoln lightened up once he heard that this human doctor knew a little about who he was and what Gems were. But suddenly a hint of fear hit him and he frowns feeling heavy that the doctor knew who his mother was. Lincoln slowly started to glow pink and sink into his seat.

stella gasps lightly seeing this happen so suddenly. "Lincoln?!"

Dr. Adrian sat up in his seat slowly. "Is everything alright there Lincoln?"

"Yeah.... My Mom is just a really heavy topic." Lincoln spoke softly lowering his head more to hide his face.

"It's okay, we don't have to talk about her just yet, let's finish up these questions and see what happens from there." Dr. Adrian spoke calmly to see if Lincoln's emotion would change.

Lincoln slowly nodded his head as the glow faded away.

stella let out a sigh of relief. She went back to rubbing her thumb on top of Lincoln's hand.

"Alrighty, where was I?" Adrian looked back at the page. "Ah, here we are. Has exhibited road rage?"

"I possibly would have if it wasn't for stella stopping me." Lincoln answers.

"Explain." Dr. Adrian began to write.

"Well on our way over here I was having my "glowing fit" and I was just about to start driving. She stopped me and was able to calm me down cause she knew that the moment I started that car something bad would have happened." Lincoln explained.

"He wasn't himself sitting in the car. He even raised his voice a bit at me when I stopped him." stella put in her thought about the question.

"Has he yelled at you before?" Dr. Adrian asked.

"Once, and it was because I was pestering him about something that he didn't want to talk about." stella explained.

Dr. Adrian nods his head slowly as he wrote on the paper. "Next, has threatened to strike or hit someone?"

Lincoln thought about this for a moment. "1?"

"1??" Dr. Adrian repeated back. "You sure? You seem very unsatisfied with that answer."

Lincoln shrugged his shoulders. "I don't think that I've got anyone, and if I did then I don't remember."

"Fair enough. Has quarreled with others?" Dr. Adrian asked.

"What?" Lincoln raised his eyebrow confused.

"Have you been in heated arguments or disagreements?" Dr. Adrian reworded his question.

"1." Lincoln answers slowly still unsure about the question.

Dr. Adrian paused for a moment before writing on the paper. "Has made someone leave a situation due to anger?"

"1." Lincoln answers.

"Has made others afraid of self because of anger?" Dr. Adrian asked.

Lincoln slowly looked over at stella before lowering his head with a sigh. "3."

"Has had information withheld or changed due to the concern that self would get angry?" Dr. Adrian asked.

"1." Lincoln answers.

"Has been in trouble with the law?" Dr. Adrian asked.

Lincoln chuckled lightly at that question. "1."

"Has felt remorse or guilt from behavior during and after anger?" Dr. Adrian asks.

"3." Lincoln answers.

"And lastly, has lost connection with friends and family due to anger?" Dr. Adrian asks.

"1." Lincoln answers.

Dr. Adrian hums lightly as he made his final notes on the paper and flipped it with the other sheet. "Alright, onto depression. The following questions will be answered with a yes or a no depending on how you have felt within the last 6 months. For this one Lincoln, I will ask that you think back before your coma, even farther just to get six months, understood?"

Lincoln nods his head slowly. He started to feel heavy again. "Can I get some water?"

Dr. Adrian nods his head. He stood up to leave the room to get the water.

"You're doing great Lincoln. I'm really proud of you for making it this far." stella smiled softly.

"I know, me too... But I just feel like there is going to be that one question that will just get to me." Lincoln looked down at himself shaking lightly. "When he mentioned that he knew about my Mom it made me so uncomfortable for some weird reason."

"I would be uncomfortable too if some stranger knew my Mom. But my Mom is well known for being a doctor. And your Mom is well known for being a Diamond. There are just things that can't be kept hidden and people will we don't know will find out." stella explained. "It's normal."

Lincoln looked up seeing the doctor come back with bottled waters for the two of them. "Thanks."

"No problem, let's get back to it shall we." Dr. Adrian sat back down in his chair and lifts the paper back up. "Okay, remember yes and no only. Are you satisfied with your life?"

Lincoln bites his lower lip staying silent.

"Lincoln?" stella looked over wondering why he was silent. "... Do you want me to step outside for a while?"

Lincoln sighed softly as he looked at her. "Sorry."

"It's okay, I have to call my Mom anyways. She just got home and is filling up my message wondering where we are since you're not supposed to be outside." stella kissed Lincoln's forehead gently as she stood up. She walked outside to talk to her Mom on the phone.

"Are you ready now Lincoln?" Dr. Adrian asked.

Lincoln nods his head as he sat up confident now. "Yes."

"1. Are you satisfied with your life?"

"No."

"2. Have you dropped many of your activities and interests?"

"No."

"3. Do you feel that your life is empty?"

"Yes."

"4. Do you often get bored?"

"No."

"5. Are you hopeful about the future?"

"No."

"6. Are you bothered by thoughts you can't get out of your head?"

"Yes."

"7. Are you in good spirits most of the time?"

"Yes."

"8. Are you afraid that something bad is going to happen to you?"

"Yes."

"9. Do you feel happy most of the time?"

"Yes."

"10. Do you often feel helpless?"

"No."

"11. Do you often get restless and fidgety?"

"No."

"12. Do you prefer to stay at home rather than go out and do things?"

"No."

"13. Do you frequently worry about the future?"

"Yes."

"14. Do you feel that you have more problems with memory than most?"

"Yes."

"15. Do you think it is wonderful to be alive right now?"

"..."

"Lincoln?"

"Can we skip that one for now?"

"Of course, and if you don't want to answer then say skip. 16. Do you feel downhearted and blue?"

"No."

"17. Do you feel pretty worthless the way you are now?"

"Skip."

"18. Do you worry a lot about the past?"

"Yes."

"19. Do you find life very exciting?"

"Yes."

"20. Is it hard for you to get started with the day?"

"No."

"21. Do you feel full of energy?"

"Yes."

"22. Do you feel that your situation is hopeless?"

"Yes."

"23. Do you think that most people are better off without you in their lives?"

"Skip."

"24. Do you frequently get upset by the littlest of things?"

"Yes."

"25. Do you frequently feel like crying?"

"No."

"26. Do you have problems concentrating?"

"No."

"27. Do you enjoy getting out of bed in the morning?"

"Yes."

"28. Do you prefer to avoid social occasions?"

"No."

"29. Is it easy for you to make decisions?"

"... I'm not sure."

"30. And lastly, is your mind as clear as it used to be?"

"No."

Dr. Adrian hums lightly as he looked at the paper.

stella came back inside and sat back down. "Did you guys get everything done?"

"Yes, we just finished. I'm tallying up Lincoln's score here and..." Dr. Adrian went back to humming before lowering his clipboard. "Well Lincoln, I think it's safe for me to say this and it's that you do have a problem here."

"I know." Lincoln frowns lightly. "Is it bad?"

Dr. Adrian flipped the pages around. "Well let's have a look here. Your anger questionnaire is surprisingly all over the place. Your results are so scattered that they are mostly one's and three's even with some of them being a little uncertain. You clearly do have an anger issue here, but it only occurs to happen during a certain topic or situation in your life. It's random."

Lincoln nods his head understanding.

"And your depression sheet... Let's see... Your score was Eleven. But, you did skip a total of four questions, which depending on your answers would have caused this score to vary up to fifteen. Be that as it may, your score is putting you in the moderate depression area by one point."

"Th-that's good, right?" Lincoln asked.

"Yes and no. If you were to have scored a ten or lower you would be considered normal. The amount of stress or anxiety that you were feeling is completely normal for a human being. But the fact is that your score is an eleven just because you failed to answer four questions is what is putting you in the moderately depressed area. If it was just eleven I would give you a few suggestions on how to make things better for yourself but it's not a solid eleven, do you understand?" Dr. Adrian asked after explaining.

Lincoln nods his head again. "I do.. i-it's not that I didn't want to answer those questions, it's.... It's the fact that they were both a yes and a no."

"And that's okay Lincoln. Depression is something that affects everyone in a variety of different ways. Not one case is exactly like the other. With the current situations that you're having that I still have no idea of what they are about, I'm starting to think that this whole anger and depression thing didn't just come out of nowhere. I'm starting to think that you've been depressed for years and it's only now becoming a problem. You see Lincoln, even if you were to have a normal score, those scores can still cause a lot of stress and anxiety that keeps them in a safe area but there will be that one thing that can shoot them over the edge." Dr. Adrian explains. "Remember how you were feeling when I pulled this out of my pocket?" He lifts up the booklet of Pink Diamond.

"Y-yeah..." Lincoln shakes lightly as he stared at it. He clenched his hands onto the armrests again.

stella noticed this and tried to step in. "Sir, please don't talk about this."

Dr. Adrian lifts his finger to shush stella as he stared at Lincoln. "Quiet please or I'll have you leave."

stella gulped lightly as she slowly moved away from Lincoln's side.

"Lincoln?" Dr. Adrian sat back in his seat and crosses his leg over the other and folded his hands into his lap.

"P-please don't." Lincoln shakes his head almost begging.

Dr. Adrian smiled softly with calm written all over his face. "... Tell me how you feel about your mother."

Lincoln's body glowed brightly as he clenched his hands breaking the armrests with his fingers. He lowered his head with a loud grunt and hissed through his teeth.

stella yelps lightly and covered her ears when she heard the wood crack.

Lincoln takes in and lets out shaky breaths of air as he stared at the floor. "... Mom..." He spoke softly.

".... Lincoln." Lincoln's voice shifted into a female when his name was spoken.

"Lincoln?" Dr. Adrian called his name hearing this female voice. "Can you sit up for me?"

Lincoln lifts his head up slowly. His right eye was pink with a white diamond-shaped pupil. "... Mom?" The left side of his face looked scared as he sat there.

"I'm sorry Lincoln." Pink Diamond's voice came through after Lincoln spoke.

"What's going on?" Dr. Adrian asked being a little nervous.

"I'm his mother, and I came out to tell you to stop." Pink spoke with a stern voice.

Lincoln narrowed his eye. "No, you need to stop! I'm sick and tired of you taking over my body to do whatever the hell you want! If your this damn powerful then why the hell couldn't you figure out how to make your own damn body to give me a normal life!?" He yells.

Pink blinked her eye silently.

"My whole life I've been paying for your mistakes! I've been making up for all the shit that you caused! Do you honestly think I wanted that kind of life?! Having to be blamed for everything that you did cause your damn diamond was on my body?!" Lincoln tears up as he continues to yell. "I had to grow up in a damn van for twelve fucking years cause you couldn't figure out a different way to have me. And living with the Gems, sure it was the best thing to ever happen to me. But the moment I started to learn about my powers I was the target of everyone from Homeworld! I was in countless situations where my life was threatened because everyone thought I was you! And to make things worse! When everyone finally figured out that I was Pink Diamond, I was in even more danger than before!!" Lincoln lowered his head. "I had to give up a simple human life and fix everything that you caused because you were too scared to fix them on your own." He sobs lightly.

"Scared?" Pink finally spoke. "I wasn't sc-."

"YES YOU WERE!!!" Lincoln yelled out causing the room to shake.

Dr. Adrian stood up slowly and walked over to stella . "Come, let's back away for the moment."

stella slowly got up from her seat and stood at the front desk ten feet away.

"You were scared!! Why else would you fake your death?! I'll tell you why! It wasn't because you wanted to save this damn world, it's because you were running away!" Lincoln glared up. "You ran away because the Diamonds gave you what you wanted but the moment you saw the beauty on this planet you tried to convince them to give you something else and they wouldn't allow it. You were sick and tired of getting the no and answer and they told you to get over it or they would take over. You were fed up and you ran..."

"Lincoln that's not true." Pink spoke softly. "Yes, I tried to convince that I didn't want the planet anymore but the damage was already done. The kindergarten that I started was almost halfway complete and that was the day I went down to the planet with Pearl and disguised myself as a Rose Quartz Soldier. I wanted to see what I was doing... And when I did I knew it was wrong. What we were doing was wrong and the only reason why we were doing it was because of Black Diamond. Remembering who she was I wanted it to stop and the only way I could do that is if I rebelled, so I changed into Rose Quartz and lived the life Pink Diamond couldn't live."

Lincoln sat in his seat silently for a while. ".... But why... Why would you bring me into a world of hatred and lie?"

Pink let out a long sigh. "I was in love Lincoln... I was still young and naive despite the age I was. I wanted to make your father happy and give him a family since he clearly had nothing. You saw how his actual family treated him. You know what he went through. I was giving him something that he lost, and in a way, I lost it too. I lost Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst.... I lost my home... I lost what was my true family being the Diamonds the moment I rebelled... I wanted a family again even if it meant not being there visibly."

Lincoln lowered his head slowly. He had no idea that his mother felt like that. He always that she was super fun and outgoing lady with joy and happiness all the time.

"Lincoln, I'm sorry I've caused you so much stress in your past years and in your current. I was just looking out for you with all the lies and secrets that are still coming towards you. I just wanted what was best for you." Pink spoke softly.

"I know... But things are different now Mom. I'm an adult now and I don't need that protection anymore. It's my turn to make my own decisions without you being in the back of my mind to influence them. The Gems have a new leader now and it's me." Lincoln hugged himself. "I love you.... But you need to let me live my life now." Everything went silent and Lincoln's glow slowly went away.

stella slowly walked over and knelt down in front of Lincoln to look at his face. "Lincoln? Are you okay?"

Lincoln lifts his head up smiling softly. "Yeah, she said she loved me too and said I will always be here when you need me."

stella smiled softly and got up to hug him.

Dr. Adrian walked over with a chuckled. "That was eventful. Why don't we call it a day."

"I'm sorry you had to see that." Lincoln stood up wrapping an arm around stella .

"No need, we've made a lot of progress even if it was just to discover what was going on." Dr. Adrian held out his hand to Lincoln. "I want to see you again Lincoln. Why don't you come back in a week or two and we can see if things are getting better or worse."

Lincoln shakes his hand. "Sounds like a plan."

"It was nice meeting you, Dr. Adrian." stella shakes his hand after Lincoln. "I'll be sure he comes back."

"If you need to contact me if the office is closed then here is my number." Dr. Adrian handed Lincoln a card. "Try and keep things calm for now. But if something happens and you can't get to me please call."

Lincoln puts the card into his pocket. "I'll be sure to put to add your number to my phone later." He looked at stella with a faint smile. "Ready to go home?"

stella nods her head as she walked with Lincoln to the door. The two of them wave at the doctor as they left. "I think that went well."

"Me too, even though I don't think anything was resolved I feel like a weight is slowly lifting off of me." Lincoln unlocked the car.

"Really? Not even the little talk session you had with your Mom?" stella asked looking a little concerned as she got inside.

Lincoln sighed when he sat down. "I don't think she'll be staying away for too long. I mean it would be nice to just live my own life but she'll always be around."

stella nods her head slowly as she buckled up. "I guess you're right."

Lincoln started up the car and headed back to stella 's house. He was silent the whole way back and even when they got home and went inside. Lincoln walked upstairs slowly with his hands in his pockets and a frown on his face.

stella followed him quickly. "Lincoln."

Lincoln looked over his shoulder as he opened the door to his room. "Yeah?"

stella walked up to him slowly. "You look a little stressed still."

Lincoln shrugged his shoulders opening the door. "I think I'm just gonna go to bed early."

"You didn't even eat today." stella watched him walk into his room.

"I'll be okay, it's not like I haven't done that before." Lincoln started to take his jacket off.

stella stood silently for a moment. She looked towards the stairs hearing her Mom in the Living Room watching TV. She walked into the room and closed the door even locking it behind her.

Lincoln looked up hearing the door close and turned just in time to watch stella lock it. "What are you doing?"

stella walked over and reached her hand up to rub Lincoln's cheek. "I can feel your sadness, Lincoln. What's wrong?"

Lincoln frowns lightly and placed his hand over hers. "I'm sorry... But I just can't bring myself to cheer up after what just happened."

stella blushed lightly. "Can I cheer you up then?" 1

Lincoln looked a little confused. "How?"

stella slowly used her other hand to run it across Lincoln's crotch as she kissed him softly on the lips.

Lincoln blushed deeply feeling the hand and moans softly into the kiss. He slowly slipped his hand up under stella 's shirt.

stella pulled away quickly. "Lincoln wait." She gently grabbed his hand.

"What? Was I moving to fast again?" Lincoln asked.

"No... I'm just... I'm still a little scared to give up my virginity. But I know that I can do something else for you that won't make me so scared." stella smiled softly as she pushed Lincoln back to the bed.

Lincoln chuckled lightly as he sat down. "Is that so?" He scooted to the edge of the bed taking his sandals off.

stella got onto her knees on the floor between Lincoln's legs and smiled up at him. She slowly started to undo his pants.

"Isn't your Mom home?" Lincoln asked looking at the door.

"She's watching the news. She'll sit there and watch the whole thing without saying a word." stella giggled. "We have about an hour of alone time~." She smiled up at Lincoln and pulled his jeans down.

Lincoln smirked lightly as he watched her. "You're really going forward with this huh? Not backing out?"

stella shakes her head as she slowly reached through the opening of Lincoln's boxers. "I think you deserve a little stress reliever." She blushed lightly feeling her hand touching Lincoln's member. "And to tell you the truth, I've touched this a few times during your sponge baths at the hospital while you were in your coma."

"Geez, I probably smell. Why don't I take a shower before you do this." Lincoln tried to stop her feeling a little self-conscious about the way he might smell.

stella blushed deeply as she slowly pulled his member out of the boxers with her hand. "It's okay Lincoln..." She leaned in slowly and licked the tip.

Lincoln gasps lightly feeling a weird sensation go through his body. The blush on his face deepened as he watched stella .

stella felt a tingly sensation go through her body when she tasted the member for the first time. It was salty and had a faint odor to it but she didn't care. She licked the member from the tip down to the base just above the area the pubic hair touched wanting to taste more.

Lincoln tilts his head back panting lightly. "How do you know how to do this?"

stella pulled back for a moment. "I watched a couple of videos. There really wasn't much to do when I sat by your side for endless hours of the day." She blushed lightly admitting this. "I just wanted to learn a few things."

Lincoln chuckled lightly as he looked back down at stella . He ran his fingers gently through her hair. "I wouldn't mind seeing a few of those things that you've learned."

stella nods her head as she stared directly into Lincoln's eyes taking the tip of the member into her mouth. Her eyes dimmed with lust with a slight blush on her cheeks as she slowly bobbed her head forward and back.

Lincoln bites his bottom lip gently as he watched the girl he loved doing this sort of action to his body. His body slowly grew hot as the weird sensation that he was feeling before grew stronger. "stella ~" He called her name gently gripping the bed with his free hand. His soft moans echo slightly in the room. "That feels really good~"

stella takes the member deeper into her mouth after she noticed that Lincoln was enjoying this moment. She stroked the rest that she didn't fit in.

"Ahh~!" Lincoln jolted forward feeling the new sensation of pleasure shoot through his body. He clenched his eyes and grunts lightly feeling something coming out.

stella 's eyes widened when Lincoln came in her mouth. She wanted to pull away but then there would be a mess. Getting a little embarrassed from this she slowly pulled away and held it in her mouth covering it with her hand looking up at Lincoln.

"Sorry! You can spit it out, I'll clean it up later!" Lincoln got onto his knees after he noticed what he just did.

stella blushed deeply as she made a big swallow.

Lincoln sighs softly. "You didn't have to do that."

stella wipes her mouth. "It's okay, it wasn't that bad anyway." She blushed looking down at the floor even more embarrassed.

Lincoln chuckled lightly pressing his forehead to hers. "Thank you."

stella wrapped her arms around Lincoln gently hugging him. "You're welcome, Lincoln." She stood up slowly. "I'm going downstairs to make sure my Mom didn't hear anything. If you want you can take your shower now." She giggled unlocking the door and slowly left the room.

Lincoln chuckled lightly getting off of the floor pulling his pants up with him. He grabbed the pajamas he wore last night from the other side of the bed to change into after he got out of the shower and headed off to the bathroom.