The Prince's Return

>”Lola, come on, get up!”
>Lana poked and prodded as gently as she could.
>Yet all Lola could muster was a mumble in her still sleeping state.
>Lola soon found her peaceful slumber disrupted as she was woken by the sensation of Lana licking her cheek.
>Like a bat out of Hell, Lola jumped from her bed and fell to the floor.
>Taking off her sleeping mask, a grouchy and pained Lola turned her hateful gaze to her twin.
“Lana, I told you not to do that!”
>”Don't blame me for your butt not getting out of bed. I've been trying to wake you up for about ten minutes.”
“I don't want to get up.”
>True to her word, Lola fell to the ground and wrapped the blanket from her bed around her once again.
>”Oh, come on! Lola, it's Christmas! The one holiday that we all get to enjoy together as a family!”
“Not all of us.”
>Lana, unwilling to let her sister's depressive state keep her cooped up in their room, grabbed Lola's body off of the floor and began to carry her out of the door.
“Ah, put me down, Lana! I told you I don't want to go downstairs and drink your stupid eggnog or eat fruitcake!”
>”Will your prissy butt just stop trying to fight me on this and come downstairs peacefully?”
“NO!”
>”Well then I gotta carry you.”
>Lola screamed bloody murder and attempted to wriggle her way out of the grip Lana had her wrapped body in, but to no avail.
>There was no dice on that, given the discrepancy in strength between the two siblings.
>Lana rolled her eyes as Lola kept trying to worm her way out of their trip downstairs.
>Before Lola knew it, Lana had taken her all the way down and firmly planted herself between the stairs and her.
>In short order, Lola managed to break free from her prison and attempted to head back up.
>Lana matched her every move and kept her from going on.
>Every feint and scramble Lola made was no match for Lana's reflexes.

>Lola, fed up with the back and forth, crossed her arms and pouted harder than she'd ever pouted before.
>Lana wasn't budging, even if she had to watch Lola make that ugly face at her.
“Ugh, why can't you just let me stay in bed and sleep until the day is over and done with like every other day!”
>”Because we need to spend Christmas together! You stay there everyday, but not today! Even Lucy goes out of her way to join us down here for Christmas.”
“Can I go back now?”
>”You know what? I'll let you back upstairs on one condition.”
>Intrigued at the prospect of being able to go back to bed, Lola untangled her arms and raised an eyebrow.
“What's the catch?”
>”You have to come to the kitchen for breakfast with me.”
“What?”
>”Yeah, that's it. Just come with me to breakfast and I'll get out of your way after you sit down and have a nice cup of tea.”
“Fine. But you better not be lying.”
>”Honest Indian.”
>Coming down from the last step, Lana dragged Lola into the kitchen.
>While she didn't really care, she was just happy about being able to go back up and forgetting that Christmas was a thing.
>As they entered the kitchen proper, Lola's heart skipped a beat as her jaw dropped in shock.
>There, standing before her, was Lincoln.
>Lola stood there in disbelief.
>Lincoln waved to Lola, smiling happily with his mug in hand.
“Lincoln?”
>”Hey, Lola.”
>The look of stupefaction on Lola's face quickly turned to one of seething rage.
>Lola turned to Lana to see nothing but smugness.
>”You want to eat breakfast now?”
“Why didn't you tell me Lincoln came home!”
>”You wouldn't have believed me if I did.”
“I'm still in my nightgown and haven't even brushed my hair!”
>Lola quickly ran out of the kitchen, screaming every possible obscenity that she would be able to get away with.
>”You know she's gonna get you back for this, right?”
>”Duh, but at least she's gonna have a good time now.”

>”-Rusty ran so fast out of the bar that we couldn't believe he just got out of his cast a few days before!”
>The family present laughed up a storm as Lincoln regaled them with his tales of college mischief.
>None laughed harder than Lola, though.
>Her spirits were the highest they'd been ever since he left for Maine.
>It was hard for her to lose Lincoln.
>He was the only one who could really fill the role of being her dashing prince.
>And now he was back.
>While Lincoln continued, she couldn't help but think about what she was going to ask him when she got him alone.
>Or how she was going to get the others out of the way.
>Especially with Lily.
>She took Lincoln going away almost as hard as Lola herself.
>Albeit not in the same way.
>Lola didn't know why, but no one else loved Lincoln as much as she did.
>Even if they did, she wasn't going to let any of her sisters best her there in the first place.
>In the middle of Lincoln's talk about how the apartment was working out, everyone heard the sound of the ding from the oven.
>”Kids, cookies are done!”
>”And so's the figgy pudding!”
>The mob quickly dashed for the kitchen, eager to have a taste of the new recipe that had been driving everyone crazy with the smell.
>Except for Lola.
>This was her chance to get Lincoln's undivided attention, and she wasn't about to let it slip by her.
>Putting her gymnastics training to good use, Lola weaved her way between her family to get to the one present she actually wanted that year.
>While the others filed into the kitchen, a sharp tug stopped Lincoln cold in his tracks.
>He turned back to see Lola holding onto his sleeve, gripping on for dear life.
>Before he could protest or ask Lola anything, she pulled him away.
>All the way to the hallway upstairs.
>Both of them were out of breath by the time they reached the far end of the corridor next to Lincoln's old room.

>”Geez, Lola. If you wanted to talk you could have just asked.”
“Couldn't risk it. Everyone wants to see you. Need to...”
>Lola took a long pause in the middle of her sentence to get her breath back.
>Once she returned to a normal breathing pace, she hugged Lincoln.
“I need to tell you how happy I am to see you, Lincoln.”
>”I'm happy to see you too, Lola.”
“You don't get it, you dummy. I've been waiting for so long for you to come back and see me! What happened to coming back and seeing us at least once a month? You didn't even show up for Thanksgiving.”
>Lincoln nervously laughed as he rubbed the back of his neck.
>”I know, I meant to come back a lot earlier but work took up what time college didn't.”
“You promised, though.”
>Lincoln could see the true sadness in Lola's eyes.
>He frowned as he realized just how much Lola had actually missed him.
>”I'm sorry, Lola. I really did intend to come back and see you guys.”
>Wrapping his arms around Lola, Lincoln returned her hug with a far warmer intent behind it.
>Lola buried her head into Lincoln's chest, savoring the little time that she had to spend with him completely alone.
“I got so worried about you, Lincoln. Have you been eating, are your classes going well, are your neighbors loud and interfering with your study time, because I'll go clean their clocks if you need me to-”
>”Lola, Lola, calm down. I've been doing fine. Promise.”
“And how am I supposed to know that? You don't visit, you never call, and you don't update any of your accounts online. I don't have anything to go on.”
>”It's okay, you don't have to worry. I'm getting along just fine.”

>Looking up to her brother's face above her, Lola could see the sincerity on his face.
>Even still, she couldn't let go of the feeling in her heart that made her worry.
>So she did the only thing she could do and held onto him.
>”I'll try to be better about getting back to you guys on how I'm doing from now on, alright?”
“You better.”
>The two shared a soft laugh as they let the mood simmer down.
>As they stood together, Lola noticed a certain something dangling above their heads.
>Taking full advantage of the position they were in, she quickly popped up on her toes and  raised herself just high enough to meet his downward face with a light kiss on the lips.
>Lincoln blushed as he felt her lips upon his.
>”Lola!”
“Hey, it's your fault for standing under the mistletoe, Lincy.”
>Looking up, Lincoln indeed was standing under the mistletoe with Lola.
>”How did I miss that?”
“You were too focused on your beautiful little sister, like a good brother should be.”
>Lola's face matched Lincoln's tone in short order.
>As they stood there, Lola took the initiative and left a light peck on his cheek.
>Lincoln looked back to Lola again, seeing the look in her eyes take on the loving gaze that only he got from her.
>”Come on, Lola, everyone's here.”
“They're downstairs. We're up here. And you're still the one standing here.
>Lola's arms flew from his waist and around his neck as she gave Lincoln the kiss she'd truly meant to.
>Within that one act, all of her love, sadness and joy came about as the passion she so desperately wished she could express all the time.

>Rather than shirk away, Lincoln returned the kiss and rested his hands on the small of her back.
>Lola squeaked in surprise as she felt him brush lightly against the top of her pert rump.
>She broke away from their kiss, giving Lincoln a playful smirk.
“What happened to you problem with everyone being here, Lincoln?”
>Lola let go of her hold on Lincoln as she tucked her arms into her body.
“Or has my radiant beauty captured your heart so hard that you've been driven mad with desire?”
>Lincoln tried to stifle a laugh, yet not to much avail.
>”I think you've been reading too many of Lori's old romance novels.”
“Oh please, I don't lower myself to the standards of bargain bin softcore erotic novels like that garbage.”
>”Sounds like it.”
>Lola playfully ribbed Lincoln, before grabbing onto his arm.
“We can talk about this later. For now, let's go grab some cookies before Dad makes us eat his figgy pudding.”
>Lincoln put his free hand in his pocket and followed Lola's lead back down.
>They had plenty to catch up on, but that could wait.
>Lola would share him a bit before she got what she wanted from him.
>It was the season of giving after all.