It's been a while, and I know I have a whole lot more to go into. Hopefully the next chapter won't be as short as these last few have been. Just trying to find some inspiration to continue. Thank you all to those who review and follow the story. Wouldn't have followed through if it weren't for you!


Natalie could barely stop the beating of her heart. It was like someone else was in control of her body, her feet barely touched the ground as she ran as quickly as possible to the Gallagher's home. Granted it wasn't far, but she had to see her best friend. She found Ian and Lip sitting alongside one another on the front porch steps.

"What's going on? I came as quickly as I could." Natalie said before engulfing Ian in a tight hug. His own heart rate was accelerating at an increased rate. She looked down to see Lip, shaking his head at her she knew it wasn't going to be pleasant.

Natalie knew that this was a delicate matter. "Why don't you two go inside? I'll hold the fort out here," she suggested. They both nodded. "Hey," she said before they opened the door. "Tell the kids to come outside if it's too much for them, okay?"

Lip and Ian both nodded and headed inside. Natalie looked down at the ground. This was all way too familiar. She choked back tears, recalling her own father leaving her behind. His abrupt return…

"I don't want to do this," Natalie said as she shook her head, staring at her front door.

"We don't have much of a choice, he's already here." Dylan replied. He grabbed a hold of her hand and gave her a tight smile as if to say, "We'll be ok". She didn't believe it for a second.

"Kids," Paul greeted as he stared at the two before him. He seemed foreign to Natalie; his hair grew and greyed at the tips, his clothing was more refined and his eyes seemed darker. It was as if he became a new man when he left them behind. "How are you?"

Without missing a beat, Natalie opened her mouth and regretted it almost instantly. "I don't know, Paul. How have you been?"

His eyes shifted to meet her gaze. It was a long and palpable silence, one that Dylan did not even care to prolong. He felt the same as she did. And for once, he wasn't going to allow his father gratification.

"Fine."

"Oh, you've been fine? Well that's just great. I'm glad, in fact I'm ecstatic." Natalie took her hand out of Dylan's grasp. "Me, I've been loading up on the beginning of high school while Dylan over here is getting ready to graduate. He's made it to the honor roll this year, something he's never done before but hey, you weren't around so I guess Mom's congratulations was sufficient enough. In fact, Dylan also has a girlfriend now, her name is Cassidy. She's gorgeous, way out of his league but whatever, he's good to her and she's good right back. He's still playing football too, getting pretty good at it. Got moved up to fullback this season. Mom's been making it to almost every game."

"That's great, honey." Paul said, he turned to Dylan. "I'm really proud of you, son."

Natalie smiled to herself, "Would have been nice to hear a while ago."

Dylan began to tear up, watching his sister lose her cool was one thing, but with their father it was another story.

"And how have things been for you?" Paul asked.

"Despite the fact that the only good thing going for me right now is the fact that I have a job, and despite the fact that the only friends I have seem to be my next door neighbors, and despite the fact that everyone seems to hate me, I'm doing great."

"Honey, there's—"

"Don't you dare call me that! You have no idea what you've done, and you never will. You destroyed everything, and it's only taken me fourteen years to determine that. Everything you do is perfect and everything we do will never compare. If I don't call you, I become the anti-christ but if you decide to abandon us for six months you're still a saint. What planet are you living on?"

Paul stared hard at her, almost glaring. "I'm here now."

Natalie then broke down, "Congratulations! You've done what you're supposed to do all along. Do you want a medal? Best dead beet dad?"

She began to move past him out her own front door. "You know what? I've been waiting for years for you. I've been waiting so long for you to be proud of me, and to actually be there for me. I'm done waiting. I'm done being the little girl you can leave behind to pick up the mess you make! You're not a child…I am…and I've never been able to feel like one with you."

A tear rolled down Dylan's cheek as he watched his sister look to him. He shook his head at her and she nodded in return. We'll be okay.

"Fuck you, dad. Fuck you and everything you've put Dylan and I through…I hate you. I fucking hate you and I hope you realize that this…whatever our relationship was…it's irreparable. We'll be like this forever."

With that, Natalie turned on her heel, Dylan trailing behind her. She had done it, but she knew she hadn't won.

Natalie began to cry on the front stoop, and turned her head to hear Lip raising his voice. She didn't want to walk inside, and made sure she hadn't but it was hard not to listen.

Suddenly the front door swung open. Fiona barreled her way down the steps, but not before turning to Natalie. "I'm sorry," she said before walking off into the cold night.


This brought up a lot of my own personal feelings. It's hard not to with Emmy in this scene. Hope you enjoyed a little more of Natalie's past. Oh, and I know I said I would go more into Natalie's relationships but that will have to wait for the next one.