Chapter 29.
*please don't kill me for taking so long*
Sorry for such a long wait, this chapter was a bitch to plan/write because I realized I had screwed up something so I had to take some creative liberty to fix it.
ALSO, tomorrow is the one year anniversary of this story which is mind blowing for me and I thought finally getting an update would be a good gift for you guys.
Disclaimer: I do not own Shameless.
It had been two days since a rift ripped through the Gallagher house, disturbing the already disruptive peace. DFS seemed to have really bad timing because, after only ten minutes in the house, they were making arrangements to put the children in the foster system.
The timid woman who had been unfortunate enough to witness Mickey Milkovich laid out on the kitchen counter while Lloyd fished a bullet out of his ass was somehow nice enough to allow Fiona a few days before the kids would be hauled away.
The oldest Gallagher seemed to forever be in a frenzied state as she helped the kids pack their bags the night before they were to be taken away. Daniela, who had also been around the house helping out, couldn't help but feel a shred of worry for the siblings.
"We'll be fine," stressed Lip for what seemed like the nth time.
Daniela huffed and continued to swing her legs off the side of his bed, her teeth chewing on her lip incessantly.
"I know that. But don't you think it's all a little strange?" She turned her frown to Lip who was laid out on his bed nonchalantly. "I mean, DFS doesn't just show up on your doorstep for no reason."
Lip seemed to agree with her and he quirked a brow before simply shrugging. "Who knows why they showed up. Doesn't matter anyway, we can handle it. It's not the first time this has happened."
Daniela's eyes dropped to her lap and her mouth opened to speak when they heard a light knock on the door. Both teens swiveled their heads to see a haggard-looking Fiona who offered each of them a smile.
"Family meeting downstairs," was all she said before she moved to the next room.
Sighing, Lip pushed himself up and off the bed before pausing to wait for Daniela to follow him. She did so quietly, grabbing onto his arm as they made their way down the stairs and settled at the kitchen table.
It took only a few minutes before the rest of the family emerged to settle around the kitchen counter. Daniela smiled at Ian as he came to stand beside her chair, placing a hand on the back of it.
Fiona's eyes moved across all of theirs, stopping for a moment at each person.
Finally, she heaved a deep sigh. "Now, tomorrow you guys are gonna get taken away and I'm not sure who you'll be paired with but I wanted you all to remember one thing." Raising an arm, she paused long enough for Debbie to rush to hug her side and she shook her gently. "We're a family."
"Despite all the shit we've gone through, we've always had each other and that's not gonna change." The woman stared pointedly at the younger two. "I promise that I will do whatever I can to get you out of there as soon as possible."
"El." The girl's head whipped up to meet Fiona's warm but tired stare. "I'm gonna need your help getting this place ready for the inspection if you're up for it?"
Daniela nodded eagerly, not minding at all. "Of course. Whatever you need."
"Lip, Ian," Fiona turned her attention to the older boys after shooting Daniela a thankful look. "You know the drill." They both nodded back at their sister, understanding what they had to do. Blend and acclimate until they were free to leave.
"Carl, Debbie. Make sure you take care of Liam wherever you end up." Carl nodded back solemnly and Daniela reached out to ruffle his buzz-cut. "We're Gallaghers, we've faced worse."
Having finished what she wanted to say, Fiona spread her arms open once more and gestured for them to huddle in. Lip and Ian groaned jokingly but nevertheless, made their way to their grinning sister.
"I love you guys," smiled Fiona before going and kissing each of them on the heads. Daniela not wanting to intrude, hung back and smiled at the close-knit family knowing that Lip was right when he said that they would be fine.
/
The next morning, the same woman from DFS was on their doorstep, clipboard in hand as she skittishly greeted each sibling. Sluggishly, the Gallagher kids grabbed the little of what they had packed, not expecting to stay there for very long, and followed the woman outside to where a parked van awaited them.
Trailing behind Ian, Daniela spotted Jimmy's car pulling up beside the van.
"Woah, woah! What's going on?" He asked, jumping out of his car to frown in confusion. Daniela rolled her eyes at the man. He had been AWOL for the past three days ever since his little domestic with Fiona.
"Department of Family Services is taking us away," answered Debbie and Fiona stroked her hair.
"What? Can they do that?"
"It won't last, Debs. I promise," said Fiona again. "What was it last time? A week?"
"Nine days."
"Twenty bucks says we'll be back in five," smirked Lip in an attempt to comfort his little sister.
Before Debbie hopped in the van, she turned to Daniela and wrapped her arms around her waist. The teen smiled down at her and kissed her hair.
"I'll come visit you once we figure out where you're being put."
Debbie nodded and pulled back before stepping up to the van as Daniela continued to say goodbye to the others. She ruffled Carl's hair and placed a kiss on his head before doing the same to Liam.
Ian stood to the side waiting for her to finish saying goodbye to the little ones. Once she was done, he walked towards her and pulled her in for a tight hug, even lifting her off the ground for a few seconds.
He knew his best friend was worried for them and he figured it would be a good way to put her at ease. He wasn't disappointed when he heard her little laugh as he placed her feet back onto the ground.
"Call or text whenever you get the chance okay? Just so I know you guys are okay."
Ian nodded, a small grin playing at his lips. "Don't miss me too much."
His comment was enough for Daniela to roll her eyes and playfully whack him on the arm, his chuckles sounding out as he climbed into the van.
"We'll be fine," repeated Lip, gaining her attention as he came to stand beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her to him. Daniela nodded and Lip took that time to graze a hand over her soft cheek.
"I know," she smiled up at him as his blue eyes roamed over her face. His head lowered to capture her lips for a brief moment before he pulled away and with one last cocky grin, got into the van.
Turning her head, Daniela heard Fiona ask who had reported them.
"Come on, who was it?" She asked again, desperation filling her voice as the woman from DFS closed her door with the van pulling away right after.
Fiona raked a hand through her hair, the other propped on her hip and Daniela moved to stand beside her.
Twisting her mouth, the teen wrapped her arm around the woman before nodding her chin to the house.
"Come on, let's get this place cleaned up." A slight grin toyed at her lips. "Who knows how long it's gonna take."
She felt a sense of accomplishment when she saw Fiona's lips quirk up. "Dibs on not doing Carl's room."
"Ugh, not fair! That's gonna take forever."
Fiona laughed and wiped a hand over her forehead before turning to the steps. "We better get started then."
/
Daniela hadn't been wrong when she thought it would take a while to get the house ready for inspection. Cleaning out Carl's bunk had taken a solid hour and a half in itself and that wasn't even counting the other various weapons he had hidden around the house.
All in all, it had taken Fiona, Daniela, and Jimmy just over five whole hours to get the house in the condition it needed to be in. As the last thing was put into place, the three of them collapsed onto the nearest couch in exhaustion.
"I think my arms are dead from scrubbing so much," groaned Daniela, wincing as she raised her limp arm just to let it smack down beside her again.
Beside her, Fiona blew out a deep breath. "Where the hell did Carl get all that crap from?"
"Whenever it comes to Carl, I find it's better to just not question anything."
Fiona laughed weakly, too tired to put in any real effort, and turned her head to look at the teen. "Thanks for all your help, El."
The other girl simply shrugged. "Like I said, it's no trouble. Besides, the sooner we get this place ready, the sooner the kids will be back."
"Yeah," agreed Fiona quietly, her voice drifting off as her eyes began to droop. The three of them lapsed into a comfortable silence as they all rested their heads back against the sofa.
The silence was broken with the gurgling noise of Daniela's stomach.
One eye popped open, dropping to look at her stomach before remembering that she hadn't really eaten anything all afternoon. Now that she had time to relax, her body had taken it upon itself to remind her of her basic human needs.
Groaning, she used an arm to push herself up and turned to the two adults still resting with their eyes closed.
"I'm gonna go get something to eat. Do you guys want me to bring you back anything on my way home?"
"No thanks, El," smiled Fiona, shifting her head so that it was on Jimmy's shoulder.
"Okay, text me if you change your mind."
As she stepped out of the house, Daniela whipped out her phone and sent a quick text to Simon to see if he wanted to meet up with her for a very late lunch to which he said yes.
After texting the address of a place not too far from his house, Daniela was off on her way, her stomach growling incessantly.
/
She spotted Simon as soon as she passed the diner window. Also catching her eye, he gave her a kind smile and wave, watching as she opened the door before making her way over and practically dropped into the seat across from him.
"You look exhausted," observed Simon, his brows lifting as he took in the disheveled state of her.
"Yeah, I know. I just spent the whole morning and afternoon cleaning the Gallagher house." She continued to explain the whole chain of events that led up to it all happening, pausing only when it came time to order.
"So what have you been up to lately?"
Simon simply shrugged like it wasn't all that interesting. "Getting ready for college." He watched as his friend's eyes dropped to her glass of lemonade and felt a tinge of guilt. "Sorry." He tried to amend. "I shouldn't have bought it up."
"No! It's- it's fine." Simon didn't seem very convinced and she saw that. "Really, it's okay. I'm over it."
"Are you sure? Because we don't have to talk about it if you're-"
"Simon," she spoke through somewhat clenched teeth. "I said it's fine. Go ahead."
The boy waited a few moments to see if she would change her mind but when nothing came he hesitantly carried on. He scratched the back of his neck, his shoulders slumping.
Daniela quirked an eyebrow at him as she took a sip of her drink. "You okay there?"
"Yeah, it's nothing." At his friend's pointed look he finally sighed. "Mandy's been on my ass lately about the whole college thing."
Daniela snorted. "I can't believe you're still with her."
"She's not so bad once you get to know her."
"I'll take your word for it."
Daniela and Mandy continued to maintain their frosty relationship, attempting to stay as far away as possible from each other, however, that grew rather difficult once the Milkovich decided she actually enjoyed Simon's company and stuck around.
"Anyway," steered Simon, getting back on topic. "I enrolled in a few places back in Denver because I figured at least that way I'll have all of my family over there but Mandy wants to come along with me as soon as I get accepted."
Daniela waved a hand for him to continue. "And?"
"I want her to finish off her last year," answered Simon casually, relaxing in his seat.
"Don't you think the two of you are moving a little fast?"
Simon simply chuckled, understanding why his friend would think so. "When Mandy Milkovich is concerned, there's no such thing as going slow."
"And you're okay with that?" Asked the girl with a raised eyebrow. She wanted to make sure that Simon wasn't just following Mandy blindly just because he was afraid she would hit him if he did otherwise.
"Oddly, yes." The boy's face lit up with a grin that even had Daniela smiling a little. "I like that she knows what she wants."
"I really hope that wasn't a reference to your sex life," she groaned, clenching her eyes shut whilst trying to ward off any unnecessary mental images of Mandy and her friend having sex.
Simon shrugged, a coyness to his grin. "Maybe."
"Oh god. What does your mom think of her?" This time Simon was the one groaning and raked a hand through his hair while his amused friend watched him.
"Don't even get me started."
Daniela laughed lightly, knowing that Simon's mother would have some very strong thoughts when it came to the girl hanging around her son.
"Have you done your SAT yet?"
"Yeah, I did it this week." He sighed tiredly and scrubbed a hand over his face. "I just want to get this all over and done with and just go to college already."
Daniela raised a brow in agreement. "I hear that."
"Don't worry," began Simon softly when he saw his friend's saddened expression. "You'll be there soon."
"Easy for you to say, mister 'I already graduated'." Daniela huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, making it obvious that she was still a little bitter at the news she had received before the Summer break.
It was two weeks before graduation day and Daniela had been sold in the fact that she would be walking in her cap and gown alongside Simon but apparently, her teachers didn't share the same thoughts.
"It's not my fault that I caught what was practically a lighter version of the plague!" Complained Daniela, her lip hanging. "How was I supposed to know it would put me out of school during one of the most important times of the year?"
Simon smirked and shook his head at her as she continued on her little rant. He had heard it all before- numerous times actually- during the lead up to graduation day but understood why she was mad.
Her face became serious as she pointed a finger at him. "Personally, I blame Becky from Biology class. She was practically sneezing all over me during our rat dissection."
"It's not all bad," wagered Simon with a shrug. "I mean, you're only going back for what? Two, three weeks? And Lip and Ian will still be there with you."
Daniela sighed, finally calming down. "I guess. It's just annoying that I didn't get to walk with you at graduation."
Simon shrugged it off. "They just make you sit there for two hours giving speeches that no-one cares about and then they hand you the piece of paper that shows you you're free from that place." He shook his head at her. "It's not all it's cracked up to be."
"You're just saying that to make me feel better," muttered Daniela under her breath, finding a sudden interest in her chipped nail polish.
"Okay, so I am."
Narrowing her eyes, Daniela reached across the table to whack her friend on the arm but couldn't keep the laughter from her voice.
"Asshole, you're not supposed to admit it." She rolled her eyes at his subsequent dramatic reaction.
"I could press charges for that," warned Simon, pointing an accusatory finger at her to which she simply scoffed at.
"Any news on your college applications?" She asked, laying her forearms on the table.
Her friend shook his head, glancing around to see if their waitress was on her way with their food. He was getting more peckish and by the consistent sounds emitting from Daniela's stomach, she was way past peckish.
"Not yet. Have you submitted any?"
Daniela shook her head causing Simon to eye her in disbelief.
"You should probably get on top of that as soon as you get back so you can start in January."
"That's if anyone takes me."
"Of course they will." Simon frowned as if the idea of them not taking her seemed absurd. "Your grades are above average and all of those community service jobs Healey's got you working should be more than enough to get you through."
"Along with a heartfelt admissions letter about my low economic status," joked Daniela, knowing that if she intended on getting a scholarship, she would no doubt have to pander to the college officials with some bullshit about the struggles she had to face at her underfunded high school.
"Exactly." Simon grinned, his teeth showing before his eyes caught onto their waitress walking towards them.
"Oh thank God!" She praised as her meal was finally placed down in front of her. "I'm starving."
Reaching for the ketchup bottle, she shook it a few times before squirting some on her burger. Simon chuckled and watched as she shamelessly shoved food in her mouth. He briefly wondered how she hadn't choked on the substantial amount of fries and burger occupying her mouth.
After Daniela insisted on them having desert, she and Simon paid for their food and went their separate ways. A yawn ripped from her throat once she closed the front door behind her and she sluggishly managed to get herself into the shower to wash off the sweat and grime before heading to bed.
/
The next day, Daniela found herself staring up at the clock on the wall behind her, counting down however much longer she had left of her shift.
It had been a slow day at the K&G and she had chalked it up to being because it was so hot, no one intelligent would want to leave their homes.
She startled at the sound of the bell above the door, her eyes doing a double-take when she saw Ian waltz in.
"Hey!" She grinned, immediately tossing her newspaper aside so that she could hug him. Ian returned it heartily, squeezing his arms around her before pulling away. "They let you out?"
"Just for work," he shrugged and dropped his bag behind the counter.
"How's the place you're staying?"
At her question, the redhead scoffed making his friend frown. "It's a group home, lack of emphasis on the word 'home'. It's more of a detention center than anything."
"Holy shit. No one there has tried to hassle you have they?"
Ian shook his head, smiling a little at his friend's blatant worry. "Nah, Lip's been making sure we stay out of any trouble."
This provoked a proud smile on Daniela's face and she nodded. "Good. I'm glad." She paused. "Is Lip still there?"
"No, no," Ian shook his head and grabbed a donut from one of the display cabinets. "He's doing his community service."
"You wouldn't happen to know whereabouts?"
"I think he mentioned somewhere in the city," recalled Ian, his voice muffled by the donut in his mouth.
"Alright," nodded Daniela, glancing at the clock. Once she saw that her shift was up, she grabbed her belongings. "I think I'll go track him down."
Ian chuckled and took her position behind the counter. "Good luck with that."
"Thanks. Mickey should be here soon." Ian perked up at that, causing Daniela to shoot him a knowing look.
"Shut up."
She held her hands up in defense. "I didn't say anything." Giggling, she gave him one last hug and kissed him on the cheek before heading towards the door.
"If you're still out by the time I track Lip down, I'll come see you again." The bell above the door jingled as she pushed it open. "Love you!"
She vaguely heard Ian's 'love you too' as she crossed the road and made her way up the stairs to the L.
/
She managed to track Lip down after a mere forty-three minutes. She had been walking past when she spotted people in bright yellow vests scrubbing graffiti off signs and noticed that one of them was indeed Lip.
He was deep in the process of cleaning off a particularly stubborn piece of paint when he caught sight of her.
"You are not an easy guy to track down," smiled Daniela as she came to stand in front of him. Momentarily forgetting his job, Lip dropped his scrubbing brush to flash her a smirk.
"Did you walk through the whole city just to track me down?" He asked, feigning flattery which made her roll her eyes.
"No, that would've taken me far too long. I just lucked out when I got off at the stop a few blocks from here."
Lip laughed wryly and bent over to pick up a rag to dry his hands with. "I'm guessing you saw Ian then?"
"Yeah, he told me you were somewhere in the city." She watched him work for a few minutes before speaking again. "When's your lunch break?"
Lip paused to look up at her before shrugging. "About an hour, why?"
"The lady from DFS gave Fiona the address of where Carl and Liam are staying and she sent it to me. We could go by after you're done here."
"Yeah, sounds good." Lip nodded, liking the idea.
With the back of his hand, he wiped the sweat from his forehead. Daniela could see that the heat was beginning to bother him and remembered that there was a café nearby.
"There's a café down on the next block. You want a cold water?"
"Please."
Nodding, Daniela made her way down the street and around the corner to where she remembered the shop being. It was a busy spot judging by all the hipsters and people just looking to take advantage of the AC.
She returned twenty minutes later with three bottles of ice-cold water. Two for Lip and one for her. He took the first bottle with a small nod of thanks before chugging it down in record time.
Fifty minutes later, Daniela and Lip were stood outside the door of the apartment Carl and Liam were staying. The girl's eyes traveled around the building, taking in its extravagance.
"Damn."
"Yeah."
Lip knocked on the door and it only took a few moments before it swung open to reveal a kind looking man. He looked the two of them up and down, his smile still sticking to his face.
"Hello there," he greeted.
"Hey, I'm Lip, Carl and Liam's brother." The man's eyes instantly lit up and his smile somehow become even bigger. "I was wondering if maybe we could see them?"
"Of course! Please, do come in." He ushered them in quickly and led them into an impressive looking lounge room before calling out. "Carl! You have visitors!"
The man placed a hand out. "I'm Cassius, my partner's at work right now."
"Daniela," supplied the girl as both her and Lip shook his outstretched hand before he urged them to take a seat and make themselves comfortable.
"Carl?" Called Cassius once more, stepping out of the room.
Once he was gone, Daniela turned to Lip and raised her eyebrows to which he just chuckled. Hearing murmuring voices, both teens turned to see Carl walk in with Cassius holding Liam not too far behind.
"Lip!" Cried the boy with excitement as he bound towards his brother who pulled him in for a hug instantly.
"Hey, bud."
Cassius smiled as he watched the two brothers catch up. He made his way to where Daniela was and Liam reached out towards her as soon as he spotted her.
She grinned, laughing at him as Cassius handed him over. "Hey, there big guy!" She kissed his nose and caught a whiff of his hair. "Ooh, you smell good."
The man chuckled beside her before excusing himself to get them some refreshments.
Daniela bobbed Liam up and down in her arms, blowing raspberries on his cheeks that made him squeal with laughter. Eventually, Lip also came to stand beside her and she was quick to hand him over so he could say hello.
"Where's my hug?" She asked, pouting slightly at Carl who hadn't even noticed she was there, too wrapped up in talking to his brother.
He didn't disappoint, wrapping her arms around her long enough so that she could press a quick kiss in his hair, catching the same whiff of fruitiness that she smelt on Liam.
"You smell good too."
Carl groaned and rolled his eyes. "It's this shampoo they keep making me use." He widened his eyes seriously. "They make me bathe twice a day here."
His comment caused the older girl to laugh and she ruffled his clean hair. "That's a good thing, Carl." He didn't seem to agree.
Daniela and Lip hung out there for a little while before Lip eventually had to head back to his community service. On their way out, Carl asked his brother to bring by some necessities on his next trip.
Daniela was a little lost on how things like ninja throwing stars were considered a necessity.
"Cassius didn't seem too bad," commented the girl as they strolled leisurely back to Lip's community service.
He nodded beside her and placed a cigarette between his lips. "Yeah, I suppose. At least they're being looked after there. Don't know how Debbie's holding up, though."
"Fiona said she was still working on getting Debbie's address." The sharp ringing noise coming from Daniela's back pocket alerted her that she was getting a call.
Whipping it out, she checked the caller ID and smiled.
"Hello, brother. What's up?"
"It's mom."
Jakob's distressed tone was enough to halt Daniela in her steps, her smile dropping instantly. Lip, having finally realized that she wasn't beside him, turned to frown at her but it melted away at the sight of her panicked face.
She was sure her hands were shaking and she was too afraid to ask what happened.
She didn't have to.
"Dani." Her brother's shaky voice did nothing to comfort her, nor did the next words he spoke. "She had a stroke."
Dun. Dun. Dun.
The next one is mere inches from being done so that should be up in a few days time. *fingers crossed*
Also because you're all such beautiful people, the 'special thanks' section is too long so I'll edit it in later but thank you all SO much, the response has been so insanely overwhelming over this past month.
I love you all.
x
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