Chapter 10.
I love giving you these long chapters. Please don't forget to review!
Special thanks to: vampire dutchess23, bookworm12091, HuntressForTheWolves, LikaBerbie, blueWren, Spencee98 and ItsMalecNotLeviosA
Disclaimer: I do not own Shameless.
Daniela breezed into the Gallagher's kitchen, a bright smile on her face and a container in her hands. When she entered she saw Ian slumped against the wall on a stool.
"Morning folks!" Chimed Daniela, moving over to drop a kiss on Ian's cheek.
"Who the hell is this?" Questioned a voice from the table. The teen turned to see a large black woman feeding Liam breakfast, a scowl etched onto her face.
"I'm Daniela, we met briefly the other night. You must be Bob." Daniela turned back to her friend, who still looked down in the dumps. The girl noticed however, that whatever was troubling him was more than Monica showing up.
Making a mental note to ask him about it later, Daniela turned her attention to the rest of the Gallagher children and waved around the plastic container in her hands.
"I come bearing gifts in the form of muffins." As soon as Daniela had opened the lid, they pounced causing a small smile to grace her face. Monica, who Daniela noticed was feeling out of her element, sighed in exasperation.
Lip reached over the counter to grab a muffin and surveyed it for a moment before taking a bite. He made a satisfied sound at the taste and looked at Daniela who was watching him with an expectant look.
"These are good."
"Thanks, I figured I should bring something over just in case." Daniela had figured the night before that Monica would more than likely forget to feed them breakfast or lunch so she took the liberty of making some muffins. By the looks of the flustered woman, she made the right choice.
"Debbie, what are you doing?" Questioned Monica.
"Looking for markers and a poster board. I'm running for re-election."
"Ian, could you help her out please?" The boy didn't want to listen to his mother but got up anyway. Daniela took his seat and called out to Debbie.
"Hey, Debs. I could help you out with your re-election if you want. You can use some of my stuff and we'll make posters." The young girl quickly got excited and nodded.
"That would be great! Thanks, El."
"No prob," shrugged the teen as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
"I need 40 bucks," stated Lip to his mother but was quickly shot down by Bob.
"Bob, do you have a 5?" Pleaded Monica.
"In my wallet, where it's going to stay."
"I need a new calculus textbook. I can get it used, only costs 20."
"I'll give you $20," piped up Daniela. She saw Lip about to deny her offer but she held up a hand, stopping him. "I've been meaning to pay you for the tutoring but never got around to it. So technically it's not charity."
Lip still seemed less than happy to take her money but begrudgingly agreed, making Daniela smile.
"Lip tutors you?" Asked Monica, looking between her son and the girl.
"Yeah. He's a real miracle worker," nodded Daniela as she took another sip of her coffee. Monica looked at her son, whose gaze was now focused on Daniela. Their attentions were pulled away by Ian.
"Where are our lunches?"
Monica stared, clueless at her children. Daniela raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the woman.
"What is everybody looking at? Start spreading peanut butter on bread!" Ordered Bob from the table. Daniela found herself glaring at the lady who continued to sit at the table doing nothing.
"Right!" Nodded Monica, pulling pieces of bread out onto the counter. "Where's the jelly?"
Bob finally decided to take over from there, acting as the superior in that moment.
"I'm in charge now. We're gonna have an assembly line. Shortest to tallest, let's go!" The Gallagher children didn't move, not caring what their mother's girlfriend had to say. Daniela sat awkwardly, watching.
Monica finished off making the unimpressive lunches and began handing them out. Luckily, there were a few more muffins left that they could take to school.
"We won't be here when you get home from school," said Bob as she got up from her seat.
"Why?" Frowned Debbie.
"What?"
"Fiona always tells us why."
"None of your damn business why," argued Bob. "Your mother told you to go, so go."
"You guys go ahead," urged Lip as he hung back. "I'll catch up."
Daniela stood up from her seat and grabbed her bag. She looked between the two women and tilted her head.
"I would say it was nice to meet you Bob, but..."
Bob responded with a dark glare that followed her out of the door.
Ian sniggered beside his friend and threw an arm around her shoulders.
"I love you, you know that right?" Daniela, with a small smile, shrugged.
"I do. But it's always nice to hear it."
The group walked down to the corner of the street before Daniela turned to Ian.
"Do you think we should wait for Lip?" Her friend nodded and the four of them waited on the corner, in the snow, for Lip to catch up.
Moments later, the boy appeared, looking like he was in a hurry to get away. Daniela watched as Monica came running out after her son. The woman finally managed to stop him and began- what appeared to be- apologising to Lip.
The boy evaded his mother's eyes and instead turned them to where Daniela and the rest of his siblings stood. His eyes seemed to stick on her as Daniela stared at him in slight worry.
He was clearly upset which angered her because it was all because of Monica. The woman who had walked out on her own children. The woman who had broken Ian so much when Daniela met him that she never thought she'd get to see him smile. The woman who had returned after two years to drop a huge shit-pile of drama onto the family Daniela cared about so much.
Lip's clear blue eyes never wavered from Daniela's, using her as some sort of support. Finally, he looked away to speak to his mother who had taken him into an embrace. Saying his final words, Lip pulled away and walked to his waiting siblings and Daniela.
No-one said anything about it as they walked to school, which was fine for all of them. No-one wanted to talk about Monica.
/
Daniela sat on one of the tables in the school yard, a leg placed over the other and a muffin in hand, vaguely listening to Ian and Mandy's conversation about Mickey. Daniela had refrained from talking to her friend about the shooting since he had told her. For some reason, Ian seemed genuinely concerned for Mickey; something Daniela planned on bringing up at a later time.
"Couple of the neighborhood watch ladies came by the store- offered to throw him a parade," said Ian about Kash.
Daniela's eyebrow raised in amusement but she continued to stay silent, knowing this wasn't the right time to make snide comments.
"Hmm. Kash had better moved his family back to Baghdad before Mickey gets out," warned Mandy.
"He's from Evanston," frowned Ian.
"Won't be nearly far enough."
Daniela watched as Lip made his way over to their table and gave him a small wave in greeting.
"Hey", he replied before turning to the other girl who smirked at him. "Mandy."
"Lip."
"That's a nice outfit. What is that, pirate wench?"
"You like?" Daniela rolled her eyes at the pair's casual flirting and instead opted to looking around the rest of the courtyard. She spotted Simon sitting with his friends a few tables over and threw him a slight grin and wave. The boy's face lit up as he sent his own wave back.
Lip noticed, sucking on his teeth a little before turning back to his brother.
"What's your third period?"
"Um, Health?"
Lip nodded and adjusted his scarf. "We need to miss some school." Ian nodded and got up, ready to leave but Lip stuck behind, looking at Daniela.
"You coming?" The girl raised an eyebrow and smiled up at him.
"Aw, am I invited?" Lip smirked and rolled his eyes before shrugging, waiting patiently.
Daniela sighed and shook her head. "I can't anyway. I have a test for Trig but have fun doing whatever it is you're doing."
/
School had been out for an hour as Daniela and her brother found themselves pulling up to the hospital. The girl hadn't been around in a few days and was missing her mother. Also, the whole Monica situation had made her appreciate her mother even more. Daniela had even bought some flowers.
Camille's eyes lit up when she saw her children walk in, the woman quickly ushering them over. Jakob placed a kiss on his mother's cheek before Daniela squeezed her in a tight hug. The woman was a little shocked but simply smiled and kissed her head.
Jakob crossed over to a small cupboard and opened it to reveal some board games and a stack of playing cards. With a grin, he held up one of the boxes.
"Anyone for some Scrabble?"
/
"Where'd you get the car?" Asked Ian, checking out the interior of the vehicle.
"Borrowed it from Steve," replied Lip casually. "I've been working with him a bit."
"Doing what?" Ian scoffed at his brother's small grin and shook his head. "Well you better not let Fiona find out about it, or she'll kill you. And him."
Lip watched his brother leaning against the window with a frown.
"You doing okay?"
"Lot going on," said Ian shortly.
"Yeah. It's weird having Monica back."
"Yeah. Yeah, that too."
"What, is there something else?"
Ian looked at his brother, unsure, and shrugged it off. "It's kind of hard to explain."
Lip turned to Ian to give him his full attention. "Try me."
"Mickey's gay and we're doing it. And Kash shot Mickey because of me. But Mickey would rather go to juvie than admit he's gay. So I'm doing both Kash and Mickey. Well, not so much Kash lately. When Kash and me were hot and heavy, Linda found out about it and is blackmailing Kash into having another kid."
"Holy shit," replied a shocked Lip. He hadn't expected it to be that complicated. "Does Daniela know?"
Ian stared out through the front window and shook his head. "You're the only one that knows."
"Well, why haven't you told her?" Lip watched his brother take a deep sigh and looked at him again.
"Because their families hate each other for what her dad did," stated Ian, continuing when he saw his brother's clueless expression.
"After her dad killed Mickey's uncle and went to jail, his family has had a vendetta against hers. Mickey's dad and brothers used to drive past their house every day after her father went away and threw bricks at their windows. Sometimes they would light things on fire and throw them in too. Mickey's brothers went to school with her brother, Jakob and they would always fight. It simmered down after a few years but they still hate each other."
Lip took in all the new information. He knew that Daniela had issues with Mandy but he didn't think it was that extreme. He remembered hearing about Lawrence Kaufman being arrested when he was younger but was under the impression it was just about the man's illegal trade. Things made more sense to him now about why she never really hung out with Mandy as much as Ian.
It was strange to Lip. Daniela had grown up only a few houses down from them, but they had never really known each other. He vaguely remembered her hair always being in pigtails and smiling with her brother. However, he also remembered how her smile seemed to disappear for awhile after her father was taken away.
Brow furrowed, Lip stared at his brother. "I don't think Daniela would hate you for fucking Mickey."
"How would you know?" Scoffed Ian, rolling his eyes. Truth be told, the boy was scared to tell his best friend because he was unsure of her reaction.
"Daniela wouldn't do that to you," refused Lip quickly. Ian gave his brother a strange look, making him cough and look away. "I mean, you're her best friend. She cares about you and sure she might be a bit pissed at first but she'll get over it. For you."
Ian observed his brother curiously, something Lip saw and picked up on.
"What?" He asked, feeling a little uncomfortable under his brother's gaze.
"Since when are you nice to El?"
Lip swallowed and shrugged. chewing on his lip. "She's not as bad as I thought she was."
"Yeah, I know. I've been telling you that for the past two years now," drawled Ian, rolling his eyes. "Why the sudden change?"
"We talked and she assured me that she's not going anywhere and that she won't hurt you," answered Lip, looking at his brother before averting his eyes.
"And yes, okay maybe I judged her a little harshly when she showed up but we've settled things. And now that I know that she really cares about you, I know she won't stop being your friend when you tell her about Mickey."
Ian sat in silence, just thinking. Daniela and Lip's relationship had done a complete 180 in only a few short days. Hearing his brother speak about her in a tone other than contempt was strange.
He knew what Lip said was true and kicked himself for believing Daniela would behave any differently. Their entire friendship, she had always supported him. Hell, she even somehow managed to accept him and Kash.
Then and there, Ian decided that he would tell Daniela about Mickey after he visited him in juvie.
Lip stopped his train of thought by gesturing to their house where Monica and Bob, who was carrying Liam, walked out.
"There they are."
/
"Um, is that even a word?" Questioned Daniela skeptically.
"Of course it is!" Argued Jakob in mock outrage. His sister raised a skeptical eyebrow and surveyed the word.
"Mungo?"
"Yeah! It's another name for a dumpster diver." Daniela hummed before accepting it.
The game continued for a few more minutes until Camille began coughing uncontrollably. Both of her children stared with wide eyes. Quickly, Jakob got up and left the room before returning with a cup of water. The woman drank from the cup gratefully until her coughing calmed down.
Daniela observed her mother with a fallen expression. It never got easier seeing her mom like this. Camille, sensing her daughter's sadness, placed a cold hand on top of hers. Daniela graced her mother with a small smile before rubbing their hands together to warm them up.
/
Daniela and Jakob pulled up outside of their house around half an hour later. The young man switched off the engine and relaxed in his seat. He had noticed his sister's silence all afternoon and decided to bring it up.
"What's on your mind, kiddo?" The girl's eyes snapped to him, she had been off in her own thoughts the entire time.
"Not much. Just been thinking. About, Dad."
Jakob frowned and nodded, urging her to continue.
"Ian's mom showed up after leaving two years ago and the whole situation kind of reminded me of Dad. And I was thinking about going to visit him maybe this weekend."
Daniela watched as slight surprise fell onto her brother's face. She understood why. It was the first time she had brought up the idea of willingly going to see her father.
Jakob nodded slowly once more before smiling at his sister. "I think that can be arranged."
Daniela hopped out of the car, waving goodbye to her brother who was going to meet up with a lady friend. The less Daniela knew, the better.
Turning around, the girl stopped when she saw Ian sitting on her front steps. The boy seemed troubled as he blew hot air into his cupped hands for warmth. Daniela approached him slowly, coming to a stop when she reached him. Ian seemed to notice she was there and looked up at her.
"What's wrong?" Frowned Daniela in worry. Her friend chewed on his lip and stood up.
"I need to tell you something," stated Ian nervously.
"O-kay," replied the girl, eyeing him warily. "Come in, it's freezing out here." Ian nodded and waited as she unlocked the door before following her in. Daniela hung her jacket and led Ian into the lounge so they could talk.
"What's up?"
The ginger had begun to pace around Daniela's small lounge. He fidgeted with his arms and seemed to be giving himself a quiet peptalk. Stopping suddenly, he stared at his friend with urgent eyes.
"Before I tell you, you have to promise you won't get angry."
"That's what people get you to do before they tell you something to piss you off," pointed out Daniela, giving him a suspicious once-over. "But, I promise."
Ian nodded in satisfaction as he took a seat across from her. He took a few more moments, dragging out the situation even more- much to Daniela's annoyance.
"Ian, will you just tell me already? I'm kind of freaking out!"
"I had sex with Mickey," blurted out Ian. In an instant, the humorous smile on Daniela's face dropped to a look of complete shock. Ian took this oppurtunity while she was quiet to tell her the full story.
How he'd gone over to Mickey's house to get Kash's gun back, how they had fought and then fucked. How he had been fucking him for a few weeks now. How he had gone to see him after finding out Monica had come back and how Kash had found them doing it in the back of the store.
The whole time Ian explained everything, Daniela remained silent. Although she seemed somewhat composed, inside she was all over the place.
Remembering that her friend had made her promise not to get pissed- and wisely too, Daniela reigned in her more negative reactions.
After what seemed like forever for Ian, his friend finally managed to compose a response.
"So. Woah," muttered the girl silently. "Woah!" She said again, this time a lot louder. "This is a lot to take in right now." The girl's hands flew up to massage her temples as she got up to pace.
"Please, please, don't be angry!" Pleaded Ian, taking a hold of her hand. Daniela stopped, sighed and licked her lips.
"I'm not going to lie, it's a little difficult. But I'm trying." The boy sighed and dropped his head in slight relief. She was taking this a lot better than he had expected she would.
Daniela frowned down at her fingers that seemed to be fidgeting uncontrollably. She couldn't be angry at Ian. He hadn't planned for this to happen.
Taking a deep breath, she looked back up at her friend and managed a small smile. "I'm not angry."
"Wait, what?" Stuttered Ian. The boy's expression elicited a small laugh from his friend who shook her head and shrugged.
"Okay, maybe I'm a little angry but if this is what you want, and if he makes you happy, I'm not angry. Of course, this doesn't mean I like Mickey now just because he's boning my best friend. But I can try and be a little less hostile towards him."
Ian's face was overcome with joy as he released all the anxiousness in his body. Moving forward, he took his friend into his arms and held her tightly.
"Lip was actually right." Daniela frowned and pulled back to look Ian in the eyes.
"Lip was right about what?"
"He told me that I shouldn't be afraid to tell you because you're my best friend and would try to be as understanding as possible," grinned Ian happily.
"Well, I suppose he was right," laughed Daniela before taking him into another hug.
/
Daniela lay spread out on the mattress in the middle of Steve and Fiona's new living room. The lingering stench of Mr Harris had stung her nose at first until she finally got used to it.
In front of her paced Fiona, who was informing them all about her efforts to try and get rid of Frank and Monica's parental rights.
"So Liam is actually Franks?" Piped up Daniela to Ian who was sat on the couch across the room. The boy nodded, still somewhat surprised himself.
"Apparently Nana Gallagher had an affair."
The girl scoffed out a laugh, switching her eyes to the door when a light knock sounded out before Lip entered.
"Jesus. This place still smells like old man Harris," said the boy, his nose crinkled in disgust.
"You get used to it after awhile," replied Daniela calmly.
"What did Monica want?" Asked Fiona, steering the conversation away.
"She wants us to come over for dinner," answered the boy. "Some kind of family meeting."
Fiona scoffed. "Family? Fucking load of shit. You told her we know Liam's, Frank's?"
"Yeah," confirmed Lip. He moved over to the inflatable mattress where Daniela was and lightly kicked her leg, getting her to move over. The girl sent him a playful glare and sat up, moving aside slightly so he could sit down.
"You got any pot?" Asked Fiona desperately to her boyfriend. Steve answered by simply pulling out a tin. "If I have to go see Mom conscious I might commit a violent felony."
"That's the first time in a long time I've heard you call her Mom," quipped Lip as he pulled out a cigarette. His sister frowned back at him.
"I did? I don't know if I ever felt like she was my Mom." Daniela felt a pang of sympathy for the woman.
"Ian and I got our DNA tests done."
"Really?" Asked Daniela, looking between the two brothers.
"Yeah, I got excited at the idea of not being Frank's. Plus, you would have a lot more luck becoming our legal guardian," explained Lip with a shrug.
"Lip's gonna pick up the results in an hour," informed Ian as he took the joint from Steve.
"Well here's to you not being Frank's," concluded Fiona. Daniela looked curiously at the boy beside her and frowned.
"Where's Karen? I haven't seen her hanging around in awhile."
"Her Dad talked her into going to some Purity Ball in return for a new car," explained Lip with a smirk. The girl laughed slightly and nodded. The boy glanced at her and lifted his head. "You coming to dinner?"
"Uh, I thought it was a family dinner?" Questioned Daniela with a raised brow. Lip shrugged and took a puff of his cigarette.
"Fuck 'em. You're more apart of this family than Monica is." His casual but honest tone took Daniela off guard as their eyes lingered on each other until he finally turned away. It was strange for her to hear him so openly accepting her after so long.
Oddly, it felt nice.
The corners of her mouth lifted a little in gladness as her feet tapped lightly on the floor.
/
"It's nice of you to join us for dinner, Daniela," said Monica as she placed a dish on the table.
"Happy to be here," smiled the girl. She was seated beside Fiona and had left the chair next to her vacant for Lip when he got back with the DNA results.
Bob stared darkly at the girl, her elbows rested on the table with her hands clenched together. Daniela narrowed her eyes at the woman and shot her a sickly sweet smile. Bob grunted, averting her eyes back to Monica.
"I would love to get to know you a little more," insisted the blonde woman. She was stopped by Bob clearing her throat. Monica, seeming to remember that she wouldn't be around for much longer, nodded at her partner and grabbed a spatula.
"I made Ian's favorite for dinner." Ian stared down at the dish in confusion.
"What is it?"
"Lasagne!" Monica then cut him a piece and popped it onto his plate. "Carl, could you start passing the salad?" The boy looked at Fiona for assurance and when she nodded, picked up the bowl.
"Monica is Liam's mother and I know you won't be happy-"
"Jesus, Bob! Can we just enjoy our dinner, then talk?" Asked Monica in a light tone. "Where's Lip?"
"He had something to do," answered Ian.
Daniela took the serving spoons from Carl's hands and began to place some of the salad onto her plate. As she did, Frank arrived, taking his seat beside Ian.
"Looks good," praised the drunk. Fiona sent an exasperated look her father's way before turning to Monica.
"If you called us here to tell us you're taking Liam, we don't wanna hear it."
"Fiona, you're upset. I get it. I was married to Frank for 18 years. I know, it's like swallowing broken glass every, day."
"Hey!" Cried Frank indignantly.
"Oh, Lip!" Beamed Monica as the teen walked in. Daniela rotated in his seat to see him taking off his scarf. "Wonderful! We just started."
"That's unfortunate," mumbled the boy.
"Your mother said 6:30. You lose your watch?"
"No, I don't have a watch Bob," retorted Lip as he took his seat beside Daniela. The girl smirked at him in amusement. The boy smirked back and scooted his chair in, leaning over to whisper to her. "What did I miss?"
"Nothing important," shrugged Daniela. "Just Monica's dark recounts of married life with Frank." Lip chuckled and looked at Ian who was watching him with inquisitive eyes.
"What's the news?"
"Haven't opened it yet. Figured we should do it together." Lip read the envelope before opening it. "Me and Ian have decided to get our DNA tests done too- on the off chance that we're not Frank's kids."
"What?" Frowned Monica, upset in her voice.
"Yeah, we figured why should you and Bob get to have all the fun?" Daniela leaned over to read the papers. Her eyes widened when she saw the results, her gaze flicking over to Ian's waiting ones.
"Holy shit," breathed Lip. "Congratulations, Ian. You are not Frank Gallagher's son." Ian froze in shock, along with everyone else at the table. Daniela watched as Frank stared at a flustered Monica.
Soon an argument broke out between the two. Daniela sat back quietly, listening with a raised eyebrow at the conversation.
"Not only, did you lie to me about the PCP, but you fucked my brother?" Yelled Frank angrily. "What's next? You gonna take up with a black lady-man? Oh! I forgot, that's already happened".
Daniela barely tried to hide the laugh that bubbled up inside of her. Ian, who was literally sat in the middle of it, placed his hands over his ears in an attempt to block it out.
Pushing out her chair, she marched around the table, placed a hand on her friend's shoulder and gestured her head to the door. Ian looked at her gratefully and quickly followed her out.
As soon as they stepped out, the boy hunched over, placing his hands on his knees. Daniela heard him taking deep inhales of the bitter air. To help ease him, she placed a hand on his back and began rubbing soothing circles. They stayed like that for a few minutes. Ian trying to compose himself, and Daniela trying her hardest to comfort him.
When he was done, Ian stood straight again and leaned against the step rails. Daniela did the same on the opposite side and watched him intently. Lip then made his way out onto the porch.
"How you holding up?" He asked his brother.
"Um, alright." Lip nodded and pulled out a cigarette to light it.
"What are you going to do about it?" Inquired Daniela softly. Her friend frowned at her in response.
"What do you mean?"
"You're not gonna go out and look for your real father?"
"I don't really care," shrugged Ian casually. "At least I'm not Frank's."
"Exactly!" Interrupted Lip, placing a hand on his brother's shoulders. "You've been blessed with the opportunity of a new dad. You're not going to take it?"
"I don't know. I'll think about it," finished Ian in slight frustration.
/
They all sat in Steve and Fiona's lounge once again. Lip peered out the window, watching his mother and Bob.
"It looks like they're packing."
"We could call the police, tell them that Liam's been kidnapped," suggested Debbie. Fiona leaned forward and brushed her sister's hair out of her eyes.
"Hey, we're gonna figure this shit out. Okay?"
Daniela observed Ian. He hadn't said much else to her or anyone else. Fiona had asked him how he was feeling but the boy had just shrugged her off.
"Hey guys. They're coming out," announced Lip. Everyone stood up and headed outside to wait.
Daniela stood tensely in-between Ian and Lip. She watched as Monica slowly walked towards them, Liam in her arms. The woman placed a teary kiss on the boy's cheek before handing him over to an equally upset Fiona.
As Monica began to walk away, Fiona called out to her and nodded. She had done the right thing. Daniela found herself feeling a little emotional at the sight of a broken Monica walking away from her kids once more.
Her hand shifted slowly to Ian's. As soon as she touched him, the boy gripped her hand tightly. The girl's heart broke a little at her friend's pain and the tears she saw in his eyes. Daniela twisted her head to the other side to look at Lip.
He was clearly upset as he had his arm on Carl's shoulder in support. Daniela realised then and there that he didn't have anyone to support him. So, in order to fix that, she reached out with her free hand to gently brush against the back of his.
Lip's eyes connected to hers before dropping to her hand. Wordlessly, his own slowly wrapped around hers, their fingers lacing together. His eyes stayed fixated on them until he moved them to linger on Daniela as she offered him a warm smile that sparked some sort of reassurance in his chest.
As they watched Bob's truck pull away and Monica's crying face pushed up against the window, Daniela felt Lip's grip on her hand tighten. She didn't mind as she tried not to think about how comfortable her hand fit into his.
Little did she know, Lip was thinking the same thing.
Thoughts? I was tossing over who was going to initiate the hand-holding but decided to go with Daniela. It's just the kind of person she is.
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