Chapter 19.

IT'S DANIELA'S BIRTHDAY!

Obviously, I gave her some great presents. Your guys' present is a monster chapter with lots of deep Daniela and Lip moments!

Hope you all enjoy and don't forget to let me know!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shameless.


The new school year had been on for a week and Daniela was already sick of it. Senior year was as difficult as people chalked it up to being. She was buried in homework and with her shifts at the store, Daniela barely had any free time.

As she made her way down the stairs, her nose picked up on the sweet smell of waffles and bacon. Frowning, she entered the kitchen to find her brother plating up some bacon, waffles, and eggs. Jakob heard the shuffling of her feet and turned to her with a wide grin.

"Happy birthday!" He watched Daniela's face fill with surprise. The girl had completely forgotten that she was turning 18 today. Jakob noticed this, laughing to himself.

"You forgot didn't you?" Daniela grimaced in response causing him to shake his head. "Luckily, I didn't." The man grabbed both plates and placed them down on the kitchen table. Daniela slowly sat down in front of one of them. She cut into her waffle and popped it in her mouth.

"How do you forget your own birthday?" Frowned Jakob incredulously, his voice muffled as he ate. His sister chewed on some bacon and shrugged.

"I don't know. It just never seemed that important." There also was the reason that birthdays hadn't been very exciting affairs after her father went to prison despite the attempts of her mother and Jakob to make it a happy day. Her brother picked up on her awkward shifting, placing down his fork and reaching down to grab something under his chair.

"I know this day isn't always easy for you. But hopefully, this will make it a bit better."

Daniela's eyebrow raised as she watched him place a rectangular present on the table.

"No."

Jakob's grin didn't lessen despite his sister's angry look. Still, he pushed it towards her.

"Don't worry about it. This is only the first surprise." Daniela chewed on the inside of her mouth before tentatively tearing the paper off. Her eyes widened causing her brother's smile to increase. "I noticed you were running low."

"What? Jakob... We can't afford these," said the girl, staring down at the case of brand new paintbrushes and paints. Her eyes raked over the case, noticing that they were not cheap.

"Don't worry about that," waved off Jakob. "Besides, I figured you'd need some more if you were thinking of entering this." He pulled out an opened envelope and held it out for his sister to take.

Daniela read the top of the letter and realized it was from the people running the art competition. She looked up at her brother and shook her head.

"It's a nice thought, Jake but these are too expensive. There are other things it could've been used for like paying mom's medical bills."

"That's where the second surprise comes in." Her brother rubbed his hands together in excitement, stretching out the silence dramatically. "I sold the garage."

"What?" Asked a shocked Daniela. Her brother nodded with a happy laugh.

"Yeah, yeah. I got an offer for it a few days ago from these guys looking to expand their business. It was a great offer too- enough to pay off mom's medical bills for another year plus a little extra."

"That's amazing!" Daniela ran around the table to hug her brother, burying her head into his chest.

Breakfast with her brother passed by smoothly with both siblings scarfing down their bacon and waffles happily. Pressing a final kiss on Jakob's cheek, Daniela made her way to the Gallaghers.

When she entered the kitchen, she was greeted with smiles from the family- minus Lip who had barely shown his face at all for a whole week.

"Happy Birthday!" They cheered making Daniela groan, much to Ian's amusement. Her eyes narrowed at her best friend.

"Did you tell them?" Ian raised his hands, feigning innocence.

"It may have accidentally slipped out."

"I hate you."

"You love me," scoffed Ian, pulling her in for a hug. She playfully punched his arm as they pulled apart.

"This is for you, El," spoke Debbie, coming up beside her.

"Thanks, Debs." The teen grinned and looked at the homemade birthday card.

She opened it, reading the handwriting of Debbie, Carl and some scribbles drawn by who she suspected to be Liam. Daniela's heart swelled as she closed it before proceeding to hug and kiss all three of them on the cheek. Carl made a grossed out face, wiping at his cheek making her laugh.

"We also made you some cupcakes," announced Debbie, grabbing the plastic container off the counter. The teen took it from her, more than a little surprised.

"How did everyone remember my birthday but me?"

Fiona chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "You forgot your own birthday?" Daniela shrugged with a grimace, taking a seat at the kitchen counter. She watched the Gallaghers buzz around the kitchen.

"Where's Grammy?"

"Frank took her to Sheila's last night because the fumes from the meth lab explosion were aggravating her emphysema," answered Ian. Daniela had found out about Peggy's lung cancer the first day back at school when Ian had told her. She felt bad for the woman who was no doubt in extreme pain.

Ian nudged her and directed his head to the door. She nodded, grabbing her backpack to put on her shoulder.

"You two are leaving early," observed Fiona curiously.

"I have a study group for Chemistry before school," answered Ian with a shrug. Fiona nodded in acceptance, wishing Daniela a final happy birthday before they left.

Daniela and Ian walked to the end of the street together. At the corner, she threw her friend a wink and smirk.

"Have a good study session with Mickey." Ian blushed at her jibe, causing her to throw her head back in a laugh. "I'll see you at school."

Muttering a response, Ian and Daniela parted ways.

/

Daniela stood at her locker, grabbing her books for her first set of classes when a pair of hands came up to cover her eyes.

"Guess who?" Spoke a warm voice she instantly recognized.

"Simon?"

He chuckled and pulled his hands away so she could turn to look at him. The boy wore a small grin as he pulled out a box decorated with ribbon.

"You didn't," deadpanned Daniela in annoyance. Simon nodded nevertheless, thrusting the gift into her hands. "I regret telling you my birthday."

She unraveled the ribbon with a sigh and a final look of disapproval. Her eye's widened when she pulled out the small present.

"I saw it when I was in Denver and you've said how you always wanted to get out of Chicago so I thought this could be some inspiration. Who knows? You could start a collection," explained Simon happily.

It was a small snow globe with the city of Denver depicted in it during the winter. Along the bottom of the globe was the name of the city. Daniela shook it with a small grin, watching as the snowflakes fell.

Looking back up at Simon, she threw her arms around him.

"Thank you. I love it." She pressed a friendly kiss on his cheek, laughing when she saw the hint of a blush though she knew it was just because Simon was still not used to female attention.

"Also my mom wants you to come over for lunch this weekend to celebrate your birthday," admitted Simon with an eye roll. Daniela chuckled to herself and nodded.

"I'd love to." The boy gave her one last nod and a promise to text her more details later before he left for his next class. Daniela smiled down at the snow globe.

Spinning around, she came to a stop when she saw Lip standing across the hall.

His icy-blue eyes caused a fire to erupt in her belly at the sight of him. He watched her with an unreadable expression and Daniela couldn't help but notice the slight tick in his jaw though she wasn't really sure why.

Lip sent a glare in the direction of where Simon had gone before turning back to the girl who slowly made her way toward him. Daniela felt almost nervous as she stood in front of him. He had been out of school for a whole week causing her to almost forget what he looked like. The blue eyes tousled blonde hair and disheveled clothing; all key characteristics that made up Lip Gallagher. All that was missing was the cigarette that hung limply between his lips.

"Wow," she finally said to break the silence between the two. "You actually showed up. I thought you were dead or chasing dreams of becoming a hermit."

An infamous smirk tugged at Lip's mouth as he stared back at her; the tick in his jaw lessening at the sound of her voice.

"Wasn't planning on coming," he shrugged casually. "Fiona and I made a deal; she gets her high-school diploma, I get mine." Daniela nodded, more than a little surprised that Fiona would be walking around school now. Lip's attention drifted to the snow globe in Daniela's hand.

"What's that?" He grumbled making the girl raise an eyebrow at him.

"A snow globe."

"No-I know that. I meant what's it for?"

"Oh. It's my birthday," answered Daniela with obvious disdain. Lip stared at her in surprise.

"Your birthday?" At the girl's nod of confirmation, he sucked on his teeth. He noticed her dislike of the topic, feeling his curiosity rise. "What? You don't like your birthday?"

"Not really, no."

"Why's that?"

"Reasons," shrugged Daniela vaguely, diverting her eyes. She more than noticed that Lip's curiosity increased even more. Not wanting to get into it, she sighed and smiled at him. "I guess I'll see you in Physics then."

Daniela made her way to class but had only taken two steps when she heard Lip speak again.

"I'm not taking Physics." She halted in her steps before spinning quickly on her heel.

"Why's that?" She echoed, this time incredulously. Lip looked like he didn't want to get into it either as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"I'm taking more hands-on classes so I can get a job and provide for Karen and the baby." Daniela didn't hold back her scoff, crossing her arms over her chest to glare at him.

"Really? We're going to have this argument again?" Lip turned his head to the side in annoyance.

"How about we just don't?" He suggested angrily, feeling his own temper rising. "I'm late for my Shop class." Lip breezed past Daniela leaving the simmering girl standing there.

The bell rang out signaling that she needed to hurry to class.

/

Physics was her last class of the day and she was already drained. Her Biology test had taken a lot out of her, leaving her barely paying attention in class. However, thanks to Lip's tutoring, Daniela found it much easier to understand the lessons.

She settled down at one of the desks in the classroom, leaving the seat beside her empty. Usually, it was Lip who would occupy it but not anymore.

Daniela was mentally cursing the boy when she saw a figure sit down beside her out of the corner of her eye. Narrowing her eyes in confusion, Lip gave her a silent glance before resting his forearms on the desk.

"Ah, Mr. Gallagher. So nice of you to finally join us," berated Mr. Davis from his position at the head of the class. Lip waved casually at him, glancing around at all the eyes on him.

"Wouldn't miss it."

Mr. Davis grumbled under his breath but was silently glad to have his star student back.

"I trust your fellow peers will assist in catching you up with all of the work you missed." Lip tossed a quick smirk at Daniela before nodding at his teacher.

Daniela waited until the teacher was in the middle of one of his long spiels about the universe before she leaned towards Lip.

"Thought you dropped Physics," she whispered in a sly tone. Lip shrugged back at her, angling his head towards hers so he wouldn't have to speak as loud.

"My guidance counselor is forcing me to take it."

"He's smart then."

"He's a guidance counselor at a crappy public school," scoffed Lip, catching the attention of a few students. "He can't be that smart."

"Maybe he just recognizes potential," shrugged Daniela casually before tuning back into Mr. Davis. Lip's eyes continued to stay on her in silent observation.

His mind drifted back to earlier that day when he had spotted her and her friend standing in front of her locker. He had been more than a little annoyed as he observed their interactions and he clearly remembered his fists subconsciously clenching as Daniela placed a gentle kiss on the boy's tinged cheek.

Lip wasn't sure if the two of them were a thing but the thought of it caused an angry bubble at the back of his throat. He knew that they often went out together and shared a few classes. He had passed Daniela's friend on his way to lunch and didn't hold back the vicious glare he sent the boy.

Once Mr. Davis had assigned them with a few questions to do, Lip decided to take this opportunity to ask her about it.

"What's going on with you and that Perkins guy?" Subtlety was never Lip's strong suit. The question caught Daniela- who had been deep in her work- off guard.

"Simon? Nothing, he's a friend." Lip nodded to himself.

"So you're not together?"

"No," confirmed Daniela firmly. She was curious as to why Lip was even wondering. "He nearly kissed me but I didn't want to."

"Why's that?" Frowned Lip, barely maintaining an even tone.

Because I like you and it's really frustrating.

"I didn't like him that way," answered Daniela simply whilst ignoring her niggling thoughts. Lip seemed to find the answer he was looking for as he continued his work.

"Why are you psychoanalyzing my relationships anyway?"

"Just wondering," was Lip's short reply. Daniela watched him curiously for a few moments before shaking her head and finishing her work.

/

Daniela bit into one of her birthday cupcakes from Debbie, her eyes resting on the pages of Ian's chemistry book. Fiona wiped soap bubbles off of the clean dishes before putting them away in the cupboard.

"How come you're not at the hospital with your mom?" Asked the woman, putting a dried plate away. Daniela licked the frosting from the corner of her mouth.

"She just finished another round of chemo this week and was still feeling a little weak so we're going to see her tomorrow night," she answered, peeling away the paper cupcake liner. Fiona grimaced sadly at the teen.

"I'm sorry to hear that, El." The woman reached over to give her hand a comforting squeeze. Daniela managed a small smile before continuing to eat her yummy cupcake.

Wanting to change the subject, Fiona asked Ian to quiz her on her GED test. Ian read the first question before reciting the answers.

"That one," said the woman confidently as she fussed around the kitchen.

"It's a multiple choice question. You don't wanna hear the other options?"

"It's that one," repeated Fiona, bringing a pot of water to the boil. "Hey, Mickey Milkovich came by earlier looking for Frank, all sweaty. Isn't he working at the store while you're at school?" Daniela saw her friend shift uncomfortably.

"When he shows up."

"Why's he looking for Frank?"

"Probably getting high together," suggested Ian before dropping his pencil and grabbing his coat. He looked at Daniela and she could see the worry in his eyes as he threw his head towards the door.

"Dinner's in 15 minutes," called Fiona, noticing them leaving.

Ian nodded and pulled his coat on. "We're just gonna head out for a little while." Daniela followed him out, waiting until they got down the street before Ian told her anything.

He came to a stop five houses down from his own, pacing back and forth on the sidewalk.

"Frank caught me and Mickey this morning," he blurted, chewing nervously on his nail. "And now Mickey and his brothers are gonna kill him."

Daniela gaped at him. "That's a bit extreme don't you think?" Ian nodded his head like he thought the same thing.

"Mickey won't let it go."

"Mickey needs to calm down and realize that this is Frank we're talking about. He probably forgot two minutes later."

"That's what I told Mickey but he doesn't care. He's scared that Frank will tell everyone and that his father will find out." Ian was a bouncing ball of nerves as they made their way around the block.

"Frank won't give a shit," sighed Daniela. "I'm pretty sure Frank's tip-toed over that line before and he's too busy dealing with your Grandma or drinking to care about all of that crap." Ian laughed dryly.

"Try explaining that to Mickey." Daniela tutted and placed her arm through his. They walked around the block, just clearing their minds and getting some fresh air before heading back for dinner.

/

"Accretion onto a stationary black hole has been solved analytically only under the assumption of spherical symmetry." Mr. Davis' words drifted through one ear and out the other as Daniela focused her attention on the doodles she was drawing in her book.

Glancing to the left of her, she observed the distracted look on Lip's face. He was paying about as much attention to the class as she was.

"Who used the Newtonian treatment of accretion?" Daniela averted her eyes from the teacher, not wanting to be the one that got singled out. Mr. Davis skimmed over the classroom, stopping on the boy beside her.

"Mr. Gallagher." At the sound of his name, Lip finally peeled his attention away from the trees outside.

"What?" He frowned, not hearing the question.

"Do you know the answer?" Daniela could practically see the gears in his head formulating a smart-ass response.

"Uh, I believe the answer to that question- like the answer to most questions- is fuck you." The girl's eyes shut with a sigh before she angled her head to send him a dark look. Lip's temper continued to rise as Mr. Davis turned to the rest of the class for the answer.

"How about you, Miss Kaufman?" Her eyes snapped quickly to her teachers awaiting ones. "Newtonian Accretion?"

"Uh," she fumbled, not knowing the answer at all. Turning to her textbook, she skimmed over the words for a clue. Lip elicited a gasp from her when he roughly shoved the desk away.

"No really. The answer is fuck you!" The next thing she knew, Daniela was scrambling away from the shattered window caused by Lip throwing a chair into it.

The rest of the class followed her example, shifting to the other side of the room, away from a fuming Lip. She stared with wide eyes as he wiped the back of his hand over his mouth before quickly leaving the room.

The class was dismissed shortly after that, with the janitor and the principal filing into the room as they left. Daniela paced down the hallway, hell-bent on finding Lip. She sent a quick text to Ian explaining the situation and asking if he knew where his brother would go.

It was surprisingly not that far; in fact, it was the roof of the high school.

He was puffing on a cigarette when she got to the top of the ladder. Looking out, she understood why he would choose this place to come and think. It was peaceful.

Lip sat with his back to her, his legs dangling carelessly over the edge of the building. Daniela moved slowly to sit beside him, holding up a hand to shade her eyes from the sun.

"You know you're probably going to get expelled for that, right?" Lip chuckled dryly, taking another inhale of his joint.

"Like I give a fuck."

"What's up with you lately?" Frowned Daniela seriously, turning to look at him. He didn't meet her gaze.

"I don't give a fuck about finishing school and getting my diploma. I need to provide for Karen and the baby."

"And you think being a high-school drop-out is gonna help you do that?" Accused the girl. She angled her body towards him, waiting for him to look at her. "Lip, you actually have what it takes to make it out of this shit-hole we call a home. And you're gonna throw it all away because you suddenly gave up?"

"You could do it too," he finally spoke, twisting his smoke between his pinched fingers. "Get out of here." A bitter laugh bubbled in Daniela's throat.

"How? I'm not smart like you." Lip tilted his head as if he didn't quite believe that.

"You have your art."

Daniela snorted. "That's just a hobby. It's not gonna get me anywhere." She placed a single finger onto his temple. "But this? This will."

Lip's eyes flicked over her face, his expression unreadable.

"I don't wanna be the breadwinner for everybody," he confessed quietly, watching as the sun's rays kissed her tanned skin. "Ever since they saw that I could read some books and understand what the words meant, they looked at me like I was the fucking golden goose. Like I was the one they were relying on to get them out of this dump." Lip shook his head furiously.

"That's not gonna be me. I'm not gonna go to college and graduate and get a good job just so that I can pay their bills and buy them all nice houses. So everyone needs to stop looking at me like I'm their fucking golden ticket out of here."

Daniela stared at him as the silence between them re-appeared. Lip's eyes pulled away from hers to once again look out over the neighborhood. His jaw sat tightly clenched and she knew that he was feeling vulnerable- that opening up wasn't the easiest thing for him to do.

"I didn't know you felt that way," hummed Daniela thoughtfully. Lip chewed on the inside of his mouth, his frown lessening as she placed a gentle hand on his knee. "You don't have to be the breadwinner, Lip. But you can't just throw away all of this potential either; otherwise, you'll just stay stuck here in this place for the rest of your life with all of us."

Lip's eyes trailed slowly from her hand, to settle on her face.

"Would it really be that bad?" He shrugged after a moment, smirking lightly. Daniela huffed a laugh with a head shake.

"We both know the answer to that question." A vibration in her pocket alerted her of a text message. Checking the screen, she saw that it was from Fiona.

"Your sister is looking for you," she told Lip with a smile. The boy rolled his eyes, flicking the ash off of his cigarette. "You coming to Carl's game?"

He shook his head as he breathed out the smoke clouds. "Nah."

Lip noticed Daniela's look of disappointment as she stood up from her spot and felt a pang of guilt. With a shrug, she sent him a half-smile that managed to make Lip's chest clench.

"See you around then."

"Hey, Daniela," called Lip; the sound of his voice saying her name causing a pleasant chill to run up her arms. She looked over her shoulder at him, seeing him butt out his cigarette. "Don't tell Fiona you saw me here."

She nodded slowly in response. Flashing him a final wave, Daniela made her way back down the ladder.

/

"Go Carl!" Cheered an excited Debbie as she watched her brother tackle another player to the ground. Daniela grinned out at the field, seeing the boy talk smack to the player he had driven to the grass.

Climbing the bleachers, she noticed a flustered Fiona continuously throwing glances at her cell phone.

"Hey, Fi," greeted the girl as she came to sit beside her. The older woman managed a small smile at the sight of her. She leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees, raking a hand through her wild hair.

"I don't suppose you've heard from Lip?" She asked Daniela. The teen shook her head with a frown.

"The last time I saw him was in Physics when he threw a table through the window," she lied easily. "No idea where he got to after that." Fiona heaved a tired sigh and Daniela could see the bags under her eyes.

"Lip got expelled," revealed Fiona in disappointment. Daniela had been expecting it but it was still shocking. "Luckily, his guidance counselor managed to get him into a new school."

"That is lucky."

"Yeah, and he better not fuck this one up either," warned Fiona seriously as she watched Carl bump someone with his shoulder. Daniela looked out to where he stood as well, frowning when she saw Steve standing there.

"Why's Steve here?" At the mention of her ex, Fiona rolled her eyes.

"He's their new coach."

"Does he even know how to play football?" Asked Daniela skeptically and Fiona shrugged. The pair sat in silence before Fiona spoke again.

"Debbie told me that you went with her to the North Side." The teen closed her eyes with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Fi," she apologized. "I know I should've told you sooner." Fiona shrugged her shoulders, not phased.

"It's okay, El. All water under the bridge." The two shared a smile as they heard footsteps making their way towards them.

"Ooh, my ears are burning," joked Steve, plopping down beside an annoyed Fiona and Daniela narrowed her eyes at him.

"Shouldn't you be down there? You know, coaching?"

Steve waved a hand in dismissal. "Nah, they've got it all under control." The three of them all watched as another boy was tackled harshly to the ground by Carl. Steve turned back to them with a smile. "See? All under control."

Fiona scoffed, rolling her eyes and getting up from her spot. The man watched as she walked down the steps to stand beside Debbie near the field. Steve looked crestfallen.

"Your whole trying to 'woo' her thing isn't really working," commented Daniela as the man sighed.

"I don't know what I'm doing wrong here!"

"There is a slight chance that it has to do with the fact you lied about who you really were and that you're married. Just a thought."

"Yeah," nodded Steve sadly. "That's a good possibility." His eyes watched the woman for a few more moments before he shook off his grim mood.

"Anyways, did you hear the good news?"

Daniela frowned at him. "What?"

"I bought your garage!" He announced happily.

"That was you?" She asked incredulously as Steve tilted his head.

"Well, technically the guys I used to work for bought it. They were looking to expand their business to this side of the city but needed a place to operate out of. So, naturally, I suggested your guys' garage. They made the final decision to buy."

Daniela stared at him with narrowed eyes. "If you went through all of that just to get me to put in a good word with Fiona you're dead wrong." Steve laughed with a shake of his head.

"I didn't. But, now that you mention it, I would appreciate if you did." Daniela snorted back a laugh but shrugged.

"I guess I could say something to her." Steve excitedly pumped his fist in celebration. Jumping up from his seat, he straightened his cap.

"Let me know what you want for your birthday and I'll get it for you," said the man brightly before heading back down to the field. Daniela smiled, noticing Ian making his way up to her. It didn't take her long to notice his grim expression.

She waited until he had dropped down beside her before asking what was wrong.

"Mickey's gone back to juvie." Daniela's eyes widened.

"What? Why?" Ian sniffled and rubbed a hand over his nose.

"Because of me."

"Oh Ian, I doubt that." Her best friend shook his head, disagreeing with her.

"He couldn't go through with killing Frank so he punched a cop in the face to break his parole. Mandy called me just before and told me that he's back in juvie." Daniela wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulder as he rested his head on hers.

"It's not your fault, Ian. Mickey knew that he couldn't kill Frank because no matter how fucked up Frank is, he's still your father- well, technically he isn't," she trailed off. "But you get what I mean. He couldn't risk losing you over Frank so he did what he thought was right."

"It still fucking hurts," murmured Ian after a moment, feeling the familiar burn he got in his nose before he would cry. Daniela rubbed his shoulder, pulling him closer.

Though their situations were much different, Daniela couldn't help empathizing with her best friend. She pined for Lip but understood that no happy ending would come out of her feelings for him. She felt stupid just thinking the words.

Lip was on a downward spiral, willing to throw away his future just for the sake of Karen and this child that- despite his hopes- was probably not his.

Yeah, she felt really stupid.

/

"So how's that art comp going so far?" Asked Jakob as they made their way through the hospital lobby towards the elevators. They had stopped by the gift shop to pick up some more flowers for their mom.

Daniela shrugged, adjusting her grip on the flowers. "I'm still trying to think of an idea for the first theme."

"What is it?"

"Torture," answered the girl as they stepped in.

"Jeez, that's a bit morbid," chuckled Jakob, standing back while the doors closed. They came to a stop on their mother's level and made their way to her room.

Camille woke from her nap, sensing her two children entering. Daniela could see the obvious differences in her mother's appearance. She looked thinner, her face looking particularly gaunt.

Jakob squeezed her hand gently, taking a seat beside her bed. Camille smiled at the two of them and gestured weakly for Daniela to come hug her. The girl was careful as her mother's arms enveloped her.

Pulling back, Camille placed a kiss on her cheek.

'Happy birthday my baby girl,' she signed.

Daniela grinned at her mother, pressing her lips to the woman's forehead. Jakob lifted up the bag he had brought along, rifling through in search of something.

"Ah-ha!" He cried, his hand holding a party hat. Leaning forward, he placed it on his mother, watching as her shoulders shook with laughter.

Jakob procured two more hats from the bag for himself and Daniela. The girl was a little less enthusiastic about putting it on, rolling her eyes as her brother forced it on her.

"It's my birthday!" She moped childishly, pouting her lips.

"Technically it's not," pointed out her brother. "Yesterday was your birthday. This is just a delayed celebration."

Daniela rolled her eyes in response and Jakob soon left the room in search of a lighter. He returned shortly with two of Camille's nurses following behind him.

"Happy birthday to you," sang Jakob trying his best to intentionally sound off-key. The noise grated on Daniela's ears but still she smiled at him.

One of the nurses wheeled over a hospital table so that he could place the cake down.

"Make a wish, sis." Daniela looked up from the cake to her mother who sat watching her contently. The woman seemed to be glowing and Daniela wanted it to last forever.

Closing her eyes, she leaned forward and blew out the candle.

/

"Night, sis," yawned Jakob as he made his way up the stairs to his bedroom.

"Goodnight!" Called Daniela from her spot on the sofa. The television played in the background while she brainstormed ideas for her entry in the competition. Her pencil scribbled down thoughts.

Her phone vibrated on the coffee table, interrupting her thought process. It was from Ian.

Lip's gone.

Daniela frowned down at her phone, her teeth subconsciously chewing on her lip. She was in the process of texting a worried reply when there was a knock at the door. She figured it was Ian coming to explain things to her.

"Ian- oh." Daniela halted when she saw Lip standing on her front porch. She observed the rucksack on his shoulder that was hastily filled with clothes.

"Nope. Not him," said Lip, his voice gruff. He shrugged a single shoulder. "Fiona kicked me out."

"Really? Why?"

"She wanted me to go back to school but I told her I wasn't going to do it. Then she gave me the ultimatum of going back or leaving, and I wasn't going back so..." Lip's voice trailed off leaving a surprised Daniela to connect the dots. She sighed and leaned against the door frame.

"I'm sensing you want something?" Lip twisted his mouth and shrugged again.

"Can I stay the night?" Even though she knew he just wanted a place to sleep, Daniela still felt the flutter of butterflies in her belly. "I would go to Karen's but things are a bit difficult ever since she asked me to go to these adoption interviews with her."

Daniela chewed on her lip, not entirely sure if she trusted herself to let him into her house- especially after what happened the last time. But Jakob was home, so nothing could happen and it was just for the night.

"Just for tonight," she finally agreed. Lip blew out a breath of relief and moved to head inside. Daniela stopped him quickly. "My brother's upstairs so you'll have to be quiet."

"I was always good at sneaking in and out," smirked Lip cheekily making the girl roll her eyes.

"Yeah, I know." Lip's smirk lessened at her reference to that night and the morning following that. "Also, you'll have to stay in my room tonight because Jake's home."

Lip nodded, not minding at all.

She stepped out of the way to let him in, heading into the lounge room to switch the television off before nodding her head up the stairs.

When she looked back at Lip to see if he was following, his attention was focused on the lounge room. Knowing why, she gulped and continued up the stairs.

"This way," she whispered before leading him to the opposite side of the hallway and into her bedroom. Lip took in the room silently, his eyes skimming over the desk cluttered with paints and pencils.

Daniela filed through her drawers to find some pajamas. "I'm just gonna get changed." Lip nodded before going back to looking around the room. The differences between her room and her brother's were easy to see. Whereas Jakob's room looked like it was only used as a place to rest his head, Daniela's felt incredibly lived-in.

The chipped paint on the wall was a soft lilac color with bigger chips being covered with posters of movies and also a few old boy-band members.

He would have to remember to tease her about that another day.

That familiar anger grew in the back of his throat at the sight of the snow globe she had gotten from Simon for her birthday resting on her wooden desk. Lip hadn't even known it was her birthday but apparently everybody else did.

Daniela didn't seem to care, though, in fact, she was almost happier that he hadn't made a big deal out of it. It made him wonder why she didn't enjoy the day.

His hand grazed over the top of her desk, rolling pencils and pens as he did so. It came to rest on a photo frame.

Holding it up Lip saw who he assumed was Daniela's mother with a younger, smiling version of the girl and her brother Jakob. It was probably the happiest he had ever seen Daniela. Sure she smiled but it never quite reached her eyes.

"I think that was taken on my fifth birthday," spoke the girl as she came to stand beside him. Lip jumped at her voice and turned awkwardly to her.

"Uh- I was just..." he trailed off as she flashed him another one of those not-quite-there smiles.

"It's okay." Lip handed the frame to her, watching as she placed it back down.

"You look like your mom." His chin nodded to the photo as Daniela breathed a laugh.

"She used to say I looked like my dad." Lip noticed the sudden shift in her behavior at the mention of her father.

"I don't remember ever seeing your dad around."

"You wouldn't have," sighed Daniela, moving to sit on the edge of her bed. "He wasn't around much. Spent most of his time at the garage."

"Is that why you don't like your birthday?" Asked Lip tentatively. He wasn't sure he should be asking but he was too curious to stop. She knew so much about him and his family but he knew almost nothing about her. Lip found that he wanted to know more about her.

Daniela's eyes dropped to her shuffling feet. "It's a bit more complicated than that."

Seeing that having the attention on her caused her to feel uncomfortable, Lip cleared his throat and rubbed his hands on his knees.

"I'm just gonna go use the bathroom." Daniela nodded and watched him go. She clenched her eyes shut, hating how guarded she was being. The girl shook her head, mentally telling herself to loosen up a little.

Standing up, she pulled the covers on her bed back as Lip came back in. He watched her plop down on one side of the bed and Daniela was suddenly thankful she had upgraded to a double over the holidays. Lip chewed on the inside of his mouth.

"Oh please," sassed Daniela with an eye roll. "It's not like we haven't slept together before." She closed her eyes at her poor word choice, her embarrassment making Lip smirk once more. He thought she was cute when she got flushed. His thoughts made him do a mental double-take. "You know what I mean."

"Who said I had a problem with it?" Quipped Lip, heading to the other side of the bed, tugging at the hem of his shirt. Daniela's eyes widened.

"What are you doing?"

"I can't sleep fully clothed. I get overheated," explained Lip having already taken his shirt off and currently working the button on his jeans. Daniela was trying to decide whether or not she wanted to look away.

Her eyes scanned over his back gratefully, enjoying the dip in his spine and the definition of his shoulders. Blood rushed up her neck, to her cheeks once again.

"This is just for the night, remember? If my brother finds you in here, I'm dead." Lip laughed quietly at the legitimate worry in Daniela's voice.

"Don't worry. I know." He laid beside her on his back staring up at her roof. "Thanks for letting me stay here for the night."

Daniela's shoulder shifted. "No problem." Her eyes met his and she suddenly realized how close they actually were. The realization wasn't missed by Lip either, his own gaze dropping to her mouth.

Clearing her throat, Daniela rolled over onto her side with her back towards him. She let out the breath she had been holding in.

"Turn the lamp off, please." Lip switched it off, feeling a shred of disappointment at the sight of her back to him. "And keep your dick to yourself. I don't wanna wake up with something poking me in the back." Another deep laugh fell from the boy's lips as he settled into the bed; the rich sound making Daniela smile.

"Can't make any promises."

Daniela was grateful that the lights were off because she was sure she had turned beet red.


Please accept this huge chapter as forgiveness for my slacking.

Special thanks to Alina, ebonbon, blu Wren, Raging Raven, Guest, SweetRiceball20, toxic click, Margaux, gossamermouse101, Ashmo21, Exultant, Garrawolf, Pandahhh, jjnnrr, sorryitsalex, daynicole6232, Bayk, UzumakiRein, jericamichele, UniqueMe, Aelthar101, Concrete Bubbles, javspy, YanniMae and GennysGotAGun!

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