Chapter 21.

We're really getting down to the business end of the season now. I also realized how close we are to 100 reviews and that excites and shocks me at the same time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shameless.


Daniela was stirred awake the next morning by a loud bang followed by yelling. Wiping the sleep out of her eye she climbed down from Lip's top bunk. She paused on the stairs when she heard Monica's shout.

"What the fuck Milkovich?"

She popped her head down the stairs to see Terry Milkovich pounding into Ian on the kitchen floor. Aiming a hard kick at the man's shoulder, Daniela struggled to pull the man off of her best friend.

"Get the fuck off me you crazy bitches! This isn't about you."

"Frank what the hell did you do?" Daniela contemplated biting down on Terry's neck to get him to stop but he kept throwing punches. She was sure Ian's nose was broken by now. Monica finally managed to pull Terry onto his back as Daniela rushed to check on her friend.

"My Mandy's pregnant!" Terry fumed, his body slumping in exhaustion. "And this little shit is gonna pay!"

Daniela whipped her eyes to Ian who was in far too much pain to express his feelings. On the other side of the kitchen floor, Frank gave his son a proud thumbs-up making her scoff. She turned her attention back to Ian, analyzing his bloodied face.

"You." Daniela switched her attention back to Terry to see an accusatory finger pointed at her. He clearly recognized her and she found she was more than a little scared. Her eyes widened in fear, watching as the man was about to start up another tirade before Monica thankfully stepped in and shoved him out of the house.

The woman leaned against the closed door, exhaling deeply. She let out a quiet cry at the sight of Ian and rushed to him. The boy wiped at the blood on his face as his mother placed her hands on his cheeks.

"That bastard." Monica took over the caring duties, grabbing a wet cloth and wiping his face clean, checking to see if there were any damages to his nose. Daniela stood back and watched, allowing her to do her motherly duties.

It was the first time she had seen Monica be so caring and despite what her brain told her, she couldn't help but feel that the woman was telling the truth when she said things were different this time.

With a kiss to Ian's head, Daniela left to freshen up at home before going to work.

/

She really wasn't surprised with what she found when she arrived at the store. The front window had been smashed- most likely with a brick and the metal security gate had been bent at the top.

Heading inside, Daniela swore under her breath at all of the items knocked off shelves and scattered over the floor. Amongst it all stood Linda, clearly rattled. Daniela moved towards her.

"Linda? Are you okay?"

The woman shook her head, almost quivering. "They came in ten minutes ago. Terry said it was a message to Ian." She narrowed her eyes at the teen. "What the hell did he do?"

"Mandy's pregnant so they think Ian's the father."

"Well if this happens again he's fired." Linda rubbed her temples. Daniela eyed the woman's swollen belly. "I've called a few friends from the mosque to come and help out. They should be here soon."

The pregnant woman took a seat in the back, resting her aching feet. Daniela got to work cleaning up. Grabbing a broom, she went out front to sweep up the broken glass.

She was just finishing up when she heard Ian behind her.

"Jesus Christ," he muttered under his breath. Daniela swirled around, nodding in understanding.

"You should see the inside." Ian groaned, opening the door and surveying the chaotic mess. She followed behind, resting her head on the top of her broom.

"Is Linda okay?" He finally asked, his throat clogged with guilt.

"She was in the store when Terry and his boys busted up the place- left a message for you. She's a little shaken up but overall she's fine." Ian nodded to himself in relief. "You heard from Mandy?"

"No." he shook his head. "Won't answer her phone."

Daniela twisted her mouth. Her friend fidgeted with his hands, eyes zipping around the store. Walking forward, she rested a hand on his shoulder and offered him a reassuring smile.

"Try not to worry. We'll get in touch with Mandy and get her to call her dad off." Ian shook his head, sucking on his teeth.

"It's not that simple, El. This is Terry Milkovich we're talking about."

Daniela's smile became sadder. "Yeah. I know."

Realizing that she did indeed know, Ian sighed and closed his eyes. "Shit, El. I'm sorry."

"It's cool," she shrugged it off. Wanting to rid the dark cloud over their heads, Daniela whacked his behind with her broom. Ian hissed in pain, glaring at her. "Hurry up and help me clean."

/

"You guys can just put that down there." The two men followed her instructions, resting the large wooden board against the door. Glancing over her shoulder, Daniela did a double take when she saw Lip approaching them.

"Hey." Her voice was soft. Lip pulled his eyes away from the damage to simply give her a once-over before passing by to enter the shop. Daniela's smile fell and she chewed on her lip. He was clearly still mad at her.

"Those skinheads again?" Lip asked his brother. Ian glanced at him as he placed cans back on the shelves.

"Mandy's dad. Heard the news."

"You and Mickey?"

"Mandy. Pregnant," Ian answered followed by a short silence from Lip.

Daniela moved to the back of the store where all the produce had been knocked to the ground, tuning out of their conversation. So this is what it felt like to be on the other side of being ignored. She found she hated it.

The two brothers finished up their conversation, Lip walking towards the door but not before stopping for a second to send a long look in the girl's direction. She didn't look up from the tomatoes splatted on the ground until the bell rang over the door. Ian sighed in exasperation.

"What?" Daniela frowned blankly causing her friend to roll his eyes.

"Go."

Her eyes flicked to the door Lip had just exited through. Dropping her bag of ruined tomatoes, Daniela jogged after him. Lip hadn't gotten too far, only a few feet away.

"Lip!" She was shocked at his instantaneous reaction to her call, halting his movements. He shoved his hands in his pockets, peering over his shoulder to see Daniela walking towards him.

When she finally reached him he gave her a look that indicated she should say what she needed to quickly.

"I texted you." Her lame words made Daniela mentally cringe. She felt like a clingy girlfriend- something she most definitively wasn't.

Lip nodded. "I got them." His nonchalance affected her, causing a bubble of irritation to grow in her chest. "Is that all you needed to say because if so I need to be somewhere."

Daniela didn't miss the use of her own words against herself and she laughed under her breath.

"I'm sorry, Lip. I know I should have warned you about Monica showing up. I guess it just slipped my mind and I forgot how big of a deal it was." The boy clenched his jaw, looking out across the street. "I would never try to hurt you intentionally."

Daniela watched hopefully as he chewed on the inside of his mouth, pondering over his own thoughts for a few moments.

"I know you wouldn't." The previous harshness in his voice had disappeared, replaced with something softer.

"So, are we okay?"

"We're okay." Daniela couldn't hold back the growing smile, Lip huffed to cover up his own. "I actually do need to go though but I'll talk to you later." With a quick squeeze of her forearm, he continued off down the street.

"I'll text you!" She called out when he's a dozen steps away. He signaled that he heard her by showing her a thumbs up. "You better reply this time!" Lip smirked back at her, eliciting a laugh.

When she walked back into the store, Ian was waiting with a sly grin.

"Shut up," she glared childishly only making him throw his head back in laughter.

Ian raised his hands in defense, his eyes still smiling. "I didn't say anything."

/

That night she got a mysterious text from Lip telling her to meet him outside the Milkovich house the next morning. She showed up a little past 9 o'clock, hands buried in her pockets to fight the biting cold.

Daniela frowned when she spotted both Ian and Lip crouched behind a car opposite the house.

"What's going on?" They both shushed her and she made a big show that there was no-one else in the street. Lip tugged her down gently beside him as Ian began to explain.

"We're gonna plant Grammy's gun in the house so Mandy's dad can be arrested and sent to jail. We just need to wait until he leaves and then we'll sneak in and plant it."

Suddenly the nerves in Daniela's throat grew. She had never stepped foot inside the Milkovich house- why would she even want to? After the bad blood literally spilled between their families. Her breathing grew heavier, grabbing the attention of the boys.

"Hey, you okay?" Asked Lip, his tone concerned. Daniela nodded with a gulp and both her friends saw through it. Ian was the first to realize why.

"Shit. El, you don't have to do this. If you're not comfortable." The girl shook her head defiantly.

"No, I'm fine. I'll just stay out here and be your lookout in case he comes back earlier than expected."

"It shouldn't take too long for us to plant the gun," piped up Lip but he didn't completely shoot down her idea. "Though it can't hurt." Daniela smiled gratefully, her breathing returning to normal.

Ian made a sound, pulling their attention to the house to see Terry Milkovich leaving. Lip took notice of the sharp intake of breath from Daniela when she saw the man, shifting his hand to cover hers. Her eyes looked down at the contact and then back up to him.

Checking to see that Terry was far enough away from the house, she ushered the boys out from behind the car.

Not even a minute later, Daniela spotted the imposing figure of Terry walking back to the house. Whipping out her phone, she called Lip.

"What's up?" He finally answered.

"Terry's back. You two need to get out of there right now." She heard him curse and say something to Ian. Her wide eyes watched as the man opened the door to his house.

"Guys!" She yelled at them, this time, more urgently. Faintly, Daniela picked up on the angry, confused voice of Terry followed by Lip telling his brother to run. She hung up after that.

Daniela raked her gloved fingers through her hair, her mind debating over what to do. She was more than a little scared to run into the house and face the Milkovich. On the other hand, she didn't want to just cower behind the car while her friends ran for their lives.

"Come on, Daniela. You can do this." Her muttered words of encouragement began to work and with a determined slap on the car, she made her way towards the house. She didn't want to go through the front door so instead, she crept around the side of the house to the back where a window was already open.

Suddenly, Lip came flying out the window, splatting on the ground.

"Where's Ian?" Spoke Daniela, her voice tinted with concern. The boy got up and dusted himself off.

"He must still be inside." Cursing, Daniela climbed through the window noticing Lip following closely behind. They stealthily maneuvered around the house, trying to be as silent as possible. It wasn't hard to find Ian, the angry yells of Terry Milkovich making it easy for them to track them to the kitchen.

What they weren't expecting to see was Mandy brandishing a shotgun, aiming it at her father.

"The fuck you doing?"

"Let him go," she demanded.

"The little shit broke in!"

Lip, lagging behind, finally came to a stop beside Mandy. "He's not the father!" Daniela didn't miss the split second look he shared with Mandy.

"Just tell him the truth."

She frowned to herself, her brain coming to conclusions she hoped weren't true. Daniela tried to convince herself that all he meant was that Ian wasn't the father. Still, a small niggling thought stuck in the back of her head.

"He already knows," said Mandy through gritted teeth.

"The fuck I do." Terry aimed his gun back at Ian's forehead and Daniela used all of her being to refrain from going wild on the man. Her friend's fearful eyes flicked between both Milkovich's.

"I told you who's it is! Let him go, Dad." Mandy grew angrier with every word. "This is between us." A stunned silence enveloped the kitchen.

"Your dad?" Accused Lip in confusion but he quickly shut up when Mandy aimed the shotgun at him instead.

"Say one more word and I'll blow your brains all over the fucking linoleum." Her narrowed eyes turned to Daniela, realizing she was there too. She clenched her teeth, hating that she also knew.

Daniela didn't show her pity, knowing that Mandy would despise it. She didn't want to set the girl off. Mandy seemed to appreciate the indifferent expression the other girl gave her. Slowly, she lowered her shotgun and turned back to her father.

"Come on, dad," she urged, her voice growing softer.

Terry's shoulders slumped in defeat as he wiped a hand over his face. Mandy moved to him, resting a hand on his shoulder and pushing him out of the kitchen and to his room. Daniela hid behind Lip when he passed by though the man was far too lost in his thoughts to notice.

When Mandy returned, her expression had hardened once again. She eyed each of them as if daring them to say anything about what just happened. Daniela and Lip headed to the door, Ian trailing behind.

"Hey guys," he called out. "I think I'm gonna hang back."

Daniela nodded in understanding. Lip did the same.

"Okay, we'll see you later." He sent another look to Mandy before tilting his head at Daniela to the door.

The pair walked side by side, each with their hands in their pockets. Lip pulled out his fresh pack of cigarettes while Daniela chewed on her lip. She pondered whether to bring her suspicions up. She didn't want to sound insecure when there really was nothing to be insecure about.

However, she couldn't let it go; her mind wouldn't let allow it. Knowing her brain wouldn't shut up about it until she did ask, Daniela finally cracked.

"What did you mean when you told Mandy to say who the real father was?" Lip's stride faltered but he covered it up by lighting his cigarette. He released the first cloud of smoke in a low sigh. It was enough to confirm Daniela's suspicions.

"You two had sex." There was no question in her voice. Lip didn't say anything, only wiping a thumb over his mouth. Finally, he nodded and Daniela felt her nose burning. Hating her hormones, she swallowed her emotions with a wry laugh. "Of course."

"What?" She wanted to hit him in the chest and yell in his face but he still wouldn't understand. Instead, she shrugged and made her steps longer.

Lip frowned after her, sensing the change. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What is it now?" He questioned, walking behind her. "I thought we had sorted all our shit." Daniela stopped, dropping her head to her chest. Her eyes clenched shut with a sigh.

One side of her brain told her that she had no right to be angry and act out this way. The other didn't seem to care, encouraging her to act however she wished to.

Besides, her brain said. It's not like he knows how you feel.

Daniela finally looked over her shoulder at him, guilt in her eyes. Lip just frowned in a mix of confusion and concern.

"We do," she said, releasing a long breath. "It's just." Her voice trailed off. Daniela shook her head asking herself if she's really going to do this right here, right now.

Lip had already come to stand behind her, waiting for her to turn around fully. His eyes were intense like they were hanging onto every word she said. Daniela laughed dryly under her breath.

"I can't believe I'm actually saying this."

No going back now.

"I like you, Lip," confessed Daniela.

As soon as the words were out of her mouth she wanted to shove them back in again. Things would never be the same between them. Although, things had never quite been the same ever since they kissed- at least not for her.

Daniela glanced away from Lip, afraid to see his look of rejection. She knows it's coming and slowly she feels her wall go back up.

"Which makes me an idiot because you're you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lip spoke for the first time but his voice lacked any defensiveness. He couldn't think of what to say.

Daniela narrowed her eyes at him as if he had two heads. "Up until five minutes ago, you thought you had knocked up two different girls!"

Lip tilted his head in acknowledgment. "Okay, but let's spiral back to the part where you said you liked me." Daniela made a noise of exasperation as he studied her. "When you say like?"

"As in I'm attracted to you." Lip couldn't help his small smirk. "I'm not saying I have a crush on you. I refuse." He opened his mouth to speak but she quickly cut off any smart-ass remark he had.

"Don't worry. I'm not dumb enough to think this 'confession' is gonna change anything. I know you're hung up over Karen and I would rather not get involved." Lip's smirk faded, replaced with that hard frown again.

"So I don't get to say anything about this?"

"Like what?"

Lip shrugged, causing the girl to roll her eyes.

"I'll text you later." She left him standing on the corner of the street, knowing that he was going in a different direction than her. This didn't stop Lip from watching her go, his forehead still creased.

/

Lip was still on Daniela's mind later that afternoon as she got to work baking some brownies. Ian had come by after talking to Mandy and told her that they were going to have a fundraiser for Mandy's abortion. Daniela knew they weren't cheap and agreed to make something.

She decided that she would make two types of brownies; the regular kind and a special batch of pot brownies. She still had the bag of weed she had procured from Kev's marijuana plants earlier that summer.

The thought of it brought up an image of Ethel. Daniela smiled sadly to herself. The postcards and letters had slowed down but they continued to come. At least once every few months, Ethel would write a letter to Daniela, detailing her latest journey with Malik and their children. The teen wouldn't be surprised if she received a letter one day saying they were expecting.

"Something smells good," noted a voice behind her. Daniela smiled at her brother who was staring at the oven.

"I'm making brownies."

"Ooh, can I have one?" His hand reached out to the first batch cooling on the counter. Daniela slapped the hand away.

"They're for a fundraiser. So if you want one, you'll have to pay." She eyed her brother expectantly, grinning when he pulled a few dollars out of his back pocket. "You can take three."

Taking a bite, Jakob savored the taste. He ruffled her hair. "Because you're my sister and I love you, I'm going to ignore that bag of weed because I think what you're doing is really nice."

Daniela laughed. "Thank you."

"Don't think things will be the same once I'm a fully fledged cop." She pretends not to notice her brother sneaking another brownie as she gets back to work. It's the least she could do.

She had just finished putting the batch of pot brownies in the oven when her phone began to vibrate. Her heart raced at the name on her caller ID.

"Lip, what's up?" Daniela asks, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Did you know Monica spent all the squirrel fund money?"

"No. I didn't notice anything when I was there." Lip made a noise of frustration.

"Well, she did. And now she's in jail so I have to go get a refund on all these friggin dolls she bought Debbie to bail her out. Carl's there with her too."

Daniela's eyes widened as she leaned against her kitchen counter. "Carl got arrested too?"

"No, just Monica. But Carl was with her so they're holding him there until someone comes to get him." She could hear his short puffs of breath as he paced around. Daniela chewed on her nail.

"I can go down there," she offered and the short puffs of breath on the other side slowed down. "Keep him company until you can come get him."

Lip nodded to himself on the other side of the line. "Yeah. Yeah, that would be good."

"Okay, I'll see you down there." Daniela hung up and instantly began to clean up as much as she could. She cursed when she remembered her brownies baking in the oven.

Yelling out orders to Jakob and texting him to make sure he got them, Daniela grabbed her coat and made her way to the police station.

/

Her breathing was ragged by the time she arrived and Daniela took a moment to catch her breath. She had run from the L to the station, not wanting Carl to be alone in the holding cell for much longer. On the train, she had messaged Ian asking him to pick the brownies up from her house.

She made her way to the front desk, bracing her hands on the counter. "Hello. I'm here to see Carl Gallagher. I heard he was brought in a few hours ago."

"You family?" Asked the woman with a raised eyebrow. Daniela didn't hesitate to say yes. The woman nodded and rose from her desk. "Follow me."

She led her down to the holding cells where Daniela spotted Carl sitting on a seat. Her eyes widened at the blood on the boy's face. When he saw her, he ran to wrap his arms around her.

"El," he muttered against her side. Carl clung to her like he didn't want to let go and she wondered what the hell happened to him. Though she knew Carl liked her, the boy never once hugged her.

"What happened to his head?" Daniela asked, looking back at the officer.

"Car crash. The officers that found them said he was in the driver's seat."

"Well, did a doctor check on him?" Daniela gently placed her hand's on the sides of Carl's face, inspecting.

"We got a first-aid officer to. There's a high chance he has a concussion so I wouldn't let him fall asleep."

"Hey!" Yelled a voice, making all three heads turn to the cell where Monica sat, chained to the chair. "Let me out of here!" The officer sighed and looked back to Daniela.

"That one hasn't shut up since they brought her in." The teen stared at Monica with disappointment.

"Yeah I doubt she will." The officer shook her head at the woman before leaving Daniela behind. The girl walked Carl over to a chair and got him to sit down.

"How're you feeling, bud?" The boy groaned and shook his head. "Want me to get you some water?" Carl nodded.

She didn't take long, returning with two plastic cups of water. Handing one to the boy, she plopped down beside him, watching as he sipped on the water.

"What happened?" She asked after he was finished.

"Monica wanted to go for a drive. Promised I could drive if I wanted to." Carl's voice was no louder than a mumble. "The boom gates at the train tracks went down and I couldn't reach the brakes so I swerved into a pole."

"Jesus," breathed Daniela, her anger rising. She was furious at Monica for letting him drive. The woman continued to yell threats at the other officers, threatening to set her lawyer on them. Carl stared at her, visibly upset.

"Hey," Daniela said softly. "Forget her. Just block it out. Lip should be here soon to get you out of here." Carl nodded, leaning his head against her. Daniela stared down at him in pity.

Wrapping her arm around him, she placed a kiss on the top of his head. Not wanting Carl to fall asleep, they fell into idle conversation until she saw an officer walk through with Lip trailing closely behind.

His eyes caught hers instantly and Daniela saw the anger in them. She didn't blame him, she felt the same. Carl lifted his head from her at the sight of his brother.

Lip walked towards them, grabbing the back of his neck and kissing his head like Daniela had done. He crouched in front of him.

"We're gonna get you out of her, bud." Promised Lip, waiting for his brother to nod back.

"You feel powerful locking me up?" Spat Monica. She hadn't kept quiet the whole time. Daniela had even pondered asking the officer to sedate her. "I'm not invisible. I'm right here!" Carl stared blankly at his mother.

"Block it out, remember?" Reminded Daniela, raking a hand over his shaved head. She felt Lip's eyes watching her and swallowed, not daring to meet his gaze.

"Bail's been paid," he finally said to Carl. "We can go home now." The boy nodded, slowly rising from his seat.

The officer that escorted Lip in made his way to the door of the holding cell and unlocked Monica's handcuffs. As soon as they were loose, she shot up, wobbling on her feet.

"You assholes think you're so powerful. But you're not."

"Oh shut it, Monica." Lip's tired outburst miraculously made her quiet. They watched as her face shifted before the first tear started falling, followed by hundreds more.

Lip sighed under his breath and moved forward to wrap an arm around his mother's side.

Daniela stayed silent as he led Monica out of the cell and in front of them, his hand rubbing circles on her back while Monica cried into her hands.

"I'm a shitty mother." Lip shushed her while Daniela and Carl followed behind. "I am."

Daniela sat beside Carl on the train ride home, his hand curled into hers. She stared across at Lip who had his arm wrapped around his mother's shoulders.

Monica's tears gradually slowed down until she just slumped against her son. He rested his head back against the train window and Daniela caught a glimpse into what the Gallagher family looked like when Monica was still around and Daniela wasn't.

The whole thing nearly made her cry right there on the train.

/

When they enter the house, Daniela is shocked at the utter disarray it's in. The living room was bare, all of the furniture pushed into the kitchen. Frank, who was sat on a lone couch looked up from his bag of coke.

"Ah, I see you managed to bail your mother out of jail."

Lip rolled his eyes at his father and wrapped Monica's arm over his shoulder so he could carry her up the stairs. The woman's energy had disappeared entirely and Lip basically had to support her weight the whole way home.

Daniela ushered Carl up the stairs and led him into his room. He had also been quiet the whole way home, only talking when his brother or Daniela asked a question.

"Monica's gone bad again," he said as he climbed into bed. Daniela sat across from him and frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Her bi-polar."

"Have you seen her like this before?" Carl nodded, his eyes on the ground. She could almost see some sort of memory replaying in his head.

Not knowing what to say, Daniela kissed his forehead. "Try to stay awake as long as possible." The boy gave her another nod before she stepped out of the room.

At the same time, Lip stepped out of Frank's room where Monica was. Daniela crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wall.

"She still not talking?" Lip just shook his head. She saw his fists curl up as the silence took over again.

Clearing her throat, she said, "I better get going." Lip walked with her down the stairs to the lounge where Frank still was, snorting a line. Daniela shook her head at him. The closer they got to the door, the more she hoped he would say something.

When they reached the door, Daniela turned to him with a soft smile.

"Goodnight," she said, eyes roaming over Lip who was stood at the bottom of the stairs. He looked drained.

"Wait." Daniela paused and slowly rotated, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "About what you told me."

"Lip," she cut him off gently. "Now's not really the best time."

"You're right," agreed Lip with a nod but he didn't look like he wanted to drop the subject. Daniela fidgeted with her fingers as her mouth twisted.

"I was just wondering," she began hesitantly. Lip's ears perked up. "Why you called me? I mean, you could've called Ian or Fiona but you didn't." Lip didn't think for too long about his answer.

"You were the first person I thought of," he shrugged and Daniela almost lost her breath. She managed to fight the smile off her face.

"Goodnight, Lip."

Moving forward, she pressed a kiss to his cheek. She knew she was playing with fire and that Lip probably didn't reciprocate her feelings, but in that moment Daniela didn't care. She swore she felt Lip lean into her kiss.

Pulling away, Daniela gave him a short wave before leaving. When the door closed behind her, Lip let go of the breath he was holding. Muttering a curse to himself, he made his way back up the stairs to check on Carl.


She finally told him! I know it's really slow but it's kind of a messy situation with Lip but he's coming around and next chapter will show that.

Thanks for all the love this story has been getting, sorry I didn't do the special thanks in the last chapter. I'll edit it in later.

Special thanks to: ItsMalecNotLeviosA, gossamermouse101, Rae, moonygilbert, taylortwin500, funwithstark, Somebody's Me, Chattynova, mebk9 and starrsforlife!

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