Chapter 31.

Yeah. I don't really have a reason for why this chapter took so long other than that for the first time ever I lost interest which is a shock considering this is where all the fun starts.

Also, my laptop went kaput so that put a bit of a damper on my creativity.

Please accept this long fluffy chapter as a sign of my forgiveness.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shameless.


It took a whole week after her stroke before Camille managed to regain consciousness, much to the delight of her children. Because of this, Daniela had dedicated even more of her time at the hospital, just wanting to be with her mother.

The woman was never awake for too long, something her and the doctors were working on improving, but other than that, they had tentatively declared that Camille was beginning to look much better and that her stats were something to be proud of.

Unfortunately for Daniela, the clock was ticking down and the new school year was rapidly creeping up on her. Jakob made it his personal mission to remind her of this by ensuring she at least took some time to get herself ready.

Daniela had brushed it off, stating that she was only going back for a few weeks anyway but he had still been insistent that she spend some time hitting the books in preparation.

Which lead to Daniela's current predicament. Katherine- who she had warmed up to even more- was kind enough to offer her a ride back to her house which Daniela had readily accepted.

The blonde had also been spending a lot of time at the hospital with them and was a huge comfort to Jakob which the teen was very happy about. There was no doubt that the couple cared deeply for each other.

Raking a tired hand through her hair, Daniela sighed and hopped out of the car as they pulled up outside the house. Katherine followed closely behind, wanting to make sure that the girl actually went inside. Daniela stood at the base of the stairs before turning to like at the woman, a small smile on her face.

"You don't have to stay here you know?"

Katherine blew out a breath and nodded. "I know that. But I promised your brother that I would make sure you actually get some sleep."

"And I will," promised Daniela, angling her body fully towards the woman. "You should go back to the hospital. My brother needs you more than I do."

Katherine still seemed reluctant to leave Daniela all alone but it wasn't long before she finally gave in. Her shoulders sagged in defeat and the teen grinned to herself.

"Promise me you'll actually sleep." Katherine pointed a finger at her for good measure, trying her best to look even the slightest bit strict. Daniela's mouth tugged higher and she nodded dutifully.

"Promise."

With one last wary look, Katherine turned and left leaving Daniela stood at the bottom of the stairs. The girl pursed her lips, turning her gaze to the top of the stairs where the bathroom was. She did promise both her brother and Katherine that she would sleep. And she would. Just not at her house.

Hiking it up the stairs, Daniela's first stop was to her closet to find some fresh clothes before heading into the bathroom. Personal hygiene was high on her list of priorities and she didn't exactly fancy going around to her boyfriend's house looking like death.

/

"Do you even know what you're doing?" Questioned Daniela an hour later, one eyebrow hiked at Lip as he typed away at his laptop.

He shook his head, a concentrated frown etched onto his face. "Not really. That's why I've gotta search this up."

Lip had told her of their plan to challenge the will Cousin Patrick had filed as they all knew it was fake considering it was dated two years previous and Ginger had been long gone by then. That left the Gallaghers in a sticky predicament that they needed to work around if they were to save their house from Patrick.

Daniela hummed to herself and moved to lay beside him. As she curled up into herself, Lip glanced away from his laptop to stare at her, his frown lessening.

They hadn't had the chance to spend much time together recently what with the whole Patrick ordeal and then her mother being sick. Lip had been missing her company more and more so to have her finally there with him was something he wanted to take advantage of.

Noticing his stare, Daniela frowned and gently nudged the laptop. "Don't let me distract you."

The corner of the boy's mouth quirked up as his eyes continued to scan her. She barely had enough time to register the mischievousness in them before the laptop was pushed to the side.

Unceremoniously, Daniela found herself situated where the machine had once been, her legs straddling his own. The tips of Lip's fingers ran up her arms slowly, causing her to tilt her head down to watch the movement. Turning her chin, Daniela leaned forward, catching Lip's mouth with her own.

She sighed into it, feeling that comfort she had now come to associate with him as her hand moved to rest against his jaw, bringing him even closer. Beneath her, she felt Lip shift slightly, positioning her over him better as their kisses grew more heated; their want for each other intensifying from the distance they had had to endure.

She felt Lip's tugging at the hem of her shirt and she wasted no time breaking away long enough for him to peel it off of her. A ragged breath shuddered out of her as Lip's hands continued their journey across the smooth expanse of her skin; the grips of his fingers digging deeper.

As he went to work off her bra, they each heard a knock on the door followed by Ian's voice.

"Lip? Can I talk to you?"

Daniela lifted her head from Lip's, seeing the irritation in his eyes that she also felt. His eyes locked with hers and she could see that he intended on ignoring whatever his brother wanted, finding their current predicament much more important. Shaking his head at her, he tugged her back down to him.

"Lip?" Ian's voice called once more, wondering if his brother had even heard him. Lip suppressed a groan.

"Can you do it through the door?"

Daniela giggled, her head shifting to rest in the crook of his neck while a hand stayed tangled in his hair. There was a silence that followed meaning that the answer to his question was a no.

Sighing, Lip briefly kissed her collarbone in apology before Daniela pushed herself to the side. She made to grab her discarded shirt while Lip hobbled to the door; the sight making her laugh under her breath. She managed to tug it back on just as Lip opened the door to glare at his brother.

Ian's eyes widened a fraction when he caught sight of Daniela perched on the edge of the bed. She waved at him in greeting, smiling softly though by the look his brother was shooting him, he had clearly interrupted something.

"What is it?" Lip questioned impatiently, drawing the attention of Ian once again. The boy's face shifted a little causing both Lip and Daniela to frown. He glanced between the two again, not sure how to begin.

Sensing that this was a private matter, Daniela stood from the bed.

"I think I'm gonna go help Debbie pick out her outfit for tomorrow," she said, squeezing past the two brothers. Lip's eyes stuck to her as she made her way down the hallway and into Debbie's room. With a sudden seriousness, he looked back to his brother.

"This better be good."

/

"Hey, Debs," greeted Daniela, coming to stand in the entrance of the younger girl's room. Debbie glanced up at her, smiling briefly.

"Hey."

"You getting ready for tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I'm still deciding what to wear. Fiona tried to help out before but it didn't go that well." She gestured to the pile of clothes thrown onto her bed with some items laid out separately.

Daniela laughed softly and shrugged. "I could lend a hand if you want?"

The younger pressed her lips together, sighing. "Thanks, El but you weren't exactly much help last year."

Daniela thought back, seeing that she had a point. She had been so caught up with Lip and his stupid downward spiral with Karen that had aggravated her to no end that she had barely been paying attention to Debbie.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was too busy being pissed off at your brother." She pushed herself off the wall and walked to Debbie. "But! I can promise you this year that you have my undivided attention."

The younger girl seemed wary- and rightfully so- but nodded nevertheless. "I guess I could give you another chance."

A grin lit up Daniela's face that Debbie instantly mirrored, her excitement growing now that she had someone to help her out.

"So these are the clothes I have. I've already picked out a few pieces I thought would look good together." The girl continued to happily chatter away about it and how much she was looking forward to going back to school.

For the next twenty minutes, both girls worked together to pull together an outfit worthy of Debbie's first day of the new school year. Daniela proved her worth by rifling through all of the clothes and picking out a few Debbie hadn't considered.

Having come to a sound conclusion, the two girls stood back to marvel at their work.

"Not bad, El," praised Debbie, grinning up at the older girl. Feeling quite proud of herself, Daniela returned it before her attention was caught by Lip leaning in the doorway.

She wasn't sure how long he had been there for as he stood watching the two of them, an inscrutable look on his face that Daniela picked up on right away.

"Everything okay?"

Lip made a noise of approval, bobbing his head slightly. "Yeah. Ian just wanted to talk more about the Patrick thing."

At the mention of their cousin, Debbie's head picked up. "Did you manage to find out how we're gonna challenge the will?"

"Not yet," answered Lip, shaking his head. Daniela saw that he looked a lot more worn out than he did before and it worried her.

"Hey, Debs?" She turned to address the younger girl. "Is it okay if I go now?"

Smiling knowingly, Debbie nodded. "Go on. Thanks for helping me, El."

"No problem," smiled Daniela over her shoulder as she made her way to Lip. "You're gonna look great tomorrow."

Lip followed behind as they both headed back into his room. Neither said anything causing Daniela's worry to build. She placed herself at the edge of the bed, fixing her eyes on him.

"You sure you're okay?" She asked once more, wanting to make sure. Lip nodded making her press her lips together. "If it's okay with you, I think I'm just gonna have a nap."

"That's fine," said Lip, moving to bed and picking up the laptop. "I need to get going on this will stuff." Daniela watched him silently, taking in the tiny frown etched into his features.

"You know you can talk to me if you ever need to, right?" Daniela tried one more time while she situated herself beside him. Lip took a break from his typing to meet her stare.

"I know," he sighed. "It's just the possibility that we could lose the house." Now Daniela understood. She felt awful about it all too and it wasn't even hers.

Placing a hand to his jaw, she pressed a single, soft kiss to his lips before lying down beside him. Her eyes drifted shut, hearing Lip go back to his typing a few beats later and it wasn't long before it lulled her to sleep.

/

The next morning, Daniela decided to get to school a little early- something shocking for her- but she figured it would be good since she needed to stop by Mr. Healey's office.

The moment she stepped into the school hallways, she felt her stomach sink at the bittersweet thought that she had to endure the place for a couple more weeks.

At least she wasn't in Lip's position. He still had months to go before he would get his diploma.

Daniela came to a stop outside of Healey's office, seeing that the door was already open a crack. Knocking tentatively, she watched the balding man meet her eye from behind his desk.

"Miss Kaufman," he greeted politely. "This is a pleasant surprise."

"Hey, Mr. Healey." She stepped into the room, closing the door softly behind her. "You got a minute?"

"Please," he gestured to the free seat in front of his desk. "Have a seat." She did just that, watching as he flipped a folder closed and pushed it to the side before making a steeple with his fingers, offering her his full attention.

"What can I do for you?"

"Uh, I wanted to talk to you about my path after high school," she began a little nervously. She had done a lot of thinking over the past two weeks and came to a realization.

Healey hummed and leaned back in his chair, twiddling his thumbs thoughtfully. "So I take it you've decided on what to do?"

"Nursing," Daniela answered, her voice full of conviction. The man simply raised his eyebrows, something that made her frown. "You don't think it'd be a good idea?"

"No, no. I think it would be great. In fact, I'm a little annoyed I didn't think of it myself."

Daniela laughed a little before sobering, her brows pinching together. "I know it's a bit late but is there a chance I'd be able to get some applications sent in still?"

Healey seemed uncertain, the twist in his mouth being indication enough for the girl who felt the hope in her chest shrivel up. After a few long moments, the man tilted his head thoughtfully.

"It won't be easy but I do have connections with a few colleges who would take your applications if you were to get them filled out by this Friday."

She nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I can do that."

Healey nodded back, a grin growing on his face as he watched her. "Great. Give me till the end of the day to get those forms together and then come get them."

"Okay." Feeling lighter than she did when she came in, Daniela stood and made her way to the door, pausing as she took hold of the handle. Glancing over her shoulder, she gave the man a grateful smile. "Thanks, Mr. Healey.

"Anytime, kid."

Tossing him a quick wave, Daniela walked out and hitched the strap of her bag higher.

/

When lunch rolled around, Daniela was left alone to her own devices. Lip had decided to spend his time reading up about legalities and wills in their piss-poor excuse for a school library. Thankfully for her, Simon dropped by offering lunch which she was not going to say no to.

"Thank your mom for the lunch for me," she said, wiping the corners of her mouth to expel any pesky crumbs.

Simon chuckled and waved it off. "She was afraid you weren't taking care of yourself with everything that's happened." His eyes traveled over her with a scrutiny that had her wriggling in her seat. "And she was right. How much sleep have you had?"

"Enough," supplied Daniela, raising her chin defiantly before taking a bite of the sandwich his mother had made for her. Simon's raised eyebrow was enough to show that he didn't believe her.

Clearing her throat, Daniela shifted the topic along. "So why are you really here?"

"I'm not allowed to visit my friend?" He asked skeptically which she rolled her eyes good-naturedly at.

"Of course you can- and lunch is always appreciated! But you won't stop looking around for something," she paused to raise her brows knowingly. "Or someone."

Simon sighed in defeat. "I did come to check up on you but I was also hoping to see Mandy."

"Things still rocky?"

"You really want to know?" He frowned. Usually, she would try whatever she could to avoid talking about his relationship with Mandy that still somehow managed to confuse her.

Daniela simply shrugged. "I'm bored."

Simon huffed a small laugh before heaving a sigh that piqued his friend's interest. "She's been ignoring me."

"Yeah, I kind of gathered that from that the fact that she's not hanging around you right now."

"I told her that I wanted her to finish high school while I was away at college and she thought it was my attempt to get her to stay here while I had sex with college girls," continued the boy, raking a frustrated hand through his hair.

"And what did you tell her?"

"Didn't get time to say anything before she stormed out." Simon stared down at his hands. "Hasn't spoken to me ever since."

"Well," huffed Daniela, bulging her eyes. "No one said dating Mandy Milkovich was going to be easy."

"Yeah, I'm starting to see that."

Daniela twisted her mouth, seeing how much this was affecting her friend. Feeling like she had to do something to help him, the girl nodded determinedly to herself.

"I'll talk to her."

"Excuse me?" Stuttered Simon, eyebrows hiking up to his hairline. "Are my ears defective or did you just say you'd talk to Mandy. Like, actually hold a conversation with her that doesn't consist of snide comments and dirty looks."

Daniela rolled her eyes at his dramatics. "Yes, Simon. I did."

The boy's eyes narrowed in suspicion before he abruptly leaned across the table to slap the back of his hand against her forehead.

"Nope. No fever," he muttered to himself. Daniela scoffed, swatting his hand away as the bell rang out around them. She stood from her seat, scrunching the brown paper bag up into a ball before tossing it into a nearby trash can.

"I'm only doing this for you because you're my friend."

"And I truly appreciate the thought but don't you think you'll just make things worse?" Worried Simon, chewing on his lip. He knew she had good intentions but he had never seen Daniela and Mandy act kindly towards each other.

The girl gasped in faux shock, pressing a hand to her chest as if she were actually wounded. "That hurts, Si. Really. Besides, you should have more faith in me."

With one last thank you for the lunch, Daniela made her way to class, leaving a petrified Simon behind.

/

It seemed like Daniela's body wasn't ready for the workload that was school because as soon as she was home, she was out like a light. At last her body won out and the number of hours she got that night was well-needed.

By the next morning, she felt more rejuvenated and carried a bit more pep in her step. The bell rang out and soon students were clamoring out of the classrooms into the rapidly-filling hallway.

Daniela was among those people and she made sure to glare at any of her peers that bumped into her in their hasty attempt to get to their lockers. She was in the process of shooting a particularly vicious one at a sophomore when her eyes caught onto Mandy walking into the bathrooms.

Remembering her promise of good deed to Simon, Daniela changed course and made to follow her.

Much to her delight, the bathroom was empty save for one stall. Mandy was stood in front of the mirror re-applying her make-up when she spotted the other girl lingering nearby.

Her mouth instantly curled in disdain. "The fuck do you want?"

Daniela inhaled deeply, biting her tongue so as to not shoot her a retort. "I'm gonna choose to ignore that and just get right to the point. Why are you avoiding Simon?"

"None of your business." Mandy didn't even bother sparing her a look this time as she worked on her mascara. The tick in her jaw grew the more she was in the other girl's presence.

"True," conceded Daniela. "But he's my friend and you're ragging on him for no reason."

Their conversation was shortly interrupted by the flushing of a toilet before a girl emerged from the stall. Both Mandy and Daniela silently waited for her to wash her hands and leave before continuing, though the Milkovich looked about ready to ditch with her.

As the door swung closed, Daniela leveled Mandy with a look to which she huffed at.

"He wants me to stay here while he goes to college," she revealed, that persistent bite lingering in her tone.

Daniela didn't mind and instead leaned against the wall. "Because he cares about you."

"So what?" Mandy scoffed, eyeing her through the mirror. "He gets to go off to college and fuck 20-something-year-old hipsters behind my back while I stay here?"

That elicited a small chuckle from the older girl who simply crossed her arms. "You're mad at him because you're jealous."

"I'm not-"

"Oh, come on." She sighed, exasperated. "You really think Simon's gonna cheat on you?"

It seemed Mandy certainly did think it was a possibility judging by her sudden silence. Daniela watched as she rotated on her foot before resting against the sink. The girl's guard had slipped just enough for Daniela to glimpse at the nervousness underneath.

"What if he meets another girl at college? One who's exactly like him… " Mandy's voice quieted. "One who's better than I am."

In her chest, Daniela felt something akin to sorrow for the other girl. Seeing her so vulnerable seemed so off. Mandy wasn't supposed to be a worrying girl, she was supposed to be a badass that - on occasion- impressed Daniela.

"Enough with the pity party." She couldn't keep the sliver of disturbed revulsion from her voice.

Instantly, Mandy's eyes darkened. "What?"

"You're Mandy fucking Milkovich," stressed Daniela. "A girl who does what she wants without taking shit from anybody else- especially some hipster college girls. And I can tell you right now that Simon won't give a damn about any of them."

The Milkovich, seeming to catch onto how strange this entire situation was, narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"You're being nice to me. Why?"

It was a question she had asked herself plenty of times. Why was she bothering with this? They weren't friends, they never were. While she may have originally convinced herself it was solely for the benefit of Simon- and indirectly herself- Daniela was beginning to think there was more to it.

Their whole lives, the two of them had been bred to believe that the other was a taint on the Earth. This ideology worsened once Mandy moved in on her territory and stuck around causing more than a few rifts. However, Daniela couldn't deny the fact that the whole act was- for lack of a better word- draining and she didn't think she could bear it for much longer.

Coming to this startling conclusion, Daniela sighed. "I know you're not a bad person. There's little chance Ian or Simon would want anything to do with you if you were." Now came the hard part. Her eyes dropped to her shoes momentarily before meeting Mandy's confused stare.

"And I think we got off on the wrong foot." Daniela shrugged. "Wasn't really our fault, though."

Her admission drew a tense silence that had her shuffling from foot to foot while she waited for Mandy to say something- anything.

Nothing.

Daniela was surprised they hadn't been interrupted by anybody else coming into the bathroom. Growing impatient, she sighed in exasperation.

"Come on, dude. I'm offering an olive branch here."

Mandy, still hesitant, finally broke her silence. "Got any ideas?"

Daniela nearly collapsed against the wall in relief as a small smile graced her face. "Well, I would start by talking to him again. Hear him out and then once you have, try and come to a mutual agreement." At that Mandy nodded and she pushed herself off of the sink, making a beeline for the door.

With her hand hovering over the handle, she paused, hearing Daniela's voice. "And uh, don't worry about Simon. He's too nice to cheat."

The Milkovich threw her one more stiff nod. "Thanks." It was tense and sounded like it took effort but Daniela knew she meant it. There was no doubt this new change in their dynamic was going to take some getting use to.

"No problem."

Clearing her throat, Mandy tucked a piece of hair behind her ear before swiftly making her exit. Feeling oddly satisfied, Daniela lingered behind for a moment before doing the same and instantly collided with a body.

"There you are," spoke a warm familiar voice. Daniela looked up to meet Lip's eyes, feeling his arms wind around her. "I was looking for you."

"Sorry, I was just doing something for Simon." She tossed a glance at the bathroom door before returning to Lip who analyzed her curiously.

"You look happy."

"Am I not allowed to be?" She asked, raising her chin defiantly. The boy chuckled under his breath, arms pulling her closer to him.

"Of course you are." Using his grip on her for assistance, he led her to a nearby classroom, a signature smirk tugging at his mouth. "In fact, I plan on taking full advantage of that happiness."

Daniela laughed heartily, allowing him to pull her deeper into the empty classroom.

/

The next day was incredibly uneventful for Daniela, though she did have a little giggle at the news that Carl had actually tried to kill Cousin Patrick by spiking his lunch with rat poison. She knew it was wrong of her to laugh about something so serious but the hilarity of it being such a Carl thing to do wasn't lost on her.

A small grin toyed at her lips as she remembered Lip telling her about it the night earlier. He wasn't at school today. He had told her about going with Fiona to check out a house that was within their price range. Daniela could see how much it affected him that he had to say goodbye to his home. The place he had lived his entire life.

She thought more about how unfair the whole situation was as she made her way to her first class of the day. Biology. Daniela was pretty thankful that she chose it as one of her subjects considering her newly distinguished career path. The more she had thought about it, the more it made sense for her to be a nurse.

This whole situation with her mother had been incredibly enlightening and it was in those moments where she was sat beside her mother's bed feeling helpless, too nervous to breathe too loudly in fear that it might cause something drastic to happen, that she learned what she wanted to do with her life. She didn't want to feel helpless while people who were sick- people she cared about- suffered. It was unnerving.

Besides, helping people was sort of her MO and Daniela was excited about it all; her want to finish school as soon as possible growing.

Hiking the strap of her bag up higher onto her shoulder, Daniela continued on her way to class.

"Daniela!"

She froze.

No. It couldn't be.

Daniela's eyes widened a fraction at the sound of that oh so familiar voice. The voice that signaled nothing but trouble.

Karen.

She didn't want to believe it- didn't want to turn around for fear that the blonde was actually there- back in Chicago. She did it anyway, turning to see Karen advancing toward her, eyes set on her face with a sickly sweet smile.

Finally, she came to a stop in front of Daniela, pearly white teeth on display. Daniela felt sick.

"Karen," she acknowledged stiffly, lips pursed slightly. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was just re-enrolling," answered the blonde, waving a lazy hand in the direction of the front office. Daniela glanced over her shoulder at it before returning to her blue eyes with a nod.

"So you're back for good then?"

Karen shrugged her shoulders, looking chipper. "Yep. It feels good to be back." She then frowned and pointed a finger at the other girl questioningly. "Lip didn't tell you?"

Daniela wasn't sure how she was supposed to react to that. The first thing she felt was confusion. Then came fear followed by a burning anger. It seemed to be what Karen was looking for because her expression grew more satisfied though she did well to hide it.

"You talked to Lip?"

Karen bobbed her head before tilting it, creating a false air of innocence. "I came by the other day but Ian told me to wait outside." A shrug. "Guess he was trying to make sure you didn't find out."

Ian knew too? More importantly, why hadn't she been told? If there was one thing Daniela hated, it was being caught off guard.

Case in point.

She tried her best to seem nonchalant given the circumstances, and instead offered Karen a kind smile that had the other girl gritting her teeth.

"What brought you back?" It was a genuine question but Daniela had one idea as to why. Karen seemed to be thinking the same thing as she sighed deeply.

"I missed this place. But I hear things have changed." Daniela inhaled, holding onto the breath of air. Karen arched an eyebrow. "Like you and Lip."

Neither said anything, choosing instead to lock themselves into a silent stare-off. Daniela didn't back down, if anything she ramped it up by slapping on a sickly sweet smile of her own, mocking Karen's fake innocence.

"Well, you know how things go. One door closes another one opens."

Karen looked as if she had been slapped in the face. Any warm façade she had created dropped in that instant, a deep glare bearing down on Daniela who wasn't rattled in the least. Blue eyes washed over the other girl before an amused smirk flitted to her lips.

"I knew I was right about you."

Daniela knew what she was referring to. That day in Karen's basement that seemed so long ago now. At the time, Daniela had had no idea of her budding feelings for Lip, nor was she ready to accept them anytime soon. But, even then, Karen had seen it- smelt it on her like a bad scent she couldn't shake.

The blonde, feeling that her work had been done, sighed softly.

"I better get going then."

Daniela just nodded stoically. "Of course."

Karen turned on her heel, intent on walking away when something pulled her back. She glanced over her shoulder at Daniela and hammered in the final nail.

"Say hi to Lip for me."

Daniela's narrowed eyes burned into Karen's retreating back, wishing in that moment that she had laser vision so she could fry the bitch up. The encounter had left a sour taste in her mouth.

Just at that moment, her phone beeped. Daniela pulled it out to see that it was from Lip. That anger flared once more and she thought back to the day she was sure Karen had come over. She had noticed something was off with him when he returned but, Lip being Lip, brushed it off entirely and she had let it go.

Now she wished she hadn't.

The text asked if she was going to be able to make it to the court hearing later that afternoon. She heaved a sigh, having forgotten all about it. However, Daniela wasn't sure she'd be able to handle being in a room with him at the moment.

Her fingers pushed harshly at the buttons, typing her blunt reply.

Can't. Have work, sorry.

It wasn't a lie. She did and Daniela was thankful for the excuse to avoid him for a few moments later, though she knew she wouldn't be able to avoid him or the topic forever- and she didn't intend to. But first, she needed time to think and cool down before they came to that.

/

The realization hadn't been pretty.

The end of her shift had been drawing nearer when it happened. Daniela had been lounging idly behind the cash register, magazine in hand in a hollow attempt to get her mind off of Karen and her return. The pages blurred into one as she flicked through them, not really paying attention.

The nagging question of why Lip hadn't told her stuck and, no matter how hard she tried, Daniela couldn't get rid of it. She knew Karen had brought it up on purpose, probably realizing that he wouldn't do it himself.

When the end of her shift came, Daniela contemplated her next course of action. Sure, she could've simply gone home and slept on it but there was also another side of her that knew she wouldn't be able to sleep if she didn't confront this head on. The longer she let it brew, the more restless and aggravated she would become, and that wasn't going to help anyone.

Slipping into the house had been easy enough. The Gallaghers rarely bothered locking up since it was the South Side and there wasn't much for anybody to steal. However, just in case, Daniela carried around a spare key Ian had issued specially for her so that she could come and go as she pleased.

The house was silent. Daniela gathered that they all must've been at the hearing still. Concluding that it should've been done by now, she headed up to Lip's room, estimating that she had half-an-hour give or take before they got home.

Her eyes scanned the dark room as she made to settle herself down on the bed. Lying down, Daniela curled into herself, breathing in the familiar scent of Lip eliciting that feeling of comfort again. It eased her. She continued to stay like that, eventually drifting off before the sounds of people trickling in downstairs woke her up.

With a yawn, Daniela sat up with her back resting against the wall so that her line of sight was bang on the door. Her arms pulled her knees up against her chest, holding them there as she heard footsteps approaching. She took a deep breath to help steady herself.

Lip soon came into view, pausing momentarily when he caught sight of her. A frown marred his features as he took in her body language; the hunched shoulders and reclusive nature immediately making him assume the worst.

"Hey," he began tentatively, stepping further into the room. Daniela kept silent. "Did something happen with your mom?"

"No," she shook her head shortly and pressed her lips together. "She's fine."

The boy sighed in relief but sensed that that wasn't what was bugging her. Plopping down in the chair placed in the corner of his room, he rested his elbows against his knees and waited for her to begin.

"Karen's back," stated Daniela, her voice even. Her eyes stayed glued to her socks and she wiggled her toes. Across the room, Lip's head dropped slightly.

"I heard."

She quirked an eyebrow, finally looking at him. "Oh, you-you heard?" Huffing a dry laugh, Daniela continued. "Ran into her at school today." She didn't miss the small shuffle from across the room. "She said she had already spoken to you but that was the first I'd heard of it."

Lip rubbed his hands together looking like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Be honest with me, Lip. Because this makes me look like an idiot, and I am not an idiot."

"I know," nodded Lip, his voice quiet.

"Did you know she was back?" Asked Daniela even though it was an easy question. Again, Lip nodded but didn't say anything. Her next question was uttered much more quietly. "Did you have sex with her?"

Instantly, Lip's face changed as he looked at her, brows narrowed together in anger. "Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you!" Daniela couldn't keep her own voice from rising too. "But when you keep things like this from me it makes it a bit difficult."

"I didn't think it was important!"

"Of course it's important!" She snapped, stopping Lip's rebuttal as she eyed him incredulously. "You're telling me that the girl who you may or may not be completely over just decided to waltz back into town and you don't care?"

At that, the boy's face shifted to one of utter confusion. "Who says I'm not over her?"

"The fact that you didn't tell me she's back proves that you were worried."

"Because I know how much shit Karen can stir up," he stressed before gesturing between the two of them. "Kind of like what she's doing right now."

Daniela was silent for a few moments before speaking.

"If you didn't care, you would've told me because you would know that there's no way Karen would come between us." Now Lip was the quiet one, all anger in his eyes dissipating as he shifted them to stare at his hands. "But that's just it isn't it? You don't trust yourself around her."

"That's not true," he refuted though there was hardly any conviction in it.

"Yes it is," stressed Daniela, feeling the urge to tear her hair out. "Just admit it! You still care about her."

Lip's eyes narrowed at her, the anger he felt beginning to rise once again. "I thought you said you trusted me."

"I do!"

"Then why are you making such a big deal out of this?"

"Because you're not!" Daniela's outburst was sudden and took each of them by surprise. She inhaled deeply, giving Lip a glimpse at the vulnerability underneath it all. She kept her attention on her fingernails, a frown etched into her features as her tone softened. "I need to know, that you're over Karen."

Meeting his eye, Daniela stared at him almost desperately. A silence overcame them, stretching on longer and longer and with each second, Daniela's hope began to shrivel. Unable to keep the eye contact, Lip shifted his attention to the wall, causing her to chuckle sadly.

"That's what I thought."

Rising from the bed, Daniela moved past him, noting that Lip made no attempt to stop her. It infuriated her even more. There was no denial, just acceptance and she wondered where they the two of them were going to go from here.

She was stood at the top of the stairs when she caught sight of Ian poking his head out of his room obviously having heard the raised voices. His eyes sought out hers, noticing the watery sheen to them.

As his mouth opened to speak, Daniela turned away, annoyed at him too for not telling her, and headed downstairs and out the door. Her vision began to blur and it wasn't until she was back in front of her own house that she noticed the stream of tears rolling down her face.


Le voila!

A lot of you suggested nursing for Daniela which is something I had had in mind for a long time and it just fits who she is as a person.

Let me know what you guys thought about it and about the other things like the change in dynamic with Mandy. Did you see it coming?

Special thanks to xenocanaan, RHatch89, Naruhina1519, SweetRiceball20, Onlineashley, xxTheChocoholic14xx, Maddprincess, guest, x NikiSt x, and NessieBooEvans for reviewing, the 30 people that followed, and the 15 people that favorited!

Thanks for the 200 reviews by the way, mwah!

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