Chapter 32.

Happy Easter!

Because these next chapters are so important, I had to take as much time as possible planning it out so that everything's okay as we are now nearing the end of Season 3.

As you can see from the title, it's a two-parter with this one being the build up to the next.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shameless.


Daniela tried to keep herself busy after that.

Over the course of the next few days, she avoided both Ian and Lip, choosing instead to finish off her final assignments or seek companionship with Simon and, therefore, Mandy.

The couple had since managed to sort out their differences and come to an agreement. Mandy's side of the deal was that she had to finish high school and then after she graduated, she would take up a course paid for by Simon while he finished his degree.

As well as that, Mandy would be able to stay in Simon's dorm on campus whenever she wanted though Simon really didn't have any objections to that.

Daniela was nearly in stitches when she saw the look on his face after turning up to his house and greeting Mandy politely, even engaging in light conversation with the other girl. Together they had almost sent the poor boy into cardiac arrest.

The whole thing was by no means easy. Mandy still enjoyed pushing Daniela's buttons and she was never too far behind with her own quick barbs. Each time it happened, Simon looked between them as if a bomb was about to go off.

Nevertheless, the two girls had reached an amicable ground that they silently began to enjoy though neither would admit such a thing.

It wasn't until the two of them strolled into school together that Daniela realized how much things had changed. She had always secretly harbored thoughts that the Milkovich really wasn't an awful person underneath her tough exterior; that she had managed to pick up back when Mandy had first started hanging out with her and Ian.

As the two of them made their way through the hallway, everything seemed normal- at least to them but to a couple of spectators such as Ian and Lip, however, it seemed as if the world had turned on its axis.

"Uh, did Hell just freeze over?" Muttered a seriously confused Ian to his brother who simply shook his head.

Across the corridor, Lip's eyes caught onto Karen who was already looking him up and down with a keen smirk. He didn't waste much time staring back, turning instead to watch Daniela make her way past beside Mandy Milkovich of all people.

Daniela could feel his eyes on her the whole time and each step past his locker seemed like a mission. She tried her hardest to ignore it but in the final second she couldn't help but glimpse at him over her shoulder.

Moving her gaze past him, it came to settle on Ian for a split second before she tore it away and continued walking. She hadn't spoken one word to him either.

However, that didn't last very long because the next morning he was knocking on her door.

Ian stood on her front porch looking guiltier than she had ever seen him look.

"I'm sorry," he said, taking another step towards her. "I should've told you about Karen. I was just trying to protect you."

Daniela twisted her mouth, a pang of sadness echoing in her chest as she surveyed her best friend. It didn't take her very long to cave.

"I understand why you did it." Ian's head raised from looking down at his hands to her. "But it was unnecessary."

He nodded. "I know that now."

In an instant, Daniela's arms were wrapped around him tightly and a ragged breath escaped her.

"Let's never do that again," she mumbled into his neck, feeling his body shake with laughter.

"Agreed." Pulling away, Ian kept hold of her forearms and leaned forward with a serious look. "You wanna tell me what the hell happened with you and Mandy?"

A smile tugged at her lips and she shrugged. "We worked things out."

"That's terrifying," responded Ian, his eyes widening a fraction. "Seriously." Daniela simply laughed it off.

/

The next day, she awoke to the delicious smell of waffles, bacon, and eggs all courtesy of her brother and realized that her birthday had come around once again.

"Eighteen," praised Jakob as he laid down a plate of waffles in front of her. "They grow up so fast."

"Don't start crying on me now," joked Daniela before stuffing a forkful of waffles into her mouth. Her brother grinned back, opting to watch her eat rather than join her.

The rest of the day was a quiet affair spent mostly in the hospital with her mother.

The highlight of the day, however, came when her phone rang. She hadn't been expecting much though the unknown number threw her off. But when she answered and the customary message played out for prison calls came through, she nearly burst into tears.

"Dad?"

"Hey, Dani." Her father's low timbre was enough to make her voice quiver.

"Dad…it's good to hear from you."

"Likewise, baby girl. I just wanted to call to wish you a happy birthday."

Daniela laughed softly. Normally she would hate such things but this one was okay. "Thanks."

"Eighteen, huh? Well damn. I just wish I could've been there to celebrate with you."

"That's okay," said Daniela, wiping away a tear. "Truthfully, there's not much celebrating going on. We're just all at the hospital with mom."

Her father grew quiet at that. "She okay?"

"Yeah, she's great actually. The doctors are surprised at how well she's doing."

"Good," approved Lawrence, his voice thick. "That's good to hear."

Another silence overtook them and Daniela knew the reason why. No doubt her father was thinking of what happened the last time she had seen him.

"Da-"

"Dani," Lawrence beat her to the punch and heaved a sigh. "About what happened-"

"You don't have to explain," she honestly assured him. She didn't want him beating himself up about how he had ended things. "I'm just glad to hear from you again."

/

When Daniela walked into school the next day with Mandy and Ian, she felt deflated. This strain on her relationship with Lip was starting to increase and its effects were showing. She supposed that the silver lining in all of it was that this would be her last day of high school.

She just wished he could be there to help her celebrate.

As she contemplated this, Daniela heard Ian mumble something beside her and glanced up to see none other than Lip himself advancing towards her. Her throat bobbed with a gulp, the angle of her spine hitting an 180.

However, the closer he got to her, the more Daniela noticed the pissed off expression and clenched fists and glanced over her shoulder to see if it was directed towards someone else.

Nope. That was all for her.

For some reason, she didn't feel very flattered.

"What the fuck is this?" He demanded harshly, waving something in her face too fast for her to make out what it was.

Daniela frowned, trying to get a better look at it. "I don't-"

"You enrolled in colleges for me?" That caused her mouth to clamp shut. Now she understood.

Her face must have been indication enough because the next thing Lip did was inhale sharply, shaking his head at her.

It was also at this point that Karen decided to breeze past, slowing to a stop when she saw the couple in a tense encounter in the middle of the hallway. Not hiding her wide smile for Lip, Karen managed to stop whatever they were about to say.

Daniela's hands bunched up into tight fists at her side as she watched Karen bat her eyelashes at her boyfriend.

"Everything okay?" She asked sweetly causing Daniela to scoff. Karen frowned dubiously. "What?"

"Walk the fuck away."

Daniela frowned, the words having been stolen from her mouth. Turning her head, she stared at Mandy who was too busy glaring at Karen to notice her shocked expression.

A small smile fell on her face as she focused her attention and dislike towards the blonde who was now eyeing the two reproachfully alongside Lip who looked equally as confused.

Raising her eyebrows a little, Karen raised her hands in surrender, backing off but not before shooting Lip another smile to which he simply ignored. Still, Daniela wanted to wring her neck for it. She had often taken pride in the fact that she never chose violence as the answer unless absolutely necessary but this girl was seriously testing her patience.

Once Karen was completely gone, Daniela looked at Lip who was running his tongue over his bottom lip in what seemed to be frustration.

"I didn't do it," she claimed, trying her hardest to not sound weak or guilty.

Lip's eyes turned icy, rocking her for a second. She hadn't seen that from him since back in the day when they hated each other. The boy's shoulders shook with a dry chuckle as he glared down at her.

"Right, so some rep from MIT is showing up at my place today for no reason, huh?"

Daniela paused. A rep? That meant that they saw something they liked.

Despite the fragile situation she was currently in, Daniela couldn't help the small smile but it vanished almost as soon as it appeared when she saw Lip's peeved expression.

"Look," she sighed in resignation. It was enough to make Lip turn his head away from her and wipe a thumb over his nose in frustration. "All I did was get those letters of recommendation from your teachers." Lip scoffed causing Daniela to crane her neck forward to try and regain his attention. "But I didn't sign any applications. I gave the letters to Healey and I guess he took care of the rest."

"So you two went behind my back?"

"Well, when you put it that way it sounds like we were plotting against you."

"Weren't you?" Pressed Lip, voice laced with a betrayal that threw her off guard.

She narrowed her eyes at him, feeling her own anger begin to rise. "We did it because we care about your future- unlike you."

"Yeah, well it's not your decision whether or not I go to college."

"You know for a genius, you really are stupid."

"I don't need the lecture," drawled Lip, waving a hand at her in dismissal before turning to walk away.

"No. You're gonna get it." Daniela slapped the hand away before running to cut him off. Lip's eyes went skywards before he pressed his lips and stared down at her. Meanwhile, Ian and Mandy stood by watching the whole thing with keen interest.

Lowering her voice so that their peers wouldn't be privy to their personal problems, Daniela moved closer. "I don't understand why you're so against college. I know you don't wanna be the golden goose and you don't have to be. But at least do this for yourself."

Lip's jaw sat clenched tightly as he narrowed his eyes at her. "Stop making decisions for me. I can do it myself."

"Oh really?" Daniela laughed outright. "Because that's going so fan-fucking-tastic isn't it?"

Looking to be on the verge of severely lashing out, Lip clenched his fists. "You know what? Fuck this." Side-stepping her, he was met with no resistance as he continued on his way to class.

Daniela was steaming and she felt a serious urge to stomp her foot like a petulant child but resisted, not wanting to embarrass herself even more in front of the school, not that they were really paying attention.

Instead, she simply brushed the hair out of her face and raised her chin before marching off to class, leaving behind Ian and Mandy who shared a look before following.

/

"You did the right thing you know," said Mandy during lunch. "With the college applications."

Daniela quirked an eyebrow. "Did I?" She didn't feel like she had.

"Lip's just being a stubborn asshole."

"Lip wouldn't be Lip if he acted otherwise," scoffed Daniela, eyeing her untouched lunch with a pout. Her entire appetite had disappeared which was a travesty in itself. "I should've talked to him about it first."

Beside her, Mandy snorted. "Like that would've gotten you anywhere. No, you did the right thing. He'll thank you for it later."

"Yeah, maybe." Daniela had a hard time believing that.

Sighing, her eyes caught onto Ian who was also sitting with them though you wouldn't have noticed considering how quiet he was being. Something had changed between that morning and lunchtime and it had Daniela worried. Whatever it was had Ian off in his own world.

Frowning, she nudged Mandy before cocking her head at the boy. Catching onto it, Mandy simply shrugged, none the wiser to why he was acting strange and Daniela made a mental note to ask him about it later.

Tilting her head back, she groaned up at the sky. "God, I thought your last day of school was supposed to be fun."

This was not the way she had planned on going out. Not at all. The edge of Mandy's mouth quirked up a little and even Ian managed a small chuckle.

/

"So you're officially done?" Asked Ian as they made their way home from school.

He had remained quiet for the majority of the day so Daniela was surprised when he actually spoke. She had been planning on letting him stew over his thoughts before asking about it herself.

Nodding, Daniela made a small noise of affirmation. "Uh-huh. I just need to wait a couple days and then go pick up my diploma." There was no hiding the happiness in which she had said it. Not even the crap with Lip was going to ruin this moment for her.

It seemed, however, that Ian had reverted back into silence. Glancing over at him, Daniela watched in worry as he monotonously made his way home.

"You wanna talk about it?" She figured there was no point asking if he was okay considering it was very obvious that he wasn't. Her question showed little effect and she wasn't even sure he had heard her until, after a few long minutes, he released a breath.

"Mickey's getting married."

Daniela wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that. Seeing this, Ian nodded emphatically.

"Yeah. To some Russian whore."

She blinked and shook her head once. "Wait, like a whore-whore or a whore just because she's marrying Mickey?"

"A prostitute," clarified Ian, sounding none too pleased about the whole thing. Daniela, on the other hand, was still reeling from the news.

"Woah. When did that happen?"

Ian shoved his hands further into his pockets and she had no doubts that they were balled up into tight fists to fight off the frustration he was feeling.

"Mandy said it's because she's knocked up."

"Yeah, but you said so yourself, she's a hooker. Who knows how many guys she's been with? Surely Mickey's not the only possibility."

"His dad's forcing it."

Daniela frowned, tossing him a confused sideways glance. "Why would he do that? Ignoring the fact that he's a total fucking asshole."

Ian didn't miss a beat. "Because he caught me and Mickey together."

Her feet stopped and Ian sighed once again, having expected this reaction.

"What the fuck? When the fuck?"

Suddenly, Ian couldn't help himself and the words were just spewing out of him.

He told her about the day he had stayed at Mickey's house, back when DFS had taken them away- back when things between her and Lip were good and normal. About how his father had come home earlier than expected from a trip and caught the two of them together.

But the part that affected her the most was when he told her about what Terry made him and Mickey, the whole thing managing to make her feel sick to her stomach.

"Those cuts and bruises…" surmised Daniela, voice low and filled with revulsion. The very same cuts and bruises her friend had written off as being from the boys at the group home. "They were from him?"

Ian nodded, managing to hide his slight flinch at the reminder of the pain as he began to walk ahead of her. Behind him, Daniela's jaw clenched as she reached out to stop him. It worked.

His eyes were glued to the ground and she could see the determination in his jaw. The determination to hold everything in.

In an instant, her arms surrounded him with Ian's own soon coming to wrap around her frame tightly.

"I'm so sorry, Ian," she murmured against his cheek, feeling his shoulders shake and her own face tightened in pain for her friend. "I'm so sorry." She continued to repeat, unable to stop the anger at herself for not realizing something was up sooner.

Eventually, they continued on their way in a more comfortable silence. When they reached his house, Daniela felt a sadness at leaving her friend. She stared up at the place, pulling the inside of her cheek between her teeth.

Seeing this, Ian nudged her arm with his own. "You wanna come inside?"

She shook her head. No doubt Lip would already be home and most likely still pissed at her.

Unfortunately for her, Ian wasn't willing to accept her meek answer and rolled his eyes before grabbing her hand and hauling her up the back stairs.

"No, no, no, Ian!" She tried, shaking her head desperately whilst trying to wrestle her hand from his grip but that damn ROTC training put his strength way above her own meaning that she simply had to suck it up and go with him.

"Sorry, El but there's only one way this is gonna be settled and that's by the two of you talking to each other." Ian twisted open the door before hauling her behind him into the kitchen.

They both paused when they saw Lip standing there, a beer in his hand, eyes locked onto Daniela. Her eyes dropped to the floor, missing his eyebrows pinching together. Finally letting go of her, Ian shared a silent look with his brother before jogging up the stairs and reappearing not too long later without his bag.

Dropping a kiss on Daniela's forehead, he opened the door again.

She stepped towards him quickly, feeling like a child about to be stranded. "Where are you going?"

Ian stopped to give her a half-smile though it was hardly happy.

"To talk." Catching the hidden meaning in his words, Daniela simply nodded, watching him close the door behind him.

Once Ian was gone, there was no excuse for her to not talk to Lip. Still, she couldn't really work up the courage to turn and face him head on.

Despite this, she did it anyway, pivoting on her foot slowly so that she could meet his eyes. When she did, she was expecting to see anger and betrayal but got neither.

In fact, Lip almost looked amused.

"What?" She asked immediately, a bite to her voice that had him grinning even wider.

"The um- the college applications that Healey turned in," he began to explain with amusement. "He plagiarized Nelson Mandela."

Daniela's brow furrowed even more. "He what?"

"Yeah," Lip laughed and took a long swig of his beer, unable to comprehend it either. "Copied straight from the internet."

Just at the sight of him smiling and laughing, Daniela's own mouth quirked up before she pressed her lips together to hide it. Taking a few steps forward, she dropped her bag on a nearby chair.

"I guess he did it on purpose. To get their attention."

"Yeah, I guess so," agreed Lip, surprising her once again. "It was smart. They knew it didn't fit considering I got a 4.6."

Things between the pair fell silent once more and each struggled to find something to say to end it. It was the first time in a week that they had actually spoken to each other in a way that felt reminiscent of how things usually were.

Daniela twiddled her thumbs, teeth biting into her cheek.

"So," she said, breaking the silence. "How did the interview go?"

Lip took another long skull before smacking his lips together and shrugging. "It was alright."

The vagueness of his answer caused her to raise an eyebrow at him in curiosity. "Alright?"

Lip simply nodded, not offering anything more and she sighed, feeling them slip back into that fractured state. Daniela knew that what Ian had said was right and that the only way they were going to fix this was by talking about it. It seemed that she would have to be the one to kick-start things.

Swallowing, she made her way around the counter to stand in front of him, Lip's eyes following her the whole time.

"I'm sorry. I should have told you about the applications."

Lip tilted his head. "You shouldn't have done it, period."

Daniela's jaw clicked and her eyes narrowed dangerously into slits. Here she was trying to fix things and he wasn't being any help at all.

"You know what? I take it back, I'm not sorry." She moved closer, voice full of conviction and growing more heated as she continued. "I'm not sorry that I actually give a shit. I'm not sorry for thinking that you're better than this shithole of a neighborhood. I'm not sorry, that I used most of my pay to help send those application forms in and I'm definitely not sorry for what I did because I did it all for you. So you might actually want to show a bit more gratitude."

All throughout her rant, Daniela failed to see the look in Lip's eyes shift the more she spoke. It wasn't until she was finished, chest heaving for oxygen, that she was truly able to see the intensity mirroring the fire in her own.

Another thing she had failed to notice was how close she had actually gotten. Lip's eyes roamed over her face, almost stunned but still, he said nothing.

Suddenly, his hands were at the back of her neck and her mouth was being tugged up to meet his in a heated kiss. Daniela moaned into his mouth, grabbing at his shirt to swallow up whatever space was left between them.

Their hands clawed at each other desperately and it wasn't long before Lip was backing her up towards the stairs, hands already working to remove her clothes. By the time they reached his bedroom, all but her underwear was gone and it isn't much longer before they were quickly discarded too.

"Thank you," groaned Lip into her ear as he pumped inside of her. Daniela's fingernails dug into his back, no doubt leaving marks as she writhed beneath him. As they continued, she could feel herself nearing her peak and figured that he must have been as well judging by the fact that his thrusts were starting to pick up speed.

With one final thrust, the two of them spilled over the edge together. Daniela whimpered, the feeling of him reminding her of how much she had been missing him. Both of their chests heaved as Lip leaned down, his chest glistening with sweat.

"Thank you," he murmured once more- softly this time- before brushing a kiss over her forehead.

/

"Why did you pick MIT?" Asked Lip a little while later. Daniela was laid down beside him, staring at him propped up on his elbow, chest bare for her own viewing pleasure.

Her fingers reached out to trace the triangle on his chest and shrugged. "I knew it would be the best place for you to go." Her eyes shifted from the tattoo to meet his stare. "You deserve to get out of here and make something of yourself. If- in any way- I could help you do that, I would. Me going with you is just a bonus."

Lip's eyebrows raised at that. "Going with me?"

Daniela twisted her mouth, nodding slightly as her finger continued tracing. "I applied at a few colleges and there are a couple in Boston with a pretty great nursing program."

"I didn't know you wanted to be a nurse," frowned Lip, his voice barely above a whisper.

Daniela liked this. Just the two of them being together enjoying each other's company. This was their time to drop any other pretenses and just be themselves.

"It was a recent development. Healey's been helping me out with it all."

"Well aren't you two close," joked Lip though his intentions were hardly malicious. Nevertheless, Daniela whacked his arm lightly.

"We had good intentions. We just…executed it poorly."

Lip was quiet for a few moments before heaving a sigh. "Well, it was a nice thought but I hate Boston. Red Sox suck."

Laughing, Daniela pushed herself up, the thin sheet falling as she lifted her hand to his chin, angling it down towards her. "Maybe I could help make the experience a bit more enjoyable."

Their mouths met for a chaste kiss that lingered before Lip inevitably pulled away to frown at her.

"Why would you do all of that?" Daniela stared up at him with confusion causing him to elaborate. "I mean, why go to all this trouble?"

Daniela shrugged, a warmth in her stomach growing at seeing the genuine confusion and gratitude on his face. Biting her lip, she conjured up some confidence out of thin air, hoping it would be enough to get her through what she was about to say next.

Lip watched her intently as her finger stopped it's tracing.

"My mom used to say that trusting someone meant more than loving them. Because you could love someone but you may not trust them if you're constantly afraid that they'll do something to ruin what you have."

Taking a deep breath, Daniela met his gaze. "I trust you, Lip." Her hand shifted to the side of his face and she leaned forward to stress what she was saying. "I need you to know that, and I need you to know how big that is for me to admit."

Feeling like she was at her most vulnerable, Daniela's eyes roamed his face searching for a reaction but instead was met with Lip pressing a kiss to her lips. Pulling away, he shifted so that he was laying down and brought her head to rest against his chest, his own hand coming to stroke her hair.

Releasing the breath she had been holding, Daniela settled in beside him, feeling the familiar tug in her chest. To her, this was comfort. To her, this was home and Daniela knew in that moment that she was already too far gone.


There you have it, she finally said it… sort of. I've really been enjoying this blossoming friendship between Mandy and Daniela so their interactions are always fun to write. Also, sweet moments with Ian, yay!

Let me know what you thought!

Special thanks to Volleyball Babe22, Isabeaux3, ebonbon, Naruhina1519, x NikiSt x, xenocanaan, youthed, RHatch39, and Raging Raven for reviewing, the 34 people that followed and the 30 that favorited!

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