A/N:
Many Thanks to everyone who added this collection of Oneshots to their follows/favorites.

Special thanks to lemondrizzlecake for beta reading.

Warnings: Mild Child Abuse. Nothing too graphic, but I understand if you don't wanna read.

Disclaimer: I don't own Shameless.

Protector

Fiona & Lip

When she's about thirteen, Frank disappears for a while.

It's not the first time it happens and it won't be the last, but this one will be burned into her memory as the time that scared her the most.

Thirteen should be too old to be scared. She knows that and, at first, she's not scared at all.

It's not Frank's absence that scares her. It happened before and, even though she sometimes lays in bed at night and wonders if this time it might be it, in the depth of her heart Fiona knows that Frank will return, that he's fine. Because he always is.

It's not Frank that scares her. It's Vern.
Fiona is pretty sure Vern's full name is Vernon. He's tall and has tattoos and smells like something stronger than booze and most importantly, Vern is Monica's new guy. He's not her mother's first replacement for Frank, but he's the one that will forever remain in Fiona's mind as the one she failed to protect her family from.

When she'd return form school, Vern would already be sitting on the couch in his underwear, smoking and drinking. And when they're seated at the kitchen table, eating dinner, he'd be sitting at Frank's spot like he owns the place. He's loud and rude, nothing she's not used to, but in contrast to Frank, Vern's biggest concern isn't the next big scheme to get some money, but rather to just live his life in peace. And five children within the age of thirteen and two are not exactly quiet and peaceful.

Vern has no sense of decency. He walks around the house without putting his trousers on, uses Debbie's favorite doll to plug the hole in the bathroom wall where water is leaking and demands that Ian rolls his joints.

Fiona is concerned, really, but the thing about Vern is, he actually has money and he pays for half their bills and since he's been living with them the fridge hasn't been empty.

So Fiona decides to ignore the stuff that's not so great. She learns how to look away, because filled tiny tummys – even with a smoking, drinking garbage can in reach – are better than empty ones.

Also, it's her second year on the running team and her coach has told her that she might be able to make it into the first team as soon as she enters High School if she only keeps up practicing, and it feels good to hear that. Running is solely hers, she doesn't have to share it with her siblings, doesn't have anyone in her family that makes fun of it either and Fiona likes it. It also allows her to return late from school for three days a week and that helps a lot.

~break~

It's a regular Thursday when Fiona comes home to an unusually quiet house. That's the first thing that concerns her, because quiet in the Gallagher house never means anything good.

When she enters the kitchen Monica is hovering over Lip, and Ian is holding Debbie and Carl in his arms.

It takes a while for the picture to sink in, but then Fiona realizes that Monica is holding a bag of frozen peas to Lip's bruised face.

"What happened?"

Monica is shaking too much to answer, so Ian opens his mouth first, but he's cut off by Lip.

"Had a run in with some guys after school. They were pissed I didn't let them copy my homework."

Fiona rolls her eyes and takes a drink out of the fridge.

"Will there be any letter I need to be concerned about?"

"I am handling it-" Monica starts, but Lip cuts her off, too.

"No teacher saw. No need to be worried. Promise."

He's looking her directly in the eyes and Fiona resigns. "Fine."

She goes to take a shower, then, and doesn't think about it anymore.

That night they learn that Vern is out on probation, when Monica and him are fighting and yelling and throwing things around in the kitchen. Fiona lies in bed, Ian, Debbie and Carl cuddled close to her, Lip seated right behind the closed door of her room.

"You can join us in bed too," she tells him. "There's enough space."

He simply shakes his head and soon after Fiona falls asleep. When she wakes up in the morning and has to pee, she falls over his sleeping form, still blocking the door like a guard dog.

Fiona doesn't return to her room after that, but stumbles into the living room, where Monica is sitting on the couch, crying.

She sits down next to her and is close to giving her mother a hug, but she decides against it.

"What is he on probation for?" she asks instead.

"Drug possession, vandalism, some more stuff I forgot," Monica slurs.

"Why is he here?" Fiona then wonders aloud, but all she gets as a response is a shrug.

Fiona decides to leave it there and goes on a morning run. It feels good to have the cool April's air blowing through her hair, blowing away her sorrows.

~break~

On Monday, Fiona comes home late and finds Ian hugging a crying Monica.

She almost shakes her brother, wants him to tell her what happened, but Ian just shakes his head.

"I promised not to tell you, Scout's honour."

"Fuck Scout's honour," she says, but Ian stays quiet.

~break~

It's Wednesday when Fiona finally learns the truth, even though deep down she already knew. That day, she returns from her after school program early and, when she enters the living room, she stops in her tracks. The entire picture that presents to her is messy and scary.

The glass table is broken and Monica is lying on it. Ian is squeezed into a corner, holding Debbie and Carl close, while Vern is hovering over their mother, panting like a bull, his left hand bruised and bloodied around the knuckles. And in between them, Lip's taking his stand, fists clenched, lip cracked open, a new bruise forming on his chin.

It feels like someone pulled the rug out under her feet and knocked all the air out of her lungs.

For a moment, Fiona just stands there, until the rage slowly bristles everywhere inside her.

Within seconds she's there, between Vern and Lip, shoving the much taller man backwards.

"Don't you dare touching them!" she screams, but he's already upon her. The hand that connects with her cheek sends her tumbling down to the floor, and she hits her head on the fireplace. It takes a moment until she sees clearly again, and that short time is enough for Lip to pin Vern to the floor.

To this day, Fiona can't understand how he did it, a small nine-year-old against a big, grown up man, but Lip's on him, beating the shit out of Vern.

"That's my sister, you sucker!" he screams and repeats it with every punch of his tiny fists. My sister, my sister, my sister. It sends chills down her spine and it takes an eternity for her to move, but finally she grabs Lip, lifts him up with such ease that she wonders again how the hell he managed to up Vern, and she clutches him to her chest. He's breathing heavily and for a moment, it's the only sound in the room Then Vern gets up, spits out some blood on the floor and looks at them outraged.

He doesn't say a word. He just turns around and gets out of the door.

"Wait, honey!"

Monica is already up, following him, and Fiona is ready to puke, but she doesn't.

Instead, she leads her brother into the kitchen, gets the peas out of the freezer and takes a look at his face, Ian and the little ones following close behind.

"Fucking Scout's honor," Fiona curses.

~break~

Vern is back a day later, sitting on the couch in his underwear, drinking beer like nothing happened.

Fiona made Monica call their schools, made her tell the secretary that she and Lip were both sick, because she's too concerned to leave Carl and Debbie alone with that man for a moment and the bruise on Lip's chin is looking awful and the last thing she needs right now is a concerned teacher calling CPS on them.

They're sitting in the backyard, watching Debbie and Carl run around barefoot, when Lip finally says something. He hasn't spoken a word since it all happened and hearing his voice calms Fiona down.

"He's on probation," is all he says.

"What do you mean?"

"What is he on probation for?"

"Monica said something about drug possession and violence, so-"

"So if someone found weed on him, that would be a parole violation?"

Fiona looks at him and wonders how a nine-year-old can know such a thing.

"I guess."

~break~

It's easier than she thought for a thirteen-year-old to buy some weed at a corner, while her freaking nine-year-old brother watches her from twelve meters afar, a two-year-old on the hip.

It should be concerning, but it's the southside and what's more pressing to Fiona is that they have to spend grocery money on it, and will probably have to eat canned tomato soup for two weeks.

They come home, cut open Vern's jacket, plant the weed in there and wait. They get Ian into their scheme, without really telling him what it's about, just so he makes Monica take them to the train station. Half an hour later, Vern has been handcuffed, Monica is sobbing and Fiona finally breathes calmly again.

Later that day, she sits with Lip on the front porch. His bruises are looking a bit better, and he's actually smiling while eating some ice cream and watching the little ones playing in the garden.

It's then that Fiona decides to get it out.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She watches him carefully, soaks in every wrinkle on his forehead as he frowns, and waits patiently until he finally speaks.

"You were so happy."

It's her turn to frown now. "What do you mean?"

"You were happy and I didn't want to ruin that. I can protect this family too, you know. You can step back sometime."

"You're only nine."

He looks at her then, shrugging.

She grabs his hand, squeezes it and is about to say something else, when suddenly Frank comes around the corner, duffle bag on his shoulders.

Fiona watches him, as he plants a kiss on Debbies forehead, ruffles Carl's hair and then walks straight towards her.

"How have you been, beautiful daughter of mine?"

She's about to say something, tell him off, because if he'd never left, Vern, maybe wouldn't have happened in the first place. But then she doesn't. Now that he's back, Fiona knows, no matter how bad Frank is... she doesn't have to be concerned about something like Vern happening again. At least not for a while.

"You shouldn't have left," is all she says.

He doesn't answer, instead climbs the stairs and opens the door. Before he enters, he turns around once more, facing them.

"You look like a fighter, my boy", he says to Lip, pointing at his bruised face. "I like that. Gallagher's are strong."

This entire story is loosly based on a scene in Season 6, where Fiona tells Will (Sean's son) about Monica and Frank always bringing home "new moms and dads" and that one of them was so bad, that Lip and her planted weed on him and called the cops.

I hope that I found the right way to talk about such a sentitive subject as child abuse, without trivialising it or make it look glorious, but neither turn it too dark.

Next Chapter:
"Collect" with Debbie and Carl