📸

holding their envelopes, lip, ian, and addison headed up the gallagher stairs. "you sure you're ready for this?" lip asked, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

"hell, yeah. i mean, just because liam's frank's doesn't mean the rest of us are." ian replied confidently.

"whatever the results are, it can't be worse than the hell house i'm living in right now, so i guess so." addison shrugged.

she wasn't expecting much, but on the off chance she and sydney both weren't tom's, her life would be a lot easier in getting him out of the house. "yep." lip agreed as the three entered the boys' bedroom.

"all right. it says here, all we have to do is.. swab our own cheek and send it back in." lip sat down on ian's bed, reading the paper inside the envelope aloud.

"yeah, and pay them 150 bucks." ian reminded them. "on the off chance we're not related to frank.. it's totally worth it. open up." lip rose from his seat, sticking the swab into ian's mouth.

"it's actually pretty cool. there's a lot of shit we could figure out about ourselves in here." addison interjected, her eyes reading over the contents of the kit.

ian nodded, a faint smile playing on his lips. "yeah, like, uh, if we got the alcoholic gene from frank." he chuckled.

lip grinned, catching onto the humor. "yeah, or the dummy gene from monica." he added, earning a snicker from the brunette.

"or if i have the pushover gene from brooke." addison quipped, a playful glint in her eyes.

ian raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smirk forming on his face. "what about uh, if any of us is gonna turn out to be gay." he teased, his tone light-hearted.

"nice." lip replied, holding out his hand for a high five. with a chuckle, ian reciprocated the gesture, their laughter filling the room.

📸

storming into the alibi room with fiona, lip, carl, and sydney, addison was seething with anger. "oh, boy. bet you wish you had that vasectomy by now, huh?" kev chuckled, noticing their entrance.

addison's jaw clenched at the sound of frank's laughter, her fists tightening at her sides as she locked eyes with him. without a word, she marched toward him, her gaze burning with a fierce intensity. "thought you'd wanna know carl and sydney are all right. reset his arm and got her a splint." she spat out, staring at the man in disgust.

when carl and sydney got hurt outside after school today, frank schemed a plan for a disability worker to accidentally hit them with their car so frank could keep getting his checks.

"yeah, so please, stay on your barstool and just keep drinking." lip sneered, his tone dripping with contempt as he glared at the man responsible.

"hey, let's just do what we came here to do." fiona tried to calm him, but addison wasn't having it.

"no, i'm sorry i can't.." addison interjected, her voice trembling with rage. "what the fuck is wrong with you, frank?! she's not yours! you leave my sister out of your shit!" she screamed, her words cutting through the air like a knife.

"if you're looking for money, i don't have any yet." frank smirked, making lip grow angrier. "your mom still hasn't signed my settlement papers. i don't know where she's been all day."

"she's been getting liam's dna results." fiona informed, her voice tinged with worry as she divulged the information. "and congratulations, you're still the father." lip stated bluntly.

frank's eyes widened in disbelief at the revelation. "are you serious?" he exclaimed earning a nod from addison. "ooh, i thought that was always a rumor."

"what rumor?" addison squinted in confusion. "about nana gallagher having an affair with that sax player." frank explained, his words trailing off.

"promise you won't sign anything forfeiting parental rights." fiona pleaded sternly, her tone laced with urgency as she addressed her father.

"come on. you know what a bad mother monica is! i'm letting her pretend she can have him so i can get my settlement." frank explained nonchalantly, his words dripping with self-interest.

"what if she doesn't give up that easy?" fiona pressed further, her worry evident in her voice.

"no, no, no, this is a win-win situation. i—i mean, even if she takes him for a little while.. she'll be back, crying about her low self esteem." frank replied dismissively, his arrogance shining through his words.

fiona ripped her hat off in frustration, her anger bubbling to the surface, while lip and addison exchanged a knowing look. "or how boys actually need their fathers.. or penis grief, heh." frank chuckled callously, making a joke of it.

sydney, carl, and now debbie, who had just entered the room, stared at frank in confusion, taken aback by his inappropriate remarks.

"that's when you wake up and look at the person next to you and you say: somebody help me, i just fucked a lady!" frank continued, his words dripping with vulgarity.

"i've never asked you for anything, ever!" fiona pleaded desperately, her frustration palpable in her voice.

"oh, come on. will you please give me some time with this? i can do this. i just—don't pressure me!" frank waved her off dismissively, his selfishness shining through his words.

"i cannot believe this shit." addison muttered under her breath, her anger simmering beneath the surface.

getting frustrated, lip announced abruptly, "i've gotta walk away."

"what?" fiona whipped her head around, her eyes widening in surprise. "lip!" addison called after him, her voice filled with concern.

"if i don't, i'm gonna fucking hit him!" lip shouted, his frustration evident in his voice as he turned to walk out of the bar.

addison watched him go, her heart pounding in her chest. but just as lip reached the door, he stopped abruptly. "what the hell?" he whispered to himself before turning around and landing a punch on frank's face.

frank fell off the bar stool, hardly hitting the ground, as addison instinctively jumped back, grabbing sydney and carl to shield them from the chaos.

"fuck!" lip screamed, grabbing his hand in pain from the force of the punch.

debbie watched in horror as her father spat blood on the floor, the sight leaving her shaken. addison did her best to lead the three kids out of the bar, her heart heavy with the weight of the situation.

as she exited, addison overheard fiona's threat ring through the air. "you do this, you are on your own and i'm not kidding. i'm done. i'm gone."

📸

back at steve and fiona's new place, the air was heavy with tension as ian, debbie, carl, and sydney lounged on the couch, while the couple engaged in a somber discussion about their legal options.

steve's concerned gaze flickered between fiona and the kids as he tentatively broached the subject. "uh, so the lawyer said there's nothing you can do?"

fiona's shoulders sagged with exhaustion as she leaned back, running a hand through her hair. "if we sue, it could backfire, make things worse," she explained, her voice strained from the emotional turmoil of the day.

just then, the door swung open, and lip and addison stepped in, their expressions weary yet determined. "jesus. this place still smells like old man harris," lip remarked, his nose wrinkling at the familiar scent.

"what did monica want?" fiona quickly demanded, her tone edged with frustration.

"to come over for dinner." addison replied with an eye roll, her annoyance thinly veiled. "some kind of family meeting." lip responded, his voice heavy with resignation as he sank into a nearby chair.

"ha, ha, family? fucking load of shit." fiona muttered under her breath, her frustration mounting with each passing moment. "you told her we know liam's frank's?"

"yeah." lip nodded grimly, reaching for a beer from steve. fiona let out a heavy sigh, "you have any pot? if i have to go see mom conscious, i might commit a violent felony."

lip couldn't help but notice the shift in fiona's demeanor, his gaze lingering on her for a moment longer than necessary. "that's the first time in a long time i've heard you call her 'mom,'" he remarked, his voice soft with understanding.

fiona's brow furrowed in confusion, a flicker of surprise crossing her features as she processed the observation. "i did?" she she echoed, her voice tinged with disbelief. lip nodded, placing a cigarette in his mouth.

"i don't know if i ever felt like she was my mom." fiona admitted quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"ian and i got our dna test done." lip informed his sister. "not that it makes any difference for your problems, but i had syd and i do one too." addison added, her expression casual.

as steve attempted to pass the joint to fiona, a brief scuffle ensued as carl tried to intercept it, prompting steve to smack his hand away in frustration.

"why?" fiona asked simply, her tone tinged with curiosity. "well," addison sighed, pulling a strand of hair back and out of her face, "i will do just about anything to get tom out of our house.."

"and i got excited at the idea of not being frank's and, if none of us are his, you'd have an easier time becoming our legal guardian." lip explained, a glimmer of optimism amidst the darkness that surrounded them.

carl made another attempt to grab the joint, prompting ian to swat his hand away. "lip's gonna pick up the results in about an hour."

"we'll here's to not being frank's or tom's!" fiona declared with a small smile.

📸

sitting at the dinner table in the gallagher living room, addison found herself wedged between an empty seat for lip and sydney, her irritation simmering beneath the surface as monica placed the burnt food on the table. "i hope everybody's hungry," monica chirped, her smile strained as she took her seat.

addison shot ian a pointed glare across the table, which he met with an equally disdainful look. "there you go, ian. it's your favorite," monica declared cheerfully, scooping a portion onto his plate.

ian's brow furrowed in confusion as he inspected the dish. "what is it?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, betraying his uncertainty about the unidentifiable concoction before him.

"lasagna," monica replied with forced enthusiasm, though ian's expression remained skeptical as he glanced back down at the dubious meal.

"carl, could you start passing the salad?" the woman requested, her tone bordering on pleading as she turned her attention to her son. however, carl remained unmoved, his gaze fixed on fiona as if seeking her approval before complying with his mother's request.

carl glanced across the table, looking to fiona who offered him a subtle nod of encouragement, prompting him to begrudgingly rise from his seat and begin passing the salad.

roberta began to speak, her voice hesitant. "monica's liam's mother, and i know you won't be happy, but—"

"jesus, bob, can we just enjoy our dinner and then talk after?" monica intervened, flashing a strained smile in roberta's direction.

"talk about what?" debbie's head shot up from her plate, her curiosity piqued. "debbie, please." monica pleaded, her tone softening. "where's lip?"

"had something to do." sydney responded vaguely, avoiding monica's gaze.

"he's not coming?" monica brow furrowed in concern. a few moments later, frank swaggered through the door, a cocky grin plastered on his face. "sorry i'm late. did i miss the chow?"

with a dramatic flourish, frank removed his jacket, his eyes gleaming as they landed on monica's unappetizing creation. "ooh, ooh," he exclaimed, salivating. "looks good."

"if you called us here to tell us you're taking liam and leaving again, we don't wanna hear it." fiona declared bluntly.

"fiona, you're upset. i get it. i was married to frank for eighteen years." monica attempted to empathize with her daughter. "i know. it's like swallowing broken glass every day."

"hey!" frank interrupted, clearly offended.

thankfully, as a saving grace, lip arrived back at the house, heading straight into the kitchen. "oh, lip, wonderful. we just started," monica greeted him with a warm smile.

"your mother said 6:30. you lose your watch?" roberta coldly scolded, picking up liam. "i don't have a watch, bob." lip retorted, taking his seat next to addison.

"what's the news?" ian asked, referring to the dna test.

"haven't opened it yet. figured we should do it together." lip responded, handing addison and sydney's envelope over to the brunette.

"thank you." addison smiled softly, placing it in her pocket. it wasn't the right time to open it up.

"me and ian have decided to get our dna tests done too.. on the off chance we aren't frank's kids." lip explained to the table, opening the envelope with a knife.

"what?" monica muttered in surprise. "yeah. i guess we figured, why should you and bob get to have all the fun?" addison smirked as lip opened the envelope up.

"holy shit!" lip's eyes widened as he read the sheet. "congratulations, ian. you are not frank gallagher's son."

ian's mouth dropped, turning to glance at frank, who quickly turned to look at monica. the woman was speechless.

"honestly sweetie, i don't know." monica defended herself, trying to remember, "there was that week in the summer of '95 that i did a lot of pcp."

"you did pcp? without me?" frank shouted, leaving ian stuck sitting in the middle of their argument, "you promised me we would do that together!"

"excuse me!" addison quickly interrupted, "can we maybe get back to who ian's father is?"

"uh, uh, i like the idea of monica cheating on frank." lip chimed in with a smirk. "it really keeps my image of you right on track, mom." addison kicked lip's leg under the table.

"will somebody please tell me what we're talking about?" frank questioned, looking bewildered.

ian glanced down at the paper, analyzing it for himself, "all right. the results say that you, frank, are absolutely not my father. but my father is a close relative, most likely one of your brothers."

"dad had brothers?" debbie squinted, clearly surprised. "he has two, right?" lip remembered. "three." fiona corrected, her tone dripping with attitude as she glared at monica.

"hey, you know, i think i met the one that sells smoked sausage and razor blades out of the trunk of his car." lip taunted his brother, earning a playful scoff from addison.

"all right." ian sighed, giving up on trying to decipher the situation. monica was dumbfounded, "i—i honestly don't know."

"are we still related?" debbie asked, looking around the table. "of course we are." fiona assured her.

"not only did you lie to me about the pcp, you fucked my brother?" frank shouted, his voice filled with outrage.. "what's next? you gonna take up with a black lady-man? oh, i forgot. that's already happened. how can we get back together now?"

"i have never, ever, had any intention of getting back together with you, frank." monica declared firmly. "for crying out loud, you tricked me into coming here to get settlement money!"

"i wanted to see you again!" frank insisted, his voice rising with frustration.

"so you pretended that she won a teddy bear?!" roberta chimed in loudly. "you know how much i love teddy bears!" monica screamed in anger.

"you and monica are over, frank!" roberta declared firmly. "me and monica are getting married."

"she's still married to me!" frank exclaimed in disbelief. "not for long! she's getting a divorce." roberta stated matter-of-factly.

"you two are still married? yikes." sydney grimaced, earning a laugh from lip.

"how can two ladies get married?" carl asked innocently. "they're lesbians. penetration isn't required for sex to occur." debbie explained to her younger brother.

everyone at the table stared at debbie in confusion, wondering how she knew such details. "what? it's legal now in several states." she defended.

"divorce, frank!" roberta declared firmly. "you owe her at least that much."

"what about what she owes me?" frank snapped back. "she's gonna leave me with six kids again? leave me to deal with all the shit?"

"you mean leave me to deal with the shit!" fiona grinned in disbelief, her frustration evident.

"i didn't leave you. you drove me out!" monica yelled, her voice filled with pent-up anger. "no self-respecting person could stay with you. you treated me like a dog!"

all of the sudden, frank grabbed monica's face, pulling her into a kiss. the room erupted in screams of anger and disgust, with roberta charging out of her chair. "hey! you need to let us raise liam! i don't care what the test results say, liam belongs with us!"

"nobody's taking liam!" lip shouted, his voice booming in the small room. "i can't believe you want a divorce." frank diverted the attention back to himself.

"what? me and bob deserve a family of our own." monica pleaded, her tone desperate.

"you had a family! you left it!" fiona argued, her eyes blazing with fury. "i didn't leave you! he drove me out!" monica screamed, her emotions raw.

"you should've protected us!" fiona accused angrily. "i tried but i couldn't! fiona, if i didn't leave, i would have died." monica confessed, her voice breaking with emotion.

"oh, cut the shit, myrna loy." frank waved her off dismissively. "you have no idea what it was like being married to him!" monica shouted, her words piercing the air. "you have no idea how bad it is."

lip scoffed, "yeah? try me." his expression hardening with resolve. "oh, come on now!" frank protested.

fiona rose from her seat, her decision clear, "okay. i know that he tortured you. i know that he ruined you. but we didn't marry him, mom. you did. if you love us, any of us, in any way, you'll leave liam, take your girlfriend, get in your truck, and never come back."

saying everything she needed to say, fiona walked away from the table, steve following after her. debbie, carl, and sydney followed suit, leaving addison and ian to share a glance. knowing it was time to go, addison motioned for lip to follow after her, their departure marking the end of a tumultuous gathering.

📸

heading back to fiona and steve's place, the group sat in silence, the weight of the recent confrontation still heavy in the air. there were no words to elaborate on what had just happened in there.

addison broke the quiet, pulling the unopened envelope out of her pocket and waving it, "well, might as well see what's in here."

lip took a seat next to the brunette on the couch, ready to see her results. everyone watched in suspense as addison opened the paper up, the room filled with anticipation.

as she glanced down at the sheet, addison's heart seemed to skip a beat. "wow," she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper, her eyes widening in astonishment.

"what?" fiona asked, his curiosity piqued by her reaction.

"sydney's is.. what i expected, but i'm uh, not related to tom so.." addison breathily explained, lowering the paper. sydney looked on, her expression a mixture of concern and confusion.

"really?" ian's eyes widened in astonishment, mirroring the disbelief reflected on the faces of the others. "let me see that." lip muttered, reaching out to grab the sheet from addison's trembling hand.

"are we still related?" sydney asked with worry. "yes. of course we are." addison responded with a reassuring smile, wrapping her arm around her sister's frame.

"did brooke ever mention anybody else?" fiona inquired, her brow furrowed in thought as she tried to make