after the explosive fallout at sheila's, fiona's been residing next door in the house steve bought while monica and roberta stayed with the kids. the next morning, addison and sydney headed over to the gallagher's place like usual. they wanted to try and keep some normalcy in their routine knowing what was going on.

"what are you doing here? you're not one of hers." roberta's sharp voice pierced the air as addison and sydney entered the house.

"we're here every morning. what are you doing here?" addison retorted, her tone firm and unyielding.

"i want the baby and i want to leave, you high school hussy." roberta spat out, her words dripping with venom.

"bob, stop it!" monica intervened, frustration evident as she leaned over the kitchen counter.

monica knew she needed to establish rapport with the jones girls if she was going to make amends with her children. she understood the importance of maintaining the bond her kids shared with them to keep them happy.

seated at the cluttered kitchen table, addison and sydney observed monica's frenzied attempts to organize the room. meanwhile, lip loitered by the counter, nonchalantly munching on cereal straight from the bag as roberta tended to liam.

"monica, carl needs something from you." lip pointed out, motioning to the boy who was trying to get his mother's attention.

"here." carl announced, shutting the fridge and handing his mother a slip of paper. "what? what's this?" monica inquired, her brow furrowing as she glanced down at the sheet.

"permission slip." sydney informed her, she's in the same class as carl and was going on the trip today as well. "you're going to the aquarium? when?" monica bent down at the counter, reading over the paper with a blue marker ready.

"today. i need $10." carl replied briskly, swiftly zipping up his bag in anticipation. lip passed the cereal bag to addison, diverting his attention momentarily.

"what for?" roberta interjected, her voice cutting through the air with a hint of irritation.

"the admission fee." addison explained, having already provided sydney with her share of the funds. if roberta refused, the brunette was prepared to step in and give carl the money regardless. she wasn't going to let him miss out on the trip because of these women's obstinance.

"the school doesn't pay for that?" roberta queried, her expression conveying annoyance. "no. and he'll need money for food." lip clarified, moving on to brew coffee.

"grab him an instant oatmeal and a pop tart. makes a great lunch." roberta coldly instructed, her disregard for the children's well-being evident as she focused solely on liam.

"deb, what are you doing?" monica spun around, her frustration evident as she approached her daughter, who was rummaging through the papers next to the washer.

"i'm looking for a poster board and markers. i'm running for re-election." debbie promptly replied, already clutching a handful of loose markers.

"ian, could you help her?" monica requested, her voice tinged with exasperation as she struggled to keep up with the morning chaos. "if you would tell me these things before, it'd be better in the morning."

ian sighed, setting his mug down and rising to assist his sister, his irritation apparent.

"i need 40 bucks." lip announced casually, his request met with an immediate denial from roberta. "no!" she shot back, her tone firm.

"bob, do you have a 5?" monica pleaded, hoping for some assistance. "yeah, in my wallet, where it's gonna stay." roberta responded tersely, still holding liam in her arms.

"i need a new calculus textbook. i can get it used, only costs 20." lip compromised, attempting to negotiate with his mother.

"where are our lunches?" ian voice cut through the chaos as he reentered the kitchen, his urgency clear as he prepared to head out.

"huh?" monica raised a brow, her flustered state evident as she realized she was supposed to prepare lunches as well.

"fiona makes their lunches every morning." addison explained, her eyes widening in disbelief. the six kids exchanged incredulous glances, stunned by the woman's lack of preparation. monica's panic was palpable as she struggled to keep up with the demands of the morning routine.

"what is everybody looking at? start spreading peanut butter on bread!" roberta's sharp voice echoed from the table, snapping her girlfriend back to reality.

"right." monica nodded, swiftly grabbing the bread package. "so.. okay, where's the jelly?" the woman put her hands up defensively, the eight slices of bread, one of the being an end, laid out on the cutting board.

📸

already running late for school, addison observed in annoyed disbelief as monica hastily packed up all the lunches. with a frustrated sigh, she watched as the woman clumsily split an oreo in half, dropping the pieces into the brown paper bags.

"everyone." monica smiled, handing out the lunches. the kids snatched them up with no reaction, clearly displeased with her. rising from her seat with liam in tow, roberta finally announced, "we won't be here when you get home from school."

"why?" debbie piped up. "what?" monica leaned down towards her daughter, awaiting an explanation.

"fiona always tells us why." she explained. "none of your damn business why." roberta retorted sharply. "bob." monica warned, attempting to intervene.

"your mother told you to go, so go." roberta demanded, waving her hand towards the door.

"out!" monica tried to diffuse the situation with a smile, but the atmosphere remained tense as everyone looked to lip for guidance.

"go on guys, i'll catch up." lip told them, his voice firm. ian sighed, leading sydney, debbie, and carl out of the house. addison remained behind, sensing that lip was about to lose his temper with them.

the brunette leaned her back against the counter, her eyes fixed on roberta as she played with liam. anger bubbled inside her—who did roberta think she was, waltzing in and trying to steal him?

lip, watching with the same demeanor, spoke up, "i don't care what the fucking dna test says.. you're not taking liam."

roberta's scoff was barely above a whisper, "we'll see about that."

"yeah, we will." addison muttered through gritted teeth, her arms folding across her chest.

roberta's expression darkened, "you've got a lot of nerve hon—" she growled, her voice dripping with menace as she closed in on the girl.

"lay off, roberta," lip warned, his voice firm and unwavering. "we having a problem, phillip?" roberta's voice was laced with hostility as she flipped back around, going toe to toe with him.

"i don't know, bob, let's see." he scoffed, his tone dripping with dry sarcasm, "you're camped out in my house, you're fucking my mother, and you're talking about stealing my baby brother. why would we have a problem?"

"boy, i will kick you—" roberta's threat was cut short by addison's urgent interjection. "lip, don't bother." her voice rang out, filled with both warning and concern as she attempted to diffuse the escalating tension.

"stop it! hey!" monica intervened, leaning against the counter to come between them, her voice desperate as she tried to restore peace.

"congratulations, mom, you always knew how to pick 'em." lip sneered as he stormed out of the room. addison wasted no time in following him, eager to escape the tense atmosphere.

"lip!" monica started chasing after them. lip and addison both knew after years and years to just keep going and ignore her, and they did as far as they could. "please stop!"

it wasn't until monica blocked their way on the sidewalk where she cut in front of them. "we haven't had a chance to talk!" she pleaded as he tried to push past her.

"don't worry about it." lip brushed her off, his tone curt as he tried to bypass her. but monica persisted, her grip firm as she stopped him in his tracks.

addison glanced off in the distance, the other kids were waiting for them at the corner, watching all of this go down.

"no, i do, i do. i—" monica's words tumbled out in a rush, her voice trembling with emotion. "i don't know where to start. how to explain. i worry about you," she continued, her voice cracking with emotion. "i think about you all the time. i miss you. there's so much i wanna ask you. how's school?"

lip chuckled lightly at the absurdity of the situation. "you were always so smart, my lip," monica continued, her voice thick with tears. "i know you can do anything. i'm so sorry that i hurt you," she begged, her voice pleading for forgiveness.

but lip remained stoic, refusing to meet her gaze as tears welled up in his eyes. monica reached out, her hands trembling as she tried to pull him close. "look at me." she pleaded.

he sighed, placing his hands over her arms. they paused for a moment, monica thinking he's finally let her back in. but lip just gently pulled her away, "next time you're thinking about dropping in, don't. you've fucked up our lives enough already." he uttered, his words heavy with resentment as he turned away.

silent and resigned, lip stormed off, heading towards his siblings. addison shared a quick glance with monica before following after him, her hands stuffed into her pockets as she walked away from the tumultuous encounter.

📸

during a free period, addison found herself outside with ian, and mandy. the duo was indulging in their usual habit of smoking while addison just sat across and chatted with them, not being a smoker herself.

"how's mickey doing?" ian's voice cut through the smoke-filled air, directing his question to mandy as he passed her the cigarette.

mandy shrugged nonchalantly, taking a drag before replying, "they still have him at the jail ward over at county."

"you been over to visit him?" he pressed, his interest in mickey milkovich's well-being somewhat surprising given their recent history.

"no." mandy shook her head, "those dyke guards pat you down like amateur gynecologists."

addison couldn't help but chuckle at mandy's colorful description. "how's kash?" she redirected the conversation, turning her attention to ian.

"heh, couple of neighborhood-watch ladies came by the store.. offered to throw him a parade." ian replied with a hint of amusement.

"hmm. kash had better move his family back to baghadad before mickey gets out." mandy remarked, handing the cigarette back.

"he's from evanston." ian corrected her with narrowed eyes. "won't be nearly far enough." addison sighed, earning a nod of agreement from mandy. mickey was bound to get him back for the shootout eventually, and it wasn't going to be pretty.

their conversation was briefly interrupted by lip's arrival at the table, a swift movement as he snatched the cigarette from ian's lips. "mandy," he greeted, his tone casual yet with an underlying hint of curiosity.

"lip." she replied, her smirk betraying a hint of flirtation. his gaze lingered on her for a moment before he spoke again, "that's a nice outfit. what is that, uh, pirate wench?"

mandy's grin widened cheekily, "you like?" as addison glanced the other direction. it grated her nerves how lip would flirt with any girl he ran into, even if he didn't really like her. it wasn't easy harboring feelings for someone who seemed oblivious to them, especially when that someone was as effortlessly charming as lip.

lip's grin widened, his eyes briefly meeting addison's turned head before returning to mandy. "what's your guys, uh, third period?" he asked.

"health." ian responded. "i have gym, why?" addison inquired, her curiosity piqued by his sudden interest in their schedules.

"we need to miss some school." lip explained, his tone indicating that he had a plan.

addison shrugged, silently agreeing to skip gym. she didn't like basketball week anyway. after all, if it meant spending more time with lip, it was a sacrifice she was willing to make. "see you," she said to mandy, offering a small wave before following after lip.

"later." ian echoed, bidding the milkovich girl goodbye.

📸

conspicuously parked in front of the gallagher house, lip, addison, and ian sat in tense silence, waiting for monica and roberta to depart to wherever they were headed.

"where'd you get the car?" addison's curiosity bubbled as she sat in the passenger's seat, her gaze flickering between lip, and ian who was sat in the backseat.

"borrowed it from steve." lip replied casually, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "i've been working with him a bit."

ian raised an eyebrow at lip's response. "doing what?" he asked, a note of skepticism in his voice.

a smirk tugged at lip's lips as he leaned back in his seat. addison shot him a knowing look, already anticipating his answer. he was helping steve steal cars.

the brunette rolled her eyes, her irritation growing. with a sharp exhale, she leaned forward and delivered a solid smack to the back of lip's head. "dumbass!" she snapped, her tone laced with genuine anger as she crossed her arms.

"you better not let fiona find out about it or she'll kill you, and him." ian warned, his gaze fixed on the passing scenery outside the window.

addison and lip couldn't help but notice his saddened demeanor. "hey, you doing okay?" addison gently asked, watching him through the front mirror.

ian brushed it off with forced nonchalance, "lot going on." lip nodded in agreement, "yeah, it's weird having monica back."

"yeah, yeah. that too." ian agreed, though there was an undercurrent of something deeper in his voice.

"what, something else?" addison prodded, sensing that ian was holding back. ian sighed, his shoulders slumping, "it's kind of hard to explain."

"try me." lip encouraged, giving his brother his full attention. he could tell when something wasn't right.

ian took a deep breath, spilling, "mickey's gay and we're doing it. and kash shot mickey because of me. but mickey would rather go to juvie than admit he's gay. so, i'm doing both kash and mickey. well, not so much kash lately. but, uh, when kash and me were hot and heavy, linda found out about it and is blackmailing kash into having another kid."

the car fell into stunned silence. lip and addison exchanged bewildered glances, their expressions a mix of shock and incredulity.

"holy shit." lip finally managed, breaking the silence. ian nodded in agreement, his expression weary, "yeah."

"that, i did not see coming." addison murmured, her eyes wide with disbelief.

as the three continued watching from the car, addison kept her gaze fixed straight ahead, observing monica and roberta as they exited the gallagher house with liam. "here they come," ian pointed out, breaking the silence.

"i think i'm gonna go see him today." ian announced, his voice filled with resolve.

"who, kash?" lip inquired, turning his attention back to the road. "no, mickey. he's in jail awaiting sentencing." ian clarified, his voice tinged with determination.

with that, lip put the car in drive and began to follow monica and roberta, the destination unknown but ian's intentions clear.

📸

parked outside lampart diagnostics, lip, ian, and addison sat in the car, the air between them heavy with tension as they waited for monica and roberta to emerge. the muffled hum of distant traffic did little to ease the weight of the moment.

addison, seated in the passenger's seat, leaned back and let herself sink into the world of frankenstein. the tale of victor frankenstein's doomed obsession with creating life captivated her, each word pulling her deeper into the story of monstrosity, humanity, and consequence. the parallels weren't lost on her—the idea of someone creating chaos and abandoning responsibility hit uncomfortably close to home.

lip, slouched behind the wheel, glanced over, his boredom plain on his face. his gaze landed on the book in addison's hands, and he frowned. "what are you reading?" he asked, his voice cutting through the quiet.

addison blinked, startled by the sudden interruption. she glanced at him before returning her focus to the book. "it's frankenstein," she said simply, her tone neutral.

lip's expression darkened, his gaze flickering between addison and the book in her hands. "isn't that a bit morbid for you?" he remarked, his tone tinged with skepticism.

addison bristled at lip's judgment, her grip tightening on the book. she couldn't understand why he even cared, especially considering that he had never shown much interest in her literary preferences before. "it's a classic, actually." she defended, her voice edged with frustration. "and reece gave it to me."

"reece? again? when were you with him?" lip questioned with immediate intrigue. "yesterday, i ran into him at the bookstore." addison responded casually, flipping another page.

"you seem to run into him a lot lately," he muttered, his tone laced with possessiveness. addison's brows furrowed in confusion. she hadn't expected lip to react so strongly. "we just bumped into each other. he was working." she replied, trying to diffuse the tension.

but lip couldn't let it go. his jealousy gnawed at him, driving him to push further. "do you like spending time with him?" he asked, his voice tight with suppressed emotion.

"am i on trial or something? why so many questions?" addison muttered in annoyance, her raised brow tinged with exasperation.

"shit! he's not ruining my fucking family! i swear to god, he's not gonna take my son away from me! fuck this shit!" roberta's voice pierced the air, echoing through the street as she stormed out of the building, followed closely by monica, who cradled liam in her arms.

"wow." lip muttered, his gaze fixed on the chaotic scene unfolding on the street.

"that woman is nuts." addison remarked, her eyes wide with disbelief at the spectacle.

"they look unhappy." lip observed, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "yeah." ian chuckled softly, a hint of amusement in his voice.

once monica and roberta were gone, the three teens instinctively stepped out of the car, ready to head inside.

📸

heading into the building, lip, ian, and addison made their way to the front desk. a woman sat behind the computer, separated from them by a glass partition.

lip lightly knocked on the glass, "the two women who just left must not have been happy with the news they got, huh?" he asked, leaning on the counter while ian glanced around behind him.

observant as ever, addison couldn't help but read the informational posters on the walls about paternity tests and genetics. it got her thinking.. with the situation with her father, would it kill her to take one too? just to be sure.

"oh yeah, happens." the desk lady winced, "had a guy last month hang himself from a pipe in the men's room."

addison grimaced, sharing a look with ian while lip just nodded along. "so can i help you?" the woman offered.

"yeah, i think, uh, maybe you can." lip