Chapter 22 – William's Lesson in Love
"Holy shit!"
Lip nearly jumped out of his skin. William's sudden appearance from the darkness startled him so badly that he lost his balance and fell flat onto the grass.
Before he could scramble back to his feet, William was already on him.
Lip struggled, but it was useless. No matter how hard he kicked or twisted, William's strength and technique completely overpowered him.
Within seconds, Lip was pinned, gasping for breath, his arms locked behind his back.
William hauled him up by the collar and dragged him toward the Gallagher house at 2119 Wallace Street.
---
Inside, Tony and his partner had just finished searching the house — no Lip.
They were stepping out the door when they froze at the sight of William standing by the patrol car, holding Lip down like a truant teenager caught mid-crime.
Tony's stomach sank.
And before he could say anything, a familiar voice broke through the night — shrill, desperate, cracking under panic.
"Lip! What are you doing!? Let him go!"
Fiona.
She burst out of the doorway like a madwoman, sprinting toward William, rage and terror etched across her face.
But before she could reach them, Tony caught her by the arm.
"Fiona! Stop! Calm down! You're only making it worse!"
Fiona froze, trembling, eyes locked on her brother. Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
Family — always family. Always another crisis. Always her burden to carry.
Ever since Monica had disappeared, she'd been trapped playing mother and father to them all. And now, seeing Lip cuffed and on the ground, something in her began to crack.
"Fiona!" Lip called out, panic seizing his voice. "Please! Help me!"
His usual quick wit, his arrogance — gone. He was just a scared kid now.
Tony glanced at his partner, then back at Fiona. He gave a subtle nod — watch her. Then, pulling out his handcuffs, he stepped toward Lip.
"Alright, bro," Tony said to William, his tone low, half-pleading. "I've got him from here."
William met his gaze. For a second, he hesitated — not out of pity, but calculation.
Then he let go, stepping back.
"He's all yours."
Click. Click.
The handcuffs snapped shut around Lip's wrists.
And in that moment—
[Ding! Mission Complete: Show Lip the meaning of true love. Redeem this lost lamb.]
[Reward: WRC World Championship-Level Driving Skill]
A flood of new knowledge surged into William's mind — muscle memory, reflex, instinct. Every nuance of handling a car under any condition.
A calm, satisfied smile tugged at his lips.
---
"I hate you!"
Fiona's voice tore through the air like a blade. She ran up to William, her eyes red and wild with fury.
Behind her, Ian held Carl and Debbie close, the younger siblings standing silently in the doorway, watching the scene with wide, terrified eyes.
William glanced at them — at the anger, the fear, the tears — and felt absolutely nothing.
He didn't care.
"Fiona! Fiona!"
Lip was shouting her name over and over, thrashing as Tony shoved him into the police car.
"I'm sorry! Please, I'm sorry!"
But the door slammed shut, cutting off his voice.
Fiona's composure shattered. She pressed her hand over her mouth, sobbing into her palm.
Tony looked back at her, guilt flickering across his face. He wanted to hold her, to comfort her, to whisper that everything would be okay — but the badge on his chest said otherwise.
Duty came first. Always.
He climbed into the car, his partner beside him, and they drove off — taking Lip, and a piece of Fiona's soul, with them.
---
When the red-and-blue lights disappeared down the street, Fiona snapped completely.
"You bastard!"
She launched herself at William, screaming, hitting, clawing.
"You ruined everything! You RUINED HIM!"
But William barely flinched. He caught her wrists effortlessly, his voice low and sharp.
"Are you done yet?" he said coldly. "Your brother smashed my car. I'm letting him spend a night in a cell, not a decade. You should be grateful."
"Let me go! You asshole! FUCK YOU!"
Fiona kicked, screamed, fought like a cornered animal. Her siblings were all she had left in the world, and now even they were being taken away from her.
In her eyes, truth didn't matter anymore. Everything was William's fault.
William finally shoved her back.
"Enough."
She fell onto the lawn, hair tangled, shaking, glaring up at him with pure hatred.
Her siblings ran to her side, forming a trembling wall of protection.
William glanced at them one last time, emotionless, then turned and walked away into the night.
---
Across the street, Kevin and Veronica had come outside, drawn by the noise.
"Bro, what the hell happened?" Kevin asked as William passed by.
"Nothing serious," William said, voice flat. "Just teaching someone a lesson."
He didn't stop walking.
Veronica frowned, then turned to Kevin.
"Kev, I'm going to check on Fiona."
Kevin sighed but nodded.
"Yeah… go."
Veronica turned and hurried toward Fiona's house.
---
Later – Police Station, Holding Cell
Lip sat hunched on the cold bench, staring blankly at the concrete floor.
Around him, a few Black and Latino inmates traded low conversations and bored glances.
For all the petty crimes he'd gotten away with on the South Side — stealing, lying, cheating — this was his first real time inside.
And no amount of street smarts could stop the unease crawling through his chest.
He was scared.
---
Meanwhile, the rest of the Gallaghers — Fiona, Ian, Debbie, Carl — had arrived at the station.
Kevin and Veronica came too; best friends didn't abandon each other on nights like this.
Fiona stood at the counter, voice trembling.
"What do I have to do to get him out?"
Her eyes were red, her shoulders shaking.
"Fiona, calm down," Veronica said softly, rubbing her arm. "Tony's trying to help, okay?"
Tony looked at the group, clearly uncomfortable.
"Fiona… listen to me. The best chance you have is to get William to drop the charges.
If he doesn't, Lip could really be looking at jail time."
He didn't know much about William, but the car he drove, the clothes he wore, the calm confidence in his eyes — none of that said ordinary guy.
William had money, power, and, most dangerously, patience. If he wanted to make this stick, Lip wouldn't stand a chance.
"There's really no other way?" Fiona asked, desperation rising in her voice. "He didn't mean to do it! He just… he lost control!"
Tony hesitated. Fiona's eyes, wet and pleading, made him want to lie — but he couldn't.
"I'm sorry. Unless William decides to forgive him, this doesn't go away."
Ian slammed his hand against the counter.
"Bullshit! That guy planned this! He had his phone ready — he wanted to record Lip smashing the car!"
Tony sighed.
"Maybe. But it doesn't change the fact that Lip did destroy it. That's evidence enough."
He paused, then added quietly,
"Look, it's not a major case. Here's what I'll do — I'll cover the bail. Get him out for now.
Then take him to William. Have him apologize. Beg if he has to. That's the only way I can see this ending without charges."
He looked exhausted — but somewhere behind his eyes, there was a flicker of hope. Maybe helping Fiona would finally make her look at him differently.
Fiona, however, barely seemed to hear him.
Her mind was elsewhere — lost somewhere between guilt, anger, and exhaustion.
"Thank you… Tony," she said finally, voice distant and hollow.
Veronica watched her closely.
"You okay, Fi?"
Fiona wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.
"Yeah… I'm fine, V."
Her words sounded like they belonged to someone else.
She straightened, took a breath, and forced herself to stand tall again.
Because for Fiona Gallagher, breaking down wasn't an option.
Not now. Not ever.