Around 12:00 AM, in the dead of night.
The Gallagher House.
Jimmy and Fiona walked into the house.
For a few hours, Fiona had managed to relax, briefly forgetting the mess of her life and enjoying the thrill of a little criminal activity. But stepping through the door, in a way, she was instantly dragged back to her brutal reality.
This empty house had unknowingly become Fiona's nightmare.
A wave of sadness hit her instinctively. She took a deep breath, ignored Jimmy, and walked briskly upstairs straight to Ian's room.
The room was empty. Ian wasn't there.
Fiona felt ridiculous.
The truth was, based on Ian's behavior last night, she had already guessed there was a high probability he wouldn't come home.
Now, her guess was confirmed.
Letting out a bitter laugh, Fiona subconsciously pulled out her phone and called Ian.
It didn't go through. No answer.
She called again. Same result.
Fiona gave up. She put away her phone, overwhelmed by a sudden surge of grief. Her lip trembled, and she sank weakly onto the twin bed next to her, burying her head in her hands and crying silently.
Jimmy, leaning against the doorframe, saw this and genuinely started to worry about Fiona's mental state. He slowly walked over, sat next to her, and pulled her into his arms.
"This family... it's fallen apart," Fiona sobbed against Jimmy's chest, her body shaking with pain.
Jimmy actually liked this outcome and was secretly pretty happy about it. But he wasn't stupid enough to say anything right now. He just held Fiona, offering silent companionship.
Time slipped away. Who knows how long passed.
The two of them curled up on Fiona's bed.
Fiona was drained and soon fell asleep.
Jimmy didn't sleep right away. He thought of Estefania, pulled out his phone, and sent a text saying he had something to do and wouldn't be back tonight. Then, knowing Estefania would definitely call, he decisively turned off his phone.
Tossing the phone aside, Jimmy gently wrapped his arms around Fiona again.
Without those damn kids around, Jimmy felt that this time with Fiona, maybe they could actually make it work.
---
2113 North Wallace.
Kev and Veronica, both night owls, had just finished their "business" and were sitting up in bed chatting.
Veronica talked about what Dexter had said earlier, sounding worried.
Kev was surprised. "His restaurant makes so much money. He wouldn't actually close it, would he?"
Veronica shook her head. "I don't think he was joking... Even if he doesn't close it, maybe he'll replace me."
Kev was stunned. "So what do we do?"
Veronica actually had an idea. "I need to learn a skill ASAP. Maybe I can take this opportunity to study and become a real nurse."
Hearing "nurse," Kev perked up instantly. He pointed at his junk and grinned. "Oh yeah, Nurse Veronica! I've got a little problem down here. Come help me fix it."
Veronica laughed. "Fck off! I'm being serious."
Kev kept goofing around.
After messing around for a bit, Kev suddenly remembered Lip. "I've got something serious too. Listen to this."
Kev briefly explained Lip and Frank's plan to go smuggling.
Veronica's expression became complicated, and she fell silent.
In the past few years, whenever Fiona had issues, she would proactively help. But Fiona turned around and treated her like that...
She genuinely had no desire to have anything to do with that bitch Fiona anymore. But... those kids were still so young...
Like Kev, Veronica felt a twinge of pity.
"How can Lip be that stupid?" Veronica said, frustrated that he wasn't living up to his potential. "Debbie's already in juvie, and he's going smuggling? If he gets caught and ends up in juvie too, Fiona will lose her mind."
Kev grabbed a cigarette from the nightstand, lit it, and took a drag. "Lip has a pile of records with the cops."
"Burglary, theft, vandalism..." Kev knew Lip well and listed off his "glorious" achievements in one breath. "If he gets caught smuggling this time, I guarantee he'll be tried as an adult and thrown into prison, not juvie."
Veronica's expression turned even more serious. She hesitated. "Should I try calling Fiona?"
Kev chuckled. "She probably won't answer. She seems to hate both of us. She... really is a bitch."
Veronica agreed. "I'll try. If she doesn't answer, then forget it."
Saying that, Veronica picked up her phone and called Fiona.
Fiona was already fast asleep.
Veronica called three times in a row, all unanswered. Finally, even though she really didn't want to get involved, she couldn't bear it and left a voicemail explaining the situation with Lip.
"I did what I could. Whatever happens, happens," Veronica said, not being the type to beg for attention. She tossed her phone aside. "We should sleep too. Tomorrow I need to figure out what I should study."
"Yeah," Kev agreed, then thought for a moment. "I thought about it. Dexter actually makes a lot of sense. You can't be a waitress forever. Having a chance to better yourself is a good thing."
"What about you?" Veronica asked with a smile.
"I'll just be a bar owner forever. Can't help it, no brains for studying," Kev said with a goofy grin.
"Haha, true. You really have no brains," Veronica teased.
"Oh, Veronica! Are you calling me stupid?"
The two started playfully bickering, very happy.
---
A new day. The sun rose as usual.
7:30 AM.
Tommy brought his crew to the vacant lot next to the Gallagher house and started working.
The noise of construction, combined with a bunch of illegal immigrants shouting back and forth, was incredibly loud.
Gallagher House, Second Floor.
Jimmy and Fiona were woken up one after another.
Fiona was used to the noise and didn't mind much. She turned to look at Jimmy, felt good, and her mood lifted a little. "Good morning."
"Good morning," Jimmy smiled back.
Moments later.
Morning after a good sleep... energy was high.
They started "battling" again.
Battle over. It was almost 8:00 AM.
Fiona stretched luxuriously, then picked up her phone to check the time.
And there it was.
Three missed calls from the same number appeared on Fiona's screen.
Fiona paused for a moment, then recognized the number as Veronica's. This surprised her.
Why is that bitch Veronica calling me?
Because of her dislike for Veronica, Fiona frowned. She hesitated for several seconds before finally tapping the voicemail Veronica left.
The message played...
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
What's it like to wake up in the morning and get hit by a bolt of lightning?
By the time the message ended, Fiona's face was dark as thunder, filled with panic and worry...
At the same time.
Fiona's mind went blank. She froze completely.
When it came to major crises, Fiona never really had coping skills.
Seeing Fiona looking like she'd been struck dumb, Jimmy hesitated. Honestly, he genuinely hoped Lip would get caught, thrown in prison, and never come back. But, considering Fiona's feelings for Lip...
Jimmy spoke up. "I'll drive you to find him. Where is he?"
Hearing his voice, Fiona snapped back a little. She looked at Jimmy with a dazed expression, her mouth moving several times before sound came out. "I... I... I don't know."
Jimmy remained calm. "Call him."
"Right, right, right," Fiona, who always lost her head in a crisis, nodded repeatedly and hurriedly dialed.
Lip was already packed and ready to go. Seeing Fiona calling, he didn't hesitate for a second and hung up.
Faced with this result, Fiona immediately called again.
She called seven or eight times in a row, all rejected... Fiona was shaking with panic and wanted to call again.
Jimmy reached out and stopped her. "Forget it. Call Karen. Lip won't answer, no matter how many times you call. Do you have Karen's number?"
Fiona: "..."
In Fiona's eyes, Karen was a total slut...
Fiona didn't want any unnecessary contact with Karen, so she didn't have her number.
seeing Fiona's reaction, Jimmy knew the answer without her saying anything. He felt a bit helpless. "Who else knows where Lip is? Does Ian know?"
At this point, Fiona basically had no brain left to think with. Hearing this, she reacted and hurriedly called Ian.
Ian was in the middle of playing with Ned, having a great time. Seeing Fiona calling, he assumed she was calling to nag him about not coming home, so he got annoyed and ignored it.
Fiona was going crazy. She just kept calling.
Ian was having fun, and the phone wouldn't stop ringing... He got pissed and reached out to turn it off.
Ned was a middle-aged man, and a successful one at that. He was more reasonable and stopped him. " might be an emergency. Answer it."
Hearing this, Ian changed his mind. He pressed answer impatiently, and before Fiona could say anything, he snapped first, "What?"
Fiona was burning with anxiety and didn't have the energy to care about Ian's attitude. She rushed out, "Do you know where Lip lives? Veronica called me and said Lip is going to Canada today to smuggle stuff again..."
Fiona spilled everything rapidly in one breath.
Listening to her, Ian's annoyance vanished, replaced by seriousness. "I told you last time, you absolutely cannot let him do smuggling. You wouldn't listen!"
"Someone like him, after tasting easy money, how could he stop!"
"Now look what happened..."
Fiona was anxious as hell and deeply regretful, but instinctively refused to admit she was wrong.
Can't help it. That's just how she is.
"Now is not the time for this. Do you know where he is? We have to stop him..." Fiona asked, her voice thick with tears.
Ian was silent for a few seconds. "I don't know. I'll call him."
"Hurry. He absolutely cannot go to Canada," Fiona urged.
Ian didn't say anything else. He hung up, sighed silently, and called Lip.
Lip saw Ian calling. Thinking about it, considering Ian's bipolar disorder, he chose to answer.
"Lip, where are you?" Ian asked immediately. "You're going to Canada to smuggle again? Fiona..."
Hearing this, Lip decisively ended the call.
Beep, beep, beep...
Ian frowned, held back his temper, and called again.
Lip didn't answer.
After a few tries, Ian lost patience too. He couldn't be bothered to deal with this mess anymore. He figured with Lip's character, prison was inevitable anyway. If he got caught this time, it was just happening a bit earlier. Whatever.
Ian called Fiona back.
Fiona was waiting frantically, so she answered instantly. "Well? Do you know where he is?"
Ian explained the situation with a hint of impatience, then added, "Forget about him. If he wants to go to prison, let him go to prison."
"Ian..." Fiona was in agonizing pain. "He's family! How can you say that?"
"Then what can I do? He won't listen, and he has such a temper. Who can handle him?" Ian retorted.
Fiona was speechless.
Ian waited a moment, wanting to hang up. "Fiona, if there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."
Hearing this, Fiona recovered slightly and hurriedly rubbed her eyes. "Wait. Do you have Karen's number? If I call Karen, maybe I can find out where Lip is."
"No," Ian answered extremely crisply.
Fiona didn't know what to say.
One second, two seconds.
Ian hung up. He threw his phone onto the bed in frustration, then smiled bitterly at Ned. "My family's sht just never ends. It's one thing after another."
Ned just treated Ian as a plaything and had zero interest in getting involved in Ian's family drama, or even knowing about it. So, he smiled back. "Continue?"
Ian gave a submissive smile and nodded.
They started battling again.
In no time, Love-Brain Ian, who never really cared that much about the Gallagher family anyway and cared more about romance, threw Lip's mess to the back of his mind.
---
The Gallagher House.
Fiona truly didn't know what to do anymore. She looked at Jimmy in despair. "What do I do?"
Jimmy scratched his head. "How about I drive you around to look for him?"
Hearing this, Fiona nodded repeatedly.
Moments later.
They hastily threw on clothes, rushed out, and jumped into the car.
"Go to Karen's house first!" As soon as they were in the car, Fiona ordered.
Jimmy didn't dare delay. He floored it toward Karen's house.
Arriving at Karen's door.
Fiona ignored everything else. She rushed to the door and banged on it heavily, making a thunderous noise.
Inside, Sheila was startled. Terrified, she ran to the door, looked through the peephole, and seeing it was Fiona, she relaxed slightly and opened the door.
"Are Lip and Karen here?" Seeing Sheila, Fiona asked urgently.
Her demeanor was intimidating.
Sheila, who had mental issues, couldn't handle this and panicked again. "No, no..."
"Where are they?" Fiona was practically interrogating her.
"I don't know..." Sheila was even more scared.
"Give me Karen's phone number!" Fiona continued to demand.
Sheila couldn't take it. Her voice trembled. "Okay, okay, I'll get it for you..."
Saying that, Sheila turned and shuffled tremblingly toward the living room.
Fiona followed decisively. Jimmy followed Fiona. Neither took off their shoes.
Sheila noticed and felt distressed, but didn't dare say anything.
A moment later.
Fiona got Karen's number and dialed impatiently.
Jimmy stood next to Fiona and saw the number. His brow twitched. He felt the number looked familiar.
The next second, Jimmy pulled out his phone, found the warning text he received the night before last, and compared them...
Result confirmed.
The text the other night was from Karen.
Jimmy was confused. He didn't understand what this meant.
Karen was Lip's girlfriend. Why would she send that kind of text? What was her goal?
Jimmy started thinking.
Fiona waited anxiously for the call to connect.
Unfortunately, no one answered.
Fiona called again. Once, twice, three times... No change.
"She's with Lip. Lip probably told her not to answer," Jimmy, unable to figure out Karen's motive, looked at Fiona and said.
Fiona wasn't stupid; she realized that too. But realizing it didn't help. This was about Lip! If she delayed any longer, Lip might leave...
Fiona wouldn't give up. She kept calling while asking Sheila, who was acting like a mouse facing a cat, "Where is Frank?"
Sheila hurriedly shook her head. "Frank left a while ago. I don't know where he went."
A few minutes later.
When she heard the message that the phone was turned off, Fiona's heart stopped. She stood there dumbfounded.
The last shred of hope was gone...
Fiona was thoroughly desperate.
Just then.
Jimmy's eyes lit up, and he reminded her, "How about finding Veronica? Maybe she and Kev know where Lip is."
Hearing this.
The hope that had just vanished reappeared.
Fiona nodded immediately and sprinted out.
Jimmy chased after her.
Seeing the two leave the house, Sheila—who had no idea what happened but was just scared out of her mind—purely on instinct rushed to the front door, slammed it shut, and locked it tight.
Then, Sheila took several long, deep breaths to calm down. She rushed to the kitchen, grabbed her cleaning tools, and frantically started scrubbing the floor where Fiona and Jimmy had walked with their shoes on.
---
2113 North Wallace.
Veronica, Kev, and Ethel were eating breakfast.
They were almost done.
Just then.
Bang, bang, bang...
Violent knocking sounded abruptly, startling all three of them.
In his own home, Kev was pretty tough. Recovering, he muttered, "What the fck!" and stood up.
Kev yanked the door open unhappily. Seeing Fiona and Jimmy outside, his expression changed slightly. Then, he put on a stony face, unsmiling. "Fiona."
If not for Lip, Fiona really wouldn't want to have contact with Kev again.
In this moment, Fiona had to suppress her annoyance with Kev and speak as politely as possible. "I got Veronica's message. Do you know where Lip is? I have to stop him!"
Kev heard this and was a bit puzzled. "Lip isn't home?"
"He moved out to live with Karen," Fiona replied, nursing a massive headache.
"Jesus," Kev muttered. Then, he consciously returned to the main topic. "I don't know where he is. He came to the Alibi last night. I only heard him say he was going to Canada today for smuggling. I didn't hear anything else."
At this point, hearing Fiona's voice, Veronica walked over to Kev with a stern face.
Kev glanced at Veronica and continued speaking to Fiona. "Last night I heard those things, so I called you. I called several times. You didn't answer."
Fiona: "..."
So that's why Kev called last night! To warn her!
If she had answered, she could have stopped Lip last night!
Fiona was filled with regret!!
But, only regret for not answering the phone.
Fiona widened her eyes and asked again, "You have absolutely no idea where he is?"
Kev shook his head. "No idea. Maybe the drunks at the Alibi who do business with him know."
Hearing this, Fiona pressed, "Which ones?"
Kev named a few people.
Listening to him.
Fiona didn't waste time. She turned and signaled Jimmy. "To the Alibi!"
Fiona and Jimmy stormed off, not leaving a single "thank you" behind.
Kev stood at the door, not really caring, just marveling at the endless drama of the Gallaghers.
Veronica was a woman, and women usually cared about these things.
So, Veronica was annoyed. " not even a thank you? Do we owe her something? Never doing this again!"
Kev chuckled goofily. "She looked like she was about to die of anxiety. Maybe she forgot. Come on, let's finish breakfast, or we'll be late for work."
Veronica glared angrily at Fiona, who had already gotten into the car and was speeding away. She didn't say anything more and turned to go back inside.
---
Jimmy and Fiona rushed to the Alibi at breakneck speed.
Several of the drunks Kev mentioned were already sitting there.
Fiona charged in and started interrogating them. At the same time, she more or less vented her anger on these drunks, blaming them for doing that kind of business with Lip, thinking that if not for them, Lip wouldn't be able to go smuggling.
These drunks had decent tempers. Plus, Fiona was young... and a Gallagher.
So they didn't hold Fiona's attitude against her. They answered her questions relatively politely, stating they didn't know where Lip was.
Fiona asked everyone in the bar.
No good results.
At this point.
The trail was completely cold.
Faced with this fact, Fiona suddenly felt weak all over. Her body went limp, and she collapsed onto a chair, her face blank with despair.
Jimmy didn't know what to do either. He thought for a moment and sat down next to her.
---
Side of Karen's House.
Lip sat in his friend's car, smoking a cigarette, staring at Karen's front door.
It was five minutes until the agreed time with Frank.
"Wait five more minutes. Once time's up, we leave," Lip withdrew his gaze and said to his friend.
His friend smiled. No objections. "Okay."
Karen sat next to Lip. After thinking for a moment, she whispered, "Fiona is probably looking everywhere for you. You really gonna ignore her?"
Lip sneered coldly, his smile holding the pleasure of revenge. "Ignore her. My business has nothing to do with her!"