"Lip!" I run up to him and pull him into a hug the second I enter the house.
"Emma, holy shit I've missed you!" He picks me up and spins me around.
I see Fiona smiling from behind him at our interaction, before looking back down to the laptop, with Jimmy beside her.
"I can't find them," Ian calls out, walking into the kitchen after coming down the stairs in the living room.
Fiona looks back at him and smile, raising an eyebrow at his statement.
"I'm going to visit Carl and Liam," he explains, quickly pulling me into a tight hug.
"What did Carl ask you to bring?" I ask as we let go of each other.
"M-80s, Nintendo DS and ninja throwing stars," he holds up the DS, "I could only find this."
"That's because I cleared all the things that could stop us coming come from the house," I smirk, "they're over at Jonas's, he let me stash them."
"Ah," Ian realises, "the DS will do then."
"I'm sure his foster family will be glad," I chuckle at the thought of Carl running around a stranger's bourse with ninja throwing stars.
"Could do with your help," Fiona sighs.
"How?" I ask, "what do you need?"
Fi quickly reaches up and pulls one of the aforementioned ninja throwing stars out of the wall above her with a huff, "I'm getting custody." She holds it out to Ian.
"Guess I missed one," I mumble.
"Of us?" Ian asks, slowly taking it from her.
Fiona shrugs with a smile, "it's the only way to bring everyone home and keep it that way." She grabs the laptop and jogs upstairs.
Ian and Lip look at each other with raised eyebrows for a second, then glance at me.
"What's wrong? This is great," I beam, "Fiona is gonna be our legal guardian, it's great!"
Eventually, we all head off to the alibi to sort out some of the things Fiona is gonna need to prove her ability to become our guardian.
Lip, Ian and I grab the files from the back room of the alibi and walk back out to Fi and Steve.
"Doing Kev's taxes every year since I was eight is finally gonna pay off," I grin, as Lip drops the box of files down on the bar.
"You just gotta scan the W-2 and change the name," Ian stretches as he comes along behind us.
"It's so easy, its like they're daring you to commit fraud," I smirk at Fiona.
She grimaces slightly, "I don't wanna get Kev in trouble."
Lip purses his lips for a second, pulling out a cigarette and holding it between his lips, "yo, Kev?"
"Hey," the man turns around, swinging a rag over his shoulder, need a refill?"
"No, is it cool if we put Fiona's name on your W-2?" My older brother asks.
"Sure," he shrugs, "what's a W-2?"
Lip turns back to our sister and raises his hands, "hmm?"
"Look, even if he gets pinched, right? the feds will figure out pretty quickly he can't do his own taxes, let alone fake somebody else's," I reason with her, "worst thing happens is that I take the fall, I've already got a record."
Fiona glares slightly at me making me laugh.
"Anything else?" Lip asks her.
She thinks for a second, "yeah, I need you to get a will notarised."
"A will?" Ian raises an eyebrow.
"Aunt Ginger's," Fi explains, "good news, she died. We're getting the house."
"Will's no good without a death certificate," Lip points out.
"Yeah," she shifts in her chair, "we're gonna need a body too."
"Uhh, where are you gonna get a dead body?" I chuckle, snatching Lip's cigarette from his mouth and taking a puff of it.
"Hey!" He snaps at me so I take another drag then hand it back.
Jimmy's phone dings and he shoots up from his chair, "uh, sorry to bail, it's my mum." He backs up towards the door.
"Everything okay?" Fiona asks him.
"Oh yeah, it's just divorce plus copious amounts of chardonnay equals expensive accidents," he shrugs, quickly rushing out of the alibi while talking over his shoulder, "I'll call you later, okay?"
I raise an eyebrow, "his parents are getting divorced?"
"Oh, shit, you don't know?" Lip chuckles.
"What?"
My brother smirks, glancing over at Ian, "his dad had a thing for dicks, specifically your twin's."
I raise my eyebrows at Ian, jaw dropping "you fucked Jimmy's dad?" His grimace is answer enough, "holy fuck, that's both brilliant and disturbing."
The four of us sort out some more of the paperwork and eventually Fi heads off to talk to V about trying to get a body for the death certificate. Lip, Ian and I finish our drinks and write up the will and then head off too to get it notarised and hang out before we all have to head back to our respective foster homes.
"There was an old lady who lived in a shoe," Lip recites the nursery rhyme.
"She's twenty-two," Ian intercepts.
"So many kids, she didn't know what to do," he continued in an animated voice.
"What difference does it make? She's been doing the job for years," I point out.
"You two cool with it?" Lip glances at the pair of us.
"Of course," I nod.
"Whatever it takes, you?" Ian asks.
"As long as I don't have to call her mum," he rolls his eyes and I hit him over the back of the head with a scoff.
Mandy suddenly runs up behind Lip and grabs his crotch, "guess who?"
"Jimmy's dad?" He quips, glancing at Ian who rolls his eyes, then claps his hand on his back so he knows he's just playing.
Mandy falls in line with us and gives me a side hug, "missed you, Em."
"You too," I swing my arm around her too.
"Hey, you seen Mickey around?" Ian asks, and I give him a knowing look, "he's been missing, he owes me fifty bucks."
"He'll be on his feet soon," Mandy shrugs.
"What happened?" I ask.
"My dad pistol-whipped him," she tells us.
"Why?" My eyebrows raise as I glance over at Ian, noting the bruise on his cheek and the pained look in his eyes.
"Since when does anyone need a reason to pistol-whip Mickey?" Mandy chuckles.
"Heh," I breath out to act normal.
"Hey, have you signed up yet?" The girl turns to Lip.
"For what?" He furrows his eyebrows.
"SAT? The deadline's tomorrow, I told you," she rolls her eyes.
"I'll do it online, takes two seconds," he brushes it off.
"Yeah, you said you'd graduate too and you're on your what? Fourth semester, senior year?" She gives him a pointed look.
"They always like this?" I ask Ian.
"Yep," he sighs making me laugh.
"I'm so sorry I left you with..." I glance at the couple, "this."
"My third, only two courses left," Lip correct Mandy, before leading the way for us to cross the street, thanking the car that stopped.
"All right, so, uh, where are we going?" The girls asks.
"Drew up a will, we need it notarised," Lip explains, handing her the paper.
"Ginger Gallagher?" She reads.
"It's a long story," I chuckle.
"Well, looks like you wrote down the wrong year," she furrows her eyebrows.
"Uh... no, that's the right year," Lip confirms after checking it over her shoulder.
"What, 2006?"
The three of us simply chuckle in response until we reach the chicken takeaway store which also provides a notary service
"You taking the SAT?" Ian asks Lip, once Mandy's walked in.
"Not unless someones paying me," he snickers, gaining a laugh from my twin and an eye roll from me.
After we're done, Ian heads off to go somewhere, he doesn't say where, while the rest of us head to Carl and Liam's foster home.
"Do you guys know Nick Walker?" I speak up, as we walk through the fancy ass lobby of the apartment building our siblings are temporarily living in.
"From school?" Mandy checks.
"I guess, yeah," I shrug.
"He's in my math class, why?"
"What do you know about him?" I ask her as we step into the lift.
"Uh, not much. He's a bit of a fuckboy but then again, what guy in our grade isn't?" She jokes.
"How do you know him?" Lip pipes up.
I scratch the back of my neck, "I fucked him a couple nights ago. In his car, is he loaded or something?"
Lip is too stunned to respond for a moment, probably thinking about the fact I haven't been with anyone since Raoul. I suppose I did say it a bit casually, but I just didn't really see it as a big deal. I didn't want to think about it or about Raoul.
Mandy laughs, "no, he's definitely not, he probably stole it."
"Y-you- are you okay?" Lip blurts out while the doors open and we make our way down the hallway.
"Yes, Lip, I'm fine," I chuckle.
"It's just, well... this is the first time since..." he trails off, and we all know what he's trying to say. It seems my guess was right.
"Yeah, so what? Did you think I'd never have sex again?" I defensively ask him, raising my voice, the mood no longer as light-hearted.
"Hey, chill the fuck out, I'm just worried about you, okay?" He matches my tone, "you're being so laid back about it, it's fucking weird."
I'm about to yell something I'll probably regret later in response but Mandy puts a hand on each of our shoulders to try and deescalate the situation, "guys, let's focus on Carl and Liam, yeah?" She gestures to the door we've now reached.
I glare at Lip then promptly ring the doorbell and look away.
The door opens to reveal a well-dressed man with an expectant smile on his face, "hi there, how can I help you?" He eyes us up warily, but hides it well, I'm just good at spotting it.
"I'm Emma," I introduce, reaching out to shake his hand, "Carl and Liam's sister, this is my brother Lip and..." I glance over at Mandy, not really knowing their relationship status, while Lip shakes his hand, "our friend Mandy."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Lanier," he smiles, "please, do come in."
The three of us enter their home, which is both beautifully and far too expensively decorated, "you've... uh got a lovely home," I compliment, slightly in awe.
"Emma?" Carl's voice yells out as he runs down the stairs ahead of us, Liam in his arms.
"Carl!" I exclaim, bending down and pulling him into a hug, Liam squished between us.
"Emma," he repeats, head buried in my shoulder.
"They didn't really get to properly speak when she got out," I hear Lip say to Mandy in a hushed voice.
"Got out?" Lanier asks.
"Juvie," Lip reluctantly explains.
"Don't kick us out," I speak up over Carl's shoulder, "yes, I just got out of juvie, but there's more to that story that I'm not going into."
"We're not going to kick you out," Lanier assures them, nice voice only a tiny bit strained, "we want the boys to maintain relationships with their blood family."
I ignore the statement, already knowing that they want to try and adopt my brothers, particularly Liam. "I missed you so much, monkey."
"You were gone for so long, Em," he mumbles, "it was so... weird, I didn't know what to do without you here."
"Well I'm here now," I press a firm kiss to his head, "soon we'll all be home and I'm not going anywhere, okay buddy?"
"I love you," he whispers.
"I love you, kiddo," I immediately echo, "are they treating you alright?"
"They took away my rifle," he huffs.
"Yeah..." I chuckle slightly, "I'd expect so."
Lanier leads us into the luxurious living room where Liam is sat on the couch playing with some toy. I head over to him and pick him up, tossing him up in the air, speaking in an exaggerated voice, "hey little guy, how are you? Huh?" I nuzzle my head into his stomach making him giggle, before sitting down on the sofa with him on my lap.
Mandy sits at the other end of the couch and grabs one of the little action figures of the table, waving it about to act like it's speaking to Liam, "hello!"
He scrambled around in my arms before crawling over to play with Mandy. I chuckle and leave them to play, heading over to lip and Carl who are sat in the windowsill.
I sit down on the floor next to them and lean back, resting on my arms.
"You gotta get me out of here," my little brother tells us in a hushed voice.
"Why? 'Cause they took your rifle away?" I chuckle.
"Uh-huh," he nods furiously, "they make me brush my teeth after every meal; they're always around, seeing if I'm okay."
"D'you mean they're trying to be good parents?" Lip summarises.
Lanier walks into the room with a tray with two small bowls of carrots sticks and hummus for the kids. He looks up before leaving, "don't forget Carl, church in ten minutes."
I snicker at the timing of his statement after he's left the room, giving Lip an amused smirk.
Lip's phone pings and he grabs it from his jacket pocket which is hung over the chair. He opens it and reads the message before sighing, "shit, it's Fiona. We gotta go meet her."
Carl's face drops, clearly not overjoyed at our time being cut incredibly short.
I jump in quickly with something to try and cheer him up, "but, hey, um, see if you can get the security codes for this place." I rest my hands and chin on his knees, looking up at him, "we'll come back in a couple months and steal a bunch o' this shit."
Carl doesn't say anything but tries his best to give me a smile. I get onto my knees so I'm about his height while his sat down and give him a tight hug, "hang in there, kiddo."
He nods into my shoulder, still not uttering a word as I pull away reluctantly.
"We'll all be back home soon," Lip reassured him, ruffling his hair. He turns to Mandy and Liam, "come on, Mandy, we gotta go."
She says a few last words to Liam before putting him down and heading to the door with us. I give Carl and Liam a kiss on the head each, "love you both."
We head out of the apartment, bidding Lanier farewell and thanking him for letting us visit.
The last and most morbid task on the to-do list however is getting a body to play as Aunt Ginger so that our newly notarised will actually means something.
Fiona, V, Jimmy, Lip, Ian and I all walk down the alley behind the crematorium, to meet the guy sketchy V knows who works the night shifts.
"Can't believe I'm doing this," V grimaces.
"You take care of the will?" Fi checks with us, us teens having only met up with V and Fiona at the end of the alley.
"Signed and notarised," Lip nods.
"Lanny," Veronica whispers and knocks on the door.
The door opens, revealing the man himself, "I told you! Two taps then three."
"Forgot the code, let us in?"
"Which one of you is looking for an old white woman?" Lanny asks far too casually.
We all point to Fi who raises her hand with a sheepish look on her face.
He ushers us inside and walks over to one of the morgue fridges and opens the door, sliding out the body enclosed in a body bag.
"Just booked a first-class ticket to eternal damnation," V mutters under her breath, making me smile to hide a laugh.
"Out of rigor mortis, starting to decompose," Lanny tells us, casually leaning against the roll out tray the body is on, "and lucky for you, set to be cremated."
"Won't her family ask questions?" Jimmy asks, reminding me that he was even here.
"Got a Jane Doe in the back, never been ID'd. Best thing about ashes? They all look the same."
"What do you want for her?" Fiona asks, the whole scenario feeling far too much like a simple trade of goods, not the acquirement of fucking dead body.
"Could use a pick-me-up," he shrugs, "night shifts killin' me."
"What's your poison?" I ask, considering this is kind of my area of expertise.
"I'm not picky," Lanny declares and I nod, sure that I can get him something pretty easily.
Jimmy's phone dings and he hums as he reads a text, "hmm, can you guys handle it from here? Mum, she got a little ambitious on the Ambien. I'll meet you back at the house." He rushes out before we can even respond.
"Can we handle it? As if he was bringing anything to the table," i scoff.
"You'll wanna work fast, she won't stay cold long," Lanny warns us, before leaving us to take the dead body.