hurricane monica │ season 1
IN THE HEART OF CHICAGO, UNDER THE CLOAK OF DARKNESS, a car came to a halt in front of an unfamiliar house. Y/n sat in the passenger seat, gazing out the window. She turned to look at Debbie, who was seated in the back. Debbie's cryptic request had brought them to this unfamiliar neighbourhood, and neither Y/n nor Logan had any idea what was going on.
"Debs, who lives here?" Y/n inquired, her curiosity piqued. She knew that Debbie didn't have any acquaintances in this particular area, which was a neighbourhood removed from Logan's usual stomping grounds. Logan, too, studied the house from his window, attempting to jog his memory to see if he recognized it.
"It could be one out of twenty white people," Logan quipped, offering a humorous but unhelpful response.
Y/n tried again, "Debbie..."
Debbie hesitated for a moment, still seemingly reluctant to share her concerns. But eventually, she succumbed to their persistent prodding, "Tell me that's not a woman's car parked in front?"
Their attention was drawn to the seemingly ordinary car with a license plate that read "Ms. D-list." Debbie's voice revealed her discovery, "Steve is cheating on Fiona."
Y/n's mood took a noticeable dip, and she turned to Debbie, searching for the right words, "Wow... uhm..."
Logan leaned back in his seat, taking in the revelation. He acknowledged the discomfort in the room but decided to remind them, "Wendy, you're forgetting something." He wore a wry smile, "Fiona is a grown woman, and besides, Steve is..."
"Vin," Y/n interjected, correcting Logan.
"Sorry," Logan offered with a nod of acknowledgement.
Y/n and Vinnie's relationship seemed to be in a relatively stable place for the time being.
Vinnie had been making an effort to integrate with the Gallaghers, and Y/n was content with her medications, feeling a sense of equilibrium she hadn't felt in a long time. However, tonight was different. Vinnie had a family dinner, and Y/n was expected to attend. Unfortunately, Vinnie's mother was less than thrilled about her presence, possibly due to a previous dinner incident that hadn't gone over well.
"No one takes care of Fiona" Debbie looked Logan's way trying to make him understand.
"Oh wow, I'm still" Y/n continued to process everything, "Debs; leave it for Veronica or even Lip."
"He got a text from someone named Candace, yesterday" She continued to try and convince them. "He said it was his mom but, someone has to find out if he was telling the truth or not yknow."
"Oh" Logan turned to Y/n as she was about to say the same thing again; Y/n looked at Logan with a small bite to the bottom of her lip. "Fuck him, Debs, and Fiona is going to know the same. It's none of our business,"
Debbie had fallen slowly silent when the two older young adults looked at Debbie not knowing what was going to happen next. "I need somewhere to sleepover tonight, I told Lip and Ian I was sleeping over with Emmy."
"Yeah, sure" Logan nodded his head, Emmy was out sleeping over one of their mom's rich friends who didn't know who Debbie was counting she didn't really make friends her own age.
༶
The decision was made to head over to Logan's house, a conveniently close location to the one they had been in earlier. Upon their arrival, they gently settled Debbie into the guest room, where she soon succumbed to the embrace of slumber.
Ensuring that Debbie was comfortably settled, Y/n quietly exited the room, closing the door behind her. Her thoughts weighed heavily on her, especially considering the ongoing drama involving Fiona and Steve.
The burden of it all pressed down on her, but she was determined to communicate one crucial message to Debbie – that, regardless of the complexities and troubles swirling around their family, she remained the child, and Y/n was unwavering in her commitment to shield her younger sister from unnecessary worries. This was her role as the dependable, protective elder sister.
Y/n entered Logan's room, where he had just stepped out of the bathroom. The room exuded an air of affluence, a testament to his family's improved financial status, thanks to a series of jackpot wins and lucrative deals over the years. The spacious surroundings seemed a world away from the typical South Side setting.
Logan, clad in a crisp white shirt, was in the process of adjusting it, his brown hair still damp from his recent shower. He couldn't help but express his concern, "How's she doing? She seemed pretty deep in the worry zone."
Y/n nodded in response, her arms crossed thoughtfully. "Debbie's out like a light," she affirmed. "I just wanted to swing by and thank you for making the trek from the South Side with Debbie for a bit of undercover reconnaissance."
Logan's response was casual and humour-laden, "No problem. I'm just surprised Debbie didn't hold a gun to my head." His comment elicited a muted laugh from Y/n, who tried to stifle her amusement by covering her mouth and nibbling on her bottom lip.
"By the way," she noted, pointing to a detail most would have missed. "Your mirror is filthy." Her gaze landed on the mirror hanging on the wall, which bore numerous fingerprints and an array of dust particles. Such imperfections remained hidden to the casual observer, only noticeable to those with a keen eye for detail.
Leaving Logan's room, Y/n silently navigated her way back to the guest room where Debbie would be sleeping. Unlike Lip, Y/n and Logan had never shared a bed, not because they didn't want to, but rather due to an unspoken understanding that personal boundaries needed to be maintained.
Logan's parents were currently away on a week-long business trip, granting him the run of the house during their absence. Fortunately, they welcomed the Gallaghers staying over, save for Carl. Carl had a reputation for helping himself to do whatever he desired without seeking permission, which had prompted Logan's parents to impose a single rule – Carl was strictly prohibited from entering their home while they were away.
༶
She walked into the Gallagher's house with Vinnie following behind her, holding onto her hand a little bit. "Are you not going to announce that you're here?" He had asked, causing Y/n to laugh a bit biting the bottom of her lip and opening the fridge inside of the kitchen; confused about everything he had just gone along with. "I'm guessing not,"
"It's the Gallagher's" Y/n truthfully said simply but had a lot of meaning to it.
"You know I could be doing some really good work, right now.." Vinnie teased her leaning on some of the counter as he talked. Y/n rolled her eyes with a smile on her face getting a glass of water.
Footsteps speed down the steps, with Lip turning the corner and seeing Y/n putting money inside of his pocket. "I didn't know you were coming over today, with-...Vinnie" He spoke eyeing the man up and down, Vinnie bit the inside of his cheek itching his nose to distract him from Lip's attitude towards him.
"Stopping by before I go to V's and Kevin's" Y/n turned to the boy leaning on the counter a bit while he came into the Kitchen with him. "Did Debbie ever come back home?"
"Fiona hadn't seen her since this morning,"
"We dropped her off; yknow she thinks Steve is cheating" She crossed her arms, looking into Lip's eyes as he took a second to hear what she had to say before flinching at the idea. "Don't say you're not shocked."
"I'm not, she really knows how to pick 'em" Lip joked. "You don't happen to have money from Logan?" Y/n shook her head; "Karen's birthday's coming up and I wanted to get her Florance and the Machine tickets. So you can't get two bills?" He continued to joke.
Not saying anything else she just simply nodded her head listening to him walking into the living room to try and find any money that was inside of the couch. "Oh, now ask her to make a sandwich on top of it" Vinnie added to the joke; glaring at Lip who eyed him from the living room.
Y/n watched the two of them; "Oh wow," The girl muttered wiping her mouth with a soft tone to her voice. "We should get going, then bye Phillip"
"I think so too, Y/n" Lip plopped himself on the couch grabbing a cigarette from inside of his pocket and slipping it into his mouth.
"Do we really have to go, because I sense there are some issues going on" Y/n grabbed onto the hand of Vinnie dragging him out of the back door knowing that Lip wouldn't waste a second to punch the boy. "We can all share whatever we have to get off of our chest, I'll speak very slowly so he can understand."
A smirk formed on Vinnie's lip with Y/n continuing on going out of the house with him following along with her. "I don't need both of your gossip" Y/n laughed crossing her arms so that the friction of her clothes would make her warmer.
"Y/n, yes but I wanna be good and life seems not to let me; don't you understand baby" He continued to complain with the smirk still haunting and ghosting his face with Y/n grabbing onto his hand while they were walking. "Someone has to put him in his place,"
Shaking her head; "And that need doesn't need to be you,"
༶
When she was about to go into Kevin and V's house to see the new daughter they had adopted with Vinnie coming along after a trip to Y/n's house to check in on everything, Emmy was with them now; since she had nothing better to do in the moment not knowing where Debbie was.
"She's different" Was the way Emmy described the couple's new kid. "Like those weird shows mom be watching, that kind of different."
"Like what shows?" Y/n questioned, looking at her sister curiously.
"My strange-" Emmy mentioned before Vinnie cut her off. "Adicitions" She cut him off before anything, glaring at him.
Vinnie chuckled a bit confused about what the two of them were talking about with them walking up the steps to V and Kevin's house. "I don't watch TV" He muttered, "I'm too busy doing things,"
"Wow" Emmy rolled her eyes, and Y/n placed a hand on her little sister's shoulder almost to silence anything that she was saying or going to say to her boyfriend.
Knocking on the door, it wasn't a couple minutes before Kevin opened the door; he was wearing a tie and dress-down clothing causing the three of them to look at the man as if he was going crazy. He seemed to look behind him before going on and closing the door behind him stepping outside in the cold.
Kevin put his hands on Emmy's shoulders as if he was giving her a pep talk. "We need you to go in there and act like you are happy to see her," he demanded, Emmy turned looking at Y/n who nodded her head allowing the girl to go forward and into the house.
"Someone is here to do a check-in for Ethel and her child," Kevin talking about his newly thirteen-year-old daughter being a mother to a three-year-old. Causing both Vinnie and Y/n to open their eyes wide at the idea of a thirteen-year-old having a child.
"Thirteen?" She looked shocked at Kevin, her mouth had opened a little before closing it and biting the bottom of her lip. "And...a kid?!"
Vinnie snapped out of the wave of shock taking over him. "You can't be serious?" He smirked with a chuckle, as Kevin shook his head.
"I'm serious, some fucked up thing going on with her ex-husband." Kevin continued to dig a deeper hole on why Ethel should just stay with him and V counting they were better than whatever she was in before. "I mean...she tried to fuck me" He whispered.
Double taking the words that had come into his mouth. "Wait, what did you just say?"
"No time, there's a ghetto woman in there and I'm guessing Veronica is ready to swing, We just need to burrow Emmy for a couple of hours just to convince this woman that Ethel has friends of her own." Kevin finished.
Kevin walked back into his house with Y/n and Vinnie watching him agreeing that Emmy could go with them for a while; thinking that they were going to meet Ethel today but it seemed like more disappointment coming along the south side.
Y/n turned looking at Vinnie with disbelief because of all the information that Kevin had just given to them. "This can't be real."
"I'd rather not go in there if I'm honest with you," Vinnie pointed out staring at the closed door in front of them waiting for Y/n to make the move away from the house. Since they had to stay close, Y/n knew they were going to have to wind up going to the Gallagher's so they weren't driving almost thirty minutes just to be able to the city just to come back.
Smiling and grabbing onto his hand and turning around with Y/n and him walking away. "You don't like people, of course, you wouldn't want to be in there."
"It's not that I'm not a people person," Vinnie complained swinging their arms with Y/n made her way to the Gallagher's knowing there was going to be a movie night today. "I'm just not a stupid people person, examples Lip"
Staying silent, Y/n knew that Lip was one of the smartest people that she had ever met; knowing that he was going to make it bigger in life than any of them were going to. Only because of the fact that he knew the school system for someone who didn't like it at all, all he did was trick it.
༶
Later in the evening, Y/n and Vinnie found themselves back in the Gallagher's living room, but this time with a delightful twist. Y/n had graciously decided to whip up a batch of popcorn for herself and Ian in anticipation of their favourite sketch's rerun scheduled for the night.
Veronica was occupied, entertaining Ethel's child, and Debbie was bustling around, helping with the preparations for the movie night. Just as Fiona made her entrance into the kitchen, she held a bowl of popcorn high in the air and quipped, "Hell hath no fury like popcorn burned."
In response to Fiona's warning, Lip, Y/n, and Ian sprinted back to the kitchen, and Vinnie tagged along, keeping a close eye on his girlfriend. Y/n hooked her arms around Ian's shoulders as they manoeuvred their way into the kitchen, all in the name of fetching some sodas for the group.
With the refrigerator door open, Lip reached over Y/n to grab a soda, asking, "Sprite?" He couldn't help but flash a mischievous grin down at her. In response, Y/n playfully nudged Lip in the stomach with her elbow, and he feigned injury, resulting in shared laughter between the two.
As they shared a chuckle, Y/n's gaze wandered to the soda, and after a moment of contemplation, she chimed in, "Oh, yes, please, if you don't mind."
Before Lip could formulate a response, Ian stepped in, his actions interrupting the burgeoning moment in the kitchen. He deftly snagged the sodas from Lip's grip, and in the process, the siblings retrieved additional beverages from Y/n's hands. The room fell into an awkward silence as they grappled with Ian's remark about Y/n's boyfriend's presence.
With everyone heading back to the living room, Lip wasted no time in voicing his impatience. "Hurry up and put the movie on," he grumbled. Y/n settled beside Ethel and Vinnie, who was clearly eager for her to join him. Cuddling up to Vinnie's side, she made herself comfortable. Taking a brief moment to assess the situation, Lip glanced at the cozy couple. Ian reached over to hand Vinnie a drink, allowing Lip to see the gesture.
Ian announced his impending departure, mentioning, "Yeah, I have to go back to work," before turning to Fiona to ensure everything was in order.
The door swung open, and Steve walked into the house. Y/n's gaze shifted from the couch to him as she engaged in a playful interaction with Ethel's baby, who seemed quite taken with her.
Fiona greeted Steve with warmth, her eyes locking with his as she leaned in for a kiss. Y/n observed the exchange, her brows furrowing slightly. She was aware of Debbie's quest for information about Steve but uncertain if any revelations had surfaced.
Seeking solace in Vinnie's company, Y/n held his hand and playfully toyed with his fingers. Her companion offered a reassuring presence. Lip, meanwhile, downed his drink, prompting her to cast an inquisitive glance his way. "Everything okay?" she inquired, but Lip merely nodded, his gaze returning to his drink.
As Steve approached Lip, who had settled into an armchair across from Y/n, he inquired, "Get your tickets?" The atmosphere remained charged with unspoken tension and unanswered questions.
"Oh, yeah," Steve retrieved the three tickets for Florence and the Machine from his trouser pocket and carefully placed them on the table. Evidently, after much contemplation, Karen and Lip had made the decision to give their relationship another chance, opting to take things slow.
Lip acknowledged Steve's contribution with a grateful nod. "Glad I could help."
Steve strolled over to the still-unconsumed popcorn, serving himself a portion. However, his enthusiasm quickly waned as he shovelled the burnt kernels into his mouth and then spat them out. "Oh, this popcorn is burnt," he declared.
Fiona, who was seated nearby, stood up and seized the now-inedible snack. She jokingly pointed a finger at Steve and quipped, "That doesn't mean I want you to buy us a new microwave." But as soon as she uttered those words, the door slammed shut, sending unsettling echoes throughout the house.
All eyes turned to Debbie and Emmy, who entered with ashen faces and vacant expressions. Tear stains marked the corners of Debbie's eyes, and Emmy clung to her best friend's shoulder as if they had lost something dear to them. Concern etched Fiona's face as she set the bowl aside. "Debs? Honey, what happened?"
Lip nonchalantly kicked his feet up onto the coffee table in front of the television and asked, "Dad have one too many again?" Y/n sat up, her gaze fixed on her sister, who wore an expression that hinted at something she wanted to convey but hesitated to bring up.
"Em?" Y/n's voice was tinged with worry.
Debbie remained silent, growing increasingly distant. Emmy appeared to be waiting for Debbie to share whatever weighed on her mind, reluctant to broach the subject herself. The room was enveloped in an uneasy silence, pregnant with unspoken words and unexplained tension.
Ian ate another popcorn kernel from the spew that still lay all over him, "You just have to ignore him when he's like that, Debs."
"Why do you guys always blame him first ?" Debbie piped up in agitation, her fallen gaze darting upwards towards the four who stood in front of her.
"Who else is there?" questioned Fiona, crossing her arms to her chest.
Debbie exhaled a shallow amount of breath, "She's over at Shelia's"
Y/n had been piecing together the puzzle from Debbie's behaviour and the restrained words she chose. It was evident that the subject of concern was someone of considerable importance. Y/n couldn't pinpoint the exact issue, considering there were numerous possibilities. However, she knew it couldn't be a distant relative, ruling that out instantly. A long-lost sibling was also improbable, as the Gallaghers didn't have any.
Steve couldn't contain his curiosity any longer and finally asked the question that was on everyone's mind, "Who?"
"Monica..." Debbie's voice trembled as she uttered the name.
Veronica and Y/n exchanged glances, both rendered momentarily speechless, struggling to find the right words to respond. Vinnie furrowed his eyebrows, casting a hopeful gaze at Y/n, seeking any information she might possess.
Lip was the one to clarify the situation, saying, "Our mother."
Fiona rose from the couch and approached Debbie, attempting to offer comfort. "Debs..."
Debbie's response was almost a snap, as she looked away, forcefully shoving Fiona aside. "What do you care!? You'll be living with Steve next door," she retorted, her emotions raw and exposed. Without another word, she dashed up the stairs, each footfall reverberating through the house. Silence settled in the living room, with only the sound of the television daring to break it. All eyes turned to Steve, waiting for his reaction.
Y/n, sensing the turmoil in the air, made her decision. "I'll take care of her," she said softly, standing up from the couch and stepping over Ethel's legs. She released her hold on Vinnie, moving toward the stairs to follow Debbie, her empathy guiding her actions, understanding how it felt to grapple with difficult family matters.