What's a Girl to Do? (Season 6)

Chapter Six: It Happened One Night

I stood outside after the meeting, weighing the silver chip in one hand, while I kept a cigarette firmly between my lips. When Lip had finished greeting his friends, he stepped outside as well, coming to stand beside me. Automatically, I handed over my cigarette to him, which he took a few puffs from, before he handed it back to me. I sighed then, feeling exhausted at the notion of what I'd done, and leaned my head down so that it rested on Lip's shoulder.

"Look, I know I'm not to that step yet, but I'm sorry," I said quietly.

Lip turned his head then, leaning down so that it met mine. "Yeah?" he asked, and I knew that there was a chuckle hidden in his tone somewhere. "Sorry for what?"

I inhale deeply on my cigarette before I pull it back, handing it over to him. "Sorry I was acting like such a bitch," I said, my voice soft. "I was a total bitch to you, while I was under the influence, and I can't take that back. I am so sorry..."

Lip scoffed then and I lifted my head, watching as he smoked for a moment before he returned my cigarette to me. "Hey, we're from a family of addicts," he said simply. "I'm just sorry you got caught up into the web."

I gave a nod then, thankful that I wouldn't have to give up smoking—well, for the time being, anyway. "Well, I guess a part of me is happy that I don't have to do it alone..."

Lip smiled. "I guess a part of me is happy that I don't have to do it alone either."

I laughed aloud then, shoving him away from me. "Fuck you," I replied, finding that I couldn't stop laughing, and was pleased when he joined me. "Guess we all need a stupid big brother to keep us in line now and again..."

Lip threw his arm around me then, kissing my forehead. "You're right, Murph. And you know what? I'm not giving up on you."

I sighed, leaning into his chest, feeling secure for the first time in a long time. "I know you won't give up on me, Lip... Although I think that Nicholas might."

"Yeah?" he asked, pulling back slightly so that he could read my expression. "Why do you think he'd give up on you?"

I rolled my eyes. "He's just so convinced that I'm cheating with Tommy..."

Lip cocked an eyebrow. "Have you?"

Immediately, I shook my head. "No!"

Lip sighed. "Murph, a part of AA is being honest."

I made a noncommittal response, rolling my shoulders. "He says that I'm different... You know, since the arrest..."

"Do you think you're different?"

I swallowed then, allowing the question to wash over me. "Yeah," I said after a moment of silence, and the acknowledgement that Nicholas had been right all along stung. "I mean, I feel different, you know?"

He nodded. "You were arrested and you spent the night in jail. Plus, you became friends with the guy who arrested you, and who gave you a bloody nose..."

I rolled my eyes, puffing on my cigarette for a moment before I handed it back to him. "And you know as well as I do that he was just doing his job..."

"I don't give a shit if he was just doing his job, Murph," Lip replied, his tone impatient as he sucked in the tobacco into his lungs. "It wouldn't matter to me. The point is, you're my sister, and I was fucking scared shitless when I found out that you kept that fucker in your life. I don't trust him, and neither do Nicholas and Ian. We're worried about you, Murph, because, let's face it, we thought you were responsible, but you're just..."

"Irresponsible?" I asked, taking my cigarette back from him and allowing it to sit between my teeth for a moment.

Lip rolled his eyes. "No, not irresponsible. You're just a fucking Gallagher."