Chicago's South Side.
Life for these shameless bastards rolled on, same as always.
Whatever chaos the Gallagher family was wading through was just a minor blip on the radar for the rest of the South Side residents. Nobody really gave a damn.
Five days flashed by in a blink.
As of today, Debbie Gallagher had been sitting in juvie for a week.
Veronica and Kevin, after picky-choosing through a mountain of options, finally picked a place, inked the contract, and officially owned a second property—something they used to only dream about.
Ian and Carl were still crashing at 2114 North Wallace. Life was decent enough; no major drama or insane flare-ups.
Carl was still being Carl—eating, drinking, and hustling alongside Mickey.
Ian hadn't really interacted with Mickey much, just a couple of accidental run-ins. Besides that, Ian had found himself a new playmate.
Mickey didn't go chasing after Ian, but he missed him like hell. Every night he was at the Alibi, drowning his sorrows, temporarily becoming just another one of the barflies.
Fiona had scraped together over a thousand bucks, paid back the parents she owed, and quit the strip club.
Lip, relying on his own cocky sense of intelligence, had sent Tony back alone. He found someone else to help and was currently hobbling back toward the South Side on crutches, dragging a pile of smuggled goods with him.
The pain-transfer spell had worn off. Peggy was once again feeling the grim reaper breathing down her neck. Her body was racked with agony, and she was back in the wheelchair.
Frank had bounced back to health, full of vim and vigor, only to be summoned by Peggy to start a whole new nightmare of servitude.
---
Noon.
The Gallagher House.
Fiona woke up and got out of bed. Just like every other day recently, she checked on Liam first. Once she confirmed the kid was fine, she showered and went downstairs to make lunch.
After eating, knowing Lip would be home soon, she felt a burst of motivation. She started tackling the mess of a house, cleaning up the clutter.
As she was tidying up—
Knock, knock, knock.
Someone was at the door.
Fiona assumed it was Lip and ran to open it, excitement written all over her face.
But it wasn't Lip. It was Tony.
The moment her eyes landed on Tony's face, her expression dropped. But in a split second, she recovered her poker face and gave a lukewarm greeting. "Tony."
Tony smiled brightly. "Long time no see. Can I come in?"
Fiona hadn't forgotten her deal with Tony. Seeing that grin on his face, she knew exactly what he was here to collect.
In that moment, Fiona was conflicted. She really wanted to bail on the deal. After all, Lip would be back any minute; she didn't technically need Tony anymore.
And honestly, as a Gallagher, reneging on a promise wasn't a big deal. It was practically the family motto.
But then she thought about it...
If she burned this bridge, she'd never get Tony's help again. And Tony was a cop... who could guarantee the Gallaghers wouldn't need a cop in their pocket down the road?
Her mind raced, but eventually, she decided to grit her teeth and get it over with.
It's just for a month, anyway.
She could endure it.
"Sure," Fiona smiled slightly, inviting Tony inside.
It didn't take long.
In the kitchen, right on the floor.
Fiona dusted off her oral skills.
Disliking Tony was one thing, but getting laid was another. The two weren't mutually exclusive. Besides, with a body count in the triple digits, most of the guys Fiona had slept with weren't exactly guys she liked.
Soon enough, they were going at it like rabbits.
Two rounds later, Tony was finally satisfied.
Done.
They sat on the floor, making idle chit-chat...
Honestly, there was nothing to talk about. They had zero common ground.
Less than two minutes in, Fiona found an excuse to end the meaningless conversation. "I gotta finish cleaning the house."
Tony let out a silent sigh of relief. "I need to report in at the precinct. I've been gone for days; probably have a mountain of paperwork waiting."
Truth be told, if he wasn't trying to be a gentleman, Tony would have bolted the second they finished. Now that he had an out, he couldn't wait to leave.
Moments later, Tony briskly walked out of the Gallagher house.
Fiona didn't care in the slightest. She went right back to cleaning.
---
Dex Restaurant.
Lunch service had just wrapped up.
Dexter leaned back on the sofa, lit a cigarette, and pulled up his System interface.
He'd been in this world for a while now. To be honest, he was getting a little bored.
In other words, it was time to switch servers and go play in a different world.
[You have opened a Silver Loot Box. Congratulations, you have drawn: Appearance +1. Reward applied automatically. Your Appearance is now 9/10.]
Heh. Even more devastatingly handsome.
Dexter smirked and continued opening boxes.
[You have opened a Silver Loot Box. Congratulations, you have drawn: $90,000 USD.]
[You have opened a Silver Loot Box. Congratulations, you have drawn: Master-level Italian Cuisine Skill. This reward includes ten sets of various premium ingredients.]
Oho. Now that's a decent prize.
[You have opened a Silver Loot Box. Congratulations, you have drawn: A Minigun. This reward includes fifty ammo belts.]
????
What's the point of a minigun in the South Side?
Am I supposed to wipe out the whole Shameless cast? Like a "Shameless Cleansing Operation"?
Dexter thought about it and chuckled. Actually, that sounded kind of entertaining.
[You have opened a Silver Loot Box. Congratulations, you have drawn: A Field Trip Ticket.]
[Destination: "Pirates of the Caribbean" World.]
[Upon use, you will be instantly transported to the Caribbean Sea, unlocking the "Pirates of the Caribbean" world. Friendly Reminder: Unless you complete the mission, use a Return Ticket, or use another Field Trip Ticket, you cannot leave the "Pirates of the Caribbean" world.]
Ding-ding! We have a winner!
Going to the Pirates of the Caribbean world...
But who to take?
He got what he wanted from the loot boxes, so Dexter stopped opening them. He smoked his cigarette, lost in thought.
He still had that [It Was All A Dream] card he drew earlier. Combined with this Field Trip Ticket... he could take two people along for a fun pirate adventure.
Who were the best candidates?
A few minutes later, Dexter made his decision.
Let's go with Bianca and Carl.
Carl would absolutely lose his mind over that world. He'd love it.
As for Bianca...
She'd been playing the role of the good girl for almost thirty years. She'd been repressed for too long. Going to a world like that, letting loose, going a little crazy—it would probably be a blast for her.
As for whether bringing Bianca would cramp his style with other women...
Not a big issue.
On one hand, aside from Elizabeth Swann—that manipulative little drama queen—there weren't really any other hotties in Pirates of the Caribbean. And he wasn't interested in drama queens.
On the other hand, this whole trip would just be a "dream" for Bianca anyway. So, even if he decided to treat Elizabeth Swann as a plaything, it wouldn't have any lasting consequences.
Perfect.
It's settled.
Decision made, Dexter closed the System interface, grinning from ear to ear.
Not far away, Vivian noticed the smile on Dexter's face. Her brow twitched.
She couldn't help but feel that his smile looked purely evil.