A Different Kind Of Dysfunction - A Shameless Fanfiction (Book One)

The call came just after 9 a.m.

Adeline was doing the dishes, wearing the same hoodie she’d slept in, when her phone buzzed on the counter.

Unknown number.

She stared at it for two rings.

Then picked up.

“Adeline Whitman?”

“Yes.”

“This is Renee Charles with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. We’ve reviewed the preliminary guardianship petition submitted on your behalf. I’m calling to confirm a home visit this Thursday at 2 p.m.”

Adeline gripped the counter.

“That’s... soon.”

“We try not to give families too much time to prepare,” the voice said. “We want to see the home as it is.”

“Right,” Adeline said. “Of course.”

“It’ll be me and a caseworker. We’ll ask to speak with each child. Please make sure everyone’s home.”

“Everyone will be home.”

“Good. We’ll see you then.”

Click.

Just like that.

---

Adeline didn’t move for a full minute.

Then she dropped the sponge, dried her hands, and stepped into the living room.

Sophie was braiding Alyssa’s hair. Tessa was packing her backpack. Rory was slumped on the couch watching a muted TV.

Adeline took a breath.

“We have three days,” she said.

They all looked up.

“CPS is coming. Thursday. Two o’clock.”

The silence hit hard.

Then Rory stood. “We’re doing this?”

“We’re doing this.”

---

The house turned into a machine.

Everyone found a gear and started turning.

Tessa scrubbed baseboards. Sophie made a chart for laundry and meals. Rory fixed the broken drawer in the hallway dresser that had been sticking for a year.

Leah went room to room, hiding anything that might raise questions — expired medication, questionable school notes, Sylvia’s leftover clutter.

Even Lily helped.

Quietly, carefully, folding blankets and reorganizing the living room like she was trying to earn her way back into the world.

No one talked about what would happen if they failed.

They didn’t have to.

They all knew.

---

On the second day, Fiona stopped by with clean linens and a bag of groceries.

“Put this in the fridge and make it look like it’s been there,” she said.

“Got it,” Adeline replied, stacking yogurt cups behind the actual milk.

Fiona scanned the room.

The place looked... good.

Still worn, still small, but lived in. Together.

“You’ve got this,” Fiona said.

Adeline leaned on the counter, eyes tired.

“You sure?”

“No,” Fiona said. “But you don’t need perfect. Just real. Just safe.”

Adeline nodded.

“Then we’ll give them real.”

---

That night, they rehearsed answers.

Tessa: “What happens if they ask about Sylvia?”

Adeline: “Be honest, but not angry. She left. That’s the truth.”

Leah: “What if they ask if we’re scared?”

Adeline paused.

Then: “Say this. ‘We’re not scared anymore.’ That’s the truth too.”

---

On the morning of the visit, no one went to school.

They dressed in clean clothes. Made the beds. Vacuumed twice.

Lip dropped off fresh bread and reminded Sophie to breathe.

Carl texted Rory, “Don’t throw hands on CPS. They’re not the enemy.”

Debbie sent over a folder with forged utility bills. Just in case.

The Gallaghers had their backs.

For once, they weren’t alone.

---

At 1:57 p.m., the knock came.

Adeline opened the door.

Two women stood outside — one older, in a blazer, clipboard in hand. The other younger, wearing jeans and a soft smile.

“Adeline Whitman?”

“Yes. Come in.”

---

The visit lasted two hours.

They walked through each room.

Talked to each sibling.

Asked about routines. Meals. School. Discipline.

Lily told the truth — about her overdose, about how things were different now. About Tessa holding her hand when she woke up in the hospital.

Sophie talked about Lip. Not the relationship — just the car. The time. The space to be herself.

Rory didn’t smile. But he didn’t lie. And when they asked what he’d do if things didn’t go their way, he said, “Then I’ll fight harder.”

Leah kept it simple. Clear. Focused.

Alyssa showed them her drawing of “our family, safe now.”

Tessa cried once. Just a little.

And Adeline?

Adeline held the whole thing together.

---

When they left, promising a follow-up soon, no one celebrated.

But they exhaled.

Together.

Adeline locked the door behind them and turned around.

Everyone stared at her.

“Well?” Rory asked.

“I think we showed them who we really are,” she said.

Sophie smiled. “And that’s enough?”

Adeline nodded.

“It has to be.”

[Word count: ~727 words]