CAM CURSED AS SHE PULLED ON A SWEATSHIRT EARLY FRIDAY MORNING,

"Why is it so fucking cold?" She grumbled as she made it downstairs and checked the thermostat,

There was a knock on the door and she went to answer it, a scowl forming on her face when she saw it was Steve, "Go away." She went to close the door but he stopped her,

"I'm here for Ian, not for you." She rolled her eyes and let him in before heading towards the kitchen, "Befriend the brother to win back the girl?"

"Is that what I'm doing?" Steve asked from behind her,

She raised an eyebrow, "You tell me."

"Why is it so cold in here?" He questioned and she ignored him,

Kevin walked in wearing his robe, holding two pieces of bread and a bouquet of flowers, "Where's my damn toaster? Huh? Who borrows a toaster?"

"I'd check the kitchen." Cameron told him before going over to the calendar to check the bills,

He walked in to see Carl standing over the toaster on the kitchen table, melting plastic action figures with the heat, "No! Yo, Destructo, that's my toaster!"

"I'm trying to make Melted Man." Carl commented as Kevin moved him away from the appliance,

"Yeah, well, use a blowtorch like a normal kid."

Fiona came downstairs and glanced at Steve for a moment before continuing into the kitchen, "What is he doing here?"

"He said he's here for Ian." Cam commented, grabbing her pills from the top shelf in the cabinet,

"Hey, Fi, some flower delivery guy was looking for your address." Kevin set the roses down on the counter, "Here."

Lip walked in and stared at Steve, "Back for more abuse. You're like a boomerang."

"Yeah, no, I-I lost a bet to Ian on the Islanders game. Need to see what tickets he wants me to get him." Steve explained,

"And we live in the 1700's, where telephones haven't been invented yet, so of course you couldn't just call." Cam grumbled as she drank her water,

"Not when I knew you were dying to see me." Steve replied and Cam rolled her eyes again,

Fiona tried to turn on the stove, "Shit."

Cameron sighed and walked over to the pin board, searching through the bills,

Ian walked in, "Yo. Got my tickets?"

"Yeah, what game? Philly on the 12th or Edmonton on the 27th?" Steve asked the redhead,

"Uh, the Oilers, yeah, definitely."

"That's a good choice. The Flyers are a bunch of fags." Kevin called out as he waited for his bread to toast,

Cam grabbed the bill and held it up for Fiona to see, "The gas bill's late."

"Shit." She walked over and grabbed the paper, "No wonder it's freezing in here."

Debbie went over to the flowers and picked up the card before reading it, "'Fiona, thanks for a night I'll never forget. Tony'."

Fiona snatched the card from Debbie's hands, "Give me that."

"You hooked up with Tony?" Kevin laughed, "How charitable of you."

"Yeah, and we had a nice time, okay? Tony's sweet." Fiona defended,

Kevin faked snored and Cameron grinned, "I'm sorry, I totally fell asleep when you were talking about him. How long was I out for?"

"Lip, phone." Fiona ordered and Lip tossed it over to her,

"And what exactly does 'hooked up' mean?" Cameron raised an eyebrow as she grabbed the hotplate to plug in,

"Last time I checked, penis goes into vagina." Kevin called out,

While the kids ate, Cameron went upstairs to change into her uniform. After pulling her coat on, she went into Debbie's room to grab Liam from his crib. She made sure to change his diaper and put his coat on before heading back downstairs.

"I think I can see my breath." Ian commented as everyone gathered around the table in their coats,

"We need $587, or they won't turn the gas back on." Fiona sighed as she hung up on the phone,

"I'm taking the PSATs for some Polish kid over in Ridgedale. He's supposed to give me, like, a hundred bucks." Lip offered,

"I saw online that we can get an extra $200 a month from the state if we say Carl's retarded." Debbie commented,

Cameron looked over at Carl, who was making a whiny noise and slid down his chair, "That could work." She replied, before glancing at Fiona who shook her head,

"I get paid Friday." Ian stated,

"I don't get paid until Monday but I can get my tips after my shift today." Cameron said, leaning against the counter,

The oldest Gallagher sighed, "Okay, I'll figure out the rest." She glanced up at the clock, "School! Let's go. Everyone out."

Cameron grabbed her bag and Steve followed behind her, "I can loan you the money. Pay me back whenever... or not. Doesn't matter."

"You're still here?" She scoffed, nudging Carl out the door,

"You know, I could borrow a couple grand from you, Steve, and not pay you back." Kevin joked,

"Bye, Fi. Bye, Kev!" Cameron exclaimed as she followed the kids out of the house.

"Let me loan you the money, Cam." Steve grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop, "Think about the kids. They're cold."

She narrowed her eyes at him, "It's happened before, it'll happen again. Now leave me alone, Steve."

Cameron made it to the diner after making sure the younger kids got to school okay. It was a bit slow in the morning, giving her time to do her other duties such as rolling silverware and filling the salt and pepper shakers.

The lunch rush started and customers started pouring in for their lunch break. Cameron hustled around, making her rounds to her tables while also refilling the coffee machines and helping clean the dishes.

As she was wiping down the counter, the bell above the door dinged, "Welcome to Patsy's Diner, how many?" Cameron glanced up and her smile fell when she saw Steve, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, I thought this was a diner, do I have it wrong?" He glanced around,

"Are you stalking me?" She scoffed,

"If wanting a nice, hot cup of coffee is stalking you, I guess I am!" Steve smirked,

"Not interested." Cameron grabbed the coffee pot and walked around, refilling mugs around the diner,

"One mistake, and now you want nothing to do with me." Steve stated as he followed behind her,

"One mistake?" Cameron scoffed, "You kidnapped my father." The customers that sat in the booth widened their eyes and stared at Steve,

"I was trying to help." He said to her and the customers before Cameron walked back behind the counter,

"Don't."

"All right," Steve sighed and placed his hands flat on the counter, "I've apologised. Isn't that enough?"

"Leave me alone." She grabbed a to-go coffee cup and began to fill it up,

"Listen, you would not be so pissed off if you didn't care." Steve stated,

She paused and glanced up at him, " You know nothing about me."

It was true. He knew nothing of the hardships, of the life she's lived before she met him a few weeks ago. How messed up she is. He had no idea of her struggles, mentally, physically, or emotionally.

He doesn't know her.

"Then teach me!" He explained and everyone in the diner paused.

Charlie stepped out of his office and went behind the counter, "Need any help out here, Gallagher?"

"I'm good, Charlie." She sent him a smile before grabbing a lid and covering the coffee,

Steve glanced between Charlie and Cameron before leaning forward on the counter, "Teach me."

"Here's your coffee, sir." She pushed the cup forward, "$2.50".

Steve stared at her for a moment before grabbing the coffee and handing her a ten dollar bill. She took it from him and went over to the register but he stopped her, "Hey. Keep the change."

"No, thanks." Cameron mumbled,

"Believe me, you need it more than I do." He stated before leaving the diner.

After the lunch rush, right before the end of her shift, Fiona showed up with Liam in her arms,

"What do I owe the pleasure?" Cameron asked as she grabbed the baby chair for her youngest brother, "I was gonna get my tips after my shift."

"No rush." Fiona sighed, sitting down at the counter and putting Liam in the chair, "We have more problems than just the gas bill."

"Uh oh, Tony has the clap?" Cam joked, filling a cup of milk for Liam before getting Fiona a coffee,

"Can't have the clap if you haven't had sex before." Fiona mumbled,

Cameron let out a laugh, "No way, you popped Tony's cherry?!"

Her older sister groaned and took a sip of her coffee, "Please, don't. And not to mention, a woman from the Social Security Department stopped at the house, saying that Ginger cashes her checks in Chicago."

"Frank?"

"Frank." Fiona confirmed, "If Aunt Ginger isn't at the house by tomorrow, someone is going to jail. And it won't be any of us."

"Why do I have a feeling that Aunt Ginger isn't in Wisconsin?"

"Why do I have a feeling that we're gonna have to clean up Frank's mess?"