The house was loud.
Too loud.
Music thumped through thin walls, bass rattling the cupboards, voices overlapping into that familiar Gallagher chaos that usually meant something was about to go wrong.
Luke felt it before he saw it.
A prickle at the back of his neck.
The System didn't scream.
It didn't flash warnings.
It simply tightened time.
The Moment That Ruins Everything (In Another Life)
Fiona was in the kitchen.
Laughing. Distracted. Tired in the way only someone holding a family together could be.
On the counter—careless, stupid, human—
a line of cocaine.
And on the floor—
Liam.
Small hands. Curious eyes. A toddler who thought everything on a table was food.
Luke's gaze snapped to him.
Time fractured.
Karma-Enhanced Reflexes
Luke moved.
Not fast.
Precisely.
The world slowed to thick syrup.
He crossed the room in three steps that felt like one, scooped Liam up before his fingers reached the counter, turned his body so the child's face buried into his shoulder.
Liam laughed.
A harmless giggle.
No powder on his hands.
No dust on his face.
No sirens in the future.
The System pulsed once.
[CRITICAL EVENT AVERTED]
Karma Skill: Enhanced Reflexes — ACTIVATED
Outcome Shift: Catastrophic Collapse → Prevented
Silence After the Storm
The music kept playing.
No one noticed—
because the worst disasters always look invisible after they're avoided.
Luke held Liam longer than necessary.
His heart hammered.
This wasn't fate.
This was intervention.
Fiona Realizes
It hit Fiona seconds later.
She turned.
Saw Luke holding Liam.
Saw the counter.
Saw what almost happened.
Her face drained of color.
"Oh my God," she whispered.
Luke met her eyes.
"No," he said quietly. "Don't spiral. It didn't happen."
Her knees buckled.
He steadied her with one hand, still holding Liam with the other.
"You were tired," Luke said. "That's all."
Tears spilled anyway.
Frank's Mistake
Frank staggered in from the living room, beer in hand, already smirking like nothing in the world could touch him.
"Hey—what's with the long faces?"
Luke turned.
Set Liam down gently.
Then walked toward Frank.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
The room seemed to shrink.
The Confrontation
"You left drugs where a kid could reach them," Luke said.
Frank scoffed. "Relax, Einstein. Kids bounce."
Luke didn't blink.
"In another timeline," he said evenly, "you're burying your grandson—or watching your daughter go to prison."
Frank's grin faltered.
"Don't get dramatic."
Luke stepped closer.
"You don't get to gamble with children," he said. "Not anymore."
For once—
Frank had no joke.
No deflection.
Just a flicker of fear.
The Line in the Sand
"If this house collapses," Luke continued, voice low, "it won't be because we failed. It'll be because you poisoned it."
Frank looked away.
Which, for him, was an admission.
Luke didn't hit him.
Didn't threaten.
He simply said, "Stay away from the kids. Or I make sure you can't."
The words landed heavier than any punch.
Aftermath
The party ended early.
Windows opened.
Music died.
Fiona held Liam like he was glass.
And Luke sat alone on the back steps, shaking just enough to remind himself he was human.
The System updated silently.
[World of Remorse — Major Collapse Prevented]
Family Stability: CRITICALLY MAINTAINED
Karma Gained: Significant
Final Thought
In another world—
This moment destroyed everything.
In this one—
It became the proof that breaking the cycle wasn't about escaping.
It was about catching the fall before it happened.
And Luke stayed awake the rest of the night, just to be sure.