Some titles weren't claimed.
They were assumed.
The Buyout
The Gallagher house had never been a home in the legal sense.
It was a battlefield disguised as a living room.
Late notices taped to the door.
Property tax warnings buried under beer cans.
Bank letters marked FINAL that no one opened.
Until Luke did.
He didn't argue.
He didn't negotiate.
He ended it.
A wire transfer—clean, quiet, undeniable.
Outstanding mortgage: Paid
Back taxes: Cleared in full
Lien threats: Terminated
Eviction plots: Legally impossible
The bank manager blinked at the screen twice.
"Mr. Gallagher… this is—"
"Done," Luke said calmly.
That was the end of the conversation.
The House
Luke stood in the living room that night, listening to the house breathe.
Old pipes.
Settling wood.
The familiar smell of burned coffee and too many memories.
He placed the deed in a plain folder and handed it to Fiona.
"No bank," he said.
"No landlord. No clock."
Fiona stared at the papers.
Then at him.
"You bought our past," she whispered.
Luke shook his head.
"I bought your future."
She hugged him without warning.
Hard.
Like someone who hadn't realized how heavy the fear had been until it disappeared.
System Recognition
Major Structural Wish Completed
Archetype Override: Patriarch
Family Stability Index: MAXIMUM
Risk of Homelessness: ZERO
Narrative Note:
This action fulfills the deepest unspoken regret of the Gallagher family:
"No one ever made it safe."
Frank's Silence
Frank sat on the porch later, sober for once.
The house behind him—owned, not borrowed.
He didn't joke.
Didn't scheme.
Just looked at Luke.
"You didn't have to," Frank muttered.
Luke met his eyes.
"I know."
That was all.
Frank nodded once.
A defeated king recognizing a successor.
Patriarch
Luke didn't move in.
He didn't need to.
The house no longer needed saving—it needed continuity.
Fiona ran it.
Debbie planned upgrades.
Carl joked about "inheriting the throne."
Luke watched from the edges.
Like a foundation stone.
Unseen.
Unthanked.
Unmovable.
Because being the Patriarch wasn't about control.
It was about making sure the storm never reached the door again.
And this time—
It wouldn't.