Disclaimer: I do not own anything except new characters.

Okay, so here's the scene. This is set the summer after the book ends, but without Johnny's death. I'm a die-hard Johnny fan, and I just can't stand to write an Outsiders fic without him in it.

Juliet

Chapter 1

The Return

Juliet slammed the door of her ford with more force than was probably necessary. She couldn't help it. Here she was in Tulsa again, the place she hated more than anything. She pushed her long brown hair back away from her face and surveyed the house she used to call hers. It was still the same old shade of faded gray, with the same old navy blue shutters around the same old dirty windows. The rusted chain link fence still separated the sidewalk from the overgrown lawn. The tree in the front yard even still had the tire swing she'd played on as a kid. With a sigh, Juliet mumbled to herself sarcastically, "Home sweet home."

No sooner had she picked up her backpack when the front door came flying open, and out ran a stocky boy of about eighteen, a smile plastered on his young face, crying, "Jules!" Juliet smiled back, a true smile, as he was the only reason she'd managed the drive out here. As he jumped the fence, she replied warmly, "Stevie." It was then that he came to a halt in front of her and hugged her tightly. She dropped her bag back on the pavement and wrapped her arms around his neck as he picked her up, swinging her in a big circle.

When he put her down he said, still smiling, "How's my big sis?"

She sighed and replied, "As happy as I am to see you, Steve, you know I don't want to be here,"

"I know, I know…but you've been gone too long. I haven't seen you in almost six years!"

"I know. Six long years."

"How's Dad?"

"Dad is…well, he's Dad. Where's Ma?"

"Kitchen. She knew how much you didn't want to come back, so she's trying to warm you up to the idea of spending your summer here by making you a cake. If you don't want it, I'd be happy to take it."

She bent down and picked her bag back up as she laughed and replied, "Keep your mitts off my cake, ya hear?"

He laughed and put his arm around her shoulders, steering her towards the front door.

Juliet was nineteen years old and, since the time she was fourteen, had been living in upstate Texas with her father. He had been a heavy drinker, and Juliet's mother had kicked him out six years ago because of it. After trying to stick it out with her mother in Oklahoma, Juliet finally called it quits and went down to stay with her father. She hadn't been back to Oklahoma since then, and hadn't seen her younger brother, Steve, since the day she left.

It was hard for Juliet to be away from her brother for so long. He was only twelve when she left, but they'd had a close bond since he was born. They'd written letters to each other over the years, but it was still the most difficult thing Juliet had ever done, next to coming home, that is, to be so far from him.

They'd reached the front steps at this point, and Juliet had to take a deep breath before walking up to the front door. Steve got there first and opened it, calling inside, "Hey, Ma! Look what I found!" Down the hallway came Alexandra, a smile just as big as her son's spread across her cheeks. She reached out to Juliet and said, "My baby!" Juliet tried to keep her own smile bright as she hugged her mother lightly.

"So... How's Richard?"

"Dad's good, Ma."

"Still stuck in the bottle, I imagine?"

"He's still drinking, yeah. But not as much as before."

"Well he can do whatever he likes now he's not in my house. Come on in here and let me take a look at my daughter!" She opened the door wider and led Juliet inside her old home. They took a left and ended up in the living room. Alexandra stepped back and gazed upon her two children, standing side by side.

From the time Steve was four, everyone told the two siblings how alike they looked. The same was true for present day. They had the same blue, misty eyes, and the same thick, wavy, brown hair. Steve was taller than Juliet's 5'8", but that was their only main difference. Their faces were both heart-shaped, and their smiles were identical. It was remarkable how twin-like they appeared, especially when they stood side by side.

"Well just look at my two babies. Twenty and eighteen. All grown up."

Steve smiled and put his arm around Juliet's shoulders again. As she wrapped her own arm around Steve's waist, she had to admit that it was nice to be back in some place familiar. Alexandra continued, "You're staying in your old room, obviously, dear. I just put new sheets on the bed and everything. Oh, we're going to have so much fun this summer while you're here, Julie! I've been thinking for weeks about everything we're going to do. Oh, it's just so good to have you home! Why you ever left is still a mystery to me. Perhaps Steve and I can convince you stay longer."

Juliet, starting to feel a bit uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was going, took a step towards the door and said, "I'll just go get my stuff from my car…" She retreated back outside towards her car, glad to be back outside in the afternoon sun. Steve followed her out and quickly matched her stride. Juliet reached the car and opened the trunk. She started to reach in for her suitcase, but stopped when Steve put a hand on her shoulder. She looked over to him and smiled. He responded by pulling her into a hug and saying, "It's great to have you home, Juliet."

Juliet put down the last of her suitcases in her bedroom, which looked exactly the way it did when she left, and went back outside to lock up the car. Being gone six years hadn't made her forget what kind of neighborhood this was. She had just closed the trunk when she heard whistling. Turning around she saw an older boy, about the same age as her by appearance, strolling in her general direction, hands deep in the pockets of his leather jacket, whistling the Mickey Mouse theme song. She stared at him for a moment as he walked along the sidewalk. She turned back to her car as he drew closer. When he'd reached her he stopped whistling and said, "You know, it's not polite to stare at people when they're walking down the street."

Juliet, not looking at him, responded by saying, "Last I checked, manners were for the Southside Socs." She turned and stared him straight in his brown eyes, "You a Soc?"

"Not in a million years, doll face."

"Didn't think so." She passed him and headed towards the gate.

"And what made you peg me for a Greaser?"

"Oh, I don't know." She turned back around slowly before continuing, "The slicked back hair and the leather jacket…or maybe it was the look of anger on your face as you whistled the Mickey Mouse theme song. I'm sorry, but you can't be angry when thinking about Mickey unless you're angry about your life."

He took a step backward off of the sidewalk and on to the pavement and looked at her, as if looking at her for the first time. After a moment he said, "You seem familiar somehow. You new around here?"

"Definitely not new. I used to live here," she pointed to her house, "and then I left. I'm just visiting for the summer."

"How you know Steve?"

"Steve's my brother."

"Glory! Your brother?"

"Yeah. Name's Juliet Randle." She stuck her hand out in front of her. He took it and gently shook it, responding, "Dallas Winston."

Just then Steve came out of the front door. Seeing Dallas, he quickly made his way over towards the pair. When he reached them he said, "Hey, Dally. You met my sister?"

Juliet said quickly, "We just met."

Dallas smiled slightly and said to Steve, "Hey, how come you never mentioned a sister, Steve?"

"I don't know…everyone else knows her from before she went to Texas…" He put his arm around his sister's shoulders again and continued, "Guess she left before you got here…"

"Yeah, I guess so…"

Steve started pulling Juliet towards the house and said, "Come on, Julie. You and me still gotta catch up and all." To Dallas he added, "We'll be around the Curtis' later on tonight, okay, Dally?" Dallas nodded as the brother and sister headed back towards the house.

After dinner, Steve and Juliet headed over to the Curtis' house. Steve opened their front door and said, "Hey, everyone! Remember my sister?" They stepped inside and Juliet waved to the two boys sitting in the living room. They each lifted their arm and waved back. A big guy came out of the kitchen and said, "Hey, Steve. Who's this?" He smiled and motioned to Juliet. Steve responded, "This is Juliet. My sister. Remember, Darry?"

Juliet smiled as she recognized Darrel Curtis. Before she'd left, she'd had a big crush on Darry. She was only thirteen, and he was sixteen. He'd seemed so cool back then with his driver's license and older friends. She laughed now as she remembered how crazy she'd been for him. Darry smiled wider and said, "Julie? Is that really you?" She nodded as he pulled her into a hug. When he let her go she said, "Oh, Darrel Curtis. When did you get so big and strong?" They laughed as Darry's gaze traveled to the three boys staring at them. Steve opened his mouth to start the introductions, but Darry cut him off, "Hey, boys. This is Steve's sister, Juliet. Ponyboy, you were probably too young when she left to remember her, but Sodapop, you should remember her. She's only a little older than you."

The attractive boy in the farthest chair smiled and studied her before saying, "Oh, yeah! I remember you now, Jules!" Juliet smiled back and waved again, now recognizing Sodapop Curtis. The youngest looking one sitting closest to her looked a lot like Darrel and Soda, so she assumed it was their brother Ponyboy. She said to him, "Ponyboy, right?" He nodded and said, "I sort of remember you," he added apologetically, "but not too much." She smiled and said, "It's all good, Pony."

Sodapop chimed in, "You don't gotta stand there like a statue, Jules. Sit down." He stood and motioned to his chair, sitting down again on the floor. Juliet laughed lightly and made her way to the chair. Steve leaned against the wall and Darrel went back into the kitchen.

Soda reached over and switched off the T.V and turned to Juliet, saying as he did so, "So what have you been doing with yourself, Juliet?" She shrugged and said, "Just living, I guess."

"You been in Texas all this time? How longs it been, few years?"

"Six years. Six long years spent in Texas with my dad."

"So, why did you come back?"

Steve piped up, "Me and our mom convinced her to come spend the summer with us."

Juliet added, "I only agreed because I missed my little brother so much." She smirked and winked at Steve.

The front door opened again and everyone's heads turned to see Two-Bit Matthew walking in. He raised his arm and waved cheerily saying, "Hey, everybody!" His eyes passed over Juliet twice as he scanned the room before he realized that he didn't recognize her. He pointed at her and said, "Who's the Steve look-alike?"

Steve said to him, "That's my sister, Two-Bit! Don't you remember her?"

Two-Bit thought for a moment and then smiled widely before saying, "Julie!"

Juliet laughed and stood, heading over to him. She stood in front of him, smiling. He looked her up and down and said, "I usually prefer blondes, but years have been good to you, Jules."

She laughed again and said, "I usually prefer a guy who's smooth, and years haven't changed you a bit, Two-Bit."

It amazed Juliet how easily the Curtis' fit her into their life. She'd been at the house for twenty minutes, but it felt like she'd never left in the first place. Already the gang was joking and laughing with her as they watched T.V. They all seemed to be glad for her reappearance, and she had to admit that she didn't hate it, not by a long shot. Who would think that she would joking and laughing, dare she say happy in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

It wasn't long before the front door opened again, and in walked Dallas Winston. He had the same scowl on his face that Juliet remembered from earlier, and wondered aimlessly why he always looked so…well, pissed. The boys all looked over when he came in and called out their greetings before turning back to the television. Dallas headed over to the couch and stood over Two-Bit, glaring at the top of his head. Two-Bit suddenly looked up and saw Dallas standing over him and asked, "What?" Dallas' eyes narrowed and shot a deliberate look to the floor. Two-Bit sighed, stood up, mumbling as he did so, "Don't know why you always got to take my seat…" He sat back down on the floor, and Dallas plopped down on the couch. Juliet scoffed, a little louder than she intended. Dallas' angry eyes shot to her face. He asked coldly, "You got a problem?"

She fought to conceal her surprise from her face and replied, "Nope, no problem at all."

"Well then, why don't you just keep quiet then?"

That blew her cover. Her eyes grew wide and mouth dropped open. She was utterly speechless, and always having something to say was a quality Juliet was proud to have. She didn't even think to be angry. Sodapop, who was sitting on the floor beside Juliet's chair, looked over to Dallas and said, "Hey, man. Don't be a jerk." Dallas rolled his eyes and scanned the room. Seeing someone was missing, he asked, "Where's Johnny?"

Ponyboy spoke up, shrugging as he did so, "Dunno. He's not down at the lot, so he must be home." Dallas sighed, which Juliet found to be an oddly human act, considering the demeanor in which he carried himself. He stood up and said, "I'm gonna go find him." With that, he walked out of the house.

Darrel came into the living room from the kitchen and asked, "Was that Dally?"

Sodapop responded, "Yeah. He's gone out to look for Johnny."

Darrel nodded and settled himself in the spot Dallas had been sitting on the couch. Juliet, finally clearing her head, said, "I remember Johnny. He's the small, dark-haired one, right? About Steve's age?" Steve nodded and replied, "Yeah, he lives down the street. His parent's don't get along, though. They fight a lot, and he usually ends up in the middle. Dallas is probably gonna make sure he's not getting beat up on."

"What's he care for? I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't want Johnny getting hurt. But Dallas doesn't exactly seem like the most…compassionate person."

Soda looked up at her and said, "Aw, don't get him wrong, Jules. Yeah, ol' Dally's not the most loving person. But he's had a hard life. The only soft spot he's got is for Johnny."

"Why?"

Darrel shrugged and replied, "We're not quite sure. Maybe it's because they've both had a hard life. But we all love Johnny. There's just…something about him. Even after everything, we still love him." Juliet wanted to ask what he meant by "everything", but sensed that this was not the place, so she nodded and turned her attention back to the T.V. As hard as she tried to keep her attention focused on the glowing, flickering screen, her mind became full of Dallas Winston and his dark, cold, staring eyes.

AN:

Well, there it is. Chapter 1 of my newest baby. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I am enjoying writing it. Please review and tell me what you think, it'd be greatly appreciated.

Love always,

Dangerous Combonation

I know it's misspelled. It was on purpose, though I can't remember the reason behind it.