Hey guys! Ok so here's another Outsiders Christmas fic, but not so much humorous this time...Soda gets a cold a few days before Christmas and, oddly, its a certain Cherry Valance who brings him a little Christmas cheer. Yes, is sort of Soda/Cherry...let's see how this goes!

This one's for RumTumTuggress, who had to get her tonsils out. Feel better soon, dearie! *Gives you a virtual bowl of ice cream*

MERRY CHRISTMAS, ALL!

~Rosey

Need a Little Christmas

Sodapop Curtis couldn't breathe.

Not through his nose, anyway.

Because Sodapop had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad cold.

Oh, he knew. He knew. Sore throat on your Birthday, ear-ache on Halloween, and a cold on Christmas.

But why on Christmas?

Ok, so it wasn't Christmas yet. But it was Christmas Eve Eve Eve Eve. He had been counting. Christmas was his most favorite holiday ever, and though he knew it was the first Christmas without their folks or Johnny or Dally, he was determined to make it memorable. Well, he guessed it would be memorable. As the Christmas where he felt too lousy even to say "Bah, Humbug." You know you're sick when you feel too miserable to even complain about it.

So Sodapop was sitting on the Curtis's couch, wrapped in a huge blanket, with about twenty hundred used tissues swamping around his stocking feet. His nose was bright red and dark circles formed bruises under his eyes. He felt like his head was stuffed with cotton. Darry had been at work all day and wasn't home yet and Pony was at a track meet, though a slight snow fell from the sky. Sodapop sniffed thickly before letting out a massive sneeze that wracked his aching brain and he groaned, blowing his irritated nose in a Kleenex.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Soda sighed. Nobody ever bothered to ring the bell if they knew the door was always unlocked. So if the bell ever DID ring, the Curtis's knew it was a stranger. He groaned, getting to his feet and shuffling to the door, his mind foggy as was his vision. He really didn't feel like talking to anybody right then, much less a ring-the-bell stranger. He let out four more sneezes before he reached the door, reluctantly opening it.

And he instantly wished he hadn't.

The only thing worse than having a stranger ring your door bell when your sick? Having the stranger be Cherry Valance. The Soc.

"Aww poop," Soda complained before he even thought about it.

"Excuse me?" Cherry raised an eyebrow, her red hair blowing slightly behind her in the bitter wind.

"Sorry. I didn't mean it like that," Soda sighed before letting out another massive sneeze and wincing at the pain it brought him.

Cherry blinked and then noticed Soda's red nose and dark circled eyes. "Oh you're sick. I'm sorry-"

"It's okay. What do ya need?" Soda knew he was being short, but he really just wanted to go back to the couch and be alone to wallow in his misery. Usually Soda was happy-go-lucky and perky, but when he got sick, he turned into a lousy, grouchy mess. Not to mention he didn't exactly feel like chatting it up with a Soc.

"Pony left his algebra book in math class. I thought I'd drop it off," Cherry replied, handing Soda the text book.

"Thanks," Soda replied. He stood there for a moment, watching Cherry shiver in the wind, before he sighed, his Southern-gentleman qualities somewhat taking over his fevered mind. "You want to come inside for a sec?" His country twang was irrestitable as was his movie-star good looks, even with his Rudolph nose and darkened eyes and Cherry found herself smiling.

"I'd love to," she replied, stepping inside.

"Sorry it ain't clean," Soda apologized, sneezing again and blowing his raw nose. "You need anything?"

"Just to get warm again," Cherry smiled, sitting daintily in Darry's arm chair. "As soon as I can feel my arms again I'll leave."

"'k," Soda nodded, sitting back into the couch. He let out a congested cough and then tried to think of something to talk about. "So...doesn't Christmas break start tomorrow?"

"Yeah. We miss you at school," Cherry mumbled, bringing up Soda's dropping out without meaning to.

Soda sat still for a moment before shrugging and wiping his nose again. "Never really saw you in any classes anyway."

"Well that's just because I'm in advanc..." she stopped, blushing. "Sorry."

Soda opened his mouth to say something but a sneeze stopped him and he groaned, grabbing his head. "Dang it," he muttered to himself. He hated getting sick. Especially on Christmas Eve Eve Eve Eve.

Cherry watched him worriedly. I suppose it was the motherly instinct all women have in them that made her go sit by him and put a hand on his forehead. "You're burning up," she mumbled. "I know I'm the guest but do you need anything?"

Soda raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. "No. I'm fine."

Cherry put a hand on his shoulder and could feel the fevered heat rising off him. "You at least need some medicine. You have any asprins or anything?"

Soda shook his head. "Cherry I'm fine. Thanks for worryin' but I promise I'm okay." I don't need help from a Soc, he added, but just in his head.

But Cherry was a rare exception for a Soc, even if she did ignore Ponyboy at school. Maybe it was guilt, or sympathy, or motherly instinct, or that fluttery feeling in her stomach that made her go into the kitchen and go to the pot of soup Darry had made that morning for Soda, which the middle Curtis brother was yet to touch. Of course it was cold by now and she turned on the stove to heat it up. While it was regaining its warmth, she returned to Soda and sat by him again.

"So do you have any Christmas plans?" she asked, trying desperately for a conversation.

"I was planning a party or something but then this cold hit me and now I honestly think I'll be lucky to get up on Christmas morning," Soda managed a laugh before coughing and wincing. "What about you?"

"Going to my grandparent's home in Michigan before heading to my other grandparent's home in Illinois. They both live in a nice..." she stopped again, biting her lip. "I mean, it'll be nice to see family again on Christmas."

"Yeah," Soda nodded, poking a tissue on the floor with his toe.

"Do you have any favorite Christmas memories?" Cherry asked quietly, fiddling with her jacket zipper.

Soda sneezed loudly and then coughed before nodding, smiling though he was obviously miserable. "When I was eleven years old my mom and dad took us to this Christmas Festival thing in downtown Tulsa. It was real nice, man. I guess I mostly liked spending all day with my family. And the hot chocolate. Everywhere you looked someone was selling hot chocolate. I drank so much of it my dad said I'd get sick but I never did. Oh, and there was this ice-skating rink thing and Darry was real good at it, but I fell and sprained my ankle. But I really didn't care 'cause we were havin' so much fun and I was so cold that my ankle was pretty much numb anyway." Soda stopped when he realized he had just relived his favorite Christmas memory to a Soc and he blinked.

But Cherry was just smiling at him, nodding. "My parents took me to that for years on end. We stopped a few years ago but I remember how much fun we always had."

Soda allowed himself to smile too and relax, though his throat was sore and his head was pounding. "Maybe sometime we should go back there."

"Wait a sec. Did you just ask me on a date?" Cherry gasped, shock on her face.

Soda's heart stopped. "Wait! No! Nonono. I meant...go there as friends."

"A greaser and a soc?"

Soda chuckled. "Yeah. You're right. I'm sick. I can think delusional thoughts if so I choose." He bit his lip. No. No dates. Not after Sandy. A pain hit his heart and he closed his eyes against it. Just don't think about her. Don't think about what happened.

Suddenly, Cherry remembered the soup and she hurried to the stove, where she poured some into a bowl and returned to Soda, handing it to him. "Here."

"Thanks," Soda smiled, afterward letting out a sneeze. "You didn't have to do that."

"Well you wouldn't have done it yourself," Cherry laughed.

"Not unless I colored it green," Soda added with a chuckle, which was instantly followed by a sneeze.

Cherry laughed back and then realized how long she had spent in this...greaser's house. She got to her feet, heading to the door. "I better go, Soda. I hope you feel better soon."

Soda nodded and managed a smile. "Thanks. And thanks for..." He raised the bowl of soup slightly.

"Yeah," she nodded. She then opened the door before facing him one last time. "Merry Christmas, Soda."

"Merry Christmas, Cherry."

It was Christmas all over...on the East and West side.

Hmmm...Cherry Soda. It's an intresting thought...like Cherry Dr. Pepper. You think "no way..." but it turns out perfect. Cherry Soda? You never know...

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL!

Please review! It makes my day and you can consider it your Christmas gift to me:)

~Rosey