Pony kept his eyes on the TV screen as Samantha's nose twitched, making Tabitha disappear. He smiled when the little girl appeared again, surprising Darren.

Man, it would be tuff to be able to bring someone back with just a touch of magic, Pony thought.

On the other hand, he'd prefer to make his buddy disappear right about now. Pony watched as TwoBit tackled Steve and knocked over the coffee table and a nearly full can of Coke.

"Sorry!" TwoBit yelled, still giggling.

Steve seemed much less amused, but Soda was laughing too.

"You're cleaning up whatever that was!" Darry shouted from the kitchen, but Pony could hear the smile in his voice.

"You're crazy, TwoBit," Pony said, shaking his head, in amusement.

"Aw, that hurts, Kid!" TwoBit cried in mock hurt, as he clutched his chest.

Pony eyed Soda's smile and thought of Bewitched again. If he could, he'd work some magic of his own and keep his brother smiling. Happy-go-lucky Sodapop had seemed less so lately. Pony couldn't blame him though. It had only been a little over a month since they had lost Johnny and Dallas. Pony knew that had not only been hard on him, but his brothers and friends too. The entire week leading up to losing two of their closest friends had been etched into their minds and hearts. Pony would never expect Soda to be unaffected, but he did wonder if more could be going on than Soda was telling anyone. He took comfort in believing Soda would talk to him if and when he needed to, and Pony was more than willing to give him time. He was pulled from his thoughts by Darry's voice.

"Pony, don't you have homework to finish?"

Pony rolled his eyes. He and Darry were doing much better getting along, but some things would never change. He picked up his math worksheet and a pencil, as he told the guys he'd be outside on the porch.

Both TwoBit and Steve announced that they were heading to their own homes for the night, and Pony didn't miss the way Soda's face fell. There was a chorus of "see you later's" and "good night's," as the door opened and slammed shut.

"Hey, Soda, it's your turn to do the dishes, little buddy!" Darry called.

Soda went to the kitchen and turned on the sink, watching as the clear water became a soapy, bubbly river running over the dirty dishes. It turned murky, as it washed away the remnants of their meal.

If only I could wash my feelings away that easily, Soda mused, as he started scrubbing. He was startled out of his thoughts when he felt a sharp pain. "Ouch!" he shouted, snatching his hand from the water.

Soda looked down to see a cut on his palm pouring blood. After looking among the dishes, Soda spied a knife peaking up at him from beneath the bubbles.

"What happened?" Darry questioned, rushing into the kitchen.

"Just a little cut, Dar. I didn't know that knife was in the sink," Soda told his brother, as he rinsed the wound with cold water and pressed a paper towel into his palm to stop the bleeding.

"You okay?"

"It's fine. Doesn't hurt that much." Soda saw that the bleeding had nearly stopped.

Darry reached over and plucked the knife from the water before glancing at Soda's hand. "All right, it doesn't look bad," he remarked, before ruffling Soda's hair and telling him to be more careful.

Soda went back to washing the dishes and realized he had lost his train of thought. He looked down at the water and saw that it looked clearer now, rinsing away only soap bubbles.

Darry walked outside to sit on the porch with Pony. He did want to make sure he finished his homework, but it was so much more than that now. He felt truly proud of Pony, and he was relieved they understood each other better now. They still argued from time to time, but they didn't let the fighting get out of hand. Most importantly, they never put Soda in the middle. Darry knew that the look in Soda's eyes the night he had cried and run out during one of their fights would haunt him for a long time. Neither Darry nor Pony had realized how much they were hurting their middle brother. Darry had many regrets, but his biggest one was hurting his brothers. The night he had hit Pony still played through his mind daily, like a video tape interrupting his thoughts. He couldn't help but wonder if things may have turned out differently if he could rewind that tape and run after Pony. Better yet, he would not hit him in the first place. Then, Bob Sheldon wouldn't have been killed, and Johnny and Dallas would still be alive and hanging out in his living room with the rest of the gang. Darry's chest didn't ache as much now when he thought about their departed buddies, but it would be a long time before that pain ebbed away.

"Almost done, Pony?" Darry asked, as he sat next to his brother on the swing.

"Yep. This one's pretty easy," Pony replied, writing down the answer to an equation.

Pony looked up at Darry just as rain started to fall. He let out a yawn, feeling the sound soothe him. It had been a long day, and he was ready to hit the hay. Darry was watching him, as if he had a question he didn't know how to ask.

"What's up, Dar?" Pony asked.

"Just wondering how you're doing. You feeling okay?"

Darry asked Pony this question almost daily, but it was understandable, and Pony actually appreciated the concern. He had gotten very sick the night Johnny and Dallas died. He'd had a concussion and been delirious with a fever for a week. All Pony could really remember was Darry and Soda being with him.

"I feel fine. I'm okay, really. I'm almost all caught up with school. I got my English theme turned in to Mr. Syme," Pony said, as he wrote out the last equation on his math sheet and handed it to Darry.

Darry frowned as Pony lit a cigarette, but he didn't comment. His brother had cut back on smoking, so he didn't see the purpose in arguing about it anymore. He had more pressing matters to focus on at this moment.

"I know, Dar. I'm really not smoking as much. It's just hard to quit completely, you know?" Pony said, as he pressed the cigarette between his lips.

"I know, little buddy. I just want you to take care of yourself. You sleeping okay? Any nightmares?"

"Only once in a while. And they're not as bad."

Darry stared at Pony, letting his inhale and blow out one more puff of smoke before pulling the cigarette from his brother's fingers. Pony started to protest, as his cigarette was put out, but Darry grabbed him in a headlock.

"Hey!" Pony cried, giggling and trying to break free, as Darry messed up his hair before letting him go.

"Has Soda talked to you about anything?" Darry asked, as Pony fixed his hair.

Pony shrugged and shook his head, but he could see why Darry was asking. He knew it could take time to bounce back after the tough year they'd had. Between losing their parents, then the events that had led to the deaths of Johnny and Dallas, the Curtis boys and their friends had experienced so much loss.

"Soda sure doesn't seem like himself, does he?" Darry asked in a voice that sounded as if he were contemplating a much larger question.

"He'll be fine. He has us," Pony assured Darry.

Darry knew this was true, but he wished he could do more. Soda had been his anchor the week Pony was in Windrixville. He hadn't been as directly involved in the events of that dreadful week as Pony had, but he still had it rough. Darry believed he had dropped the ball in looking out for Pony, and he didn't want to let Soda fall through the cracks just because they were so used to him being happy. They couldn't take Soda's naturally bubbly cheerfulness for granted, or he may not stay that way. Pony couldn't know the extent of it, but Soda had held Darry together after Pony ran away and when he was so sick from the concussion. Now, however, Soda appeared to be on autopilot, going through the motions of life, but not really living. Darry wondered if Soda needed someone to help hold him together.

"Give him some time. He'll come around," Pony said softly, drawing Darry out of his reverie.

"Sure thing, kiddo. Just make sure he knows you're there for him. I will too," Darry told his little brother, grinning at him.

"He knows, but I will."

Pony figured with all that Soda always did for him he should make certain he knew he'd be there if and when his older brother wanted to talk. Soda did know that, right? Pony suddenly found himself thinking about how Soda hadn't told him how he had been affected and wondered if that was because Pony himself had been so wrapped up in the events that had irrevocably changed their lives even more. If Soda believed he shouldn't talk to him, he would definitely have to fix that. Pony loved Soda dearly, and he couldn't bear the thought of his brother hurting. Just the thought was making his chest begin to ache.

The rain poured harder at the same time the front door swung open.

"Guys, I think it's about to..." Soda was cut off by the clap of thunder.

Lightning flashed across the sky, and all three Curtis brothers headed inside for the night.