Disclaimer-I do not own the Outsiders. If I did, then Johnny and Dally would still be alive.

So, I am a big fan of DallyxCherry. This is a oneshot of their feelings for each other.

Enjoy!

Sweet As A Cherry

I must be out of my mind, Cherry thought, as she drove into the greaser's vacant lot. How could I betray Bob and all the other Socs? But another voice screamed in her head, How could you betray Ponyboy, Johnny, and Two-Bit? Even Dally? "No," she told herself firmly. "Not Dally. I hate Dally." But did she really? She had thought that he was the most despicable creature on earth when he trashed talked her at the movies and offered her a coke. But afterwards, she couldn't stop thinking about him.

His bad boy attitude, his coldness, his piercing blue eyes, and of course, his hatred for the whole world.

"Stop it," she said to herself savagely. "He's a hood. You can't possibly love him."

But the more she tried to convince herself that she hated him, the more her resolved weakened. Finally, with defeat, she admitted to herself that she was in love with Dallas Winston.

"But that doesn't mean I have to like it," she said fiercely as she pulled into the vacant lot.

And sure enough, leaning against the red brick wall, were Dally and his buddies from the Shepard Outfit. At the sight of his cold blue eyes, she felt her knees go weak. But when she got out of her Stingray, she held her head high in a dignified manner. She was not about to give Dallas Winston the satisfaction of knowing he charmed her.

"Well, well, well," he purred as she approached him. "You have nerve girl; driving here in our territory with that little 'ol Stingray. Have you come back to reconsider that coke?"

With that, Dally and his friends burst into raucous laughter. Tim choked out, "Hey at least she's as hot as her car," which sent the boys into fresh peels of laughter.

"You know, if that's the case," Dally said softly to her. "Then maybe I could take you to the Dingo for a nice, cold coke."

"Go to Hell!" she snapped, and the boys all began to wolf-whistle and gasp.

"Dally, surely you're not going to let the little broad talk to you like that," growled Tim Shepard. Tim Shepard was a lean, cat-like hood with a long scar down his face. Cherry couldn't help but shudder. No wonder Dally was the way he was; look who he hung out with! Somehow, Cherry felt like he didn't belong with these future convicts.

"Yeah Dally," said another lean teenage hood. "She is the dead kid's girl and it's her fault we're in this whole mess."

Before Dally could respond, Cherry heard a familiar voice say, "Guys, lay off; she's a nice girl. She must have come here for a good reason."

It was Two-Bit, Cherry realized with a jolt of relief. He stepped forward and said evenly, "Hello Cherry, what brings you here?" But Dally held up his hands.

"No, Two-Bit, I'll handle this." He turned to Cherry.

"Let's go behind the building and talk," he said coldly. Cherry felt a little nervous at the thought of being alone with Dallas Winston, but she felt as though she could trust him.

"Okay, what do you want?" he snapped.

It was a good question. What did she want?

"I feel as if this whole mess is my fault," she began meekly. "I feel as if I owe something to Ponyboy, Johnny, And Two-Bit. I think of them as good friends, so I have come here to be the greasers' spy."

Dally stared at her blankly.

"You're kidding me, right? You start all this crap and now you decide to betray the socs because your boyfriend died? I can't believe you're such a little turncoat. You make me sick."

This struck a nerve.

"I'm not betraying anybody!" she yelled. "I am no longer a soc. I wish to remain neutral from now on, so you can just shut your mouth Dallas Winston!"

Dally held up his hands.

"Alright, alright," he said. "Why do you hate me so much?"

"I don't hate you," snapped Cherry. "I just can't forgive you for harassing me and Marcia at the movies. You did it out of pure spite and bitterness, not because you love me," she spat, surprised at the bitterness in her tone.

"Listen to me," Dally pleaded, his cool demeanor dropping. "I did fall in love with you. I've never really been in love with anyone before, and I just had a hard time expressing myself. I tried to be nice, but you just wouldn't give me a chance."

"Right, you expect me to believe that?" shouted Cherry. "You do not know what true love is. You probably have bedded all the town whores without even flinching."

But she wondered if Dally's words had truth to them. She had been over the edge because of a fight with her late boyfriend Bob. She had been angry the whole night, and when she thought about it, she had been a snoot to Dally. And he was right, she didn't give him a fair chance.

"You've got to believe me," Dally said sadly. "I really am in love with you. So much has happened this week. Two-Bit got jumped, Ponyboy and Johnny are refugees now, and the best thing that's happened to me this week is seeing you. I really love you." With that, Dally slid down the wall, buried his face in his hands, and began to sob.

"Shh Dally, it's all right," she murmured soothingly, while wrapping her arms around him. Se hated seeing her knight in shining armor like this, all torn up inside. This was not the cold, tough Dally she had fallen in love with.

"I was hoping you'd say that," she whispered into his ear. "Because I love you too." And she had put her heart into the words. She did not love Ponyboy, even though she thought she had. He, Johnny, and Two-Bit were just her friends who she shared a lot in common with. The love was reserved for Dally. He was so different from her and Cherry then realized the sayings, "Opposites attract" and "Good girls are attracted to bad boys" were true. She loved Dally so much now, and it was because they were so different. She reflected that Dally really was a good person who's just had bad things happen to him.

Dally wiped his eyes and stared at her incredulously.

"You really mean that?" he choked out happily.

"I do," Cherry replied, melting into his arms. "I really do. And when the rumble is over, I want to be with you forever."

"I want to be with you to," he sighed happily into her hair. He brought her closer to him and kissed her.

Cherry was surprised but pleased. For as rough as he was at the movies with her, Dally sure was gentle when it came to kissing. It was the sweetest kiss Cherry had ever had and when it was over, she felt extreme bliss.

I love you, Dally," she said again.

I love you too, Cherry," he said tenderly stroking her red hair. "We will be together when all this is over. I promise you."

He stood up. "I can see why they call you Cherry," he said. "Not only are your kisses as sweet as a cherry, but you, yourself, are sweeter than all the cherries in the world."

"Hey Dal, where are you?" Tim called.

"I have to go," said Dally mournfully. "But I'll see you after the rumble, my sweet."

Cherry frowned. Something was still not right. This was still not the Dally she had fallen head-over-heels in love with.

Suddenly, Dally turned around.

"I love you," he said, "but if you tell anyone I bawled, then I will beat your head in." He said this half-jokingly, however.

Cherry just smiled and shook her head. Now that was the Dally she had fallen in love with.