Disclaimer: This story takes place after the death of Dallas and Johnny. Everyone's still having trouble adjusting. I don't typically do romantic stories, so let's not really call this a romance. There's a lot of focus on the pairing of Cherry and Dallas, but even if you're completely against that, you can still read this story. I don't even really like the pairing myself, and I still wrote the story. I respect that Cherry turned Dallas down. But the pairing just worked best for what I wanted to accomplish in writing this.

I'd really appreciate some reviews too. Really I would. Don't make me beg. Here, how 'bout this; for every person you tell about my stories, I'll tell as many people about yours. Deal?

Introduction:

"Pony!" Cherry rapped her knuckles against the cold glass of the window. "C'mon Ponyboy, I need your help!"

Ponyboy had never actually gone to sleep that night. He was thinking about Dallas and Johnny again. It wasn't often that he wasn't. He shoved Soda's arm off his chest and leaned over to see the window. She was there alright. He couldn't see her face through the mist on the glass, only the violently scarlet aura of her hair. Throwing the sheets off to the side, he silently walked over to greet her.

"What's the matter Cherry, you know what time it is don't you?" He asked in an irritated hush after he threw open the windowsill. He forgot his frustration after he noticed something peculiar. Ponyboy was very used to seeing strands of red hair entangled on Cherry's neck, but there was a different kind of red now.

"Cherry! You're bleeding Cherry!" She swallowed and nodded, as if it was troubling her more and more to just remain conscious, let alone speak. "What are you doing outside? Git in here!" She crawled through the window, Ponyboy helping her along the way.

He wet down a washcloth and hit Sodapop on his way back from the bathroom "Wake up, Cherry's hurt." Soda yawned and brought himself out of the bed. He made his way over to Cherry, who was cautiously touching her neck with the tips of her fingers as she sat on the floor against the wall. "Here" Ponyboy said as handed her the cloth. They were only friends, and even though he would have liked to, he would have made things horribly uncomfortable if he washed her neck himself.

Cherry was amused by and grateful for Ponyboy's chastity. She held her eyes tightly together as she mopped up most of the blood. "I don't. Like. Blood." She whispered as she carefully breathed to keep herself from panicking.

"What happened Cherry-Bomb?" Sodapop asked as he threw on an old shirt, he was still too tired to be as concerned as he usually would have been."

She opened her mouth shakily, but kept her eyes squeezed shut. "I- I was on the wrong side of town. I just wanted to see you guys, but it was too late at night- I should have known that. There were- there were three guys, they were Greasers- but that doesn't really matter. They were, talking to me …filthy. They were really bad guys, worse than Dally, that's for sure. But you saw… how I was with Dally. I –I wouldn't let them treat me like that. And… well, one of them had a broken beer bottle, and he cut me real bad… They were so drunk…"

"They didn't get your windpipe, did they?" Soda asked.

"I don't- I don't think so. I'm breathing just fine. But I think they got that- that big vein in your throat, what's that one?" Ponyboy was sure she knew what it was called, Cherry was smart, but she seemed to be getting less and less coherent.

"Your jugular, Cherry, stay with us hun." Soda tossed Ponyboy a pillow and Ponyboy propped up Cherry's head. "Who were these guys?"

"No one you know real well. Not Steve or Two-bit or…" She faded off.

"Hey! Cherry! Cherry Valance, keep talking to me!" Ponyboy shouted. By this time Sodapop was crouched by Cherry too.

"She's gunna bleed out. She's lost a lot already. Cherry, are you gunna faint?" Sodapop asked as he tapped her forehead.

Cherry couldn't stop thinking about all that blood. Too much of it. She felt sick. She reached out her hand and touched Ponyboy's face, accidentally leaving faint crimson fingerprints on his cheeks "I don't think I'm seeing too good anymore." She swallowed hard, and her eyes became very misty.

"Is she dead!" Soda was panicking. "Cherry! Not you too, don't you die on us Cherry!"

"She's gunna be okay… she's just…"

Cherry could no longer hear what they were saying. She felt hollow and woozy. Everything went hazy and she slipped into unconsciousness…

Slipped into twisted delirium…