I just couldn't get this idea out of my head! I already have two other fanfics that are in progress, so I shouldn't be making another. Oh well.

Warning: I can be slow with updating, especially with fall semester coming. I do have a Twitter account I will be using to tell my followers the progress I am making in writing the chapters. It is on my profile.

Enjoy!

When Darryl and Cathy Curtis had their third son, it was one of the happiest days of their lives. Their marriage and their other two sons coming into this world being the others, of course. Darry, the oldest, was six years old and happy to have another addition to the family, but kind of dreaded the idea of being in charge of two brothers instead of one. Sodapop, whose nicknames are either Soda or Pepsi-cola, was the middle child and two years old. At that age, all he understood was that he had another brother and wasn't going to be the youngest anymore, and that was good enough for him.

Cathy had tears of happiness in her eyes as she was handed her youngest son by a doctor; her husband stood by her side with a smile on his face, keeping ahold of the older two's hands so they didn't run amok in the Delivery Room.

She beamed at her newborn son's tiny face, the doctor said that he was perfectly healthy. It was strange that he did not cry, only made some noise of discomfort when he was finally pushed out. Not like when she had the other two, who made sure to let everyone in the Delivery Room know that their vocal chords were working.

"Is that normal?" asked Cathy worriedly, when she only heard grunts instead of wails as her son was taken away to get cleaned and checked up by the doctor.

"It's not unheard of." Answered the doctor reassuringly, after looking over the baby. "We checked him over, his vocal chords are developed, no fluid in his lungs and good reactions. He's just a mellow and tired baby."

Everyone sighed in relief and chuckled a bit.

"Great to see you, Ponyboy Curtis." Cooed Cathy, Ponyboy opened his eyes and did a tiny closed lip smile as if responding to her greeting. When his eyes met hers, she got a strange feeling.

-PMC-

Ponyboy adjusted well to his new environment. He was really well-behaved and just observed his surroundings. Meal time and changings were different for the Curtis parents; Ponyboy never cried, which made it hard for them to tell when he was hungry or when he needed to be changed. They had to rely on the last time he was fed and their sense of smell to help them figure it out. Ponyboy was the calmest baby they have ever seen. All he did was stare off into space, observing his surroundings, or watching them.

It was strange. Whenever Ponyboy watched any of them, it didn't feel like the gaze of a baby. They felt like they were being observed, analyzed. He didn't even babble, just silence, they would have figured he was mute if it wasn't for the fact that he would make sounds of frustration. Not over small things, every so often one of them would catch Ponyboy trying to sit up and move but be unable to. Then he would make frustrated grunts before giving up; an almost resigned look on his face.

He would laugh, too, at funny things the other two boys would do. Funny faces would only make him cock his head with a closed crooked smile that said, "really?" Which will leave the person sitting there feeling awkward.

One time: Darryl was telling his wife a story of what happened at work in the living room. Darry and Soda were playing in their room, while Ponyboy was in a high chair with his parents.

"Doug forgot the tools we needed in another section of the house, so he ran to get them." Said Darryl with a smile on his face. "Then when he was heading back, he tripped and face planted. The tools scattered everywhere when he landed." They both busted out laughing before they realized there was a third voice laughing with them. They both stopped and looked at their infant, now a couple of months old. He stopped laughing when they did and just smiled. After a moment of silence, Mrs. Curtis spoke up.

"Honey, do you think Pony is a little special?" asked Cathy, while she stared at her baby who stared back.

"Special?" asked Darryl, confused. "He definitely has an interesting personality."

"I mean he seems ahead of his years." Explained Cathy. "He never cries, never interested in his toys, doesn't play with his food, and just seems more aware than a normal baby should be. He even laughed with us a moment ago!" Finally explaining all the thoughts she had been keeping to herself, thinking she was over-exaggerating.

"He was probably laughing at the sound of our laughter." Reasoned Darryl, though in all honesty he had been wondering the same thing. They love their youngest dearly, but there was definitely something off about him.

"He laughed at the exact same time we did!" insisted Cathy, trying to keep her voice down. Along with the urgent feeling she was feeling. "Like he was listening and found the story funny as well." She looked down at her lap, her voice taking a thoughtful tone.

"Every time I feed him, play with him, even in the Delivery Room. I would just adore him, then I would look into his eyes and it feels like I am looking into the eyes of an adult in a baby's body."

There was a moment of thoughtful silence, before both of them looked at their baby. As soon as they made eye contact, Ponyboy smiled again; a smile and a look in his eyes that said, "I know something you don't know."

-SC-

The strangeness with Ponyboy continued.

As soon as his muscles allowed him; he was up and walking around, while slightly wobbly at first. He walked with an air that said he has walked all his life. They didn't need to teach him how to use a fork or spoon, he just grabbed it and did it with no problem. Potty Training was the same way, it actually seemed like he had been waiting for the time when he could finally have a chance to use the toilet. He walked in, did his business, gestured for them to give him some toilet paper, wiped, got off and put his pants back on, flushed, then walked out without any instructions; leaving his parents standing there bewildered.

Cathy and Darryl tried to take it in stride. They even felt proud at having such a smart son. Even though they were left scratching their heads sometimes. When Ponyboy started talking, he didn't stumble over words or needed to have someone help him learn new ones. He spoke in complete sentences like it was no problem!

The way he acted was mature as well, even at only three years old; his emotional maturity far outreached even Darry, who was nine. He never misbehaved or got into mischief like a toddler his age was supposed to. He has even stopped and scolded Soda when he was about to do something bad in the same way an adult would. It was all so strange.

Then again, that seemed to be the common word used for Ponyboy.

Even the brother's new friends named Steve and Two-Bit have called Ponyboy strange when they started coming over and hanging around the house. A little unnerved at the level of maturity the three-year-old had. Ponyboy never had a problem being called strange, just shrugged it off with a look of amusement. Even muttering something that sounded like "just like the doctor's name," whatever that meant.

Two-Bit, amused by the youngest's attitude, gave Ponyboy the nickname 'Old-man' sometimes just 'Strange.' Again, Ponyboy never had a problem with that.

Darryl and Cathy even caught themselves treating Ponyboy like an adult, rather than a kid. Much to Darry's annoyance, seeing as he was the oldest.

Luckily, the brothers all got along with each other. Soda and Ponyboy would even try to tackle Darry to the ground and wrestle him. Darry would let them win and only struggle a little bit to play along. Other times, the boys will be messing around while Ponyboy watched with a smile that an adult would have that said, 'kids will be kids.'

The only time Ponyboy seemed irritated was when he was talked to in a baby voice or treated like he wouldn't understand something because he was a kid. He always made sure to let them know he did not appreciate that. Never in tantrums, he has never had a tantrum before; much to his parent's relief. He would tell them to stop, that he didn't like that, or prove them wrong about not understanding.

Ponyboy's reactions to the tv and telephone was amusing, but confusing too. He would stare at them in a mixture of dismay, amusement, wonder, and disappointment. That amused the family, it was what he would say under his breath that left them confused.

"No high definition."

"That is a small screen."

"No Internet for a long time."

"Dialing is going to take forever on this rotisserie phone."

Sure, the size talk could just be him comparing the tv to another he saw in a store. However, Internet? High definition? They had no idea what he was talking about.

"What do you mean, Pony?" asked Darry, looking at his little brother in confusion. Though he shouldn't be surprised anymore by what the youngest said or did. Ponyboy would never respond to their inquiries, just change the subject or play dumb.

Eventually, Ponyboy reached five years old and his parents filled out forms to have him enrolled in kindergarten. When everything was submitted, Ponyboy would finally attend school, and his family knew that it would cause some interesting reactions and phone calls.

This is more of an introduction chapter, so not a lot of dialogue. The next chapter will have more of that. I didn't know whether to have it a full story or just a bunch of one-shots and short stories. I'm going to try the former.

Let me know what you think so far!