Another thought child from Miso. For those that have seen my V for Vendetta fic, be patient, there are some kinks in plot that I'm trying to figure out. Until then, I hope this tides you over. For those who haven't seen my VfV fic. Go read it. Now. Really...do it. Alright, this is just a prolouge and since it's 2 in the effin' morning, I'm not gonna start the first chapter. You will see Leann and Julie again later. Leann is based of an RPC I have. Julie is based loosely off of my friend Clair. Sorry if Dallas is OOC. For those that have written outsider fics before, he's actually really hard to write for. (Thanks a lot Pony/Hinton. You just had to make him a hard character to figure out.)

I don't own anything related to The Outsiders and I'm not making any money from this. All I own are the original characters of: Julie, Leann, Alice, Tony, and Alice's friends and family who play a bit more minor roles. But they're still mine. If you feel the urge to draw fan-art, do so. Really, it'll make my day, but give me credit. Ya know, "This is (insert name here) from MisoSoop's story on Running in the Dark (or The Outsiders, inspired by my story...or something...yeah.)

Running in the Dark

Prologue

"Are you sure that's him?"

"I'm almost positive. I mean, really, where else have you seen hair that bright?"

"Why hasn't he woken up yet? Do you think he's still alive back there? Maybe he's only in a coma! We can't wake him up, we'd kill him! He's only half way here!"

"No, wait, look. He twitched."

The two girls crouched lower, watching the boy as his hand twitched slightly. They really wanted him to wake up so they could get him off the ground. They had places to be too.

"Come on, you can get up faster than that. You aren't handicapped."

He groaned and opened his eyes, which were a cold blue, and glared at them. "Where am I?" he snapped. It wasn't as threatning as it should have been. His voice was surprisingly weak.

"Well, maybe if you weren't so snappy I'd tell you. I mean, really, you could be nicer. We don't have to tell you."

He looked up at her, surprised. Apparently, he wasn't used to people arguing with him. But his glare soon hardened. "I didn't ask you for your help to begin with. You were the ones hovering over me in the first place," He said bitterly, sitting up and rubbing his head.

"We try to help all the new people here. The faster they're up and running, the faster they can do their job," the other girl explained. She had a heart shaped face, which was framed by light brown hair. At least, some of her hair. The only part framing her face was her bangs, which were long, near her chin. The rest was pulled back in what he guessed was a bun. She had gray eyes and her skin was pale, though there was a healthy blush in her cheeks. He, however, noticed her lips and her chest.

"Well," he began, a mischevious smile crossing his face. "Maybe you can help me. I've been a bit lonely and since you seem so willing maybe we could have a private talk," he suggested, leaning toward her and touching her leg. She moved her leg, her face red.

'Man, if she ain't a breeze...'

"Don't talk that way to her!" The first girl snapped. Her face was more rounded and was framed by springy, sandy blonde curls. The color reminded him of Soda's hair. She was darker than her friend as if she got outside more than her. Her eyes were hazel and round, contrasting her friend almost perfectly. "We aren't like that. Now, are you Dallas Winston or not?"

He smirked and watched the blushing girl as he answered. "Who want's to know?"

"Obviously, I do."

"Yeah, I'm him. Why do ya need to know? Meetin' me some dream of your's? Who are you anyway?"

"The one you were trying to get some action with is Leann. I'm Julie. Now get up, you have a job to do."

"Nah, I gotta get back to the gang," Dallas said, standing up and dusting his jacket off.

"Dallas," Leann began quietly. Dallas shivered slightly; He wouldn't mind her saying his name somewhere else. "I'm not sure how I can tell you in an easy way...but-"

"You're dead, Dallas."

xxxxx

Dallas froze, staring at both of the girls. He didn't feel dead. At all. He had felt Leann's skirt underneath his hand when he had touched her and he had felt the ground and his jacket. He felt the need to see the gang again. The want he felt when he had been looking at Leann.

"That has to be the worst lie I've ever heard," Dallas said bitterly. "If you wanted me to stay-"

"Dallas, shut up and stop being so full of yourself!" Julie snapped. Leann grabbed her friend's arm, a worried look on her face as Dallas visibly tensed, his face looking meaner than it had before. "If you would care to listen, or maybe remember what had happened to you, you would've known that you're dead already! And trust me, even if Lee were going mad with her desire for some sex, I doubt she would bother with you!"

"Oh really?" Dallas asked walking up to the two girls. Julie's eyes flashed something for just a second, before going back to their original fury. Leann looked terrified. "And just how do you know what Leann wants, Miss Julie? Has she told you? In one of your late night chats while you fantasize about her, is that it?" Dallas hissed, in Julie's face.

"Dallas-"

"You arrogant little-"

"Tell us Lee, who would you bother with?" He asked, turning his head to focus on the brown haired girl. Leann looked surprised, staring up at the white-blond hood. But her surprise faded as her lips pressed into a firm line. "Is it a secret?" He whispered leaning in, his breath dancing across her ear and her neck. She shivered.

"Stop it," Leann muttered, gently pushing him away. "You're dead, Dallas. Didn't you notice that you weren't in a familiar place? That none of the people milling around were familiar?"

Dallas stared at her for a second, before looking around him. The houses weren't there and niether were the familiar streets he terrorized. It was just a field, with trees and people milling around, most of them his age or younger. Occasionally, they would talk to each other, others were hugging or staring ahead. But none of them were familiar faces. His brain finally caught on. Leann and Julie...he had never seen them either.

"...Where am I?"

"This is where we go when we die. Well...kids anyway. And don't give me the"I ain't a kid" thing.You are and you'll deal with it. This is a step towards heaven. But we have to repay for our sins first. "How do we do that?" you may ask. We protect people."

"Guardian Angels? That's us," Leann piped up, adding to Julie's speech. "Kids always get the extra chance. So, really, there are more-"

Dallas raised an eyebrow. "More what?"

"I have to go. Julie can explain," Leann said, before fading away. Dallas stumbled back.

"What the hell? Where'd she go?" Dallas demanded, glaring at Julie.

"She is a guardian angel you know. She has someone to watch. A little boy. I think he's mentally challenged or...something. I dunno. I see her only when we come back here. Her job's in Illinois. Mine's in Oklahoma, actually. You might see her on your job. But we have to match you up first."

Dallas was hardly listening. 'So I really did die...I can't remember...but a girl suddenly disappearing like that. That wouldn't happen if I were alive. And I don't dream...maybe I should start," he thought absently. Julie sighed and shoved him lightly.

"Come on, we have to get you matched up," she said impatiently. Dally stood where he was, in no mood to comply. Dead or not, he wasn't going to become some push over. Not for her or anyone else. Julie seemed to understand, because she huffed and crossed her arms.

"Dallas. I can't just do this for you. You have to stop being a lazy bum or you'll be stuck here forever. Or be sent to hell. I'm not sure. But, I'd hate to be stuck here. This is all it is, Dallas. An empty field with different souls wandering around. Now do you want your job so you can get out of here or not?"

Dallas winced slightly, taking one last look around the field. There were so many people wandering around with lost looks on their faces. But they all looked calm...maybe that's why he hadn't beat Julie up yet (A lot of people must be thinking "But she's a girl!" My answer "It's Dallas fuckin' Winston. He don't care"). But, he also had an unsual feeling that he had died for somesort ofreason...one that he needed that job to get out of here for.

"Hurry up then, broad. You seem to be in such a hurry, so let's hurry," Dallas snapped. Julie seethed as she walked off to the far end of the field. Sitting on a rock was a huge leather bound book. The leather was old, and the book looked like it was falling apart. Some pages were a little older than the others, but most of them were new, which puzzled Dallas.

"The pages don't get old," Julie said, bitterness in her voice. It was obviously pointed toward him, not the book. "If they did, they'd be falling out of the book. So, when someone dies, they're name just disappears and is replaced almost instantly with a new one. You may see it happen when we find your match, the names switching out; it's really amazing to watch and, usually, it's how we know when someone new is coming. Most of the time, though, we just happen upon them like we did you.

"Don't worry. I know the book may look huge, but all you have to do is open the book. It'll get to the right page on it's own. Leann's happened right away. Mine took a few minutes. The time it takes to find a partner varies from person to person. Do you have any questions before I push you up to that rock and you open that dingy thing?" Julie asked, her curls bouncing as she turned her head to look at Dallas.

"Why haven't I tried to hurt you yet, but you seem to have a temper worse than mine right now?"

"Ah. When you get here, you're still getting used to having some feeling back again. Gaurdian Angels aren't ghosts. We're dead, true, but we can feel emotional pain, anger...love. I'd rather be a gaurdian angel forever than be stuck in one place. If I'm good enough, I'll get that chance..." Julie said wistfully. Dallas studied her for a moment.

"Does that mean people see you?"

"Oh, no. I mean, sometimes we can choose to live normal lives, and people can see us then. But when our match needs us, they don't see us. They have the feeling of comfort and can hear us, but they don't see us. I know that Leann actually lets her match see her sometimes and talks to him a lot. He keeps it a secret though. He doesn't want to share any more of his life.

"You can smoke and such when you get down there. You don 't need to eat and drink, but if you have a normal life or just feel like it, you can. And I wouldn't suggest having sex. Angel's are a bit ill-equipped," Julie said with a wry smile, before shoving Dallas forward toward the book. Dally could feel a small spark of anger rise up, but it was gone just as soon as it had come and he couldn't even feel frustrated about it.

He sighed and shook his head, his actions alone screaming that he thought this was ridiculous. But Julie was standing behind him rather impatiently so he put his hands on the cover and flipped it open. The pages flipped, so fast it seemed like they never settled down and a strong breeze caught his white-blond bangs and blew them out of his face.

Dallas was feeling a bit impatient after a few minutes when the pages still hadn't stopped turning. Julie had yelled over the wind (which had been getting stronger, as if the book were becoming for frantic by the second) that she had to go and check on her match. She said not to worry. He'd show up where he need to when his match was found.

Finally, the pages slowed and it was a light breeze that caused his bangs to ocassionally flutter in front of his eyes. The pages stopped and he stared at the page, a few of the names fading and others being replaced. But, one had a faint glow to it.

Alice Lillian Tate, August 18, 1951, Chicago Illinois, 16 years old...

Dallas had found his match.

"...ain't a breeze." A good looking girl, basically. The want Dallas feels towards Leann is pure lust. That's pretty much it. Nothing deep.

To be continued!