Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders I wish I did but I don't. I only own my OCs

Chapter 1: Reunion

I curled up into a ball in the corner of my bedroom, desperately trying to tune out the yelling and blood curdling screams that came from the floor below, hoping it would stop soon. My pale cheeks were wet with both tears and blood, from my father's beatings and the horrid sights of him fighting with my mother. This was just another, typical night at my house. Father would get home from work and start to drink. Once he r an out of booze, he would turn on my mother and I, beating and breaking me down into nothing, killing me on the inside. Then he would turn to my mother and I would run straight to my room and cry. This is exactly what happened tonight.

"Get to bed and quit your cryin' Lillian! It could always get worse! I don't know why you try and save that ungrateful little brat every night!" I heard my father holler to my mother as they walked past my room. That's it! I thought, getting up off the floor and walking over to my closet, careful not to make a sound. I grab the backpack I kept hidden in my closet inches I needed to get out of the house. I can't take it anymore! I'm not staying in this blasted house any longer! I screamed in my head, as I opened the window, and clambered own the fire escape. "I'm so sorry mum, but you and I both know what staying in that horrid place would mean." I said in a hushed tone.

I wander around the streets of New York, down to the bus station so I could get my ticket to some unknown place that my father wouldn't even think to look. "I'd like a one-way ticket to Tulsa, Oklahoma, please." I told the ticket seller, giving him eleven dollars and taking the ticket from him. The bus of course was the last one in the line, oh well what can you do. I boarded the bus and sat down in the seat behind the driver's placing my bag on the seat next to me. Maybe tonight I will actually get to sleep without having to worry about my father trying to kill me. I thought, closing my heavy eyelids and drifting off to a deep, dreamless sleep. I slept for most of the bus ride, which was good, because I desperately needed sleep. When I wasn't sleeping, I was studying, reading through the math, English, history, and science books my mother made me put in my getaway bag. The sun shone brightly through the window when we finally stopped in Tulsa. "Thank you." I smiled at the bus driver, who gave me a wary look, as if he didn't realize how old I was when I got on the bus. I shook it off and started walking into town thinks that the first thing I needed to do is eat. I haven't eaten for four days, because my father thought me undeserving of food for the past three days and I didn't eat anything on the bus so...

The town was small compared to New York, but then again what isn't? I walked for another ten minutes before finding a shabby little diner and going inside. The diner was full of people with greased hair and scars. I sat in the farthest corner of the diner hoping no one would take too much notice to me, I'm sure I looked like I've just gone through hell and back. "Hi I'm Tammy. What would you like sweetie?" A middle-aged brunette waitress asked politely. "Um... A water and some home fries." I requested, looking for the cheapest things on the menu. "Okay, I'll be right back." The brunette told me. As soon as Tammy had come back with my food a group of boys walked into the diner, laughing at whatever they had been taking about before they entered the diner. The group sauntered up to the table I was sitting at and one of them said, "Your at our table, sweetheart." I winced at the name. The boy how had spoken had on a black leather jacket that covered a wife-beater and torn jeans. His dark eyes bored into my emerald ones with curiosity. I just stared at him. Do I know him? He looks so familiar. I thought, looking at the boy with such curiosity. "So sweetheart, (I winced again) you gonna tell us what your doin' at our table?" He repeated, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Leave the poor girl alone Dallas, can't you see she's been through a tough time!" Tammy order him from a near by table. "So she's at our table." He barked back. I quickly grabbed my bag and left the money that was needed to pay for my food on the table, getting out of the booth and moving past the boy, scared that he would hurt me, he really didn't look above hitting an already wounded girl. "Sorry." I mumbled as I past the group, but before I could leave, someone caught my arm. I looked around the diner, and saw that all eyes were on the group of boys and I. Taking a deep breath I turned to see who was holding my arm. It was a boy, who looked to be a year or two older than me. He had on a pair of worn jeans and a black shirt that hugged his toned body nicely. "You didn't have to do that you know. Dally's just being an ass." He told me. I giggled a bit at his comment. "Why don't you sit with us and once your finished eating then you can leave. You look like hell." I nodded and sat back down in the middle of the booth, beside the boy in the black shirt and another with movie star good looks who had push the one known as Dally aside so he wouldn't be able to sit near me.

We sat in silence at first, but then, "Thank you." I said quietly, staring at my plate still full of home fries. "No need to thank me, you were here first. I'm Darrel by the way. Darrel Curtis, but everyone just calls me Darry." My 'protector' introduced himself. All I said was, "Hi." before picking up my fork and began to eat? "What's your name?" One of the younger boys, asked me. I looked up from my food; this boy was blonde and had on a purple-blue zip-up hoodie and jeans. "What's yours?" I countered. " I asked you first." He said childishly. "Fine, I'm Rosalie. Rosalie Baker, but my mum calls me Rose." A wave of guilt washed over me as I mentioned my mother. I felt so bad for leaving her. "Hang on. Rosalie Baker as in Wife-beater Baker's daughter?" Dallas wondered, looking at me like I had three heads. "Yeah? Why?" Then it sunk in. I did know this guy. He was Dallas Winston! He was my only friend way back when. "Dallas? How long has it been? Gods, I never thought I'd see you again!" I exclaimed, making the others feel very confused. "How've you been? What happened to you after I let? I thought things with the old man were getting better, obviously I thought wrong." His questions came out so fast that it started to make me dizzy just tying to caught them all. "Um... You guys know each other?" Darrel questioned, looking between Dallas and I. "Yeah, Dallas he was my only friend back in New York and was the only thing that kept my dad away from me. He was, essentially my older brother even though we are the same age." I explained. "Oh, and I hate you by he way." I said bluntly, to Dallas, who gave me a mocked hurt face. "You left me all alone with no one else to go to and he beat me even more and did other things that I can't even begin to explain." I informed him, now he looked worried. "What did he do? You know what why don't we talk about this somewhere else, where no one other than us can hear it." Dallas suggested, gesturing to the whole group. "Um... I'd love to but I don't know your friends so maybe I could just tell you for now." I didn't want these strangers to know what my father did to me. "Oh well you know Darry, and the other one beside you is Sodapop, and this little twerp here is Ponyboy. (He nudged the youngest one who had asked my name.) They're all brothers. Then there is Steve, Two-bit and this little fella right here is Johnny, he's kinda shy until he gets to know you." Dallas told me, showing who was who. "See now you know everyone. No one in this gang is gonna hurt Rosalie, I promise." Darrel piped up, making me look at him. I smiled at him, he was really good looking, but I wasn't looking for a relationship at the moment. "Thank you Darrel, but I just met you, and I met a guy in New York who promised me he wouldn't let anyone hurt me and that he'd always be there for me, but broke that promise a few years later." I saw Dallas's face go dark as he looked at his hands in his lap. There was silence once again, and I finished eating.

The gang had invited me over to the Curtis house and we headed over there once we were done at the diner. Darrel had been walking beside me the whole time, which I liked, I felt safer near Darrel. When we got to the house Dallas had pulled me down on the couch and told me to stay. He came back a few seconds latter with a first- aid kit. I sat quietly as he tended to my wounds. Finally Dallas spoke, "I didn't mean to leave you alone I just had to get out you know. I'm sorry Rosie." He looked down while he spoke, focusing on what he was doing, but I could have sworn that he was fighting a tear back. "Dallas. I know you did. I'm sorry about what I said, its just what you did, it broke me completely. I had no will power to fend of my father's attacks anymore. I know you didn't want to leave without me and I know you didn't want break your promise. It's okay." I reassured him, pushing his chin upward so I could look him in the eye, when I told him this. "Thanks Rosie. You've always been the one to forgive and put whatever fights we had behind you. I should never have left you. Can you tell me what he did after I left?" He pleaded; I could see it in his eyes that he meant every word that he said. "Okay." I agreed.

The gang had been sitting in the living room, looking at Dallas and I. "At first it was what he usually did to me but about a month after you left he was really, really drunk and I had finally fallen asleep after crying for hours. He came into my room and crawled onto my bed and ripped off the covers, waking me up. I screamed when I saw him, but he quickly covered my mouth, muffling my cries for help. He told 'mummy can't help you now.' He had knocked her unconscious downstairs so she couldn't hear me. I struggled to get out of his grasp, but it didn't work, it just made him laugh. The next thing I know he's successfully undressed me and we'll...he, he, he..." Tears were streaming down my face by this point. "Shh, Shh. Rosie, its okay. He's not going to hurt you anymore. Shh, Rosie, you're safe now. He can't hurt you here. I'll keep you safe." Dallas cooed, hugging me tight and stroking my flaming red hair. I ended up falling asleep in Dallas's arms that night, still on the couch in the Curtis's house.

Dally's POV

When Rosie told me what her father did to her, I had half a mind to catch the first bus back to New York and kick his drunken ass, for hurting her. The Rosie I knew was an amazing, kind, caring and understanding person who didn't care whether or not you had a criminal record or not, she deserved better than this. "Shh, Shh. Rosie, its okay. He's not going to hurt you anymore. Shh, Rosie, you safe now. He can't hurt you here. I'll keep you safe." I cooed, stroking her beautiful red hair, just like I did whenever her father had dragged her to Hell and back. I held her in my arms until she fell asleep. "Hey Darry can I stay here tonight. Its just Rosie's asleep and I don't want to wake her up she's a light sleeper and if I move she'll wake up." Darry nodded and walked off to his room. I pulled a blanket from the back of the couch onto Rosie to keep her warm in the cool August night. "Don't worry Rosie, I'm not goin' to let anyone hurt you. You'll be safe with me, and that's a promise. A promise that I intend to keep." I whispered to he as she shifted her position so she was now sleeping with her head on my lap the rest of her small figure was laying on the couch. I fell asleep a half-hour after Rosie did. It was filled with dreams of Rosie and I.

****Dream******

The sun was shining brightly, not a cloud in the sky. Rosie and I were in a field. She was in a white sundress with small flowers in various colours on it, dancing around in the tall grass. Her glorious laugh was drifting through the air, making a smile grow on my own face. "Dallas! Come on slow poke!" She called out to me as she sat under a big tree on top of a hill. "Coming!" I chuckled, jogging the rest of the way up the hill. "I've got to tell you something." She looked at me, the smile never leaving her face, but her eyes were serious. "What is it Rosie?" I wondered, taking her slender hand in my calloused one. Rosie led me over to where one of the tree roots came out of the ground and sat down one it. "Dallas, I am truly glad I found you, and that your here with me, but I need you to know this one little thing about me." She stared at me with those big green eyes that have stolen my heart more and more, with each passing moment. "What is it?" I repeated, starting to get a little worried. "I'm in love you, Dallas Winston." At first I was shocked at this notion. I never thought anyone could love me before, but now, now I think anything's possible. I always felt like that when I was around her. "I love you too Rosie." I told her, and it was true I do love her. Wait what? I don't love Rosie; she's my best friend. That's impossible, she's my best friend, practically my sister. It's impossible; I can't love her, can I? "Aw, how sweet. Little Rosalie's in love." A cruel harsh voice chuckled. I looked over Rosie's shoulder and saw her father. "Too bad she is my daughter and I get to decided who she gets to be with." He cackled, tarring a crying Rosie out of my arms. "Dally! Help me! Dally!" She cried. I tried to reach for her, but she was gone. Then the scene changed. I was standing in a graveyard, looking down at a black tombstone that read, "Hear lies Rosalie Baker. 1950-1968." "No!" I croaked, hot tears streaming down my face. No she can't be dead! I shouted a soundless shout. "Dallas..." I looked up, and standing by her tombstone was Rosie. "Dallas, why didn't you help me? I thought you loved me. What happened? You didn't even try to save me. You just sat there and let him take me! I'm never going to forgive you for that, I hate you!" She screamed at me, then faded away, as if, she wasn't there in the first place. "Rosie... I'm sorry. Rosie come back, I'm sorry." I said in a hushed tone, fighting back a new wave of tears.

****End of Dream****