Okay, so this is my first Outsiders fanfic and it's so unlike any fic I've written in the past. I'm a manga and TV girl so this is definitely different but I just love this book and the movie soooooo much! I also love Dally and Johnny together so I'm sharing this story with hope that you will too!

I do not own Outsiders.

Dally's POV

We sat there in almost complete silence, the only sounds being my heavy breathing and Ponyboy's muffled sobs. My mind was racing and I didn't know what I was feeling in my heart. I felt like it was almost breaking, it was a feeling I had never felt before in my life. I didn't know how to react, I just stared and wondered if he was really dead.

"No, no, this can't be happening…Johnnycake please wake up," I heard Ponyboy beg quietly. I looked up and saw his eyes that were barely visible behind all the tears he was trying to hold back. I knew mine were also like his, but I refused to cry no matter how much it hurt me not to. I couldn't cry in front of Ponyboy. I knew that I needed to be stronger than I had ever been before, especially for Ponyboy. I looked back down at my hands that were resting on my lap and noticed for the first time that I was shaking. Why would I have been shaking?

With one last sob, I heard Ponyboy get up and sprint out of the room with no other words leaving his mouth. It was too much for him, he couldn't take it and I didn't blame him. Johnny had no pulse anymore. He knew his best friend was gone.

"Johnny…Johnnycake," I whispered, carefully and cautiously placing my hand on his shoulder. I almost couldn't touch him, he looked so fragile and weak. Now that Ponyboy was gone, I let the tears fall down my face and for the first time ever, actually let my emotions out.

I glanced at his face and noticed that it seemed so much paler than it had ever been. His body was smaller and thinner than before. I held one of his hands in mine and covered it with my other hand. His hands were always so small, but at that time they were even smaller and daintier. Some of the burns on his body had been in the process of healing, but I started to wonder if my heart would ever heal from the burns created inside me.

I still let tears fall down my cheeks and wasn't thinking about anything except wanting Johnny back. I wanted my Johnny back. I never wanted anything bad to happen to him. I warned him not to do anything stupid so that he wouldn't end up like me. It took me a while to realize that it wasn't his fault that all this happened, he was only trying to protect the people he cared about the most. Just like I tried my best to protect him.

I had always treated him differently than I treated the others. It was because I did care about him more, I did want to protect him more. I had never thought about it until then, I did feel something different for Johnny, but I was confused why.

"Why? You can't die on me man, you just can't," I sobbed, hanging my head. I still held his hand in mine and I tightened my grip on it, but was careful not to hold it too tight. He was the reason why I was always so protective, he was the reason I was alive and the reason I was still living.

I gently ran my fingertips up his arms and across his chest, tracing every single scar he had from earlier fights with the Socs and other events with his father. Each scar had a different story and it was always a story that angered me. I knew what happened at Johnny's home and I knew what the Socs did to him. There were times where they probably would have killed him if I hadn't been there with the others to save him. I'd always wanted to hurt the Socs that hurt him, I always wanted to send his father to jail and have the bastard die while rotting in hell. I wanted to save Johnny from everything and the one time I couldn't and tried to anyway, I failed.

"I love you Johnnycake…I love you," I let the words fall out of my mouth and I knew that I wasn't lying. I felt a weight being lifted off my shoulders but my heart felt even worse than before. If that was how I felt towards him, then so be it. I loved him, but he was gone. He was never coming back. I missed my chance to be happy and it didn't even matter then.

I kept one of his hands in one of mine and rested my head in my other hand, leaning back in the chair. Wiping the tears away from my face, I tried to understand why I felt like I did. After a minute, I didn't care. I was there, with him and holding his hand. But he was gone.

"I love you," I whispered one last time before breaking down again. I started believing that I was the one who couldn't take it, I couldn't take the pain of losing someone that was so special to me.

"Dal…Dally," I gasped and felt the hand in mine slightly move. My eyes widened and I looked up to see Johnny's eyes slowly start to flutter open. I was so confused but I was too happy to ask questions. He had said my name, he had called for me.

"Hey, Johnnycake," I smiled letting tears of joy run down my face. I gently cupped his face in my hands and watched his eyes slowly open and close and repeat.

"Hmm?" Johnny mumbled with a small smile on his face. The first time I had seen him smile in such a long time. I couldn't remember the last time I saw him smile.

"We thought you were dead, you were barely breathing," I explained.

"No," Johnny told me. I was sure that everything would turn out okay, but we could never be so sure. After all, things wouldn't be normal after everything that happened during the earlier days.

"Good, stay alive," was all I could manage to say.

We stayed there together after everyone was informed that Johnny was okay after all. We sat there in silence with his hand in mine once again, except he was conscious and knew that I was holding his hand. But one more thing roamed my mind, did he hear me say that I loved him?

Well that was very…strange. I apologize if I did not capture Dally's character. If you think about it we don't really see his weak side very often. This is how I wanted Outsiders to end and then Dally and Johnny would live happily ever after together. But we will find out what happens next chapter won't we?