As Gold Slips In

As sunlight peered through the curtains, it casted a warm, golden glow across Sophia's bare back. The combination of the warm light and the warmth of the body next to her brought Sophia out of her dreaming state into a state of content, yet still sleepy, awareness.

As she entangled herself from strong arms, she turned herself over to face her husband. Ponyboy's face looked so peaceful with the light and his lightly tanned skin appeared almost golden. It was moments like these that Sophia wanted to savor. The quiet, peace, and serenity she was experiencing right now was probably something she wouldn't get for another few months, maybe even years. It wasn't that Steve, Darry, Two-Bit, and Sodapop weren't good brothers to Sophia, because they were, and it wasn't that Caroline wasn't the cutest, sweetest baby on the planet, because she was. It was just that in her house it seemed like she was constantly going, taking this one here, and picking up Steve there, and next Tuesday she had to remember to get the cake for Darry's birthday. Her days just seemed like they never ended. It was nice being busy, because it kept her mind off of things and Sophia was never really a person for just lounging around. But she couldn't deny it was nice to have a moment when it was just her, her thoughts, and Pony. Just them.

As if he could read her mind, Ponyboy let a sleepy, lazy smile graze his lips. As he slowly opened his eyes, the smile grew. Sophia grinned back and leaned in for a small kiss. Pony moved his arms to encircle her waist and pull her closer to himself. As their chests touched and legs became tangled with legs, both Sophia and Ponyboy were reminded of how their bodies seems to mold together like puzzle pieces.

"Good morning, beautiful," Pony whispered, voice still somewhat hoarse.

"Mmmhmm, definitely a good morning," Sophia grinned, once again capturing Ponyboy's lips in a kiss.

Pony gently pulled away, slightly out of breath, and reached up to cup Sophia's cheek.

"Do you know what today is?"

"How could I forget? It was one of the best days of my life. Aside from when Steve finally moved off our couch and into Evie's apartment," Sophia giggled.

"How has it been two years already? And now Caroline will be four in a couple of weeks. Time is passing so fast. Next she is going to be in high school and me and the guys are going to be beating hoodlums off with pipes!" Pony exclaimed.

"I think we still have a few years before any of that happens, so don't worry too much just yet," Sophia snuggled up closer to Pony's chest and he held her tight.

"Remember how she made Two-Bit flash everyone?" Ponyboy snickered.

"Yeah, and if Steve hadn't been so drunk maybe he would've remembered that and he wouldn't think we're all liars," Sophia giggled.

As Ponyboy rubbed lazy circles on her hip, and placed gentle kisses along her neck, Sophia thought back to that day, her wedding day.

It was 9 AM and other than Angela, who was nursing a huge hangover, and Darry, Sophia was alone in the church.

Sophia cursed under her breath as the phone continued to ring and nobody picked up at Steve's apartment.

"Jesus effing Christ, Soph! Could you stop with the loud noises?" Angela groaned as Sophia slammed the phone back on the wall, probably a little harder than necessary.

"I told you not to get drunk Angel! I fucking told you to watch how much you drank last night. But noooo, you, Ms. Shepard, always seem to know more than me! So of course you didn't listen, and now the minister is going to have to whisper! But who knows? Maybe he won't show up either since no one will answer the goddamned phone!" Sophia could feel her face getting hot and the tears building in her eyes.

Darry walked over to her from her spot against the wall. "Hey, don't cry Sophia. They're all gonna be here. Every last one of 'em. Okay? I'm sure Pony's just been held up by Soda and Steve. It's probably taking them longer to do their hair than it did for you to do yours. They're coming, honey. Alright? I promise."

"But what if they don't show up? What if Pony decided he can't do this? That the doesn't want to get married? Or that he hates me? Oh my god! He hates me! That's why he isn't here!"

"Would you shut up you dumb bitch? He loves ya. Or else he would've split after you found out about Caroline. And if he did then he wouldn't be breathing right now. That's the only thing me and that idiot brother of yours ever agreed on."

"Angela, you are not helping," Sophia sniffled, tears still threatening to spill over.

"Darry? When did you last see them?"

"I left Steve's at around 11, and Two-Bit was already passed out. I'm pretty sure he fell asleep before Caroline. But Soda and Pony were cleaning up and your brother was almost asleep, so I don't imagine they were planning on stirring up any trouble," Darry replied, trying to remember if anything was out of sorts before he left. "If they don't get here in 15 minutes, I'll go looking for them."

"Thanks Darry,"

"Ya know, Darrel," Angela drawled from her seat, "If Pony decides not show up, it would be a shame to have that minister drive out here when ain't nobody gonna get married. Maybe we should, uh, well, I'm sure you catch my drift," She eyed him carefully, almost as if he were a piece of meat.

"Stop it!"

"Um, no thank you?"

Both replies came at the same time, Darrel's sounding more like a question. But no one could ever say he didn't have manners.

"I'm just saying-" Angela was cut off by Sophia whispering into her ear.

"Shut up! Are you stupid? I'm pretty sure he knows about you and Soda's 'hanging out'," Sophia put air quotes, "a few months back. No one wants to sleep with someone who slept with their brother." Both girls turned to glance at Darry, who was staring back at them, red-faced.

"I…uh..umm..I kinda already knew about you and Soda, Angela," Darrel stammered out.

"Yeah. No thanks to this chick right here," Angela gestured wildly at Sophia, "I told you that you need to learn how to whisper."

"I whisper just fine, thank you very much," Sophia snapped back.

"Yeah, if you don't mind the whole damned world knowing your secrets," Angela grumbled back.

As Sophia turned around and began stomping over to Angela, determined to smack some off the attitude out of her, Darry stood up and grabbed Sophia by the shoulders, spinning her around so she couldn't see the smug look on Angela's face.

"Killing your maid of honor ain't gonna make this any better, Soph. You need to calm down and wait on Pony and the guys to get here, ya dig? Just calm down and sit down. They'll be here soon and then-"

"Then the party can get started!"

Darry turned around and saw Pony, Steve, and Two-Bit, all of whom were in their proper suits, with the exception of Two-Bit who had what appeared to be applesauce on his suit.

"Oh thank God," Sophia rushed over and hugged Ponyboy. As he quickly kissed her, Darry and Angela walked over to inspect the mess on Two-Bit's suit.

"What is that?"

"Baby vomit," he answered proudly.

Angela turned white as a sheet and backed away hurriedly while Darry just frowned. "How'd you manage that one?" he asked.

"Caroline threw up on him in the car because he decided it would be a good idea to bounce her up and down after eating oatmeal," Steve smirked.

"And then she bit me!" Two-Bit exclaimed.

"Ponyboy Curtis! Tell me right this instant where my child is! I swear on everything holy that if Keith Matthews threw my child out the window and you allowed it, I will kill you right here," Sophia shouted.

"Relax, Soph. She's in the car with Soda. He had to change her outfit since she missed Two-Bit a little and got some on herself. Me and Steve figured you'd be freaking out and we hurried in here. Two-Bit just wanted to share his story," Ponyboy explained.

"Damn straight."

"We're here! Don't start without us!" Soda called, running and carrying Caroline on his shoulders.

"Mommy, I had lots of fun! Me and Bit and Soda and Daddy and Uncle Steve and Uncle Darry had a party. But Bit went to sleep and I threw up on him," Caroline cried from atop Soda's shoulders.

"I heard. But don't worry about Two-Bit, okay? He probably deserved it. But did you have fun?" Sophia ignored his indignant 'hey', cried in protest.

"Yeah. Daddy and Uncle Steve gave me two," Caroline held up her fingers, "scoops of ice cream. And it was green!"

"I bet Uncle Soda did that," Sophia smiled at her daughter.

"Yep! But I had lots and lots of fun!" Caroline proclaimed proudly.

"I'm glad, honey," Sophia smiled at her daughter. Right when she turned to face Pony and ask him if he had fun last night, the pastor walked in.

"Sorry I'm late! I just hit some really bad traffic. Some idiots on the road were swerving and someone was throwing up out of the window while the car was still moving. It was absolutely crazy!" the pastor exclaimed.

Darry, Angela, and Sophia turned to face Soda, Pony, and Two-Bit. All three held their heads down in shame, while Caroline exclaimed, "Hey! Daddy? That was us!"

The pastor turned and looked disgustedly at the three boys. Thankfully Darry spoke up, "Okay, who's ready to get married?"

The pastor just grumbled and walked up to the altar. Ponyboy and Sophia, who was still glaring at him, followed behind him and took their places to be wed.

After a short but sweet ceremony, ending with Two-Bit screaming at Pony to "get some" as they shared the first kiss as man and wife, the couple was happily wed. As they left the altar, holding hands, Pony picked up Caroline from Angela and put her on his hip. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, then kissed Sophia on the temple and sighed happily.

"I'm so glad for you guys being here today. It means a lot," Pony said to the group.

"Yeah, well save the sappy stuff for your honeymoon, lover boy," Steve jokingly replied.

"I say let's head on over and get ourselves trashed. The love stench is making me nauseous," Angela snarked.

"I couldn't agree more Ms. Shepard," Two-Bit placed an arm around her shoulder and led her down the walkway toward the doors. Soda and Steve made gagging noises and Darry just chuckled.

"Let's go. Quick before they do something that'll make us regret inviting them," At Darry's words Soda and Steve each grabbed one of Caroline's hands and hurried down the altar, playfully swinging Caroline with Darry trailing behind them. Pony and Sophia looked at each other and their friends walking outside, sharing another quick kiss before heading outside.

Back at Darry's house, the group was already getting pretty rowdy. Well, actually, it was just Angela, Steve, and Two-Bit getting crazy. Soda, Pony, Darry, and Sophia watched from the couch as the other three danced to the radio, twirling Caroline around to the beat of the music.

"Uncle Soda, I think I'm dizzy," Caroline said, replying to Soda's question of if she was having fun.

"Come here, sweet pea," he motioned to her to come to him. She walked over and he sat her on his lap, resting her head against his chest. She yawned and gave a quick glance upward to his face.

"Uncle Soda, can I ask a question?" she asked quietly.

"Sure," he replied.

Her cheeks became tinged pink and she buried her head in his chest before mumbling something inaudible.

"I couldn't hear you, honey. What'd you say?"

"I asked if you had…," she mumbled again.

"Had what?" This time Ponyboy asked her.

"If you had boobs," Caroline flushed.

Sophia turned as red as Caroline and put her face in her hands. Pony and Soda froze and Darry snorted. Angela, Steve, and Two-Bit must've heard because Two-Bit moved to turn the radio down. Steve moved toward Caroline and crouched down.

"You don't have to be embarrassed. Your mommy and Angela have boobs. And so does Two-Bit. We used to think that your daddy had boobs but then you came along," Steve ignored the protests from Pony and Two-Bit, and Darry just kept on laughing.

"For being drunk, you still manage to be a dick," Sophia remarked to Steve.

"I don't have boobs. I am flat chested and proud!" Two-Bit exclaimed, trying to defend his manhood.

"Now Angela had got some great boobs." That remark earned him a swift smack on the head.

"Nah, Two-Bit, I think you have got a great rack," Steve slurred, "maybe you should show 'em off."

At that Two-Bit lifted up his shirt and proudly exclaimed, "No tits here, Stevie!"

"Jesus Christ, does no one remember there is a child here?" Pony shouted reaching over to cover Caroline's eyes as Soda covered her ears.

Angela and Two-Bit just kept snickering and they had to hold on to each other to keep from falling over, like Steve had just done. The night continued in much of the same fashion, with everyone making jokes and cracking up. One-by-one, the drunken attendants of the wedding began to pass out in various rooms of the house, and Two-Bit somehow made it out to the backyard, making himself comfortable in the grass. Once it reached around three in the morning, Darry yawned and stood up. He glanced at Sophia, who was resting her head on Ponyboy's shoulder, eyes halfway closed as she fought sleep. Ponyboy however, was already knocked out, and had a small drool spot on his shoulder.

He stepped over a sleeping Steve, and gently tapped Sophia on the shoulder.

"Hey, you and Pony should really head on home," he whispered, trying not to wake everyone else in the house.

"Where is Caroline?" Sophia rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"She's in the other bedroom with Angela. I think Sodapop's on the floor in there," Darry replied as he peeked into the small bedroom.

"I really don't want to wake her up. She'll never go back to sleep now," Sophia groaned. She nudged Ponyboy so he could move his arm so she could stand.

"You can leave her here for the night. I'll call you around lunch time and we'll plan something to do," Darry offered.

"Are you sure? I don't want to-," Sophia was cut off.

"She's my niece. Of course I want to keep her. It's just a night. Don't worry. Go enjoy your honeymoon, that is, if lazy bum ever decides to wake up!" Darry raised his voice toward the end and moved closer to Pony's face.

"I'm up. I'm up. Jeez, it's just like living here all over again. You screamin' in my face, telling me to get up," Ponyboy moaned as he wiped sleep from his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Now get outta here before I remember you're not mine anymore and I start to tear up," Darry wiped a fake tear from his eye.

Pony and Sophia gathered their belongings and both entered the bedroom to see Angela laying back-to-back with Caroline on the bed and Sodapop snoring on the floor. Both rolled their eyes at Soda and give Caroline a kiss on the forehead before exiting the house, giving one last "thanks" to Darry.

As they crossed the street to get to their own house, Pony grabbed Sophia's hand and rubbed his thumb over her wedding ring.

"Thank you for everything. Not just today, but for everything you do for me, and for Caroline. And my brothers, and Steve, and Two-Bit, and Angela, and just everything that you do. And thank you for being who you are. And thank you for choosing me to spend your life with," Pony gazed at Sophia with nothing but love in his eyes.

"It's my pleasure. I love you so much. I couldn't imagine doing this with anyone other than you," Sophia said, tears welling.

Both stared at each other for a few moments, before realizing their trip had led them to their front door. As they entered the home, Ponyboy grabbed Sophia around the waist and placed gentle kisses on her neck, trailing upwards to her mouth, as they walked to the bedroom.

"Were you thinking about the wedding day?" Pony asked, pulling Sophia out of her reverie.

"I was just thinking how we should have a repeat of our wedding night," she replied, grinning seductively at her husband.

"As you wish, Mrs. Curtis. As you wish."