A/N Thank you all so much for reading my fan fiction! I really appreciate all of the reviews that you guys gave me and all of the people who have taken the time to read this story. This is the Final chapter of Run Away, I really hope you enjoy it. Please R&R!

Youshi

Chapter 10: The Last Chapter

"Where are we going?" asked Soda. He was stretched out on the backseat of the car with his bandaged foot propped up on a pillow.

"It's a surprise." said Ponyboy, he exchanged a smile with Darry before going back to gazing at the scenery of the country outside of his window of the front passenger seat.

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"Hey little buddy, wake up." said Darry as he gently shook Sodapop.

"A few more minutes..." Soda mumbled, his eyes remaining closed.

After a few hours of driving, they had finally reached their destination. It was a small ranch in the middle of the country. Darry had fixed the roof of the ranch's barn and became aquatinted with the young couple who lived there. They told him that he was welcome to come anytime to visit them.

Darry had called them a couple of days before their visit and told them about the situation with Soda. They said that they would be more than happy to have them.

"No, come on, we're here." said Darry shaking Soda a little more roughly.

Soda opened his eyes and slowly sat up as he yawned. "Now will you tell me where we are?" he asked, running his hand through his sleep tousled blond hair.

"Look around and see for yourself." said Pony as he and Darry helped Soda out of the car and onto his crutches.

Soda's mouth fell open as he looked around, "Is this what I think it is?"

"If you're guessin' that it's a horse ranch then you're right." said Pony smiling at his brother's reaction. It was the most reaction besides fright that he had seen in Soda in months.

Just then the young couple in their late twenties emerged from a small white house that was across the street from a red barn with a few horses grazing in the large field next to it.

"Hello Darry." said the man, "Are these your brothers?"

"Yeah." said Darry, "This is Ponyboy and Sodapop." He put a hand on his brothers' shoulders when he spoke their names.

"Nice to meet you." smiled the woman who was standing next to the man, "My name is Sarah and this is my husband Alex."

"Would you like to see the horses?" asked Alex.

"Yeah," said Soda smiling. The smile was nothing compared to what it used to be.

They walked across the road towards the barn. Alex pushed aside the large barn door.

"Here we are." said Alex.

Inside there were stalls along the barn walls. Most of them were occupied by horses. One of the horses stuck it's head out to see who had entered the barn. Soda smiled again and made his way over to it, with his brothers, Alex, and Sarah behind him.

Soda leaned one crutch against the horse's stall and reached up and petted the horse's neck.

The horse looked exactly like Soda's old horse Mickey. From the color of it's coat and mane to the slightly crazed look in it's eyes.

"His name is Lightning." said Alex. "Would you like to ride him?"

"Golly, of course I would!" said Soda grinning.

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"All set?" asked Alex, after he and Darry had spent the last few minutes helping Soda get into the saddle, in the corral.

Soda nodded.

"Remember to start out slow so he can get used to you." said Alex walking out of the large corral and closing the gate behind him. He then joined his wife and the Curtis brothers behind the fence.

Soda clicked his tongue and Lighting started off at a slow trot. After a few timed around the circle, Lighting slowly started to increase his speed until he was galloping.

When Soda and Lightning passed Darry and Pony the brothers exchanged smiles again. Soda was smiling like he used to before he had gotten jumped. The real healing had finally begun.

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"Take it easy Sodapop!" yelled Dr. Lewis down the hall.

Soda had just gotten the rest of his bandages taken off of his leg. He had been taking therapy for a few weeks before. He had to relearn how to use his leg. And now his therapy had paid off, he was sprinting down the hospital hallway to the waiting room without any shoes on.

There was a chorus of "Hey Soda" when he came into the view of his brothers, Two-bit and Steve.

"Hey little buddy." said Darry standing up and his hand on his brother's shoulder, "What did the doctor say?"

"I'm good as new," said Soda smiling, "Well except for the scars."

"That's great," said Steve, "The girls down at the DX have been buggin' me with their questions about how you're doin'." he added with a laugh.

Soda grinned his famous grin at his friend. Soda was finally back to his old self, thanks to the many visits to Alex and Sarah's ranch. Every now and then Soda would wake up hollering and terrified about his nightmares about being jumped, but he was always able to calm down after.

The scars and the memories will always haunt him forever but he'll always be Sodapop Curtis.

A/N I hope you enjoyed the last chapter of Run Away!

Youshi