Disclaimer: We do not own the characters or the world Susie Hinton created in The Outsiders. We simply just play with them. We also do not own the song "Burn it to the Ground" by Nickelback.

FYI: This chapter follows the chapter 43 of Tender is the Night.

And lastly:

"This fic/chapter is being posted as part of "Good Fic Day," an effort to raise the quality of writing here. We hope to encourage more writers to improve the quality of their own fan fiction - spell check, grammar check, keep the gang in character, outline, plot and don't use Mary Sues. Good fan fiction requires effort, and we would like to encourage other writers to rise to the challenge of producing better fan fiction, not only for our readers, but for S.E. Hinton, who created the wonderful book we are trying to honour."

Well it's midnight, damn right
We're wound up too tight

Tim pulled her through the parked cars at the Nightly Double a lot faster than she was used to keeping up with.

"What's your hurry?" she asked. He walked faster, annoyed that she sounded amused by his reaction to finding her alone with Dally.

He didn't answer her, he just kept pulling her along until they reached his car. He got in, slamming his door shut behind him and she got in slowly, watching him apprehensively as she pulled her door shut as well.

Without a word he pulled out of the lot, kicking up clouds of dust behind him. When she said she was going to be busy hanging out with her friends after she got out of school, he didn't take that to mean she'd be getting cozy with Dallas Winston behind his back. Again.

XXX

By now, Ellie was getting used to Tim's driving, but there were still times she sat on pins and needles hoping to make it from point A to point B in one piece. Then again, Ellie didn't think there had ever been a time she'd been in a car with Dally that she didn't hold her breath at least once. She figured she ought to be used to it by now, but she still kept her eyes closed nice and tight as he rounded the corner.

Tim tore out of the Nightly Double and zoomed off, passing other cars as though he was in some huge hurry.

"Slow down," Ellie suggested, holding onto her seat.

He looked over at her and then went faster. Ellie was feeling green around the gills.

"What was all that about?" he asked, as he passed another car.

Ellie was too busy trying to brace for impact to answer his question.

"Ellie." He was demanding her attention now. "What was he talking about?"

She knew it was too good to be true to just leave what happened at the movies with Dally behind. Dally tried too hard to stir up some dust between her and Tim for it to go away. She should have known that Tim would have played it cool around Dally and then would want to know from her what was going on.

"Give me a fucking answer," he said, sharply.

"About what?" she cried. "Nothing happened!"

He swore under his breath and slammed on the brakes and pulled to the side of the road. Ellie had to brace herself against the dashboard to keep from flying out of her seat. Tim ignored her reaction, put the car in park and glared at her.

"What's the big secret that Dally knows? If you're fuckin' around with him behind my back, so help me, Ellie-"

"What would make you think that?"

"Every time I turn around, he's got his hands all over you and you ain't exactly doin' shit to get him off. I don't really give a shit if you decide to break this off and go back to him. That's your misfortune, but you ain't gonna make me a fool 'cause of Dally Winston. You hear me?" he threatened.

Ellie stared at him completely dumbfounded. She couldn't figure out what sparked his rampage. Dally had just been his usual self moments before; it wasn't anything out of the ordinary for him. Tim should have known that.

"You ever notice that he's a lot bigger 'n me? A lot stronger, too? He's just as grabby as any boy on this side of town is, yourself included. And that was nothing back there. You hear me? You an' I made a deal about this and I ain't about to go behind your back on it all," she said, trying hard to not let her voice shake. "He went behind mine and I know how that feels. I'm not about to do that to somebody else."

"What about the other night? The night we were at Buck's? I woke up and you were in the fucking bathroom with him. Closed doors," he said, pointedly.

"I got up to go to the bathroom and he was already in there. I ran into him," she explained, getting angrier at each accusation.

"Then why'd you lie about it?" he asked.

Ellie shook her head and tried to keep her eyes locked with his, but she'd never seen him so angry with her. He was so calm one moment and then blazing the next. This outburst came out of nowhere.

"I don't know. I guess I just didn't want to bring him up. Every time he gets into the mix, it's some kind of fight. No one can let things rest and move on," she said. "Look, I know why we're doing this, why we started going out, but until now, I didn't think it was why we were still in this."

He looked away, either embarrassed or angry. She decided he was angry when he cursed under his breath again.

"Was I wrong? I guess you can just drop me off at home if I was," she told him, leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms as she studied him. "If you're still just trying to one up him, I don't know if I still wanna play this stupid game. Is it that damn important that you're so much better then him that you gotta prove it every chance you get? I'm still here, Tim. I'm not seein' him, I'm just trying to be friends with him again because it makes everything easier for me. I didn't know that was so goddamn awful."

He didn't say anything for a long time, but he finally looked over at her again.

"Then what was all that about back there?" he asked, his voice calmer.

It was her turn to be silent. She tried to decide if she wanted to open that can of worms again. However, she knew that if she told him it was nothing, he'd probably go off on her again.

"He won't leave me alone about Michael Holden," she said. "He still wants to know why he jumped me."

"Well, why did he?"

She leaned her head back, annoyed. Tim had already told her that the subject was dropped, that he wasn't going to pry her for information she didn't want to share.

"I'm not having the same fight with you," she told him.

"Fine," he said, starting the car up and throwing it into gear.

Neither one of them said another word for the drive to Buck's. Emotions sat stewing between them.

XXX

It would have been too easy to just hang out for the night, shooting pool and having a few drinks without interruption. He couldn't say that after what happened in the car that he wanted to be alone with Ellie, but it had been a long week and he wanted to unwind a little. He knew he was ignoring her, but there were enough people stopping by to chat with her that he wasn't too worried about it.

Monty was lining up his shot when Todd Howell came barrelling into the room, out of breath.

"What's up?" Tim asked, coolly.

"Guess who pulled up outside when I was comin' in?" he asked.

"Guessing games?" Monty asked. "Really, man, just tell us."

"Bridges is here with a few of his guys," Todd said quickly. "He don't look like he's too happy."

"Lucky for him I ain't either," Tim said.

He moved around the table and made sure he had a good view of the door. He waited only a few seconds before Will and four other Tigers walked in. Todd was right about Will not being in a good mood. He was definitely looking for a fight.

Monty and Todd stood waiting for instructions and Tim addressed them saying, "We ain't gonna rush into this, let him stew for awhile. He's pissed about Monty and I knocking his guys around, and that's just what I wanted. Todd, go round up a couple more of our guys. Ronnie and Greg should be close by. Get Curly, he said he'd be up at the bowling ally. May as well even the score, you think?"

"Sounds good, Tim. I'll be back in a few," Todd said.

Monty circled back around the pool table and stood beside Tim. Will had found them and nodded in their direction.

"This oughta be fun," Monty said.

"We need a little fun," Tim said.

"You shoulda had Todd take the broad home," Monty commented, lining up his shot again.

Tim looked back at Ellie who was talking animatedly to a couple that had sat down with her. That prank she helped pull at school had gained her a bit more notoriety in the last week or so. She seemed to be enjoying it enough.

"She'll be fine," Tim replied, taking his turn.

XXX

Ellie had a love/hate relationship with Buck's. She was never particularly happy to be there, but she was usually fine once she arrived. This night, however, was not a good one. Tim had sat her down at a table in the back near the pool tables and had been busy most the night talking to Monty and Todd and a few others that came and went. As far as she could tell it was business he didn't want her wrapped up in, so she didn't make much of an effort to leave the table when he did. To his credit, though, he always stayed close by, glancing in her direction every once in a while.

A bunch of people she knew from school kept coming up to her to ask about the prank on the senior Socs. She told the same story at least four times over the course of the hour she had been there, and even as good a story as it was, she was tired of telling it. She also had to go to the bathroom. She glanced over at Tim, but he and three other guys were talking - something was obviously going on - and she decided to just get up and go rather than interrupt.

There was a long line and, of course, they all had to be girls. She was surprised Tim hadn't rounded the corner trying to find her by the time she made it into the bathroom.

When she was through, the line was still as long as it was when she got into it. Making a mental note to not have another reason to visit the restroom for the rest of the evening, she walked back out into the bar and toward the backroom where her table was. She was cut off short as she walked along side the bar. Someone kicked a leg out, stopping her in her tracks. It was Will Bridges.

"Well, lookie here," he said, dropping his leg as someone else stood in front of her. "Lost, sweetheart?"

"No," she said, making a move to get around them. Will reached out and grabbed her wrist, yanking her back. "Hey!"

He had a mean grip on her wrist, and she winced beneath it.

"You're datin' Shepard, ain't ya?" he asked.

She nodded quickly.

"I want you to tell him to come out and play," he said. He was so close to her she could smell the beer on his breath.

She didn't have to, though. He must have seen what was going on because he, Monty, Todd, and a couple of others she could see behind them stepped into the mix. Tim had a pool stick swinging between his fingers and looked to be in a dangerous mood.

Will let go of her wrist without being asked and Ellie backed out of the impending fight, but stayed close enough to hear what was going on. The whole room noticed, too, because everyone was moving around to the perimeter of the room, watching. This was going to be bad.

Tim barely moved back enough to allow Will to get away from the bar. The pool stick was still swinging precariously between his fingers.

Everyone between the two groups looked ready to fight at the drop of a hat.

"She's cute, Shepard," Will said, nodding in Ellie's direction. "Kinda shrimpy, but I'm sure she's got it where it counts."

"We ain't here to talk about her," Tim replied, not bothering to glance in her direction. Ellie figured that was okay since she was blushing something fierce as others followed Will's gaze.

Will grinned, opening the floor to the new conversation.

"I guess that would leave you beating the fuck outta two of my guys the other night. Huh?" Will said.

"I wouldn't have had to if they weren't sneakin' around on my turf," Tim said, coolly. "I wouldn't expect any less if my boys were sneakin' round on yours tryin' to make a dime."

The pool stick was making Ellie sick as she thought about what Will might look like when it was all said and done. She knew there as going to be a fight. These were just the pleasantries.

"You see Shepard, a couple of your boys do. Well, they come sneakin' round my turf lookin' to score some grass and whatnot. I figured supply and demand, and the demand is on your side, too," Will said. "What I really came here for was about a couple of your tattletales, running to you after my guys sold them some stuff. If I got unhappy customers, that's my business. None of yours."

Ellie watched Tim as Will started handing him information. His face didn't change, and there wasn't a noticeable flinch at the information. She knew Will was probably only saying it to get a rise out of Tim, or Tim already had his suspicions.

Everything was calm for several seconds, no movements, no words, just everyone watching everyone else, waiting for something to happen. That was when Tim swung the pool stick, aiming for Will and the chaos exploded around the room.

Tim and Will were fighting over the pool stick and causing plenty of damage to each other over it. With a solid grip on the stick, Tim swung a punch with his free hand right into Will's face. Will countered, grabbing the stick with both hands and driving it upward into Tim's nose. Tim barely faltered, never giving up an inch despite the blood gushing from his nostrils. Thinking on the fly, he was able to yank the pool stick back out of Will's hands. He swung without hesitation, breaking the stick on Will's head. It was a blow that would have fazed anyone else, but Will smiled wickedly and lunged for Tim's midsection, knocking him to the floor.

Ellie had to stifle a shriek as she watched Tim fall to the floor. She was suddenly scared when he didn't immediately hop back up and keep fighting. Instead he laid there as Will started kicking his ribs with so much force, Ellie could almost feel the kicks herself.

"Get up," she mumbled under her breath. "Get up."

As Will pulled his foot back for another kick, Tim turned into it and grabbed his other foot, pulling it out from under him and bringing Will down to the same level. They struggled for several seconds before Tim reached out and grabbed one half of the pool stick within his reach and pressed it into Will's throat. He stopped fighting and started struggling as his airway was suddenly cut off.

No one seemed to react. No one seemed aware that Tim was choking a man to death right in front of them. Will's legs thrashed and kicked, trying to loosen Tim's hold on him, but to no avail. Ellie told herself Tim wouldn't kill this guy right then, but as the seconds continued to pass, she was readying herself to jump in and make him stop. She released the breath she was holding when Tim finally allowed Will a gasping breath. He stood up and looked around the room.

"Knock it off," Tim shouted, and within seconds the boys in his gang backed out of their fights.

He backed up and Will picked himself up off the floor. He straighted out his shirt and ran a hand through his hair, trying to act cool despite the way he was still struggling to catch his breath.

"It ain't over, Shepard," he threatened. "Not even close."

"Get the fuck outta here," Tim told him. "And take your goons with you."

Nodding at his boys, Will followed them toward the door. Ellie crossed the empty circle the crowd had cleared for the fight and made her way toward Tim. Will saw her, though, and stopped just inches from Tim.

"She's awful cute, Tim. You better keep an eye on that one," he said, sneering at him.

Ellie felt her blood run cold the way he said that. Tim didn't let it slide, either. He grabbed Will by the collar and shoved him so hard against the wall he cracked the plaster behind him.

"She ain't got a thing to do with this shit. You lay another hand on her, Bridges, and I'll fucking throw you off of one. You understand me?" Tim threatened.

"She's cute is all, Shepard. Lotsa guys are willin' to take advantage of somethin' like that," Will said. "Just a fair warnin'."

Tim punched him in the face and pushed him away.

"Get the fuck outta here," he said.

Will wiped the blood off his newly split lip and strolled out whistling.

XXX

He collapsed on the bed, laying on his back and closing his eyes.

"Lemme look at it," Ellie said. She sat on the edge of the bed, the springs bounced and his head throbbed even worse.

He said nothing and kept his eyes closed. The shock of ice being set against his nose woke him back up, though.

"Shit, stop it," he said, removing her hand and the ice.

"Sorry," she said quietly.

"Just leave it alone. It ain't broken, it'll be fine," he told her, annoyed.

He sat up and looked at her sitting there. His blood was on her fingers from where she'd been trying to clean him up for the past half hour. She was looking at him, obviously wanting to bring up what happened downstairs, but she was probably afraid to.

"Listen to me," he said, commanding her attention. He didn't want her to get pulled into this, but now it didn't look like there was much choice. There really wasn't much choice in ending it with her any time soon either. "He's bad news. I want you watchin' over your shoulder all the time. You understand that?"

He could tell she was trying really hard to not look scared, but she was. Her eyes were wide and her face paled at the mention of the threat.

"I doubt he's even gonna try. He's gunnin' for me and my turf, not you," he said, trying to allay her fears. "But just to be safe, don't so much as step out of your house without someone with you. You understand?"

She nodded and looked at her hands in her lap. There was a bruise forming where Will had a hand on her wrist and it burned him up inside. He took her wrist and she pulled it back, shying away from him.

"What?"

"You woulda killed him, huh?" she asked, weakly. "That ain't the first time I've seen you nearly beat a person to death."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" he asked, not believing that she was pulling shit like this. "That sonufabitch does that to you and you're worried about him takin' his next breath?"

"You're fighting over who can run what streets! It's a stupid thing to die over," she blasted. She starting pacing in the small room.

"Unbelievable," he said, almost laughing.

"I get it, Tim, I really do. I get why you guys like to fight and why your turf is such a big deal, but killing each other over it? It ain't worth dyin' over," she said, earnestly. Her voice was shaking. He noticed her hands were, too.

"If you get it, then you wouldn't be questioning it," he told her, coolly. He stood up, trying to intimidate her by towering over her. She stopped pacing and stood in front of him, looking up.

"I don't got anything either, you know. I've got my friends and the hope that maybe one day I won't be livin' like this no more," she said. "Ten years from now, I am not going to be living like my momma. But you and Dally and everybody else is still gonna be livin' like you are now and that's just plain sad."

"Maybe so, but at least I got something. What do you have? Sleepin' around from one guy to the next doesn't count," he said.

She looked hurt when he said that, but to her credit, she didn't start crying.

"You sound just like Dally," she said, hurt.

"Don't fucking say shit like that," he complained. "Jesus."

"I think I want to go home," she said timidly.

"You can think that all you want," he said.

She crossed her arms and shifted her weight. She looked like she was trying to challenge him with the glare she was giving him, but he was impervious to it. He just laid back down on the bed and closed his eyes.

"Why are you acting like such a jerk right now?" she asked, miffed.

"Because I'm not in the fucking mood for this right now," he shot back.

"Then take me home," she demanded.

"Don't fucking leave this room," he ordered her. "I've really had enough of it all tonight."

"You an' Dally are exactly the same. You know that?" she said.

He finally opened his eyes and looked at her from where she was standing at the foot of the bed, glaring at him.

"You sure nothin' happened with him? If you think him an' me are so alike, then it's not too hard to believe you runnin' back to him," he said.

"I already told you nothin' happened," she said, not even flinching.

He matched her stare for several seconds, trying to see if he could read her if she was lying, but he didn't know. At this point he really didn't give two shits if she ran back to Dallas. The animosity between him and Will Bridges had just doubled and now he had to worry about what Will said about his boys looking to score drugs off of him. The fact that Todd only returned with Greg and Ronnie hadn't passed under Tim's radar. Not to mention now he had to keep tabs on Ellie all the time, especially if he fouled up anymore shit between the two gangs. Will didn't have much of a conscience, and he wouldn't just keep it between the gangs like it should be.

"Just cool it tonight, sweetheart. No one's going anywhere," he said, scooting over a little to make room for her on the bed.

It took her awhile, but she finally sat down.

We'll go 'til the world stops turning,
While we burn it to the ground tonight

A/N: Fire and ice. Seriously, though. Ellie and Tim can be just as explosive as Dally and Ellie. Lots of stuff is about to happen. Stay tuned!