I'm not going to insult your intelligence my making some lame excuse about why I haven't written recently, it's because I just haven't.

And I promise this story will have a happy ending...for Lana. Let me know about any typos and mistakes because I'm posting it kind of late and I don't have time to proof read but I WILL fix stuff if you let me know about it.

Dally didn't come to my window that night. I didn't expect him to but it still hurt. Dally was my rock, the one constant in my hectic life.

He also helped with the nightmares.

It really was the same nightmare, but it was so frightening it should count for more than one. It started just after that first night. The night after I fell asleep in his arms at the hospital.

It started out with Ponyboy, he was killed in a fire, then Johnny, shot by some rouge greasers. Then everybody else got in a huge fight, like a rumble, but worse, but then came the worst part of all. I watched as my two remaining brothers beat Dally until the cops came and shot them. It was a war zone and all I could do was stand and watch. I could scream and tell them to stop, I could run and pull them apart. I couldn't do anything. I was helpless. I had no control.

Tonight it was worse than usually, everything lasted longer. The shot rang out and the bullets went in slow motion. I could scream but no one heard me. I ran to them and tried pulling them apart but they kept beating each other. I could help, but they wouldn't listen.

I screamed and screamed but I suddenly heard my name. I stopped and listened. I heard my name again and this time, someone was shaking me. My world went dark and then unbelievably, blindingly, bright, but then the light was blocked by a face, Darry's face. I grabbed the front of his shirt and clung to him, sobbing.

My brothers had rarely seen my cry, especially Darry. You didn't cry in front of Darry. Ever. Even though I was the kid sister, Darry didn't let me cry, so my uncontrollable sobbing scared them a little.

"You're, you're okay. You're okay," I said between sobs, "You're still here."

"Yes Lana, we're here. Me an' Soda, we're here, and we ain't goin' no where," Darry awkwardly stroked my hair, trying to offer me comfort.

We stayed like that for a few minutes, me clinging to Darry's shirt as if my life depended on it, and him, trying to offer me comfort.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I paused, "Not really."

"Lana, it's not good to keep everything inside. You have to let stuff out."

I knew he was right, but I didn't like admitting I was weak. Darry had already seen me cry enough today, that was enough to shake him.

I pondered how I was going to explain this is him, how my dream was everything that I never wanted to happen. That I was scared.

"It was the dream. A nightmare. They had stopped for a while because Dally was here, but tonight…tonight he wasn't here.

'It was horrible, e-everyone was fighting and-and I couldn't…I couldn't d-do anything," I didn't mean to start crying again, it just happened. Darry hugged me closer and I cried again, not as hard as before, but hard enough.

The arms were strong and supportive, warm and inviting, but they weren't the arms I wanted, the ones I needed. But they were good enough.

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Breakfast was simple, eggs and toast. The gang was in the living room, waiting for Dally, but I was sitting on the porch rail, eating my toast. I wanted to see him first. I needed to see him first.

I recognized his silhouette first, his slightly bulkier upper half because of his leather jacket, his arm moving at regular intervals because of his cigarette. As he got closer I could make out defining features, even the faint light of the tip of his cig as he smoked it. Normally I would have run to him and embraced him, but I wanted him to make the first move. I wanted reassurance that he was mine, that he wanted me.

He walked up the few steps and then turned to where I was. My back was to him, which was my plan. He walked up behind me and wrapped his arm around me and silently rested his cheek against the top of my head. I leaned into him and nuzzled his neck while he extinguished his finished cigarette.

"I missed you," I half-whispered.

His other hand reached for the hand where his ring was, he fingered it for a moment before speaking.

"Come on, I know they're waiting." He stepped away, allowing me to get off the rail. He still had my hand, but now he properly held it as we entered my house.

All conversation stopped as soon as he walked in the room, all eyes turned to him expecting an explanation. He nudged my arm, silently telling me that I needed to join the others. I sat in between Darry and Soda, knowing I would need the support of brothers this time.

"Where are they?"

"What happened?"

"Are they okay?"

"What do you know?"

Questions rang out from everyone creating a jumble of disjointed words and phrases.

"Slow down ya'll, I'll answer all yer questions, promise," he pulled up the chair, especially reserved for him. "I'll start at the beginning, they were in the park, they got jumped, and Johnny stabbed one of 'em.

After a while, they came to me, askin' me for help. I told them to haop a train to Texas-"

"Well we gotta go get 'em!" Two-Bit yelled. Steve and Soda mumbled their agreements but Darry soon quieted them. Dally frowned at the idea.

"Goin' and getting' 'em won't do any good. I told 'em to hide out 'til this whole thing blows over."

"Dally," Darry began, "I don't know how it is in New York, but things like this won't just 'blow over' here."

"The law's the law and everywhere it's the same. After a while, the cops'll forget about this and the case'll go cold, no problem."

"It's not that you don't get it, you don't care."

"Darry!" I exclaimed.

"Lana, I know he's your-"

"Darry that's irrelevant! Do you realize what you're accusing him of?" I stood up.

'Lana, I don't need you to lecture me-"

"Maybe you do!"

"Lana," I felt a hand touch my arm and whirled around to see Two-Bit, 'calm down. We shouldn't be going after them," he resolved.

I took a few deep breathes and sat down on the floor at the space between Two-Bit and Soda's legs.

Dally began talking again, saying that they would be fine and that when things calmed down a bit we could come up with a plan. I zoned out for a bit. Dally seemed like he was hiding something, no one else would be able to tell, but I knew him the best. The littlest things, the smallest change in the expression in his eyes, told me everything. There was something he wasn't telling us. I couldn't call him out now, I would have to wait for when we were alone, but I didn't know when that would next be. I would have to make it happen on my own.

The guys hung around for a while but Dally said he 'stuff to take care of'.

"Dally, wait," I got up from my seat on the floor and wrapped my arms around him before continuing, "Could we talk? In my room?" I half whispered. His face remained impassive, but he followed where I led.

I closed the door behind us and he leaned against the wall by my window, lighting a cigarette. I turned to him, my back against the door.

"Dally," I began, "where are they?"

"I already told y'all, they ran off to Texas."

"No, where are they really?"

He moved away from the wall, taking a few steps towards me.

"Lana, I already tol-"

"Dallas! When are you going to just stop lying?" why couldn't he just tell me? Why couldn't he just tell me? What was he hiding form me? Why was he hiding from me?

He sighed, "Lana, I can't."

"You can't? You can't tell me where they are? Where my brother is? Do you know what they're doing? They are running form the law! They could get in even more trouble because of this! But you don't care do you because you're Dallas Winston the roughest toughest greaser in town and who doesn't care about anything or anyone. Who lies to get what he wants. You don't care. You never did."

He slammed his fist against the wall, "Dammit Lana! Why do you have to be so goddamn frustrating? I can't tell you! And for your information, I'm helping them!"

"Helping them? Helping them? How the hell are you helping them?"

"Lana, you don't understand!"

'Then help me to," I said softly looking directly at him.

He turned away from me and slapped the wall again.

"Well if you won't let me understand then you can just get out!" that made him turn around. He came right up to me and put one hand against the door.

"You want me to get out? Huh? Really? You really want me gone?"

I stared at him with a hard expression on my face. "Out. Now." I stated simply.

Suddenly his hand was on my side, not in the normal, soft way, but in a hard, forceful way. He swiftly jerked his arm and I was pushed into the corner. My head slammed against the to conjoining walls and I cried out in surprise and pain. He forcefully opened the door and stormed out of my room. I got up and held the back of my head, tears beginning to form. The guys jumped up at the sight of a furious Dally and a teary me. I quickly got up and walked through the room, ignoring the shouts from my brothers and friends.

The door was still open from where Dally had exited and I stepped onto the porch. He wasn't too far away yet; I could still make out the details of his leather jacket.

"Dallas Winston you can go to hell! Got to hell for all I care Dallas! Because I don't!" he stopped and turned around before flipping me the bird. I ribbed his ring off my finger and threw it at him. "Damn you Dallas Winston," he effortlessly caught his ring. He paused for a moment, and then turned away and continued walking.