(A/N: Heya! Another chapter is complete…after the first Curly chapter, this one is my second favorite chapter because of Dally! You'll see. Thank you to all my reviewers! I HUG all! Especially Rockerlane!

ACK! I think I just got my bubblegum stuck in my hair. Onto the story, anyway!)

Chapter 12

Rae sat up on the couch in the Curtis's front room. The sun was just starting to show through the window. It hurt her side to sit up, but she tried not to pay attention to it. After all, she'd been through worse. She always thought it'd get better after she turned sixteen. But she'd been sixteen for a day already and if anything, she felt worse. Darry walked out from the hallway, heading for the kitchen. He glanced over at Rae and did a double take when he saw that she was awake. He stopped before he went into the kitchen.

"'Morning, Rae," Darry said, quietly. She nodded, and then wondered why he was talking so quietly. He must have noticed that she was confused because he looked over to the armchair where Dally was sitting, covered up, and fast asleep. "He hasn't gotten much sleep since this started." She got up and walked over to Darry.

"I imagine not," Rae whispered, looking at her brother. She smiled. "He doesn't look so tough when he's asleep, does he?"

"Hey, I can hear you over here," Dally mumbled. Rae let out a short giggle. Darry went into the kitchen. Before she could follow him, Rae's older brother stopped her. "Hey, Rae, c'mere." She looked over at him. His eyes were open and he was watching her. She went over to him and stood awkwardly next to the armchair. Dally took her hand and pulled her into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and held her in a tight embrace.

"What are you-" He held a hand up to her mouth. She stopped immediately.

"You know, I may act tough and cold all the time, but I hope you know that I love you, little sis," he said, still hugging her. Rae held a surprised look on her face.

"Dally, are you still asleep?" she asked her brother, seriously.

"Am I not allowed to act nice sometimes?" he asked, looking at her with all the seriousness in the world. Rae stared at him for a few moments.

"Please don't ever leave me, Dally."

"As long as you don't leave me, Rae." She smiled and curled up in his lap, laying her head on his chest.

"I love you, so much, big brother." Her let her curl up. He kept his arms around her and the laid his head on hers. Sodapop passed the room. There was a smile on his face as he went into the kitchen. Ponyboy did the same thing when he went to the kitchen for some breakfast.

"I- I love you too," Dally whispered to his little sister. For once, in a really long time, Rae felt truly safe, curled up with her older brother holding her. It reminded her of when she was little. It was when her mother was still alive. Their father was abusive of his kids as well as his wife. And they'd always yell. Their mother would always try to protect them. This was when they were still in New York. Dally had just turned seven and Rae was still 5.

Flashback

"Mommy, why is your eye black?" little Raelee Angela Winston asked her mother. She was sitting on the counter of the kitchen, watching her mother attempt to make dinner for her husband before he got home and bitched at her. She stopped briefly to put Rae on the floor. Dally stood leaning on the wall, not far away.

"Don't worry about it, sweetie," the older woman replied. There was the sound of a car engine outside. "Dallas, would you take your sister and go up to your rooms? Your father's home."

"He's no father of mine," Dally protested, but immediately took his sister's hand and went up the stairs. He left his sister in her room, with her dolls, and closed the door so the yelling from downstairs would be muffled. Then, he went to his own room and barely had the door closed before the argument in the kitchen started. Dally sat on his bed and tried to tone them out. It was a usual argument, from what he did hear. He was in a bad mood, as he always was when he got home from work, and he had a migraine, from the hangover he had from the night before. After a few minutes of the argument, Dally heard tiny sobs coming from the other room. A few seconds later, Rae burst through his door, tears running down her cheeks. He gave a start, but relaxed when he realized it was just his sister.

"What's wrong?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Please make them stop, Dally," Rae cried. He sighed and opened his arms to her.

"Come here," he said. She climbed on to his bed and into his lap. He closed his arms around her when she was settled. "I'm sorry, Rae. I can't make them stop. But, just stay here for a while with me and try to get some sleep." She quieted down after a few minutes of being in the warmth of her older brother and finally fell asleep. When she was out, Dally pushed her off of his lap, turned off his light, then climbed back into bed and covered them both up. Just before Dally fell sound asleep, the front door slammed, and the car engine started up. Finally, he thought, and closed his eyes. When their mother came up, after their father had left for the bar, as he did every night, Dally was asleep. She kissed both of her children.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and quietly left the room.

End Flashback.

"Rae? Rae, wake up," Dally's voice woke her up. She lifted her head from her brother's chest. "It's time to get ready for school, little sis."

"What?" Rae asked, her eyes half opened.

"You have to go to school, now," Dally said. "You fell back to sleep." She nodded and got off his lap. Then, she went into the kitchen and gladly accepted some coffee from Darry, hoping it would wake her up some. After a few minutes, Darry and Soda had to leave. They left Dally, Rae, and Pony alone in the house. Rae got ready quickly and sat on the couch, waiting for Ponyboy. Her brother was still sitting in the armchair.

"So, what are you going to do today?" she asked. He looked at her.

"I don't know," he answered. "I will walk you and Pony to school, though." Rae nodded. "Maybe I'll hang with Tim, too. Who knows?" Ponyboy walked into the room.

"You ready?" he asked, coming the last bit of hair grease into his hair. She nodded and stood up. Dally put his shoes on while Rae slipped her jacket on. The two students grabbed their books and all three headed out the front door. The walk to school was uneventful, but when they got there, Rae's super-thin, blonde haired, grease girl friend was sitting on the curb, waiting for her. When Carrie saw her friend, her face lit up and she stood up. Rae turned to her brother.

"Carrie's waitin' for me. I'll see you after school, huh?" she said. He nodded and watched his sister run off towards her friend. Pony went off in a different direction. Dally waited until she was inside the school before leaving.

"Was that your brother?" Carrie asked Rae as they walked to their first class. Her friend nodded. "He looks real tough."

"Yeah, he is," Rae said, smiling. And sweet, too.