I was on a tremendous coffee high this chapter, and somehow it managed to come out solemn and interesting and I do not regret it!

Disclaimer: S.E. Hinton owns the Outsiders and I own my characters!

Mike's POV

Damn Oklahoma weather! It was the middle of March and it was raining. Well, storming if you want to get technical. I don't know how these people stand such lousy weather. There was no snow this winter. I wasn't used to Christmas looking like it was dead outside.

A flash of lightening illuminated the night sky. Sheet lightening is one of the only things in this world I enjoy. Just how it's the only thing out there with enough power to light up a pitch black sky the way it does earns it respect in my books. Look at it this way, if I had that power I wouldn't need tough scars or a rep. All I'd have to do was light up the sky.

I took one last drag on my cigarette and stood up. Finn really had done a good job on this back deck and the overhang really made watching a storm worth it. She must have really had some thinking to do. Hell, it isn't every day that a brother you thought you left behind comes waltzing into your life. I was still puzzling over why the hell he was here? He had a perfectly good home in San Francisco, a better one that he'd get here.

I sighed and threw the cigarette into one of the puddles by the deck, hissing when it hit the water. I was just wasting time out here and seven was going to come too early for my liking. I took one last look at the sky and went into the house.

I was immediately awake at the sound of my door creaking open. I swear that I the most annoying sound in the world! Soft feet treaded across the room on the worn floor boards and someone commenced rummaging around on my bedside table. I could still hear the storm outside and I knew exactly who was in my room.

"You okay, Finn?" I asked a bit sleepily.

"I will be," She said lighting a cigarette and sitting at the foot of my bed.

She took a long drag on it and exhaled like she smoked a pack a day. She only did on nights like this. I sat up a bit and watched as she seemed to relax. I should have expected this, but with so few storms here I had nearly forgotten how much they spook her.

"I had that dream again," she said.

"Every storm," I muttered.

"As constant as the sun," she sighed. "You know, I thought I might be able to forget it here, but every storm brings it back."

For a year now she'd been having these dreams. Ever since she was in that car crash. I didn't blame her. I'd have dreams about it too.

"Mike?" she asked.

"Yeah?" I answered.

"We need to talk."

"About what?" I asked.

"Aries," she answered.

"What about him?" I asked completely lost.

"Rock sent him here for a reason," she answered.

"Care to share?" I asked still lost. It didn't help that it was three in the morning.

"I talked with Aries for a long time. Mom is married to a guy by the name of Hank Jones. He's abusive from what I got out of the conversation."

"So is the kid going to go live with your Dad?" I asked not following her.

"No. Rock would have sent him there if that's where he was going to be living. Rock doesn't believe in middle mans."

I was starting to clue in about here what she was on about.

"So you want him to live here," I said.

"Yeah. I do," She took another drag on the cigarette.

"How the hell is that going to work?" I asked.

"I don't know," she answered.

"Have you even thought this through? I mean, damn Finn! He has two parents, three if you count Hank! It's not like they're going to give him to you. The state'll put him in a home before they do that. Hell, you're only 17." I tried to reason with her.

"You never had a brother, or a sister, did you Mike?" She asked and I shook my head "When I was twelve I got to pick the boarding school they were forcing me to attend. I chose one in New York. When I finished and didn't want to go home Rock was there."

"So...?"

"That's what siblings do. They're there for each other. I won't turn him out and I won't make him go back home either," she said and I knew she wouldn't budge.

"Well, how do you plan to make all this legal?" I asked.

"It won't be easy, or cheap, but I'm going to get a hold of both my parents in the morning."

"Good luck with that," I said.

"Mike, I need you to be with me on this. You know what it's like to live in a home where you aren't wanted and ignored. If you had this option as a kid would you have taken it?"

"Yeah. I would have jumped on it," I sighed.

"Thanks, Mike."

"Yeah," I said "It's worth a try."

Aries's POV

I woke up the next morning and had to remind myself of where I was. It was going to take me a while to get used to the fact that this was where I was going to be for a couple days, if not weeks.

I sighed and pulled on a shirt and a pair of jeans from one of the boxes she's had sitting around for me. I wasn't going to unpack them just to have to pack them back up when I had to leave. So there they sat. It was kind of a sad sight, but there was nothing I could do about that.

I headed downstairs and saw that blonde haired guy, Pally I think, sleeping on the couch. He must crash here a lot. I went into the kitchen where Layne was drumming her fingers on the counter top. She had the phone to her ear and a pad of paper in front of her.

"Morning, kid." She smiled.

"Are you on hold?" I asked.

"Yeah, the people Jim works with put me on hold after switching me between six or seven different people," she answered.

One thing I'd noticed about all my siblings is that they called our parents by their first names. I always wondered why, but now didn't sound like the best time to ask.

"...Yeah, well when he is out of his meeting you tell him to call Cal and if he says Cal who you tell him he's a horrible father," she said hanging up.

"Why were you trying to call dad?" I asked polishing an apple on my shirt.

"I need to know some things and I haven't talked to him in over two years, so I figured why not?" she sighed, "So, what are you going to do today?"

"I was planning on hanging out around here," I answered.

"Go outside, get some sun. You're as pale as death himself," she said marking something down on her pad of paper "Just don't get too far from home and stay out of the west side."

"What's on the west side?" I asked.

"Soc's." she answered and looked me over "You might pass for middle class and they might let you be, but I wouldn't chance it, especially with your hair looking the way it does."

"What's a Soc?" I asked around a bite of apple.

"A rich kid with nothing better to do than beat up Greasers. Before you can ask we're Greasers because we have very little money and because we live on the east side."

I just looked at her. Why the hell were they fighting? If it was over how much money they had and we didn't than that was kind of stupid really. I understand gangs and fighting for pride, but what pride was there in fighting over wealth? It wouldn't change how rich or poor anyone was.

"Hey?" Layne said seeing me space out again "Go have fun. Just watch yourself out there, ok? Oh, and try not to wake up Dallas on your way out. He is not a morning person."

"Ok." I said not really wanting to go out, but there was no way around it.

This really was the poor side of town from what I'd seen when I first made my way to Layne's. It had something though, character, personality or something along those lines. Whatever it was I liked it.

I passed a group of guys who gave me odd looks. That's ok. I was used to it. Most of my life I'd been looked at like I was different, only then it was because I didn't fit the rich class look or behavior. Now I don't know what they have to look at.

I wandered around for some time. Tulsa was a big place, but not nearly as overwhelming as New York. I could clearly see the line between the east and the west. Anyone could if they looked for it. There seemed to be a middle class, but they didn't do anything for the two sides blending.

I sat down on a bench after a while and just watched the people on the street. Greasers seemed to dress in t-shirts and jeans and they always seemed to be smoking. Soc's seemed to be in finer clothes and didn't smoke, well not in public. It wasn't real interesting, but if there was one thing I'd learned in my short life it was watch the people around you and they'll tell you all you need to know.

I got bored of that and started wandering again. I just watched my feet until I came to a church. Not don't get me wrong, I'd never been spiritual, but I had slept a night or two in a church when need be. They kept it real clean, well the one in New York was. I guess you could say I was curious or bored or maybe both when I poked my head through those big white doors. It was just as clean as the one back in New York, except it had more people. The man up at the front, a priest or something was talking and very discreetly motioned me to come in. I was in a bit of shock, but I came in anyway.

"This seat taken?" I asked quietly.

A boy with reddish-brown hair motioned for me to sit down and we listened to the man talk. He was going on about how people should do unto others as they wish done unto themselves. I'm not sure if I got much out of it, but it was nice just to sit and listen to someone talk. The kid beside me looked about thirteen. He was really into it. He was watching the Padre like he was gonna grow wings if he took his eyes off him. I just grinned. I'd only ever seen that look once. Joe and Tom had a dollar super glued to the side walk a few weeks ago. They watched it just like this kid was watching the preacher, except they'd hoot with laughter when someone tried to pick it up and this kid wasn't making a sound.

About an hour later everyone stood and left. I followed the kid out and noticed for the first time he had a dark haired kid with him. I would haven't even noticed if I hadn't have seen him. He just seemed to be the type of person that faded into the crowd, gratefully.

"Two-Bit should have come and listened to that one," the dark haired one said.

"Yeah, but I doubt if it would have helped," the other answered.

"Who knows?" the dark haired one sighed.

"What did you think?" the kid asked and it took me a sec to realize he was asking me.

"Well, it was nice church, but too many people," I answered.

"Packed house all right," he commented.

"The one in New York was never like that," I said off hand.

"You're from New York?" the dark haired one asked.

"Just stayed there for a couple weeks, but it was the last place I left," I answered.

"I'm Ponyboy Curtis and this is Johnny Cade," the kid said realizing that we didn't even know each other.

"Aries Lupin," I answered.

"Looks like we both have interesting names," Ponyboy said.

"Yeah. Mine is anything but interesting compared to the rest of the family. Got a brother named Rock," I said waiting for the 'yeah right' that usually followed.

"I'll believe it. I got a brother goes by Sodapop, even says so on his birth certificate. We got a friend who goes by Two-Bit, but he's always getting his two cents in, so it suits him," Ponyboy shrugged.

"As long as it serves its purpose," I answered.

"You got a funny accent," Johnny said watching me with big eyes.

"I was thinking the same thing about you two, but everyone here seems to sound like you do," I said and watched them give me an odd look. "I'm from San Francisco."

"Well, we're heading down to the Dingo. If you want you can come," Ponyboy offered.

"I'd like that just fine," I said grinning.

I hung out with Pony and Johnny all afternoon. They were pretty interesting, for small time kids. Don't get me wrong, Tulsa was no hayseed town, but I'd been in so many bigger places it wasn't even big to me. I think I preferred it to anywhere else I'd ever been, to tell you the truth. I think it had something to do with the fact I was actually hanging out with kids like me. I didn't feel like I was acting. It was a nice feeling.

"Well, this has been great, but if I'm out much later my sister will skin me," I said realizing the sun had been down for at least an hour.

"You live with your sis?" Ponyboy asked.

"For now anyways," I said. "Layne is pretty cool and it beats home."

"See ya around, man, or at school," Ponyboy said.

"Yeah, definitely," I said back. "It was great meeting you, both of you."

"Same here, man," Johnny said in his quiet voice.

I jogged home and met Mike sitting on the front porch. He was smoking and watching the stars.

"Have a good walk, kid?" Mike asked.

"It was pretty good," I answered borrowing his lighter.

"You shouldn't be smoking," Mike said as if he wasn't really concerned.

"Well, I'm not exactly loving the fact I do smoke, but an addiction is an addiction," I answered remembering something one of my teachers had said about caffeine.

"Just don't let her catch you," he shrugged. "She's been on the phone all day and she's ready to murder."

"What has she been up to?" I asked curious as to why she was trying to rack up a phone bill.

"She'll tell you when she thinks it's important, until then I am as ignorant as you are," Mike answered. "You know ignorance is bliss."

"Right," I said finishing off my smoke. "Did she ever get a hold of Dad?"

"Hell ya," he said. "I swear I haven't ever heard one man yell more than he did and that's saying something when you look at the ass hole of a father I grew up with."

Mike took off from home years ago, but not before beating his father half to death. I guess it was pay back for the years he took every hit silently, never batting an eye, never telling anyone and never letting it get to him. I sighed. I was looking at the same life if I went back, with one difference. Hank only beat me when he could get a hold of me which wasn't often. I'd learned my lesson.

"Well, I should make an appearance," I sighed.

Mike nodded, not saying anything. He was too busy watching the skyline or he had nothing more to say.

"Layne, I'm home," I said going into the kitchen where she still had the phone to her ear. She nodded, to acknowledge she'd heard me.

"You want to talk to Carol?" she asked covering the speaking end of the phone.

"I have nothing to say to her," I said fishing some leftovers out of the fridge.

"No, he's not home yet. Well I can't do anything about it. I've got to go, but I'm sure Jim will call you. Whatever, I'll tell him. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Bye, Carol," she said hanging up.

"What did mom want?" I asked.

"To tell you to wear a coat, because it's still winter and to eat all your vegetables," she said and I stared at her blankly.

"Really?" My mother had never once told me to do that, ever.

"'Come on, kid. This is Carol we're talking about. She said to tell you that you are in so much trouble and that you'll be grounded until you're fifty when you go back," Layne said ripping a few sheets of writing off the pad of paper that had been spotless that morning.

"Wonderful," I muttered.

"So, have a nice walk?" she asked and I smiled.

"It was okay."

Ok, I remember this! It was a chapter that put my loop of odd chapters into place. Yes, they were odd and you know it Taurus. I was on coffee while I wrote this so of course it came out that way!!

As always any comments at all are welcome and Flames are accepted.

See ya in the funny papers!!! Tens