Disclaimer: I don't own The Outsiders
The first few months were hell. Johnny got a job to replace Annie's since she wasn't getting paid for the time she spent out with Cleo. They did have an apartment. It wasn't quite enough to cover all the bills, so as soon as Annie was able to work again. Luckily Sodapop (bless him), was giving them some of his pay check as well.
Once two months passed Annie was able to do something else. Let's say the something else was something Johnny'd been waiting for, for quite a while. When she was ready, he didn't know it until she was letting him go farther than usual. He didn't ask questions, he just kept going until Annie stopped him, which she never did.
It was kind of a surprise how aggressive he was being. It wasn't a bad thing. Just unexpected. He was a hell of a lot louder than she would've guessed also. Other than those things, she thought he was wonderful. He turned into the same old Johnny when it was done.
"Was it worth the wait?" he asked, sounding unsure. Annie just giggled.
"Bet your ass it was," she replied, and kissed him again. Then, Cleo started crying, forcing a sigh from both of them. Johnny kind of smiled to himself watching Annie dress. She rushed into the room once she had enough clothes on. Cleo was hungry again. No shock.
They had a deal that Johnny would be the one to sleep all night since he had to work all day. Then when Johnny got home he'd help take care of Cleo. Surprisingly, he'd gotten good at taking care of the baby girl. He still wouldn't change a stinky diaper though.
By Cleo's third month she was already giving Johnny toothless smiles. Her hair was getting fuller and her eyes stayed the same blue as when she was born. She was still a pretty baby girl. It turned out that she was very advanced for her age. She was already holding her head up just fine. She was almost sitting up on her own as well which didn't come along until at least six months old. She was very squirmy too.
All the guys loved her. Although whenever Dally was at the Curtis house he'd keep his distance. He's watch the little girl, but wouldn't do much of anything else. Annie didn't even want him to hold her. Even after three months she was still glaring at him. She wasn't one to hold grudges either, but his was one of he worst cases of deceit. She couldn't simply forgive him.
Cleo's favorite out of he group besides Johnny and Annie was Ponyboy and Sodapop. She's always be smiling at both of them. Sodapop absolutely adored her. Ponyboy did too, but he was more awkward with a baby in his arms than his brother. Pony could help smiling when Cleo smiled at him though.
By the time Cleo was six months old she was giggling and crawling. Sodapop loved to make her laugh. He was always bouncing her on the couch, forcing laughter from the tiny baby, and making noises that made her giggle. Ponyboy was really good at getting her to sleep. Not that he was boring, he was just a naturally comforting person. A lot of the time Pony would fall asleep too when he had Cleo sleeping in his arms. Two-bit even took a picture of it once. It was pretty adorable.
Cleo was a nosy baby. She loved getting into things. Being the expert crawler/climber that she was she could get into anything. Luckily someone caught her before she could. When she was caught she'd always turn that little blonde head and smile at whoever caught her, like nothing was wrong. Then they'd scoop her up and put her back where she belonged.
She was a big talker too. She didn't say actual words, it was more like "de de de" or blowing raspberries. Her newest saying was "Bwah" an she's say it quickly, all in one breath. Then when Someone replied to her saying "Oh really?" or "Is that so?" she'd turn to them, smile, and go "Haaa" which probably meant "hi".
She didn't cry very much. Only when she was hungry or wanted a diaper change. Even when she bumped her head, she might let out a little whimper, but no crying. Lilian loved to play with Cleo's hair. Cleo didn't mind. She'd be sitting there, playing with rings or a little toy piano while Lilian brushed her hair and put little bows in it. Lilian was very good with Cleo. She liked to read her stories and make her laugh as much as Sodapop. Reading the stories sometimes didn't work out too well. Cleo would always try grabbing the book or she would be looking everywhere but the colorful Dr. Seuss pictures. It would test Lilian's patience, then they'd move on to something else.
One of Cleo's favorite games to play was the head game. You tilt your head to one side, and she's do the same, then you'd tilt it to the other side, an she'd do the same again. Johnny figured this out when Cleo was sitting on his lap and he was looking to the side of her to see the TV and she followed his head. It kept Cleo busy sometimes.
Every time Cleo went to the doctor's office for a checkup he doctor warned Annie and Johnny to keep a sharp eye on her. This little girl was going to be even more of a handful when she got older. Neither of them doubted this, but having a doctor confirm it made them exchange nervous looks.
It just made Annie keep thinking of how much Cleo was like her biological father. Everyone who had a brain stem knew Dally's reckless behavior was passed on to Cleo. Not one voiced this because they knew it would upset Annie. She still could not stand the fact Dallas was her baby girl's father. It made her cling to Johnny more tightly at the thought. The only person she ever wanted to raise a baby with was Johnny, and that's how it would be. No one was going to tell her and her baby girl different.