"From the time I was a kid, I always knew something was going to happen to me. Didn't know exactly what."

– Elvis Presley

Steve and I tried to keep our newfound relationship on the down low in the beginning, but by the end of the month, we were too close and too intimate not to make it public. Darry seemed happy that we finally were happy, really happy. He claimed to have known for a long time that we'd end up together. Ponyboy was excited, because Steve was even more happy and more calm and kind than before. Mary wasn't too sure of the whole thing, but she accepted it like I knew she would. Two-Bit, being Tw-Bit, made a lot of jokes, but he was sincerely happy for us as well. Michelle took to Steve even faster than she did Soda, and soon, she was more like our child than my sister.

Tuffy had grown into a beautiful, well-mannered cat, who watched the days' events unfold around her with little care. Blade was growing into a very handsome young dog, who looked more like a bear than a dog. He'd walk around with his chest puffed out, protective and obedient. It was a nice change of pace.

Soon, any memories of the last few months began to fade, leaving us all feeling a lot lighter. Steve officially moved in with me, making my house feel like a nice, cozy home.

The days passed quickly as we slowly went through what happened to him overseas. It wasn't easy for him, and by the end of the night, he'd want to do anything but talk, so we did. We spent hours going through childhood photographs, watching movies, just spending time getting to know one another again.

Two months later, I got some very unexpected news when I went to the doctor for my final x-ray.

"Well, your leg has healed beautifully," the doctor said. His smile grew as he read over my chart. "And congratulations. You're pregnant!"

I didn't know how I should take the news. Steve now knew that the same day we made love for the first time that me and Soda had as well. When I told him the news, he said he didn't care which of them had fathered this child, that he would be the best damn dad he could be.

I couldn't believe how well he took the news. We had talked about having kids in the future, but both of us agreed that we really didn't want kids any time soon. Unexpected as it was, it was also a welcomed event. We all went out for dinner and a movie that night, just spending it as we would have any other time.

It felt amazing. Knowing that we were slowly getting our lives back. Michelle celebrated her 9th birthday and boy, was she happy when I told her she had a pony. I had talked it over with the guys at the stable, and when Mercy went up for sale, Steve and I pinched pennies to buy the little ol' pony for Michelle. Michelle now spent most of her time down mucking stalls to pay for lessons. It made me proud to see her working so hard for something she's wanted her entire life.

I was out at the stables with Michelle when I saw the familiar Ford pickup pull in. Darry stepped out, squinting his eyes against the blaring sunlight. Michelle was about to head out on Mercy, while I was waiting for Steve so we could head out on Pepper and Cole, the two newest additions to the herd. Red had seen an ad for them, and after Rob and Mary saw it, they decided to buy the two, under the agreement that Steve and I would come by at least once a week to ride. Since I was already down almost every day with Michelle, it wasn't hard to keep up our end of the bargain. The young mare and stallion were siblings and best of friends. They were great together, and two of the few horses that could ride side by side on the narrower trails without problems. They were large horses, both thoroughbreds and beautiful at that, but they were gentle, sweet, and so well mannered, that there was very little training involved. Rob wanted them for lessons more than show, so it was a win-win situation.

"Hey Dar," I called. Darry walked over, a grim look on his face. "What's wrong?" My heart sank. Michelle hopped off Mercy's back, suddenly sensing the urgency of this visit. Darry rarely came out to the stables, because the cost of gas was outrageous. Steve and I actually made a habit to walk everywhere else so we could afford the gas to get Mickey out every day.

"Soda's been released," he said carefully, almost as if expecting some big scene or something.

"Okay?" I didn't know what his point was.

"He doesn't know about you and Steve," Darry said flatly. That was when it hit me. Soda didn't know. He didn't know that the mother of his two dead children is pregnant. He didn't know that she's been fucking his best friend behind his back. He didn't know that his ex-girlfriend and best friend hooked up.

"Shit," I muttered. "Mickey, if I leave you here for a few hours, are you gonna be okay?"

"Sure," she nodded. "I'll have someone drive me home afterwards."

"No, Steve and I will come get you. Around 7, okay?" I said quickly. "Here's a dollar, buy yourself something to snack on while you wait."

"Sis, I don't need your money. You leave me here all the time, shoo, go take care of the problems before I get home," she laughed. "I want Steve to finish reading me that story tonight. And if you and Soda and Steve are all at each other's throats, that isn't going to happen."

"Smart kid," I laughed, patting her head. "Have fun, wear your helmet and please, be careful."

"Yes mom!" she laughed. She mounted Mercy and kicked her into a trot, leaving me faced with another problem.

"Want me to follow behind you or…?" I asked.

"No, you'll ride with me," Darry said quickly. He made it quite obvious that he was worried about the whole situation.

"It's Sodapop, Darry, not the end of the world," I sighed as I walked towards his truck. Blade ran between my legs, having seen the direction I was heading. He spent as much time down at the stables as Michelle did, so he was used to the routine now. He hoped into the bed of Darry's truck and sat patiently while I tied his leash to the spare tire. He laid down after that, ready for the long ride home. He seemed more ready than I was, to say the least.

I got into the passenger seat, not at all surprised that the truck seemed to be full of the tension Darry was putting off.

"Why are you so worried about this?" I asked softly.

"He's just now better. I don't want to screw that up," Darry said softly, turning the truck into reverse, carefully pulling out of the gravel parking lot.

"You mean you don't want me and Steve to screw that up," I corrected him sourly. I didn't like that he was trying to blame the entire situation on us.

"I didn't say that," he said harshly.

"You didn't mean to," I growled. I stared out the window, extremely annoyed with his attitude.

When we reached the house, I wasn't sure what to think. Instead, I tried to block every emotion as I got out, untied Blade, and slowly made my way into the house. The house was an eerie quiet when I got in. I was actually grateful Darry decided to cut through my house first. It gave me a chance to put the baby gate up, so Blade couldn't get outside, while feeding the cat real fast before I left. I grabbed my coat off the table and slipped it on, feeling overly conscious of the small baby bump beginning to grow. It was small, barely visible, but I wasn't taking any chances.

I slipped out the back door, careful to keep Blade inside, before walking the short distance between the two houses. I made a mental note to put up some kind of fencing after the baby was born, just so that when he or she got older, they'd be able to play in the yards without disturbing anyone in the house.

Darry was already there when I walked into the kitchen. Steve was leaning against the counter, a look of frustration on his face. At first, I couldn't understand why, but then, the loud crash that came from the living room told me that Soda already knew.

"He's pissed," Darry sighed, shaking his head.

"He shouldn't be," I said coolly. "He broke up with me."

"That doesn't matter!" Soda growled coming into the kitchen, his eyes ablaze.

"Soda, it's not like that," I tried, my voice soft. "Just calm down and listen to me."

"What's there to listen to? How long have you two been fucking each other behind my back?" he spat.

I shot a look at Steve, before carefully thinking out my lie.

"A few weeks," I said carefully. "But it's not like we planned for it to happen, especially not behind your back."

"Bullshit!" he snapped.

"Soda, please, listen to yourself, man," Steve said softly. He looked like he'd just been punched in the face. I'm sure that's what it must have felt like. Him and Soda had been friends for as long as we had been, if not longer.

"Ain't there a code or something?" Soda growled, his anger diminishing. He quickly deflated, the anger leaving his face, replaced by sadness. "I thought you loved me." He directed the last part at me.

"I did – I do Sodapop. More than you know. But it was never meant to work out between us. You and me, we were always better as friends," I said as kindly as I could muster. His features relaxed as he took a step towards me. I reached out, carefully taking a step forward. I slid my arms around him, hugging him as tight as I dared. "Soda, you're one of the most important people in my life. Regardless of everything, you're still the only person who knew just what to do and say with every curveball life threw my way."

"I'm sorry, Jo-Anna Beth…for everything," he whispered.

"I'm sorry too," I breathed. I looked up at his dark, chocolate eyes. "Friends?"

"Always," he nodded. He looked over at Steve, who was awkwardly watching our conversation unfold. "You too Steve."

The tension faded quickly after that. I let the two friends chat, while I went to call Red to drive Michelle home. He never had any problems with it, and he knew I'd make it up to him. As expected, he agreed with no problem. As I was hanging up, Mary came through the backdoor, her face pale, her expression strained.

"What's wrong?" I asked immediately.

"It's Ponyboy…"