A/N: I really want to thank everyone who has supported this fic. If I haven't been able to reply to you personally, please know that I have appreciated every single comment. Thank you.


The story was short, but far more stupid than sweet. Miss Nelson had been called to answer some emergency question on the phone and Jay chose that moment to ask for the bathroom. The young social worker let Becky take him. Simple as that.

Only, she never came back.

Steve went nuts. It got so bad that the bigger cop suggested he take Steve outside before he said something that would sound like a threat for real. Steve was almost incoherent by that point and I wasn't sure if he was threatening Becky or the social worker who'd let Jay go.

I wasn't sure about anything except for the fact that we didn't know where Jay was.

I started shivering, although if anything it was stuffy in that horrible, horrible room. The next thing I knew, I was sitting down and Miss Nelson was holding my head down by my knees. And then Steve was there and whatever the cop had said must have worked, because he held onto me and told me everything was going to be okay and he wasn't yelling any more, he was like ice cold steel as he told me that he would make everything okay.

It was late when we got home. The Department of Child Welfare went on with its day and closed up around us as the cops came and went and different people told us different things that all amounted to the same damn thing; Jay was gone, but they were all confident of finding him, quickly.

And eventually they persuaded Steve to take me home.

Darry and Soda and Two-Bit were there. Steve had used the phone from Miss Nelson's office and they'd already been out, driving around, but they all checked in back at our house.

I remembered another milestone in our lives. I remembered when I'd heard Ponyboy confess that he knew it was Ricky who had attacked me and they'd all wanted to go after him. I remembered how it had felt to rein them in, to ask them not to hunt him down, not to exact revenge.

I did exactly the opposite. For Jay.

I didn't ask, I ordered them all to go look, to search, to ask in every alley and bar and flophouse. To find him. They divided up the neighborhoods between themselves, checking where the others had already been, and drove off.

Joanne and I got to wait. We had the 'stay by the phone' straw.

I held it together as we went inside, but Jay's bedroom door was open and I saw Wrench sitting on his bed and that set me off. Jo made me sit on the couch, tried to make me eat and drink, but I couldn't face anything.

The night that Pony and Johnny ran away came back to me like an echo, Steve and Soda driving around looking for them all night.

"What?" Jo glanced at me strangely. When I looked confused, she spoke slowly, "You said 'Dallas knew all the time'..."

I told her I was thinking about something else. And I burst into tears again.

xxXxx

The night grew weird as people came and went. The cops showed up on a loop, one time coinciding with Steve and Darry checking in and I stared at the sight of Steve shaking the cop's hand, like they were friends. He told me it was the one from that afternoon, that he'd stayed even after his shift was supposed to end. I wouldn't have recognized him, I hadn't been paying attention.

I wondered how Steve had managed to convey exactly how special Jay was, in such a short time, but looking back, I realized the cop would probably have done the same for any little kid missing in those circumstances.

The other cop told Darry that Becky's parole officer had given them more information and they were still sure they'd find her.

Just after midnight, I woke up from dozing on the couch because Jo exclaimed at the sight of Pony coming through the door. Soda had called him at some point and Pony had hitched his way home. He hugged me and said he'd start looking too, but before he could, Two-Bit was next to check in.

Jo poured him some of the coffee she had kept available all night and he gulped it down.

"I found Curly," Two-Bit reported, between chugs of coffee. "Made him come with me to Angela's pad. He said she ain't lying. She don't know where Becky went."

Pony clicked his tongue against his teeth. "Dammit, he knows when she's lyin' alright..."

Eventually it got so everyone was home – everyone except for Jay, that is. The guys were cross eyed with tiredness and likely to wrap one of the cars around a streetlamp or something. They slept at our house, in the spare bed, couch and armchairs, or just on the floor.

I sat at the kitchen table watching Steve smoke on the porch. Thinking back about how he'd reacted to the news that we had to smoke outside, for Jay's sake. He offered me one of his weeds. I shook my head.

"You give up, or something?" he asked. I shrugged. Everything tasted off to me. Everything was off. The whole world was wrong. I realized Steve was still talking to me. He ground out the last of his cigarette and came inside, holding out his hand. "I love you," he said as he pulled me tight to him. "We'll get him back, I swear."

He didn't say it often, but when Steve Randle told me he loved me, I believed him. Of course, when he'd said that 'nothing in this world' would keep us apart, I'd believed that too - and look what happened there. Look what happened there.

xxXxx

"Steve." It was Darry who turned from the window, indicating the road outside. The cops were back. Jay had been gone for almost exactly a day. Twenty five hours, fifteen minutes to be precise. He was so small. What had that day felt like to him? Where did he think we were?

xxXxx

We ran from the car, desperately searching the walls for signs pointing to the Children's ward. As Steve gabbled at the nurse at the desk, I noticed a little knot of people off to one side, including Miss Nelson. I caught Steve's shirt, tugging him in that direction.

A doctor walked away, leaving Miss Nelson and a cop, conferring over a folder in her hand.

"Is he here? Where's Jay? Is he okay?" I blurted. The cop started asking Steve stuff about Becky.

Miss Nelson gave me a tight smile. "He's fine. A little tired and he hasn't been eating. And we need to..."

I lost the rest of her sentence as I suddenly heard Jay crying. I ducked around the cop and into the little room behind him.

"Vevie!" A wail surged out of Jay and he wrenched himself from the grasp of a nurse, scrabbling across the bed towards me. I held him close, telling him I was there now, he was okay now. Sobs shook him and he clutched at me like he would never let me go. I was aware that someone had followed me in, but I didn't pay them any attention. The nurse was still looming over the other side of the bed, a syringe in her hand.

"What are you doing to him?" I shielded Jay with my arms, holding him away from her.

"He needs an I.V. The doctor is worried he's dehydrated, because he won't drink." She nodded at a plastic cup on the table at the end of the bed.

"JJ? Honey, I need you to calm down." I smoothed his hair- it was drenched with sweat where he'd worked himself up into a state. He'd trailed tears and snot across my top. Now that I was holding him though, his sobs were subsiding into ragged breaths. I wiped his eyes as best I could. "JJ, baby. Listen to Evie, huh? You listenin' to me?"

I knew he wasn't going to let go of me any time soon, so I edged onto the bed – let the goddamn nurse frown at me, I'd tell her where to stuff her hospital rules – and I pulled Jay onto my lap, holding him tight. "Look, I brought someone to see you." I held up Wrench. Jay grabbed him with his free hand. "Wrench is awful thirsty." I played with the cup, holding it to the toy's face. Jay looked interested. "You thirsty, sweetie?" I offered him the cup. "You want some milk?"

He mumbled at me, between huge sniffs.

I had to smile, despite my concern. Talk about his father's stubbornness. I managed to take the sippy top off the beaker, although it was hard with Jay hanging onto me so tight. "There. See. It ain't a baby cup. I know you ain't a baby no more. You're my big guy, huh? You want some milk, big guy?"

And he drank it. Messily, true, some of the milk went down his front and on my top too, but I could care less. I looked steadily at the nurse, challenging her with my eyes. Give her her due, she nodded and backed off. I put the cup down, worried that Jay would make himself sick if he drank too much too quickly. He laid himself flat against me, his arms around my neck. He kept repeating my name, stroking my hair as if to convince himself I was really there. I kissed him.

When he flinched, I looked at his little face closely, wiping his milk mustache away. That was when I saw the bruise on his cheek. In horror, I checked his arms and legs, only really noticing then that he was dressed in a tiny little hospital gown with cartoon characters on it.

My face must have looked like murder when I met Miss Nelson's gaze.

"We need to talk about this, obviously," she said calmly. I fought with all my might to stay cool for Jay's sake.

"Was this her?" I asked quietly. "Did she do this to him?"

Miss Nelson pursed her lips. "There's some debate about exactly who did it. Her or her friend. The police have them both." I knew her well enough to know she was angry, no matter how polite she kept her tone.

"Did you ask Jay what happened?"

"Evie. You know that he's too little, no judge is going to believe evidence from a tiny boy like this."

"No judge has to. Just you. If you believe him, I trust you to make the case for him."

She looked a little surprised, but also gratified.

I wondered where Steve was. The cop couldn't have kept him talking this long, could he? I asked Miss Nelson to bring him in, but before she moved Jay immediately picked up on the fact that I'd said Steve's name and he started crying.

"No Steve never 'gain." He shook his head sadly.

"Whoa. Hey, Jay, what are you saying? Who told you that? He's here, honey, I promise you." I looked across at the social worker. "Can I ask him about what happened? Will you listen?" She nodded at me.

"JJ, baby? You know who Steve is?" I prompted gently.

"Da..Da...Daddy," he wailed, sucking in air. "No Daddy never again."

"Who told you that? Did Becky tell you that?"

He shuddered in my arms. "Becky bad. Bad lady," Jay whispered.

"Why honey? Why is Becky a bad lady?"

"Say me shut up 'bout Daddy. Ow."

"Ow?" I wanted to cry for him. "Jay, did Becky give you these owies?" I pointed to his arm and to his face. That bruise had to hurt.

He nodded vigorously. "Bad lady. No ow on Jay no more."

I cuddled him close. "No, baby. She won't hit you no more, I promise."

Steve and the cop came into the room. I thought Steve was going to chuck, his face went so white when he saw Jay.

"Daddy!" Jay screamed. He leaned towards Steve, while keeping one hand tight around my neck. Steve came and sat on the other side of the bed and Jay took hold of Steve's t shirt in his fist and subsided into hiccoughy sniffs again, clutching us both.

"Jay?" Miss Nelson approached the end of the bed. She shot the cop a significant look, to make sure he was listening. "Jay, can you say that again? Who gave you those owies?"

"Bad lady. Becky."

Steve opened his mouth but I put my hand on his arm before he could speak. He was shaking with anger, but we had to let Jay tell his story and we needed the cop to hear it.

Miss Nelson tried again. "Jay, you said Becky was mad with you for asking for your daddy. What did Becky say?"

"Say I have to shutfuckup 'bout Vevie. No more Daddy. No more Vevie. Never again. An' ow on me if I say so." He turned to face Steve, then me. "I wanna go home with MY Vevie, MY daddy now. No more Becky!" he declared fiercely.

The four of us got that loud and clear. I was never so happy to see a cop write in his little book.

"Jay, do you know who Larry is?" I figured Miss Nelson was asking about Becky's boyfriend. They could both fry for all I cared. Jay nodded at her. "Is Larry a bad man? Did Larry ow on you?" I loved her for that, for using Jay's own description. Jay shook his head.

"Not Larry. Larry says Becky has to stop."

The cop nodded, asking one more time to clarify. "Just Becky did this, honey? Just your mama gave you owies?"

"NO!" I was surprised by how loud Jay yelled. He looked at the cop as if the man was completely crazy. "Not my mama does owies. Becky does owies on me. Bad lady ain't my mama. This is my mama." He let go of Steve and snuggled into me, his arms tightening around my neck again, his face pressed into mine. "Vevie. My mama."

I couldn't see Steve very clearly through the tears in my eyes, but he leaned over and put his arms around me and Jay both.

"That's a very smart young man you have there." Miss Nelson sounded almost choked, which was ridiculous, she had to be hard as nails in her job, right? "I'll be making it clear that you can take him home as soon as the doctor says he can go."

I spluttered out a thank you.

"And," she continued, "I can tell you, regardless of the outcome of the criminal investigation, that woman will never be allowed near Jay again. Mrs Randle –" I was taken aback, then I realized she was speaking formally for the cop's benefit. "Nothing is going to stand in the way of your adopting Jay."

The cop ducked out of the room. Miss Nelson paused in the doorway. She smiled. "Sometimes, I remember why I wanted to do this job."

xxXxx

March 1969...

"I don't believe you." I was trying unsuccessfully, to keep a straight face, after Steve had swung by to pick me up from work, grinning as he declared:

"Like old times, babe."

Now he was pulling into the Dairy Queen.

He cocked an eyebrow at me. "What? I can't want a drink?"

I tried to lean over and kiss him but he leaned away. "Nu –uh, what's the point of tradition if you deliberately stuff it up?" He sounded real indignant. I laughed and climbed out, waited for him to walk over and sling his arm around me, guiding me towards the side of the building.

"See?" he said slyly, having kissed me thoroughly. "Good things come to them who wait."

I ran my hand through his – growing out, but no longer greased – hair.

"I know all about that." I thought about the months and months of waiting for him to come home. This time two years ago, we were still reeling over his being drafted in the first place. And this time last year I'd avoided driving anywhere near this place. Next year, though...

I dragged my attention back to Steve. "Maybe we could pick up Jay a little late?" he was asking.

Mercifully, Jay was unscathed by what happened with Becky. He'd been a little clingy for a week or so, but once he was back in his usual routine he bounced back just fine, apart from the occasional comment about the 'bad lady'. Right then he was happily over at Ma's, where Sarah still looked after him when I was at work. I thought about her minding Jay and Toni both. I thought about the fact that there was one lasting effect of what Becky had done; Jay had stopped calling me Vevie.

I liked being 'Mama'. I liked it a lot.

Although...I nodded happily at Steve. Maybe we could pick Jay up a little late.

"This time next year," Steve said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, "I was thinking, Jay'll be older and maybe we could...What?" He could see I was laughing at him now.

I couldn't wait any longer.

"This time next year, Steve, we're gonna need a babysitter even more."

I waited for him to catch on.

See, call me stupid, but I'd finally worked out why I'd gone off coffee and cigarettes. Why I was tired and a bit emotional. I just wasn't puking like Sarah had. I couldn't wait to let her know that. The doctor said I was fine, just lucky that way.

I even knew when it had happened. What with Steve being away so long, I never had gotten around to taking the birth pill, even when I got to add 'Mrs' to my prescription. And being a respectable married man, Steve no longer carried a condom in his wallet, 'just in case'...

...just in case of a little fooling around, 'for old times' sake', up at the lake while we celebrated Two-Bit and Elle getting hitched, both of us just lit enough to take a chance.

Steve was staring at me, like he'd been frozen. "When?" he croaked out.

"End of September." The doctor agreed with me about the timing of that trip to the lake.

Steve held his arm out towards me, in slow motion. He had goose bumps. Actual, real goose bumps.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed, finally moving and grabbing me into a hug and then letting me go like he might break me, all of a sudden.

"Steve." I rolled my eyes. "You gotta stop cussing in front of the baby."

Almost THE END...

Epilogue coming up, I can't help myself!