Disclaimer: Dear FanFiction, I really, really hate having to repeat myself and I think that one disclaimer in the beginning of the first chapter of the story should suffice but because I don't want my story to be taken down and because you seem to like shattering my fantasy where I DO own the Outsiders, I shall say this again. I do not own the Outsiders.

Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 28, Letters Home

Seven Months Later

I didn't hear from Sodapop and Steve as much I would have liked to, so, when one of those rare letters did come, I immediately got that gut clenching feeling you get when you're expecting bad news. My heart would race and my hands would shake and I'd break out in a cold sweat because, out of all the things I've ever feared in my life, receiving a letter telling me that my only brother or the love of my life is dead is the thing I found that scared me the most.

Every time I got a letter from one of them though, and it said that they were fine, safe, alive, I'd let out a long, relieved breath and my hands would finally be still.

The first couple of weeks that they were gone I felt… alone. Steve, ever since I was a baby, had always been right next to me. All I ever had to do was call his name and he'd magically appear next to me. With Soda it was the same, even before we were together like we are now. Even when we were just friends, all I'd ever had to do was call his name and he'd be there, ready to chase away anything that was scaring me, ready to fight off anything that was hurting me, and ready to cheer me up when something was making me sad.

But, as the weeks went on, I found that I wasn't alone. The boys were still there, treating me like a royal princess.

I still stayed at the Curtis house, no point in leaving seeing as though I spent most of my time there anyhow, but the mattress on the floor that Steve and I used to sleep on was gone now. I had my own room.

Well, technically it was Soda's room. Before he and Pony had started to share a room, he'd had his own just across the hall from Pony's. That's where I stayed now. The boys had spent a good week and a half cleaning it and making it all nice for me, despite my protests. Before, it had been used as a storage room. All that junk was thrown away or moved to the attic now.

I worked at the diner too and brought home a paycheck to Darry. With Soda gone, we were out a good chunk of change that helped pay bills. On Fridays and Saturdays I worked the night shift at a local bar for extra cash to buy baby stuff.

And that baby was going to have a lot of stuff, let me just tell you now. Those boys were bringing me stuff like you wouldn't believe. Even Dally was showering me with gifts.

Just a few weeks ago though, my bosses in both the diner and the bar told me to take maternity leave off, so now I was stuck home all day. Dally mostly kept me company during this time. Pony and Johnny went to the movies a lot, movies that I found mind-numbingly boring, Two-Bit disappeared to God knows where, as usual, and Darry had work. Dally was usually the only one around to keep my company and I didn't mind him. He was real funny because he was suddenly twice as protective over me as he used to be, if you can believe that. I didn't mind though.

Now, seven months after Soda and Steve left, I'm just starting up in my ninth month and that little baby in my stomach was kicking the shit out of me. I was huge now, the tiny baby bump I'd had earlier had grown into a huge, round, block-the-whole-damn-TV-if-I-lay-on-my-back bump. My ankles were swollen to hell, so I'd decided to give up on shoes unless they were absolutely necessary, and my breasts were large and full of the milk I'd use to feed my baby soon.

It was a Thursday, and I woke up that morning as usual; ravenously hungry for chocolate chip pancakes and bacon.

I laughed at myself as I struggled out of bed, my enlarged belly making it hard to move. I must have looked ridiculous, scooting and shimmying to the edge of the bed and then finally being able to stand up.

Once up, I walked, or rather, I waddled into the living room and smiled at Two-Bit, who was sitting in his usual spot in front of the TV with a piece of chocolate cake and a beer next to him.

"Hay, Bit." I greeted.

Two-Bit turned and grinned at me, his face covered in chocolate. "Howdy, Criss!"

I laughed and pointed to his mouth. "You got a little something on your face." I said, walking past him and into the kitchen.

Darry was at the stove, the scent of eggs in the air, whistling a tune. Pony, Johnny, and Dally were seated at the table, Johnny and Pony playing cards and Dally reading a newspaper.

"Morning, my pets." I said, taking a seat at the table.

Dally grunted his hello as Darry spun around and placed a plate of chocolate chip pancakes and bacon in front of me. "Morning." Darry replied, going back to his eggs.

"Thanks, Darry." I said, cutting a piece of pancake and stuffing it in my mouth.

"How ya doing, Crissy?" Johnny asked, smiling at me.

I nodded to him, afraid to spray half-chewed bacon at him if I opened my mouth. After a particularly large swallow I grinned at him. "My ankles are the size of watermelons, my back is killing me, and I have to pee every five minutes, so I guess I'm doing alright." I joked.

Pony looked up and pointed at me. "I refuse to change any diapers. I don't care if I'm the uncle or not. No. Diapers." He stressed, dead serious.

Johnny laughed and I heard Darry snicker behind me. "Same for me." Dally piped up, setting down the newspaper.

I snorted and laughed at the boys sitting around me. "I don't think I'd have the courage to trust you boys with changing a diaper. God only knows what the end result would be." I joked grinning when Pony's bottom lip jutted out in a pout.

"I bet I could do it without messing it up." He said.

I raised my eyebrows. "Oh, do ya now?"

"I bet I could too." Dally agreed, crossing his arms over his chest.

I smiled evilly. "Ten bucks says neither of you can." I challenged.

Dally extended his hand out. "Deal! Ten bucks if I can change the kid's diaper right."

I gripped his hand and we shook, then I did the same with Pony. Afterwards, I sat back in my chair and laughed. "So, I guess you both will be changing diapers after all." I said, picking at my fingernails.

Johnny, picking up on what I had done, laughed.

Pony and Dally looked horrified. "You little sneak...!" Dally started, rising himself out of his seat.

I scoffed. "It's your fault that you can't back down from a bet." I pointed out.

Dally groaned and flopped back down in the chair while Pony laid his forehead on the table. "I hate you, Crissy." Pony groaned, his voice muffled by the table.

My grin was huge. "Love you too, sweetie."

Darry chuckled and set a plate of eggs in front of the boys and then leaned against the counter. "We got a letter today." He said conversationally.

My head snapped up. "Why am I just now hearing about this? Where is it?"

Darry pulled out a slightly crumpled piece of paper from his back pocket and held it out to me. "If from both of them. They're all right, more concerned about you, honestly."

I took the paper and stood up as quick as I could with my bulging belly and headed for the back door. Outside, I leaned against the railing and opened the paper, smiling when I saw both Steve's and Soda's writing on the paper.

Dear Crystal,

Me and Steve are safe, in one piece, and alive so take a nice deep breath and calm down because, knowing you, you're probably freaking out right now.

It's getting to be time soon, ain't it? Time for our baby to be coming along? I can't believe I'm not going to be there with you for it, can't believe I'm going to miss it. It really makes me mad that at the point in your life that you need me the most I won't be there. It makes me twice as mad to know that my kid is going to spend the first bit of it's life without a daddy.

Steve threw a fit about it yesterday. Boy, howdy, Crissy, you should've seen him. He was ranting and raving and throwing things and cursing the Lord's name up and down and sideways.

It was funny as hell, honestly.

I think that's the worst of it though, the anger. I hate being angry, I hate the feeling, but I can't help but be angry at the damn government for sending me out here when you and the baby need me the most.

Then again, it's good to be angry because when you're out there, fighting, if you ain't angry then you get soft and soft is the one thing you ought not to be out here.

I miss you so much it's like a physical pain sometimes. I miss Darry and Pony's bickering and I miss Johnny's little lost puppy attitude and I miss Dally getting into trouble all the time and I miss Two-Bit getting drunk all the time. I can't wait to come home.

That seems to be all I can think nowadays, that I can't wait to go home.

Steve and I met another boy here, he's in our unit, and his name is Luke. He's two years older then us and he's got a wife and two babies back home. Jane is his wife's names and he talks about her like the sun shines right out of her ass. She sounds a lot like you sometimes; from the way he describes her. His babies, Amy and Sophie, are the cutest little girls I've ever seen with big gray eyes and hair lighter then Dally's. He's shown me pictures of all four of them before he was sent out here. Amy is three now and Sophie is six, when he left he said Amy was two and Sophie was five. He always talks about how when he gets home he's going to buy them everything they want and spoil them rotten.

I want to do that too, Criss. I want a spoil my baby rotten, give it everything it wants. Don't worry, I'll spoil you too.

I hate calling the baby 'it.' Can't you just tell me if it's a girl or a boy? The suspense is killing me. I'm tempted ti call it a he since Steve is convinced that it's a boy.

When we get back I'm going to introduce you to Luke and Garret, the other guy in out unit. You're going to love them, Criss, they're great guys.

I miss you, baby, and I love you.

Make sure you send me pictures of him or her whenever the time comes.

Love,

Sodapop Curtis.

I smiled as I read the ending of Soda's letter. He was safe, Steve was safe. That's what mattered.

A rough kick in my stomach made me hiss out a breath and smile at the same time. "You're happy Daddy and Uncle Stevie are safe too, aren't ya?" I cooed, rubbing me belly with one hand.

I remembered the part about Steve ranting and raving about missing out on this and laughed lightly. That sure sounded like my brother.

My laughed faded slowly. I was missing those boys something awful. It was a sharp pain in my chest whenever I thought about how much I missed them.

In a sudden rush, I felt the urge to meet the Jane Soda mentioned in the letter. Her husband had been away for over a year, she'd had two babies with him that's she was raising on her own. Maybe if I met her, she could give me the secrets on how to be a good Mama.

I knew that was stupid. No one can give you the secrets on how to be a good Mama. You just gotta do your best and love your baby to death.

My eyes turned back to the letter as I flipped the page over and read Steve's letter on the other side.

Crissy,

Like Sodapop said, we're all okay, so don't go getting your panties in a twist over us. We're doing fine over here.

Are the boys being good to you? Are they taking care of you? I told them all that if they don't take care of you then when I get back I would bust their heads open. I think they got the point.

Crissy, I wish you could see me when I'm shooting off my guns. I'm a great shot and I've got near perfect aim. Me and Garret love to have competitions with our guns. We make targets out of paper and see who can hit closest to the bulls eye from farther away. So far, I'm the reining champion.

Evie says you look really pretty pregnant. She says you glow or something like that. Sounds like a personal problem to me but whatever. I can't wait to get back there and see my nephew. I'll teach him how to play football and I'll get him his first leather jacket and show him how to shoot a gun.

Just kidding.

Yeah, I said nephew because I'm sure that the baby is going to be a boy. Call it Uncle's instinct.

By the way, I'm warning you now, I don't mind babysitting when you need me to, but I refuse to change diapers. Jus the thought gives me the shakes.

You never told me in your last letter who were going to name as the godfather and godmother. I figure it won't be Pony, Darry, or I since we're the immediate Uncles and our jobs are hard enough. So that leaves it to Johnny, Two-Bit, and Dally. I'm ruling out Two-Bit because I doubt you'd set a lazy drunk like his as the godfather.

Normally, I'd say rule out Dally because of his… rough nature, which would leave Johnny as the obvious choice but I don't know about that. Truthfully, I'd put my money on you choosing Dally as the godfather and sweet little Emily as the godmother to balance out Dally's roughness.

I'm right, aren't I?

Of course I am.

I miss you tons, Sis. I miss you doing the exact opposite of what I tell you, I miss you walking in and telling me and Evie to get a room when we're together, I miss chasing you around the Curtis' yard, hell, I even miss you dumping ice water on my to wake me up. Here, the only thing we got to wake us up is a loud horn that I'm seriously thinking about breaking in half. It's annoying as hell.

Write me soon, Crissy.

Love you,

Steve Randle.

I sighed, shaking my head as I read over the letter. Leave it to Steve to end up playing with guns while he's away with war. Knowing him, he'd probably laugh his ass of if this Garret fellow 'accidentally' shot him in the leg or something. What a freaking retard.

I smiled and laughed lightly. At least he was enjoying himself.

He was right on one thing though, I was planning on naming Dally and Emily the god parents.

God, I missed them.

It came suddenly, I wasn't even aware of it until a sharp pain sliced through my stomach. I felt something go snap, snap in my stomach and suddenly, the pajama pants I had been wearing were soaked with liquid.

My eyes widened as I gripped my stomach.

"Darry!"


Oo la la! It is time, my pets, it is time, indeed!

This might actually go just over 30 chapters because I wanna break down the ending, drag it out a bit. I'll be sad to end this story because it's my first ever but i'm going to be posting a new one soon. I just need to figure out which of my pieces I want to put up here next.

Review for Baby Curtis!

-Chu-Chi