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Keeping Watch

"You would?" That's what my little brother had asked me. If I would have visited him, had I known what was going on. If I would have kept him safe. Me and Darry. And I'd assured him that of course I would have. Didn't he realize that we'd been working so hard to get him back? That, every single day, Darry had called those social workers and the people at the State to try and get him back? That I cried myself to sleep most nights, missing him so bad. That I prayed for the first time since our mom had taken us to church that my little brother would get the chance to call me…that someone would let him use a phone or that he'd sneak and do it, and that I would get a moment to talk to him. That before, when the cops had found his jacket and we'd thought he was gone, I'd wanted to die.

Didn't he realize that I stayed home most nights, so desperate to talk to him, or that one day, I'd come home to find Darry sobbing at the kitchen table, the phone clenched in his fist, and that when I'd sat down beside him, putting a hand on his arm, he'd dropped the phone on the table, barely able to talk for crying. "They won't even let me…talk to him. Won't tell me if he's okay, or where he is. He'll think we don't care, Soda. He'll think we ain't even trying!"

Had he been right? Had Pony really sat in that boy's home, and then in that awful foster home, and wondered if we were even trying? It seemed like it. I wanted to find him…right then. I wanted to shake him and hug him and tell him all about how hard we'd been trying to get him back, and how worried we'd been about him...how I thought about him every day and dreamed about him almost every night. I wanted him to talk to Darry too, and let him see how much our big brother missed him. I knew those two fought sometimes, but could Pony possibly think that Darry would ever let anyone hurt him? Surely not.

"Soda?" I jumped a little, then grinned, reaching for the girl's braid. She pulled her head out of reach, swatting me away.

"Sorry, Susie." I took the plate of chicken from her and grabbed a piece, then passed it to Darry. We were all sitting around the kitchen table, her and Two-Bit, along with Dallas and Two-Bit. Dal had brought a case of cokes, and Steve had brought a pack of chicken over, tossing it to Darry who'd been rifling through the cabinets, trying to find something to cook. We needed to go to the grocery. Still, Two-Bit had brought Susie over and she'd sat on our couch, making herself small and staring at her novel. I figured it was kind of weird for her to hang out with a bunch of guys all the time, but we couldn't leave her alone anymore. Couldn't risk it.

For the last couple of days, since Tuesday, she'd been with her brother or the rest of us at all times. Two had stayed with her all day, taking her to the movies, and I wondered how long it would be until the two of them got sick of spending all their time together. I figured it would be her that would get sick of him first…he'd been scared to death when I'd told him something had happened to her. Had nearly whipped Steve to make him drive faster.

"Tim's guys been by today?" Steve asked, glancing at Two and breaking the silence. He shrugged.

"We've been out all day."

"I talked to Pony before you guys got home," Darry told us suddenly, changing the subject. He knew that I'd talked to Pony…I'd called right after and told him, but it had been kind of hectic when I'd gotten home. He'd gotten right to work cooking the chicken Steve had brought and Two had snatched a coke for him and his sister who'd sat on the couch looking pretty bored. I'd grinned, pulling her braids as I'd walked by, and she'd batted me away so much like Ponyboy would when I'd ruffle his hair.

"How did he sound?" I asked. Everyone else had stopped eating, all looking at Darry. I knew how he'd sounded on the phone with me, even though I hadn't really told Steve much. I'd just let him know that Pony had called…and that he was still sick. He sounded awful, tired and coughing too much. Hardly able to have a whole conversation with me.

"Pretty tired…I think he's still sick. He was coughing a lot…said he could hardly hold a spoon. James is taking pretty good care of him though." I had to admit he was right. James was doing a real nice thing for us, taking care of a kid that wasn't even related to him…who was just crashing on his couch because some old friend had asked him to.

"Good," Two-Bit said, taking a swig of his coke. I knew Two-Bit had talked to James too. He'd called every day, letting us know that Pony was still asleep, or that he had gotten him to eat some soup. I wondered where the guy worked…if he even did. I knew Johnny was looking out for him when James was gone…James had told us. It helped me not worry about them so much, knowing that James would look after them.

"Yeah." Darry stared at his plate for a second, jaw tight. "Hopefully he can get back to work soon." It wasn't that we wanted Pony working. But those two needed money to live, and they'd need money to get back home.

Once, Pony had asked if he could get a part-time job somewhere. It had been pretty soon after I'd dropped out of school and Darry had snapped at him, telling him he wasn't gonna drop out of school, but he'd caught himself before he'd all out told him he wasn't going to end up like me.

Darry had apologized later, telling me he hadn't meant anything by it. He'd apologized to Pony too, telling him he just didn't want Pony to worry about money, and he'd given him a dollar to spend. We'd both tried to make a point of giving him some spending money after that. A week or so later, I'd come into the living room to find Pony with Darry's wallet and had felt my stomach drop.

"Whatcha up to, kiddo?" I'd asked, worry gnawing at my gut. Surely Pony wouldn't stoop to stealing from Darry? He'd still been real quiet and withdrawn but I hadn't thought it was that bad. Not that I'd rat him out, but I'd sure have given him an earful.

His ears had turned red and he'd dropped the wallet back onto the table where Darry had left it. "Wasn't stealing or nothing." He'd snapped, glaring at the floor.

"I didn't say you were." I'd told him easily, heading over and dropping a hand on his shoulder. "What's up?"

Pony had sighed, not really meeting my eyes. "He gave me a dollar and…he can't hardly pay the bills this month. I was just giving it back." I'd smiled then, unable to help the relief. I knew he wouldn't steal from Darry or me, but it was good to have it confirmed.

"Did I ever tell you you're a good kid?" He'd rolled his eyes, shrugging me off and going into the kitchen to make breakfast. I'd helped him, both of us waking Darry up by jumping on his bed. That morning Darry had laughed, managing to get ahold of Pony and get him in a headlock, and I'd saved him by tickling Darry until he'd thrown me off the bed.

"Him and Johnny are working at a grocery store," Dally said out loud, and we all glanced over to find Susan nodding, me torn out of my thoughts again. He pointed at the rolls and she passed him the plate, then took a bite of her chicken.

"What are you two up to tomorrow?" I asked the girl, not wanting to talk about Ponyboy anymore. I couldn't stand it…not without him here when almost everyone else was.

"I'm dropping her off at the library. Dal and I are gonna meet up with Tim." Two-Bit told us, and the girl gave a sullen sigh.

"Can't I come?"

"Hell no," Dal told her, and Two gave him a look. "Heck no, then." He corrected himself, rolling his eyes, and the girl laughed at him, then crossed her arms, turning back to Two-Bit.

"Why not?"

"It's not the kind of place where you bring little sisters." He told her.

"Will there be girls there or something?" Steve lifted his eyebrows, glancing at me with a half smirk, and I fought back the smile while Two-Bit sighed.

"No. Just a bunch of rough hoods."

"I hang out with rough hoods all the time." She rolled her eyes like only a thirteen-year-old girl could. Or maybe a fourteen-year-old boy. Her and Pony were just alike sometimes. When Two-Bit lifted an eyebrow, she jerked her thumb at Dallas. "We're hanging out with one right now." Steve chuckled when Dallas crossed his arms, looking pretty pleased with himself.

"What time?" I asked, trying to help Two out and distract everyone.

"I'm meeting them at three."

"We'll come pick you up and bring you back here after we get off work if you want." I told her. She glanced at Two-Bit and it reminded me of Pony again…how he'd glance at Darry to make sure something was alright. That felt like another punch in the gut. Two nodded.

"Sure. Thanks, Soda." She grinned at me, all thoughts of tagging along with Two-Bit apparently forgotten. I just nodded, fighting to keep the smile in place. After our parents had died, Pony had started spending most of his time alone, and he'd walk to the library or the movies by himself, and Darry and I always worried. Two or Dally or even Steve would go and walk him home sometimes or give him a ride, but that day he and Darry had fought, he hadn't called anyone. He'd just gone to the movies after school and walked home by himself. I knew he wouldn't usually call Steve, but Two-Bit or Dally wouldn't have cared! They always watched out for him. Now I'd do the same for Susan and hope that my little brother was okay.

The next day after work, Steve and I headed over to the library, him driving and me staring out the window. The library was always more Pony's thing than mine, but I'd spent plenty of time there, taking him to get books for a paper or something, or getting my own stuff to halfheartedly throw something together at the last minute. Our parents had always tried to get me to try harder. I wasn't stupid or nothing…just couldn't sit still for so long, trying to learn things I didn't care about. Pony would try to show me things sometimes, and he was a better teacher than most of my own, but he was still younger than me and could only do so much. Sometimes our mom would sit down with me at the kitchen table and help, but after a full day of sitting, I could hardly stand even more sitting. For as much as Darry and Ponyboy fought, they sure were alike. Those two could sit still and read or work on homework all night while I was about to bounce off the walls. Darry would help us both with homework too, being pretty patient considering I goofed off most of the time and Pony usually got distracted by me.

All day at work, I'd stayed mostly in the station, even though I'd rather be working on cars or something. I hated being cooped up all day. Still, I wanted to be close to the phone. I knew Darry would be doing the same thing if he wasn't on a roof. Every time we'd gotten a call, I'd grabbed the phone before the first ring could even finish, but he didn't call. It was all girls needing an oil change or guys wanting to know how much we charged for something or another. I could hardly focus. I didn't know if Pony didn't call because he wasn't feeling good enough to try or because James didn't want to pay the long distance. I wanted to get their number, but I guessed it was better I didn't have it. I couldn't afford all the long distance, and besides, I'd probably call non-stop, then James might disconnect his phone.

"Wonder how the kid is," Steve glanced over at me from where we sat at a red light. There was a mustang beside us with a couple of socs trying to get out attention, revving their engine and shouting. I lifted my middle finger without sparing them a glance. Usually, Steve would have risen to the bait but not today. He was trying to be supportive I guess.

"Haven't heard anything since yesterday," I told him, even though he already knew.

"Yeah." He was quiet for a second. He didn't try bringing up Pony much, so I wondered what he was getting at. "You know we're gonna get him back, right?"

"Yeah…"

"He's gonna be alright."

"He didn't sound alright," I admitted, glancing over. "Couldn't hardly breathe for coughing."

"Kid's got a cold or something. He's fine."

"He was so sick he fell off a ladder." I reminded him, my voice cold. He didn't have an answer for that, so we were quiet for a little bit. As we were pulling up to the library, he reached out, grabbing my shoulder.

"We ain't gonna let anything else happen to the kid…not if we can help it. We're doing everything we can, man."

"I know," I muttered, staring at the doors. As we pulled into a parking spot, they opened, and the girl stepped out of the building. I lifted a hand with a half smile and she hurried over.

"We'll make Dally tell us where he is if we have to, savvy? I'll drive you to him…we'll have a road trip." I grinned then. "I'm sure James would love two more house guests."

"Yeah? Where we gonna get the money?"

"We'll figure it out. Don't you worry about that." He punched my shoulder as I leaned my seat forward, letting her climb in. "Hey Suze." He greeted over his shoulder, waiting until I'd shut my door before driving off back toward my house.

"How's it going, kid?" I asked, meeting her eyes in the rearview mirror.

"Fine…thanks." She muttered, a stack of books in her lap.

"Get anything good?" She hummed, not really giving an answer.

"Why are Keith and Dallas meeting Tim Shepherd?" She asked instead.

"They're trying to get something on that guy…keeping an eye on him to make sure he don't come after us again," I told her, twisting in my seat. She looked kind of scared, her eyes wide. "Don't worry about it. It ain't nothing dangerous."

She seemed to relax a little then, looking real hesitant, like she wasn't sure if she should believe me. "Really?"

"Promise," I told her, holding up a hand. "Well, no more dangerous than anything else he does." She grinned then. "You hungry?" The girl shrugged. She wasn't usually very talkative so I didn't take it personal. "We'll make dinner when we get home, okay?"

"Alright. I can cook if you want help."

"Nah. You're a guest. Steve, on the other hand, is welcome to pitch in any time he wants." He swung at me and I tried to dodge, making her laugh when his fist landed with a thud against my shoulder. I rubbed it, laughing myself.

We all climbed out of the car when we pulled into our driveway, me holding the seat forward and giving her a hand so that she could climb out, and we all headed into the house, me locking the door behind us. It was something we did now...we'd never had to do that before. She offered again to help cook but I waved her off and she sat on the couch, grabbing one of her books and reading. Gone with the Wind. I stared at the title for a second, trying to remember why I knew it. Then I remembered. "Pony and Johnny saw that movie…wouldn't shut up about it." She grinned up at me, putting it down for a second.

"Yeah, he told me about it. Him and Johnny really liked it. I didn't get to see it, but I figured the book would be as good." She went back to reading and I caught Steve looking out the window, lips in a tight line. I caught his eye, raising my eyebrows and glancing back down at Susie. He just shook his head, following me into the kitchen.

"Anyone out there?" I asked, grabbing the food coloring and a box of spaghetti. He opened the freezer and pulled out some hamburger, shaking his head.

"No more than usual." He put a hand in his pocket, fingering his blade. I reached into my own pocket to make sure mine was there, then filled a pot with water.

I made spaghetti and Steve grabbed a beer and sat on the couch by Susan, turning on the TV while she read. It reminded me too much of Pony, and I found myself listening for the phone. It's what we did pretty much every day after school, back when I'd been going. We'd all come home, sitting on the sofa together and watching TV or playing cards while Pony read or did homework, and our mom made dinner. Then Darry would get home from work, usually riding with Dad. He'd worked with a construction company and had been saving for college. I wondered if he'd ever get to go now. Pony had three more years until he'd be on his own, and I wasn't sure how Darry would manage taking care of Pony and paying bills and going to school.

Two-Bit and Dally came by as we were finishing up, and Darry came home as we were all starting dinner. "Any calls?" He asked, looking right at me as he grabbed a plate and sat down between me and Dallas. I just shook my head, and he ruffled my hair. "He needs to rest is all. He's fine." He told me softly, patting me on the back before taking a bite of the purple spaghetti. Susie had laughed when she'd seen the purple pasta, and Steve had assured her that I made most of our food colorful.

"What did you guys find out?" I asked Two-Bit and Dally. They both glanced at Susie and Two-Bit shrugged, apparently not minding if she knew.

"Tim and his guys talked to Pony's foster brothers. Met up with them at the park. They pretty much said the same thing they told you. They ain't talking. When they turn eighteen in a little while, they're out of here. For good. No way they're gonna stick around to testify against him. They're too scared of him." Dally told us.

"And the girl?" Darry asked.

"Margaret. Goes by Rita. Turns eighteen in a couple of weeks. They haven't managed to get her alone. Mark and Tyler said she wasn't gonna talk."

"I guess they don't want to scare her…a bunch of hoods cornering her in an alley." Two-Bit put in.

"I can talk to her." We all froze, glancing at Susie, but Two-Bit was already shaking his head.

"No."

"No way in hell." Dallas added, glaring at her a little.

"Why not?" She asked, her voice almost whiny.

"Too dangerous, kiddo." Steve told her, not unkindly.

"What's dangerous? I'll ask her about her foster dad…say I was a friend of Ponyboy's."

"No." Dallas's voice was sharp, but she just glared at him, not at all scared.

"But it'll help you get Ponyboy back." Darry sighed beside me, shaking his head.

"We ain't putting you at risk to get him back, Susie." She glared down at her plate, and for a second, I wanted her to do it. I wanted to say I'd do anything to get him back, even put another kid at risk. I wanted my little brother back! And that was scary. Was I really that kind of person?

"He's right." I said instead, catching her eye. "We ain't gonna risk you getting hurt. We'll get Pony back though, okay?" She shrugged a little, pushing Two-Bit away when he went to ruffle her hair. "Okay?" I asked again. She nodded.

"Yeah, okay." She gave in reluctantly, taking a bite of her pasta.

"So now, they're looking for a way to talk to her, but I doubt she'll talk. As far as Mark and Tyler know, she never had anything to do with Ponyboy or the other girl." Dallas went on.

"They're also saying that those two are getting another foster kid soon. They don't know how old they'll be or nothing, but it's another kid stuck in that hellhole." Two-Bit put in.

"Why can't Ponyboy testify against him?" Susie wanted to know.

"Cause it'll be his word against that ass…that guy's, plus him and his friends want to kill Pony, so it ain't safe for him to be here. It would be better if we got one of the other kids to talk to the police here, somehow get those kids taken away from him, then hopefully get some of his cop pals arrested." Dallas told her.

"The cop is still looking into it." Darry put in, but I had to admit, I was starting to get tired of him 'looking into it' and not actually doing anything, even if that wasn't fair. There might not be anything he could do. We were just lucky this guy was on our side…that he wasn't trying to make us tell him where Ponyboy was so that he could drag him back to that place. Still, my fifteen-year-old brother was who knew how far away, staying with some stranger and Johnny, working a job he was too young for, sick and probably still traumatized from that asshole…and the cop was just 'looking into it.'

We needed one of those kids to talk. We needed to find evidence that the social worker was dirty, and that the other cops were too. And I had no idea how they were gonna do that. Or how I could help. I was a high school drop out…a seventeen-year-old who worked on cars at a DX, not a detective. I knew Darry was frustrated too. He'd called Officer Charlton when Pony had been real sick before he'd called when James had been keeping us updated, but all the cop had said was that him and a few others were 'working on it.' I was afraid that they'd keep 'working on it' until Pony was eighteen. I couldn't stand the thought of him being gone for three more years. I doubted Darry could either.

Susie got up when we were finished, taking her plate to the sink, and Darry did too. "Don't worry about it Susie. I can get it." He told her, but she shook her head.

"I don't care. Besides, you worked all day." He grinned when she looked up at him, her eyes wide and earnest, and ruffled her hair.

"Alright then. Thanks, kiddo." We all cleaned off our plates and dropped them into the sink, me and Dar wrapping up the leftovers we could all eat on them the next day. Leaving her in the kitchen, Darry and I rejoined the guys in the living room. I thought about grabbing a beer, but figured I'd better not. The last thing I needed was to lose what little focus I had. Same for a smoke, despite the fact that both Dallas and Steve stood up with a pack in their hands, stepping out onto the porch. Two-Bit sat on our sofa, a piece of cake on a plate balanced on the arm of the sofa and a glass of milk beside him. He hadn't had a beer since Tuesday as far as I knew…when he'd promised Susan that he'd look after her. I had to admit, I was impressed. He'd been drinking so much since we'd lost Pony.

No…not lost. He wasn't lost. As long as he was alive, he wasn't lost to me. Even if he had to hide until he was eighteen…even if I didn't get to see my baby brother again for three years, he wouldn't be lost. He was just…gone. For now. Missing. Hiding out. I thought about the knife in my pocket. I knew where the man lived now. Who would care if he suddenly stopped living? I could follow him. Corner him in a back alley. Suddenly I knew I could do it. I had it in me…I could end the man's life after what he'd done to my baby brother. Just thinking about Pony with burns on his arms…I could hardly stand it.

Darry had pulled me aside after he'd talked to James on the phone the first time a few days ago. Sitting on the sofa, he'd pulled me down beside him, his hand on my back, and for a minute I'd feared the worst. The other guys had cleared out after he'd hung up the phone, Dallas taking the lead, then Steve had gone to the spare room to sleep. Two had gone into the kitchen, probably after a beer. I'd heard Darry talking on the phone…we all had, and I didn't know what to say…how to take it. Marks on his back. That's what I kept remembering. Marks on his back. But why? Why would he have marks on his back? I didn't ask, but I'd had a feeling Darry was about to tell me.

"He's feeling pretty bad. He was sick, and he fell off a ladder at work."

"Shit." I'd dropped my head into my hands and he'd rubbed my back.

"Opened up an old cut on his side. I guess he got it when he was running off. Trying to get away from that guy." I knew that now, but it had been a nasty shock then. Then Darry had gone on. "He's got marks on his back too."

"I heard. How come?" I'd asked, not wanting to know. My eyes had gotten wet, and I'd wiped at them irritably.

"James said it looked like someone beat him with a belt. More than once." I'd shuddered then, dropping my head into my hands, and he'd slung an arm around me, his forehead against the back of my head. Too much. That man had done too much. He'd beaten my brother! With a belt, with his fists. So yeah…I could kill him. Glancing over at Darry, and knowing that the only one that would hear was him and maybe Two-Bit in the kitchen, I'd said it out loud.

"I could kill him," I told my brother, ignoring how Two-Bit poked his head in. Darry looked up at me, eyes widening a little. I wasn't usually that violent. "I could stick a knife in him, Dar." He nodded after a second.

"Yeah…so could I." Two lifted a glass of milk like a toast, nodding to himself.

"Here here."

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy the new chapter.