Pony's POV
"Can we go back to the DX?" Sam asked me after almost an hour of holding each other and talking, "Soda will be waiting for us."
"Sure, I need to talk to Steve anyway and patch things up with Two-Bit."
We walked hand in hand to the DX and I took her the long way around so we wouldn't have to go past the park or the toilet block. Every time I thought about what she'd told me my insides twisted violently and an anger I didn't even know I could possess overtook me. I felt awful that I couldn't be the one to stand up to Davis for her but at the same time I was glad. I don't think I would have been able to stop myself from killing him if I had come face to face with him so I was glad that someone else was able to do it for me, even if that someone else was Steve.
As we approached the DX Soda came striding out of the small shop with a huge grin on his face at seeing us holding hands.
"Everything all sorted between you two now?" he asked and Sam nodded before hugging him tightly.
"Thank you for helping me to see reason, Soda." Soda smiled at her as they pulled back and I smiled before making my way over to Steve who was working under the hood of a car. I stood next to him and waited until he acknowledged me.
"What's up, Ponyboy?" he asked as he straightened and wiped his hands on a dirty rag. I threw my arms around him and hugged him tightly as I said, "Thank you for what you did for her."
Steve froze for a minute before wrapping his arms around me and slapping me roughly on the back before pulling away. "Don't sweat it." he said but he grinned at me and I grinned back. Steve and I were never going to be good friends but we had an understanding now.
"Aww, am I interrupting a tender moment here?" asked Two-Bit from the doorway and I turned and made my way over to him.
"Two-Bit, I'm sorry I didn't think about you at all when all this went down. I was too wrapped up in my own selfish feelings to consider yours and I'm sorry I let that get in the way of our friendship."
Two-Bit held up a hand to stop me and smiled, "Don't worry about it, Pony. It'll take a lot more than an argument to put an end to our friendship, who would you get drunk with then?" I laughed in return.
"Thanks Two-Bit, and thanks for looking out for Sam lately. I don't know what she would have done without you around."
"She's my best friend too." Two-Bit shrugged and we turned to watch her laughing with Soda as they made their way over to us.
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Sam's POV
Two Weeks Later
"So how do I look?" I asked as I did a turn, showing off my new dress.
"Beautiful." Pony responded as he wrapped his arms around me and placed a kiss on my lips as I smiled.
"Yeah, yeah you look great, can we go now? The party started 2 hours ago!" Two-Bit whined and we pulled away as I laughed at Two-Bit.
"What does it matter Two-Bit you've been drinking the last hour anyway."
"Stuck here with you two lovebirds is not my idea of a party." Two-Bit deadpanned and Pony threw up his hands.
"Alright lets go, hey Darry we're going to go now!" Pony called out and Darry came out from the kitchen.
After patching things up with Pony I had moved back into the Curtis house although Two-Bit was not happy about it. "You can come back and stay whenever you like." he had assured me but I wasn't too keen to be away from Pony again. Darry had lain down some strict ground rules between Pony and I but it didn't matter; Pony had taken such a step back from our physical relationship and while I knew he didn't want to push me into anything I wasn't comfortable with I was also getting frustrated, there were only so many times I could handle him putting on the brakes.
We hadn't had any trouble with Davis again, a fact that made Steve and Dally brag, and I was hoping to put it behind us and move on. It wouldn't be easy to get past what had happened but with the love of my family I could do it, I would do it.
"Have a good night guys and remember, home by 1:00am. I mean it this time."
Two-Bit straightened up and saluted Darry with a 'Yes, sir!" and Darry rolled his eyes as he all but pushed us out the door. Buck was having another big party and as Pony, Two-Bit and I made our way there we talked and laughed just like old times. I was glad Pony and Two-Bit had patched up their relationship and surprised that Pony and Steve were on civil terms with each other, if anything good were to come out of the past few weeks then that was it.
We started up the steps to the entry to Buck's and I could hear the music pumping but Pony held me back for a minute as Two-Bit went on ahead. "I'm glad to be here with you tonight, Sam. I love you."
I smiled and stretched up on my tip toes to press a kiss to Pony's mouth which he deepened. "I love you too, Ponyboy." I said as I pulled back, "Let's go enjoy ourselves."
Pony and I walked in and as the door shut behind us I heard a deafening "SURPRISE!" yell out and looked around in shock. The room was full of a lot of people I didn't know but at the front was anyone I'd met while in Tulsa. Aaron, Curly, Tim, Jim (who I was told was the one who drove Two-Bit and I home from the bowling alley that day), Angela with her friends, Buck at the bar, Mark, Jerry from the diner and right at the front were Soda, Darry, Two-Bit, Steve and Dally.
"What is going on?!" I asked in shock, "I thought you were at home?" I directed at Darry who grinned at me.
"Pony wanted to throw you a birthday party and there was no way I was going to miss that." I looked at Pony in surprise and he smiled at me.
"I know your birthday is this week and I know you didn't want a fuss made but I wanted to show you how much you mean to everyone here. Not to mention we needed an excuse to get Darry here." I laughed as Two-Bit approached our group with a tray of bright green liquid in shot glasses.
"Not magic juice!" I winced and Two-Bit laughed.
"To Sam!" he said as he held up his shotglass and everyone joined in before downing their drinks.
"What is that shit, Two-Bit?" asked Steve with a grimace on his face and as I laughed Two-Bit proudly responded with, "A magic juice of my own invention."
Two hours later I stood wrapped in Pony's embrace as he stood with his chest to my back and we surveyed the room. Soda, Steve and Darry were over at the poker tables with Tim and a few guys from his gang and it looked like they were having a good time. Soda and Steve had been ploughing Darry with a new drink each time he finished one and it was definitely starting to show. Two-Bit was at the pool tables with Curly and Aaron playing a game against them. Dally was over at the bar talking to Buck but nodded at Pony and I as he caught our gaze.
I turned in Pony's arms and looked up at him.
"Thank you for throwing me a birthday party. No wait, thank you for so much more than the party. Thank you for convincing me to join you at the DX that first day, thank you for inviting me back for dinner and giving me a place to call home, thank you for always having my back and for making me feel like I was worthy, thank you for loving me and allowing me to love you in return." I started to get choked up as Pony's arms tightened around me.
"I told you I loved you Sam and that I would love you until my last breath. I would do anything in this world I could to make you happy and that's what I plan on spending the rest of my life doing. I love you."
Pony bent down and kissed my lips and it was the sweetest kiss I'd ever received because it held so much promise of what was to come. As long as I had Pony in my life, I could face anything.
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I want to thank everyone who took the time to review my story. Words can't express the pride and excitement each time I received an email that someone else had taken the time to leave a review with input on my writing. Like I said at the beginning it was a long process that took many years!
This isn't the end of Sam and Pony's story, I'm currently working on a sequel but don't worry, that won't take 15 years! It'll be shorter than this story was but I'm almost finished it and will get it up soon enough so keep an eye out.
Finally I want to let anyone know who needs to hear it that if you've suffered a traumatic experience in your life, please don't keep quiet. There is always someone out there who needs you to fight for just one more day. Please don't feel like you can't talk to anyone, there are always people out there who will listen to you and take you seriously.
Straighten that crown, hold your head up high and dominate your way through life like the amazing person you are!