Dallas Winston.

The storm was getting worse, rain and hailstones pelted down violently on the Curtis house. Dally carried Johnny into the back bedroom, leaving Buck to deal with the cops. He listened as they spoke quietly in the front room about protocol and social services. Dally's stomach twisted with anxiety.

They'd want to talk to Johnny, to map his old man's movements and whereabouts around the murder. They'd talk to the neighbours…

But right now the heavens were opening and the neighbourhood was running for cover. Dally knew how this worked. The cops would take off for now, come back when Johnny wasn't in shock anymore. They must've had everything they needed to arrest his dad, probably a confession.

He heard Buck saying "My wife and I will stay here with him." Dally nearly laughed at the idea of Buck and Hattie as a married couple. Not just with each other but with anyone. Nice save though, the baby was the right color.

He laid Johnny down on the bed and gently pushed his hair out of his face. Johnny stirred a little and opened his eyes. He blinked a few times, looking up at Dally. Then he closed them again and curled up on his side, pressing his hands to his face. Dally took off his shoes and folded the blanket over him. He sat at the foot of the bed and stared out the window silently. The hail was pelting down against the glass. The Curtis brothers would surely finish work and school early today.

The door opened and closed as the cops left, he heard a car take off, Buck and Hattie came in and out, the baby cried. Dally looked at the baby carriage in the corner of the room, carefully stacked with Mary's little things. He rubbed Johnny's ankle, feeling it shaking under his hand. Then he got up and went into the kitchen, heated some water, threw some sugar into it and a healthy slug of whiskey.

"Hows the Kid?"

He turned to Buck, who leaned against the kitchen doorway, chewing on a toothpick. "Not good." He stated the obvious. "What are you two doing here?" He nodded through to Hattie, who was feeding the baby in the armchair.

"The baby was sick… Kid came to us for help." He shrugged.

'Sick how?" Dally asked hurriedly. "What happened?"

"Relax man! She's fine, regular baby stuff. She's in good shape."

Dally wondered if the relief showed on his face. He sighed deeply."

"Y'Know Dally… You coulda told me. I'm no narc, you know that."

"I know man… It was… Its was just too weird. I didn't know what to think… Just wanted to get Johnny safe."

"That why he was hustling?" Buck whispered.

"Yeah." Dally nodded. "He didn't have much of a choice at the time." He murmured quietly.

"It's a damn shame." Buck shook his head. "I'll be here if you need anything Kid."

"Thanks Buck… I reckon you and Hattie should stay here 'till the storm passes… Darry and Soda won't mind. Theres always tons of folks staying over."

He carried the hot drink into the bedroom and placed it on the bedside locker. Then he toed off his shoes and got onto the bed. He rubbed Johnny's back. "Sit up Johnnycake." He said, pulling him against his side.

The boy was staring into space with that distant look he'd had since the cop had told him the news. Dally didn't have much love for either of Johnny's parents. Hell, his own father wasn't much better than Johnny's. But losing a mother… Even a bad one… Especially like that. Hell… That was a blow to anyone.

He pressed the mug to Johnny's lips. "Drink." He told him, gently but firmly.

Johnny turned his head away with a wince. "I don't want whiskey." He whispered.

Of course… Dally winced… Whiskey was Johnny's father's drink.

"It's medicinal." Dally explained. "For shock. Just drink a little bit for me huh?"

Little by little he made him sip the hot mixture down, knowing it would make him sleepy. Eventually the shivering stopped and Johnny went lax against his side, laying is his head don Dally's shoulder. He pulled him in close, making sure Johnny could feel the pressure of his arm. The wind began to howl outside.

"Where's Mary?" Johnny asked eventually.

"In the living room with Buck and Hattie."

"They're pretty tough." Johnny murmured quietly.

"Yeah, they are." Dally smiled. "Buck's the kinda cat who would give anyone the shirt off his back and Hattie… Well… She's got a big heart."

"I always thought… It was a dirty word." Johnny murmured. "But it's hard to think anything bad about Hattie… She's a lady, I don't care what anyone says."

"What was a dirty word?"

"What she… Does… For work."

"Oh… Yeah." Dally nodded.

"Dally?" He whispered.

"Yeah?"

"My Momma's dead." He said it like it was some big secret.

"I know Johnnycake."

"My Daddy killed her."

"He did." Dally tried not to sound any particular way, but Johnny was breaking his heart again as usual.

"Can I tell you somethin' I've never told anyone else?" Johnny said quietly.

"Sure."

"Momma used to say things… To me… when she was drunk… Bad things…" His voice sank to a whisper… "And my old man would say stuff to her… He'd call her names like… Like… Whore… Like you filthy whore… She'd disappear for days on a bender… When she came back last time she was drunk and tired…" He swallowed tears "… And beat up… And… And Daddy said she'd been whorin'."

"God Johnny…" Dally put his other arm around the boy, pulling him against his chest and resting his chin on the top of his head.

"I…I reckon My Momma…" Dally felt him flinch hard as he said it "… I reckon she hated the man who was my real Daddy…" Dally could feel the shaking start again. His voice was sticking in his throat. Like it didn't want to release the words… But he must've needed to say it… So badly and for so long. Because the words forced their way out in a rush.

"I…I reckon maybe… I reckon she didn't wanna have me at all 'cause…'Cause he hurt her… Like… She didn't wanna be with him… You know what I'm sayin' Dal?"

"Yeah " Dally said, closing his eyes. "I understand Johnny." He felt kind of broken. "I'm so sorry man."

"My old man… He said I was… I was a bastard and no better 'n her… That I wasn't worth any more 'n her…" He paused for a moment as though uncertain if he should continue. "I always thought… Well… I'm probably worth… Probably less… Because I'm only half her… Half her and half… Whoever he was…" His voice trailed off for a moment "…I guess whoever I call my Old Man I'm at least half bad 'cause now I get to choose between a rapist and a murderer!"

There was such bitterness in his voice. Dally didn't think he'd ever heard that from Johnny before.

"Johnny?" Dally's voice was gentle, but rough because he was trying not to cry. "Whoever your father was. However you were…Got… You are not him. Do you understand me? I know you Johnny Cade!

Johnny just shook his head.

Dally dipped his head so he was able to whisper into the dark curls."You'd never hurt a girl like that now would you?"

Johnny shook his head adamantly. "No… Never!"

"You don't have a cruel bone in your body!" Dally said, tightening his arms around him.

"Stop Dal!" Johnny whispered, his voice cracking.

"You are a good boy Johnny..."

"Stop!" His lower lip was wobbling like a bowl of jello.

"…And you'll grow into a good man… That's just who you are. Nothing can change that Man!"

Johnny put his hands over his face, trying to steady his breathing as Dally squeezed him tighter.

"You know what else?" Dally whispered with conviction "It's not your fault some jerk hurt your mother!"

Johnny broke down then, sobbing out "It's me who… Who made her… Having me… Made her…" He couldn't finish.

"No…" Dally said sadly rocking him slightly "No Johnny! it's not your fault she was crazy… Hell it wasn't even her fault, so how could it be yours?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Johnny fell asleep eventually, he didn't even stir when the Curtis brothers arrived back in a group. Dally was half awake and heard The door slamming in the wind as they loudly wondered what Buck and Hattie were doing in the front room.

Dally didn't think he could handle telling them. He heard their voices get high and shocked as Buck's gravelly tone and Hattie's gentle one filled them in. He squeezed his eyes shut as he heard Ponyboy run to the bedroom and skid to a halt as he opened the door. He stared at Johnny with wide, frightened eyes. Dally was tempted to get annoyed. But he knew Johnny and Pony were buddies and that Johnny got comfort from Pony like nobody else.

"Hey." He whispered.

"Is he… OK?" Pony asked.

"No… Not a bit." Dally said truthfully.

Ponyboy's eyes widened. He stared at his friend in concern, in his young life he'd been though a lot but this was something new. Murder… Even for their gang it was a lot to take in.

Dally carefully untangled his arms from the sleeping boy and got up quietly. "You stay here with him. Don't let him wake up alone." He patted the younger boy's shoulder as he walked past. " I guess you two have something in common now huh?"

"You got a storm Cellar Boys?" Hattie asked as she laid the sleeping baby in her basket.

"Sure do Ma'am." Darry said. " A deep one, concrete, Y'all will be safe here."

Dally helped Soda, Buck and Darry put tarps over the car, truck and woodpile. They boarded up the windows with plywood and Darry slung a rope around the tree out back and tied that to the fence so It would hopefully fall in that direction if it blew over instead of on the house. They turned off the gas and power.

Hattie was trying her best to dry everyone off, she'd handed him a towel.

"Thanks Hattie Babe." Dally murmured, drying his hair.

She had gathered blankets and bottles of water, canned food and all the baby stuff in the carriage and was moving them into the kitchen and sticking them by the back door.

"What are you doing?" Dally asked.

"These need to go into the Storm cellar, just in-case we need to make a run for it." She said. Stuffing the linens into a trash bag.

"You think…?" Soda looked terrified, he wrapped his arms around himself and shivered.

"It's always possible." She said "I was only little but I remember '42. No one was prepared then, a lot of people were hurt or killed"

1942 was the last time a tornado had done any serious damage to Tulsa. He was glad of the pelting rain on the roof, rain meant they were safe. For now.

He walked past the bedroom and looked in. The boys were huddled on the bed. Johnny was crying and Ponyboy was holding him. He was whispering to him and rubbing his back. Dally wished he had something to help him sleep, that's what he needed, to just get out of his head for a while. He needed the rest too because God knows what was going to happen next, that boy couldn't catch a break. Dally considered himself a pretty selfish person but in that moment he'd never wanted so badly to shoulder another persons pain.

The house was creaking and shaking as the wind picked up in great gusts. The baby wasn't crying, she must've been lulled to sleep by it.

He jumped at a hand on his shoulder. It was Darry. "Thanks for everything Dal." He said "Did you speak to him earlier?" Darry nodded towards the bedroom.

"Yeah… He's ten different kinds of fucked up."

"I…I can't even imagine… To be honest." Darry murmured. "It's bad enough losing a mother but…" He shook his head. "Shit! Dally hasn't he been through enough?"

Dally shook his head. "It's just so damn undeserved." He replied. "Of all the people I know…" He didn't need to finish. Darry knew what he meant.

Before long the two younger boys came out of the bedroom and Johnny was descended on by both the older Curtis brothers, who swept him into a double bear hug. They didn't speak or try to make him talk either. Just squeezed him from both sides. Then Pony joined in too and he was totally engulfed.

Dally wondered if Johnny had ever been hugged like that before. He knew he hadn't. He looked away and gave them some privacy, walking into the living room. Where Buck and Hattie were huddling with the baby listening to the hammering of the rain on the roof.

"How's he doing now?" Hattie asked.

Dally shrugged "About how you'd expect." He said, flopping onto the couch beside Buck. "God I'm dying for a smoke but Darry blows a gasket if anyone lights up around Mary."

"I guess the cops are gonna want to talk to him." Buck said "When he's up to it."

"Guess so."

"Hmm." Buck said nothing else but he didn't really need to either.

"We'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it." Dally said. "Right now I'm just trying to keep him sane… He doesn't take hardship easily… I've never known a guy to talk about killing himself as much as Johnny does." Dally admitted. His own fear now floating in the room between them. He felt, somewhere deep down, like Johnny was one of those bright, floating balloons you got at fairs… That no matter how tight he held onto him that he was always tugging skywards, wanting to float off forever.

Hattie cleared her throat. "You'd be surprised Dallas… How much a friend like you can help with that…" She swallowed thickly. "That kind of problem… Just having someone to trust that you can talk to can be the only thing a person needs when they feel that way."

"It can be damn hard to listen to though." Dally said quietly. "I hate thinking' about what he's been through…" He blinked hurriedly "…Theres always more and it's always worse than I thought."

They sat in silence for a while listening to the rain… Then… Suddenly… Silence.

"You hear that?" Buck whispered.

"What? Nothing?" Dally asked.

"Exactly…" Buck was on his feet and opening the front door in seconds. Sure enough, out there beyond the furthest roofs and trees on the horizon was the telltale twist of dust that had sucked away the rain…

"Get the kids to the storm cellar now!" Buck slammed the door and Hattie handed Mary to Dally. She was awake and yelling her tiny lungs out again.

He ran through the house, passing the brothers and Johnny in the kitchen. "Dal what's wrong?" Soda asked as he handed him the baby and raced into the bedroom to get his shoes.

"Cellar! Now! Twister!" was all he could force out. He heard the sounds of panic behind him as everyone rushed to grab the important stuff and get outside and across the back yard.

He opened the cellar doors and carried the baby carriage down the steps, pushed it across the room and raced back up to help the others, bumping into rapidly descending Johnny as he went. Johnny swayed as he balanced the screaming baby in his arms. Dally gripped his shoulders. "Get safe in the back…" He looked into those wide eyes and said "Don't be scared Man we're right behind you!"

Back in the house Darry was grabbing paperwork out of a file box in the bedroom "Get him out of here!" Darry yelled in Dally's direction, pointing at Ponyboy, who was gathering his schoolbooks.

"Come on…" Dally grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him outside despite his protests.

"Wheres Soda?" Ponyboy looked around fanatically as Dally shunted him out the door. He tried to go back inside "Where's Soda?!" " He was getting hysterical and Dally had no choice but to tackle him and carry him down the basement steps as he struggled and yelled. Finally he dumped him on the floor. "Calm the hell down Kid!" He yelled. "I'll get him OK? I'm getting him now… Go look after Johnny!" He pointed at the back of the small room, where Johnny had made a nest of sorts behind some boxes. His big dark eyes staring from behind one of them as he settled Mary in the baby carriage.

Dally raced back up the stairs only to be accosted by Buck and Hattie. Buck grabbed him and pulled him back down by the arm. "Stay here Kid! We'll be right down!" He said, pointing his finger in Dally's face before he closed the doors.

Hattie and the three boys stood, staring up at the storm cellar doors, all three of them shaking minutely in fear as the seconds ticked by. The eerie silence outside seeming even more sinister as they waited.

"Got It!" Someone yelled from outside and the doors were pulled open as Soda, Darry and Buck tumbled down the stairs and Darry shoved a broomstick through the door handles to lock them.

"Fuck!" Buck breathed heavily. Dropping a couple of boxes on the floor.

"Was it getting closer?" Ponyboy asked, his fear obvious on his face.

Soda put an arm around him. "A little… Not too close to us though…"

"We're better off safe than sorry." Darry said "Better get settled in everyone… We might be here a while."

They'd bought food and bottled water in those boxes, Darry had a file with the deed to the house and other important paperwork under his arm. Soda had the family photo album and some records that had belonged to their father.

Johnny had rooted out an old kerosene lamp, a camping stove and matches. He was sitting cross legged in the corner heating up some water for Mary's next bottle. The baby had fallen asleep again and all was quiet, other than at the sound of the wind outside. There was an old raggy couch and two old mattresses against the back wall which the boys pulled out and arranged so everyone could have a seat.

Dally sat shakily on the edge of the mattress and took a deep breath. He looked around the room at his friends. Tired, frightened faces illuminated by Johnny's lamp.

Soda and Pony were huddled together on the couch with Darry, who sat with his head in his hands, breathing heavily. Pony looked pretty shaken up he was clinging to his brother, poor kid.

Buck sat beside him on the mattress and pulled a blanket over his shoulders. Dally hadn't even realised he was shivering until then. Buck squeezed his arm comfortingly.

Hattie sat on the other side of him and clasped her hands under her chin. Dally didn't know why he was surprised, why some part of him hadn't expected a hooker to be Godly… Hell… he thought… Hattie probably has had more reasons to appeal to God in her life than the rest of us put together… Why wouldn't she pray?

"Lord, we pray for the safe deliverance of the neighbourhood, especially the Curtis house and Buck's place, and for the safety of all our friends and family all over the city… Amen." She bowed her head and closed her eyes. One by one the others followed suit, even Johnny.

Dally wasn't a praying man but he could probably make an exception in this case. He laid his head on Hattie's shoulder and closed his eyes.

Please… Please… Please.