Chapter 6: The Way Things Were Meant to Be
March 22, 2003
By Megan Austinson
A/N: Yup, it's the end. I hope y'all have enjoyed this story. I realize it's pretty short, hopefully the next one will be longer. I am working on a sequel that'll take them on an adventure out of Tulsa, but it'll be a while. Thank you for reading my story!
Disclaimer: Niko and Nina are all I own. Here, go distract yourself by playing with my kitty. Watch out, he's sharp!
**Steve**
I was bored. School had let out a little while earlier and for once, I wasn't scheduled to work at the DX that day. Two-Bit had disappeared, so I decided to head over to the Curtis's house, even though I knew nobody'd be there. Darry and Soda were at work and Pony had a track meet or something. Niko had mentioned something about working too.
Which is why I surprised to find Nina sitting on the front steps, crying. To be honest, I almost decided to turn around and leave, since I wasn't real happy about her constantly hanging around the gang, but I couldn't just leave the kid there crying. Her dark head was buried in her knees, so she didn't see me approach. When I put my hand on her shoulder, she flinched, an unusual reaction for the usually hyper and happy girl.
"What happened, kid?" I asked softly. It took a while, but I finally found out that Nina had come home after school to find her aunt there, hopping mad. Seems that some little trinket was missing and Nina got blamed.
"I didn't take it, I swear," Nina cried, burying her face into her hands. I didn't know what to do. It was obvious she hadn't taken it though. Nina was honest to a fault. Sure, she liked to swipe things, but if asked about it, she'd immediately fess up.
"And then what happened?" I coaxed. Nina lifted her head.
"And then she whipped me!" the kid wailed.
I was suddenly assaulted by the memory of Johnny, the first time his dad really beat him. The same face, the same tear-filled eyes sitting on the same porch steps. Johnny'd only been six or seven at the time, but the sentiment was the same; neither one could believe that someone from their own family would hurt them like that.
Johnny had lost his innocence at seven. Nina was losing hers now.
While all of this was running through my head, Nina had scooted over next to me and was now leaning against my side. She'd mostly stopped crying, just sniffled now and then.
"Shoot, kid," I sighed, "unfair as it is, this stuff happens. You just gotta roll with it and get back up again." She was quiet. "Hey, let's go get some ice cream." Nina sat up and looked at me curiously.
"Ice cream?"
"Yeah, it's good for this sort of thing."
I must have lost my mind.
It was getting dark by the time we made it back. As we walked up the street, I could see lights on in the house and knew most, if not all, of the gang would be home. Funny how I thought of Soda's house as home.
We were almost in front of the house when Nina grabbed my arm. I looked down and was surprised to see how worried she looked.
"Don't tell Niko," she pleaded with me. "He'll do something stupid if he finds out." I was inclined to agree with her. I'd seen the fury in Niko's eyes when he even thought about someone hurting his sister. It made him look even more like Dally.
I nodded. "Sure, kid. Your secret's safe with me." She grinned.
**Soda**
It was pretty quiet at home, if you don't count how loud the TV was. Pony was curled up in a chair, buried in a book, while Darry was in the kitchen, cooking dinner. Two-Bit and I were just sitting on the couch, watching TV, when the front door swung open. I looked up, expecting to see Steve, and was surprised to find he had Nina with him.
"Let me guess," Two-Bit said with a grin, "ice cream at the drugstore?" Steve looked surprised until Two-Bit pointed at Nina. The brown stain down the front of her t-shirt made it clear Nina favored chocolate.
"Ice cream melts fast," she explained lamely, turning pink. She dashed into the kitchen, presumably to see what Darry was up to. Pony turned back to his book and pretended to read while Two-Bit and I stood and walked over to Steve. He glared at us as we circled him.
"Got a new girl, huh, Steve?" Two-Bit teased, grinning.
"Tsk, tsk, what are we gonna tell Evie?" I added jokingly.
"Aw, shaddup," Steve growled. He turned and left the house, slamming the door behind him. Two-Bit and I looked at each other, confused. He shrugged and went back to the couch while I did what all good best friends would do. I went outside to find Steve. He hadn't actually left. I found him sitting on the steps, smoking.
"Sorry we made you mad," I said simply, dropping down beside him. He shrugged.
"I ain't mad, really," Steve said, trying to sound as though he didn't care. "Look, I found her on the front steps. She was upset, I talked to her, she was still upset, so I took her to get ice cream. I didn't know what else to do, I haven't been around kids much." He was quiet for a minute. "I've never been needed by no one," he finished in a voice so soft I almost didn't hear him.
"Hey, man, you are needed," I told him firmly.
"Not like she needed me today," he responded. "It's nice to be needed." We sat in silence for a while, each lost in our own thoughts.
**Pony**
A few more weeks passed. It was Sunday night, and as usual, the whole gang was over at our house. Niko had joined Soda and Steve in a rather noisy game of poker around the coffee table. Two-Bit sat next to Nina on the couch, discussing the finer points of Mickey Mouse. This feels right, I thought to myself as I stood in the kitchen doorway, looking around the room.
"What feels right?"
I jumped and turned to find Darry in the kitchen behind me. "Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to startle you."
"It's okay," I said a bit awkwardly, hoping he would forget what I had apparently said aloud.
"What feels right?" Darry asked again. Darn, I was going to have to answer.
"Just, well, this," I tried to explain, blushing as I turned back to the doorway. "There's seven of us again. The gang hasn't felt right since we lost Johnny and Dally, and right now it feels complete." Darry was silent and I wondered if I'd managed to explain it right. Then Darry's arm slipped across my chest and he pulled me towards him until my back was resting against his chest.
Squeezing me lightly, he said, "I know what you mean. We've even got our pet." As he said this, Nina smacked Two-Bit on the arm for suggesting that Mickey would get by just fine without Minnie. Darry and I laughed. This was the way things were meant to be.
