Title: Back for You

Author(ess): Berserker Nightwitch

Summary: Dally and Johnny are dead right? Then how is Dally coming through the front door? And who is this person who looks like Johnny?

Posted: March 20, 2004

Chapter Title: A New Routine

Thank Yous:

seraphim9 – I hope this one meets your expectations.

movielvr – I know the feeling. I had to, too! I'm glad you liked it so far.

eclipse – I'm glad you like how I worked it out. Would you believe I came up with this idea at 6:30 in the morning about a week ago? Yeah, I was walking to school.

DallysGirl4Life – Does it make you feel any better that I had that song stuck in my head for an hour while I was trying to write that chapter? Yeah…

Tensleep – Thanks for the compliment. I loved the Pepsi-Cola story!!! Just a quick question though: the funny papers? Does that have any special significance, or is it your thing? It's cute!

Bandit-Gurl42 – Happy to keep you entertained. Is it soon enough?

Angel02 – I like that you like. ^^

Now for the story…

~~

"Ponyboy! Sodapop! Dallas! All three of you had better be up and ready to go by the time Two-Bit and Steve get here!"

Dally had been going to school again for a week, but it still grated on his nerves whenever Darry woke him up with that purpose. He had never been much of a school person. He could hear yelling through the wall as the younger Curtis brothers fought to get the first shower. That was one of the first things Dally had learned since he had moved in, Soda and Pony would argue with – and then tickle – each other in the hopes of subduing the other and getting to the bathroom first.

Sure enough, at that moment he heard the squeal of laughter indicating that the final stage of the 'fight' had been reached. Usually, it was Ponyboy who lost, but he seemed to have gained the upper hand that morning. Dally shook his head as he pushed himself up. This was why he took his shower in the evening. Darry took his when he woke up at six-thirty.

He heard the door slam and the sound of running water as he left the room. He had been given Soda's old bedroom since the middle Curtis was still sharing a room with Ponyboy. After the first two or three times he had been woken up by ear-piercing screams Dally wondered how the younger boy could stand sleeping right next to the kid.

Darry was already seated at the kitchen when Dally wandered in. Dally grabbed a plate from the counter and sat down across from him. There was a moment of silence while both ate their breakfast.

"Mornin' Superman," Dally greeted around a bite of cake.

"Mornin' Dal. Will you be ready to go in ten minutes?"

"Course. All I got to do is get a shirt and find my shoes. They disappeared again."

"Under the couch," Ponyboy told him as he walked into the room, a towel still wrapped around his neck to catch the water dripping from his hair. The front hairs clung to his face in wet strands, making the bleached tips slightly less noticeable. His hair had grown quite a bit from how Johnny had cut it while they were hiding out in Windrixville. At that time it barely reached his ears, but now he could pull it back into a small ponytail if he wanted to.

"The couch?" Dally asked, annoyed.

"Yeah. And don't blame me, Dally. I ain't the one who was wrestlin' with Two-Bit and kicked 'em under there."

"That was a quick shower, Pon. You sure you're clean?" Darry asked, breaking the tension. Ponyboy grinned and nodded, but when Darry persisted, Pony walked over and rung his hair out over his eldest brother's head.

Dally sat back and watched as Darry chased Ponyboy around the house. By the time Soda had come into the kitchen and gotten his breakfast Darry had the youngest Curtis in a loose headlock. As soon as Pony cried 'Uncle' Darry let him go and gave him a plate. When Steve and Two-Bit walked in, the three younger members of the household ran to finish getting ready. Somehow, Darry always managed to be completely ready before anyone else even woke up. Five minutes later, Steve, Soda, and Darry went to work, while Two-Bit, Dally, and Pony headed to school.

~

"Why'd Steve move back in with his dad?" Dally asked as they walked to school.

"He didn't wanna have to share a room with a hood," Two-Bit explained, grinning crazily at the look Dally threw at him. Ponyboy shook his head at their antics.

"Steve only came to live with us because we were getting real messed up. The house always seemed too quiet when it was just the three of us, so he moved in to make it four. With him and Soda in the house it was never quiet." Two-Bit and Dally both watched Ponyboy as he trailed off into silence, looking off to his left. They followed his gaze and saw the park where Johnny had killed the Soc.

None of them ever went into that park anymore. It held good memories for all of them, but that was where a Soc had been killed by Johnny. It was almost sacred ground to both sides. The Socs wouldn't touch it because it was where they had lost one of their own, and the Greasers wouldn't go near it because Ponyboy had nearly drowned and Johnny had killed a kid in it.

Dally put his arm around Ponyboy's shoulders as he felt the younger boy slowing down. He started to lead him away from the site, if not the memories. "Hey, Pony?"

"Yeah?" Pony whispered hoarsely.

"I never told you before now, but I'm sorry."

"For what?" Ponyboy finally looked Dally in the eyes, surprised that he would ever hear an apology come from Dallas Winston.

"For just abandoning you at the hospital that night. I should have taken you home; not left you there with a… with Johnny's… with Johnny like that. It should have been me that brought you home; not some stranger that almost ran you over in the first place."

"How'd you know about that?"

"When I first got back and moved in with y'all, I asked Darry. He didn't want to tell me at first, afraid that you'd wake up and hear it or something, but he told me anyway."

"What night was that?"

"The second night after I moved in. It was the third or fourth week of school, and you had worn yourself out at your first track practice."

"Oh."

"But anyways, I'm sorry for just leaving you there."

"It's okay."

"Do we have to go to school today?"

"What are you asking us for, Two-Bit? You don't ever have to go to school no more. You just go, remember?"

"Yeah, but y'all were leaving me out of your talk, and I wanted to start a new conversation."

"So you ask about school?" Dally bellowed. Two-Bit only grinned again.

"Well, I guess I could talk about something else. This morning, Mickey Mouse was on this boat…"

~~

A/N: I know; a short chapter after not touching it for a week, but I promise I'll write an update sooner this time. Or at least I'll try. This is just where this chapter needed to end. I covered all the necessary points to keep people from getting too confused. Oh! Good news! I bought the Outsiders DVD last night! Yay! Now I've seen the movie (three times), read the book (four times), read the play, and acted out the scene between Cherry and Ponyboy where they're talking about the rumble. I played Ponyboy, because Cherry kinda annoys me. So I had my partner play Cherry. Thankfully she didn't mind. She made me kinda like Cherry, though. That's how well she played her.

A/N 2: Now that I got that out of my system, please review and let me know what you think of this chapter. If you don't…

Berserker Nightwitch: I'm back!!!

Dally: Heaven help us…

BN: I have another song stuck in my head.

Darry: Please not again.

BN: Review or I'll sing.

Dally: Oh, go ahead.

Darry & Pony: *raise eyebrows* Are you sure about this?

Dally: Yeah. What could be worse than last time?

BN: Christmas, Christmas time is here. Time for toys and time for cheer…

Soda: The Chipmunk Christmas Song? I love this song!

Two-Bit: Me too!

Dally: You guys aren't helping…

BN, Soda, and Two-Bit: Me, I want a hula-hoop! We can hardly stand the wait, please Christmas don't be late.

Darry, Steve, Pony, and Dally: Please review and make the madness end! Press the button! For the love of all things good press the button!

A/N 3: This chapter has no changes from what it was originally, except that I had left the update date at the one from chapter two. In my opinion, that kinda defeats the purpose of writing when it was added. I'm on my way to becoming a perfectionist, though, so I couldn't just leave it like that… Sorry for any confusion, and I will have the next chapter up shortly.