Disclaimer: I don't own the Outsiders.

Tk421beth: Thank you!
Silent Storm 2000: I will.
Cute-Amiga: Don't tell anyone it's like that movie/book! It's a secret! LOL. But good job on being the first to figure it out.
TWbasketcase: Thank you. Glad you picked up on them. There are more in this chapter.
Babygurl33: Thanks.

Author's Note: Alright this is kind of filler until Dally's blow up and the big thing. They both happen in the next chapter! Well Dally's blow up happens in the next chapter, and the big thing starts to happen at the end of the chapter but it's the same thing. I know you are all excited! LOL. School is a killer and I don't think I'll be updating as much because my work load is really heavy this year. I'm hoping to be updating every weekend, but I don't know how that's going to work out. We'll see. I don't own the song You and Me by Lifehouse. Although I wish I did because that is a pretty amazing song, even if it is played on the radio 24/7 these days. Anyway on to what you really want…

Chapter Nine: You and Me
Cause it's you and me and all of the people
With nothing to do, nothing to loose
Cause it's you and me and all of the people
And I don't know why
But I can't keep my eyes off of you
- You and Me by Lifehouse

I bit my lip as I stood with Daniel in the airport. He was leaving today to go back to Cincinnati and I wouldn't be seeing him again for another two weeks. Goodbyes are always hard for me.

I remembered one from ten years ago where the guys, along with Olivia and Trisha, had come to bid me farewell at this very airport. Darry and Soda had given me brotherly hugs and Two-Bit said that I would always be his favorite girl. Olivia had burst into tears and Trisha kept blinking her eyes so her tears wouldn't smudge her makeup.

Saying goodbye to Dally had been the hardest of all. He had shuffled his feet while I was mushy and emotional. Dally never had been one to express his feelings in words. He mostly used actions. And that day was no exception. While he didn't tell me that he loved me, some how I knew when he had kissed me full on the lips for the last time.

"Roxie, baby, don't be so melancholy." Daniel said rubbing my shoulder bringing me back to the present.

"I'm fine…" I said, attempting to smile and sound in high spirits.

"No you're not. You're just saying that because it's what you're supposed to say," Daniel said. He knew me well, almost backwards and forwards. Or so he thought, and for the most he was right.

"Oh okay," I said rolling my eyes. He grinned, taking my hands in his.

"I'll miss you baby," he said bringing my fingers up to his lips and kissing them gently. I bit my lip again.

"I'll miss you too Danny." I said standing on my tip toes to kiss him.

We stood there, hugging and kissing each other until his flight was boarding. He reluctantly let go of me, picking up his suitcase from the ground and giving me a long kiss on the lips.

"I love you Roxanne," he whispered in my ear, his breath ticking my neck.

"I love you too Danny." I said kissing him one last time. He pulled away from me, walking backwards and waving before he handed over his plane ticked. I blew him a kiss before he vanished behind the doors to get on the plane.

Sighing I walked back to my rented station wagon. I didn't cry. Although goodbyes were always hard I never cried, except ten years ago when I said goodbye to Dally.

After I drove home I discovered someone had left me a package on the front porch. It was rather small, wrapped in brown paper and tied with some string. I furrowed my brow, wondering who could have left it for me. I tucked it under my arm and went into the kitchen to find the scissors to open it.

As I pulled back the paper I realized it was a book. I smiled when I saw that it was one of Ponyboy's, his newest novel. I ran my hands over the cover and then flipped it open to see that he had written a note to me in it.

I think you'll find these character's names familiar.
Love, Ponyboy Curtis

I laughed out loud when I read the inside flap to discover that the story featured a girl named Roxanne and her boyfriend named Dallas.

"Roxie?" Dally asked as he entered the house on Monday morning. He didn't knock or ring the bell, just came in unannounced, using the key under the doormat. I knew it was him without him speaking or even looking up from the paper.

"I'm in the kitchen," I said taking a sip of my coffee while reading the newspaper. Dally came in the room in his classic leather jacket, the same one he had at seventeen, and a pair of worn jeans. He nodded to me before getting his own cup of coffee and sitting down beside me at the kitchen table.

"So..." he said spinning the lazy Susan. "What are we doing today?"

"The attic again. We've got all the junk cleaned out of it but now we need to clean the floors and windows." I answered, stopping the lazy Susan with my hand. Dally rolled his eyes over the rim of his coffee mug.

He finished his coffee before I did which was a daily occurrence because I was a slow coffee drinker. Most of the time he would head upstairs before I did but today he didn't. He sat in his chair reading the paper sideways with me for a few minutes. Then he picked up Ponyboy's book which I had left on the counter next to my purse.

"Hey! Did you see this?" he asked pointing to the inside flap and laughing. I nodded.

"Yeah I did." I said tracing the rim of my coffee cup with my finger.

"Pretty wild, isn't it?" Dally asked reading the first chapter. I shrugged.

"Yeah, but I don't know how happy Daniel's gonna be when he sees it." I said more to myself than to Dally. Dally looked up from the book with raised eyebrows.

"It's just a book Rox."

"I know. But Daniel doesn't really like looking back on his relationships before me. He wants to concentrate on the present and the future, but not on the past." I said, trying to explain. Dally shook his head.

"You can't forget your past Roxie. Even if Daniel wants you to," he said staring me right in the eye. "And I know you really don't want to forget the past. Because if you did you wouldn't have come back here."

"I guess…" I said, taking my last sip of coffee. Dally smiled at me.

"Let's get to work on that attic."