Ponyboy's POV

Now that Brianna could crawl, she rarely sat still anymore. She wanted to move and explore. Sitting still seemed to bore her. Of course, Soda never could sit still himself. So, I guess it's no surprise that Brianna can't sit still either.

"Hey Pony." Soda greeted me when he came home from work one day. He was carrying a shopping bag.

"Hey, what's in the bag?" I asked.

Soda picked up Brianna who had crawled up to him with a huge grin on her face. "It's a surprise for you and Darry. Well, part of a surprise. But you two won't see it till Christmas."

I pretended to pout. "Can't you give me a hint?"

Soda grinned mischieviously. "Nope. You have to wait. But I'm going to put Brianna's coat on her and then we're going out. Tell Darry we'll be back by seven."

"Wait!" I called as Soda disappeared into Brianna's room. "Going where?"

"That's the other part of the surprise!" Soda yelled back. A minute later, he left with Brianna. I was curious about his surprise. But I was more excited about the surprise Darry and I were planning for him on his birthday the following week.

Soda's POV

I had this surprise planned for a few weeks. It was an idea I got from one of the regular customers at the DX station. I had stopped at a childrens clothing store on the way home from work and bought a dress for Brianna. A cute Christmas dress with a green velvet top and red satin skirt. That's what the sales lady said it was. Now, I was going to Steve's to put the dress on Brianna because doing it at home would have spoiled the surprise. I'd switch her clothes again before going home and would leave the dress at Steve's until Christmas Eve so Darry and Pony wouldn't suspect anything.

"Soda, what time is the appointment?" Steve asked when I walked in the door.

"Five-thirty." I said as I took off Brianna's coat and switched her clothes. "Thanks for taking us."

"No problem." Steve said. He looked at Brianna. "Don't you look cute in your new dress!"

Brianna just looked around. She tried to crawl away but I picked her up which got a protesting cry from her. "Sorry, sweetie, but we have to go. I'll let you crawl later."

Once we were ready, Steve drove me and Brianna downtown. He stopped in front of the photo studio where I got out with Brianna.

"I'll be back at six." Steve said as he drove away.

I watched as he turned the corner then went inside the photo studio. I was going to have my picture taken with Brianna by a professional. That was my Christmas surprise for Darry and Ponyboy. I had saved money from my last two pay checks to make sure I had enough. I was also going to give pictures to Steve and Two-Bit. But, I was looking forward to giving Darry and Ponyboy theirs.

Darry's POV

When I got home from work, I was surprised not to see Brianna crawling up to me. I noticed that Soda wasn't around either. Just Ponyboy who had his nose in a book.

"Where are Soda and Brianna?" I asked.

"They went out. Something about a Christmas surprise. Soda said they'd be back by seven." Pony mumbled from behind his book.

"Speaking of surprises, did you call the bakery about Soda's birthday cake?" I asked as I sat down next to him on the couch.

"Yes, I told them to put lots of frosting on it. They'll have it ready for you to pick up on your way home from work." Pony replied setting the book down.

"And you haven't told Two-Bit?" I inquired.

Ponyboy shook his head. "No, I want Soda to be surprised. And Steve promised at school today that he wouldn't tell either."

"He better not. I'll pound his head in if he does. I don't need Two-Bit spoiling the surprise for us." I told him. I was kidding about pounding Steve's head in, but was serious about Two-Bit. Two-Bit isn't the best at keeping secrets.

Ponyboy and I continued to plan our surprise for Soda while we prepared dinner. At seven, Soda came in with Brianna who had on a pink top a nd a pair of little jeans. He had no idea about the surprise that we had planned for him and from the way it sounded, he had his own surprise planned for us.