I decided to update a little sooner than I planned. I realize I left the slightest of cliffhangers... what with Naomi having made a stupid decision and we don't know why... so... you'll find out next chapter.

Sandy Haters... this one's for you. :-)

Sandy was all set up in the room that Evie had offered her. Not unlike Naomi, she hadn't had a specific plan as to where she would live when she left, and so a friend took her in most graciously. She had considered going back to her parents... they'd take her in... but they'd insist on always helping with Marie, and Sandy wanted to be the mother of her baby without someone else always prodding.

"Where you going, Sandy?" Evie called from the kitchen, where her little brother had broken a marker and splatted the ink on the floor.

"I'm getting Marie!"

A fewseconds later, Evie was at her side.

"What? You're just gonna show and up take her?" She asked in disbelief.

"I want my baby, and I'm gonna get my baby."

"If you want her so bad, you should have brought her with you!"

"I couldn't take her and all my stuff! She's safe there for now-"

"Sandy, listen to me. If you wanted to get her out of there, this afternoon would have been perfect. You could have left your stuff there, taken Marie, and gone back to get everything else. Now, they're gonna fight for her."

"Not likely. She's not Soda's baby, he probably doesn't want anything to do with her. Besides, if I had taken her first, and I had to go back for my stuff... what if I was spending tonight on the streets? I can't just leave Marie on the sidewalk!"

"Fine... whatever. Just... come back soon, okay?" Evie waved her off.

"Why are you so worried?"

"I know about your habits, Sandy. Be careful."

Sandy pulled her coat tighter around her to block out the dry winter wind, and set off to get back her baby.

Amidst the excitement that Sodapop had over finally choosing Naomi, and just the excitment over being excited again, Soda had forgotten that Darry was due home that night. Needless to say, he was pleasantly shocked to see his big brother walking through the front foor, weighed down with his luggage. It's also needless to say that Ponyboy and Darry were happy to hear of Soda's choice... and shocked that Sandy hadn't been around for a while.

"She's been gone all afternoon?"

"Yeah. I'm not too worried, though," Soda replied, "She does this. Probably out with some guy... at some club. I could care less, though, I really could."

"Calm down, buddy," Darry said, raising an eyebrow at Sodapop's behavior, "You sound like you've had a whole pot of coffee to yourself."

"Feels like it, too," Soda agreed, bouncing slightly, "And Marie's here, too, you'll have to meet her when she's up from her nap, Darry, she's not mine but she's a real sweet baby. I'm almost considering-"

"Alright, buddy, let Pony talk now. How's school?"

"Pretty good. We have a book to study, I thought you might like it. Actually, you might have already read it. I'll show you in a bit."

"I'd like that. Well, I should put my stuff away. I'll be out in a few minutes."

Sodapop was just about to get up to check on Marie when the door opened, and Sandy walked in, her perfect blonde hair covered in a shimmering coat of light snow. Soda and Pony both actually felt their good moods vanishing.

"I'm leaving," Soda said, goinginto the other room, with no further words.

Sandy didn't say anything, either, just went up the hall, returning a minute later with Marie. Silently, she moved around the living room, picking up Marie's toys and putting them ina bag. Pony got the strangest notion... and ran into Sandy's room to check.

All her drawers were empty. The closet was bare, and her suitcase was gone.

She was leaving, and taking Marie.

Flying back into the other room, Pony blocked her exit.

"No," he said in a dangerous voice, "You're not leaving."

"Why not? You don't want me here."

"You're damn right I don't. But we want Marie."

"What? She's not even related to you!"

"So what? Blood ties don't matter. She's more my niece than she'll ever be anyone else's!"

"You can't stop me!"

"I can," He said, smirking slightly, "And I will."

She set Marie down on the couch, and approached him.

"What are you going to do? You wouldn't hit a girl, would you?"

"No."

"So, what?"

"I just won't let you by."

The next action can probably be described as a lack of judgement on Sandy's side. She ran directly at him, and pushed him back by his shoulders. He responded by pushing back on her shoulders, a position they'd been in before in a previous arguement. Neither one said a word, both pushing with all their strength against the other, Sandy trying to get out, Ponyboy trying to get her out without Marie. Unfortunately, Sandy was farthest from the door - so she swung herself to the side, Pony's head coming dangerously close to the hard stone mantle.

She realized what she'd done, that now Pony was between Marie and her, and she was near the door. She let go and ran towards Marie, but Pony grabbed her by her upper arms and pushed her back against the fireplace mantle.

Sodapop and Darry ran into the room just in time to see this. Darry raised an eyebrow.

"Well, this isn't going well. What's going on?"

"She's trying to take Marie!" Pony gasped, as Sandy pushed him back - and they were back in their previous postition, both shoving each other backwards by the shoulders. Sodapop ran and grabbed Marie up in his arms to calm her, as she was becoming quite distraught.

"Sandy, please," Darry reasoned, "Let go of him."

After a quick glance at the stone fireplace behind her, she smirked.

"Alright."

She jumped swiftly back, letting Ponyboy, who was putting all his weight into pushing her, fall forwards, directly into the stone fireplace.

It seemed to happen in slow motion. Pony's head only grazed the corner, fortunately, or he could have been knocked unconcious. He pushed himself off the floor, turning to look at Sandy. Darry was taken aback by the look of hatred in both of his little's brother's eyes. What had this woman done to them to make them hate her this much? Soda and Pony didn't hate easily.

"Get out," Soda said quietly and dangerously, in a voice that none of the three had heard him use before, "Get out, andnever come back."

"Marie-"

"Is better off without you. Get out of here," his eyes were blazing dangerously, "I should have gotten rid of you the first time you hit Pony. Any time since then. Marie doesn't need you."

No one in the room saw fit to move, save for Sandy, who moved towards the door. Darry had only seen him like this once - that night of the rumble, last year, when he'dseen that Soc kicking Pony...

"Soda..."

"Yeah, Pony?" He turned, his gaze softening.

"I don't know if it's the right time to say this, but you remember how Naomi was reminding you of Dally?"

"Yeah?"

"Just there, you reminded me of him. The way you were talking, and the look in your eyes. Maybe it's not so bad that Naomi's like that, after all."

"Yeah... but she's more... the bad side. She's on about the hardening herself beyond caring, and everything..."

"Soda," Darry said suddenly, "None of us completely knew Dally. I mean, really knew him. Butme and Two-Bit came the closest, and I'll tell you this. You need to go see Naomi as soon as you can. You can't let that hardening herself thing go on a second longer than you can help."

"Yeah, it's best I -"

He stopped, his blood freezing cold. That conversation he'd had with Sandy was coming back...

"How could you accuse me of cheating? And get a goddamn paternity test, why don't you?"

"Maybe I will!"

"Right before you divorce me!"

"Maybe I'll do that too!"

"You wouldn't really."

"What makes you so sure?"

"If you care about your pretty little singer, you won't."

"I have to get Naomi before Sandy does."

"Buddy, the truck doesn't work!" Darry yelled at him as he ran out the door.

"She doesn't live here anymore. She lives at Ashley's house." Mrs. Sterling told the flush faced teenagers before her, one apretty blonde girl, and the otherthe boy that Naomimade such a fuss over. It was obvious that neither one was evenacknowledging the other's presence."Look there." Little did she know, they had been racing against each other the entire way there. And she was furthermore confused when they both took off running towards Ashley's house.

Some people...

"No, she's not here," Ashley said, after having pulled Sodapop inside and leaving Sandy out, "She got a phone call about ten minutes ago, and just ran off. Please find her, okay? Don't let the blonde bitch get her."

"I won't," Soda promised, "Nice talking to you again, Ashley."

"Yeah, we'll have to hang out more...Maybe you should find our friend, okay? On second thought... I'll come."

"Great."

They both stepped outside, took one look at Sandy, then looked at each other.

"Run!" they chorused, and took off, Sandy trailing behind them. They all knew where they were going...

Star's house.

A/N: Just incase there was some confusion, when Sandy and Soda are racing to find Naomi, she's still wandering the streets, they just didn't bump into her, and Star finds her about ten minutes or so after Soda and Ashley have their conversation.

And yes, Sodapop has left Sandy for good.