Disclaimer: The Outsider doesn't belong me. Obvskis.

A/N: This one goes to aero, Believe in Something Bigger, and cassy1994. Your reviews are refreshing. Super special thanks to Al for looking this over for me and dealing with my grammar, you're the best.

XXX

November 30th, 1963

"I'm getting married," Mom repeated.

You stared at her with disbelief, wondering when the fuck she'd even started dating. No one ever mentioned a guy, and you certainly hadn't seen or heard of one since the old man left.

Scratching the back of your neck, you sighed. "To who?"

At the moment you were trying to figure out how to tell Curly and Angela. They were still pretty young. Jesus, Curly was still waiting on Dad to come home—you were nearly his age when it all happened—and Angela, well, she didn't even remember the guy.

"His name is Roger Boyd," she said, patting your shoulder. "He's a lovely man, Timothy."

As she walked past you and made her way into the kitchen, the look on her face held no mystery. You knew exactly why she was doing this. She was getting worse, sicker than she was already, but she didn't need another man around the house. You were perfectly capable of taking care of your brother and sister; hell, it was pretty much happening already.

But she was your mother: she was a traditional Catholic woman, and she was more stubborn than you were. There was no way she was going to let her kids grow up parentless and become hell raisers, even though it was a little late for that. As far as you were concerned, there was no need for some middle-aged guy to move and sit on his ass and drink beer all day. And had a funny feeling that was exactly the kind of guy this Roger Boyd was.

"Ma." You sighed. "Ya don't have to do this."

"Oh, hush, Timothy," she said, smiling like it was something she actually wanted.

You knew better, though; she was just doing this in case she died tomorrow. She didn't want her kids ending up orphans or separated, and in that sense, you understood—at least a little—but it wasn't something that was agreeable.

"Well, I ain't callin' him Dad," you told her.

"You don't have to, dear."

She smiled that warm smile Moms give to let their kids know everyone was going to be all right, but you didn't buy it. You had a feeling it'd be just the opposite.

XXX

Wayne wanted to see you. It made you nervous, something that didn't happen often.

After a month of being in his gang, he'd hadn't wanted to talk before now, which was pretty stupid of him; not knowing the guys who did his dirty work was a recipe for disaster. It was a quick way to earn a bad reputation and an even quicker way to get screwed over.

"Tim Shepard," he said almost too casually.

You raised an eyebrow, as he made his way into his cluttered office where he'd kept you waiting. Knowing it was all a game aimed to make the other guy nervous actually gave some comfort. If you saw through the ploys, he didn't have the same advantage on you like he did with everyone else.

But maybe being aware gave you too much confidence. After all, you'd never met him before and had no clue what to say or do. The only predictable thing about the guy was that he was unpredictable.

Glancing up at him, you figured it'd be smart just to keep your mouth shut and wait until he asked a question. He was a big guy, bigger than Ben. His eyes were what caught your attention, though; they were such a dark brown that they looked almost black. There was nothing there, not a hint of laughter, and if he weren't Wayne Crawford, you'd say they looked almost sad. He looked absolutely soulless and that was the part of him people feared the most.

"Ben sure seems to think you deserve to be here," he said in almost a bored tone. Making sure to hold your gaze with him, knowing he was trying to get into your head.

He was toying with you. When he smirked, you stared straight back at him. It was test, and for the first time since joining the gang, he seemed pretty smart. He had waited to see you until now because he was building up to this moment. Lots of guys probably cracked under this kind of pressure; it was his way to weed out the weak.

"He might be right." Wayne nodded as he slowly walked around your chair.

"Your anger makes you predictable," he said, leaning up against the desk. "Fix it before I do."

He was being dead serious, that much was obvious, and you made a mental note that breaking noses was definitely not keeping it cool.

You gave him a slight nod to tell him it was duly noted, and it was, considering your temper would warrant unwanted attention to not only you but the gang, too.

"You can go now," he said, moving behind the desk, finally breaking eye contact. Blinking before getting up, you knew you hadn't screwed up as badly as he was making it seem. This was why he had so much power, because he instilled fear into everyone around him.

"And Tim." He stopped you before getting the chance to open the door. Turning around slightly, you glanced at him at him as he shuffled through papers, acting as if what he was going to say was no big deal.

"Don't be afraid to fuck up again. I can always introduce myself to Curly or Angela."

Standing frozen, hand still on the doorknob, you knew he had done his homework about your life. The fucker knew exactly what he was doing and exactly how to instill that fear in you. Clenching your jaw, you turned back around and left the room, careful not to slam the door on the way out.

All that was running through your mind was that he knew about Curly and Angela. He knew, and he'd use them to his advantage if he had to. You knew he would because of that look that was in his eyes.

XXX

"That's some pretty deep shit, man," Dallas said as he pulled out a cigarette to offer you.

You shook your head, not knowing how Dallas could smoke that menthol shit, you had told him about what had happened with Wayne. Marty would have been your first choice, but you weren't sure if he'd actually listen or just freak out about how dangerous it was getting.

Scratching at the back of your neck in frustration, you pulled out your own pack of cigarettes. "Who the fuck threatens family?" This was beyond anything that had ever happened to you, and in all honesty, it scared you, but it was too late to back out now.

"Apparently Wayne Crawford does," Dallas said, watching the cars pass by in front of Buck's. Cigarette hanging loosely from your lips, you glared at him before lighting up. Sometimes Dallas didn't think before speaking and ended up saying something inappropriate instead of comforting. It was a wonder why the girls he was with were always pissed at him.

"Look," Dallas said, taking a puff of his cigarette. "Are you gonna let fucking Crawford come near your family with a ten foot pole? No, you ain't gonna let it happen. Being underestimated is better than him knowing what you're really capable of. I reckon you're the one waiting for him to fuck up."

Just when all hope was lost for the guy, he pulled something out of his ass that actually made some sense. Smirking, you gave Dallas a nod. He was right. You had the advantage of knowing Wayne better than he knew you and the ball was in your court.

If he wanted unpredictability, he'd get it.

XXX

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