Two-Bit and Darry talk about Toby and Kendra.

Two-Bit POV

Pony had come home, he and Soda are in their bedroom. They don't share a bed anymore, just two beds in the room now. Darry and Kendra share a bed and the spare room was turned into Toby's room. Steve is in Soda's bed with him, and Johnny is in Pony's. They decided to sleep over. Kendra and Toby are already asleep, so are the other four boys. Only me and Darry are still awake. He sat himself on a chair in the kitchen and I sat on the counter. I had been thinking about Tim a lot lately, only when I looked in Toby's eyes.

"Darry..."

"Something wrong, little buddy?"

"I ain't little..." I corrected, "And I need to know something."

"Sure."

"Does Toby know... about Tim?" Darry looked up at the ceiling, then glared back down at me.

"He's only eight. He doesn't need to know yet..."

"That's how old I was when my mom told me and Kendra about our father. Who left her when I was only three..." I said, looking at my hands. "He's old enough, Darry."

"No he isn't, Two-Bit. I know he isn't..."

"You know it as well as I do that he's old enough–."

"He isn't you, Two-Bit!" Darry yelled, cutting me off. "I know you see yourself in him, but he isn't you, Two-Bit. He just isn't..." he said. "He's a kid, Two-Bit... he's a kid. You grew up hard because your mother told you about your father. You still found the strength to crack laughs and jokes about the Socs because you hated them. But there aren't anymore greasers, Two-Bit... There are no more Socs. He is not you. He can't heal like you did. He isn't you."

"I know he ain't me. I know there are still greasers and Socs. Even if we aren't the ones in their places now. I want him to know about Tim..."

"Why do you even give a damn?" said Darry finally. "You weren't there to help raise him. You were in Arizona, creating some new brand of liquor! You only came back because your company moved back here. You're taking this as a chance to take over his life."

"I am not!" I yelled. "You know I an not taking this chance to take over his life, Darrel Curtis."

"But it ended up with you trying to, right?" I took a breath and slowly let it out. "You weren't there to be in Toby's life."

"It was work!"

"But I was there to help him. That's why I married your sister. Because he needed a father."

"Is that the only reason, Darry? Is it the only one? Did you only marry my sister because Toby needed a father?" he remained silent. "It is, isn't it?"

"That's not true." he answered, glaring hard at me, "And why are you so worked up over Toby? You aren't his father!"

"Neither are you!" I yelled, also glaring hard at him, "But I did help kill his real father! If I didn't confront Tim, he'd still be alive." Darry stared hard at me.

"Then why did you?"

"Because Kendra–."

"Because you had the urge to kill. That's why. You didn't do it for Kendra, you did it because of an urge."

"Was your marriage for love?" I asked, "Or an urge?"

"Stop twisting what I say–."

"It was just an urge to protect a little boy. A little boy who's father was killed." he didn't say anything again, so I went on, "You know it was an urge to protect a little boy."

"It was not! I–."

"Darry, stop with the act! I confronted Tim to talk to him. He pulled a blade, so did I. We fought and he stabbed me. Then Dally came and killed him. But you were there too. If you didn't want Tim dead, you would of stopped Dally!"

"You know I couldn't!"

"Johnny was there! You could of told Johnny to take care of my heart and you could of stopped Dally. But you didn't!"

"Johnny told me you wanted to kill Tim!"

"True, but I wasn't actually going to. I felt like a needed to kill him. But I made sure not to. I was making sure to not kill him, only to break his arm to make him stop. He was aiming to kill me, and he almost did. But when you came, and Dally got to him, he was stunned as if he had not known what he did. Or what he was in for."

"Two-Bit, shut up." he finally said. "I love your sister. I really do. I hated Tim for what he did, I really didn't want him to live that night. So I pretended not to hear Dally drown him."

"It was Kendra's choice!"

"No it wasn't!" Dally yelled, "It wasn't her choice to have Toby, but's she's damn happy she did."

"What do you mean?"

"Kendra was raped." I almost fell off of the counter. She was raped?

"Why didn't she tell me?" I asked, softly.

"Same reason you didn't tell her you were raped."

"So..." I began, "Tim raped her?"

"Yeah."

"But why her?"

"Why not her? She's beautiful, smart..." he said, then smiled, "Unlike you." I rolled my eyes. "But why are you worked up over Toby?"

"Because I want him to know about his real father."

"Right now, I am his father."

I got off of the counter and walked right out of the kitchen, then I turned to him. "But you aren't his father." I said, then turned and walked to the door. I stopped again. "But I am his real uncle. And I do care." I called to him, then muttered, "This is why I didn't want to come back nine years ago."

I didn't even realize I forgot my cane as I left.

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