Why We Ended Up Here

Disclaimer: No, silly, I never have nor will I ever own The Outsiders. S.E. Hinton owns The Outsider. *sigh* :( I simply borrow them for my own creative enjoyment.

Candymouse22: I knew people would feel that way, and I have a few reviewers who would leave the minute they read that, so I made sure everyone knew so they wouldn't stop reading. I'm honestly not sure yet about the foster homes. We'll see what I decide. What do you think should happen? Thank you so much for taking the time to review!

FrankElza: Thank you so much! I'm glad that you enjoyed. :)

HappierThanMost: I'm glad that you enjoyed that little scene. Thank you so much for reviewing.

Teeloganroryflan: Thank you so much! I love writing a good Ponyboy angst lol.

Guest: It's not Dally-centric, but he makes his appearances.

Chapter 2: Another Knock At The Door

~ Sunday, January 2, 1966 ~

Sometime early in the morning the brothers must have fallen asleep, because one by one they woke up, stiff and sore from sleeping awkwardly on their too-small couch. But none of them wanted to move.

Darry was the first to break apart from their huddle, his back too sore to remain in the same position any longer. He stood up slowly, his back popping.

An all too familiar sound broke the silence of the house with a hard knock. Darry fought back the feeling of his heart sinking into his throat when he opened the door to reveal a lady who looked to be about fifty, dressed professionally and holding a clipboard.

"Are you... Mr. Darrel Curtis Jr.?"

"Yes, ma'am," Darry responded, respectfully, his heart pounding.

"I'm with Child Protective Services. I'm here about your brothers."

Darry's voice instantly hardened. "What about them?"

"They're orphans, Darrel, wards of the state. I have to surrender them to foster care," she explained,her voice lacking even an ounce of sympathy. "Unless... someone took custody of them. A family member or trusted friend, perhaps?"

Darry took a glance at his younger brothers, tear tracks still stained on their faces. He thought of college, of his dream of getting out of Tulsa, out of this life. But then he thought of his parents, and what they would want him to do. He couldn't let what was left of his family get torn apart; he wouldn't dishonor his parents' memory like that.

"I... I'll take custody of them," Darry proclaimed, his voice firm.

The lady looked taken aback. "Very well then, Darrel. You may apply for custody, but the courts will have the final say in the matter. Good luck." She shoved a few papers at him, her face hard. Darry gave her a small, hard smirk.

"Have a wonderful afternoon, ma'am."

Darry watched her leave with a defiant glare, his eyes resting on her shiny new, orange, Mini Cooper. With a sigh, he searched for a pen to sign the papers to give away his future for his brothers.

~ Friday, January 7, 1966 ~

The sleeves of Soda's old suit fell past Ponyboy's fingertips, making him feel even smaller. He stood in the mirror, every ounce of him wanting to rewind just a few days, to the day before everything went down hill. Or maybe he could even crawl back into bed and pretend everything wasn't happening. But Darry's voice calling for him to hurry up brought him back to reality, sending him trudging towards the truck, his heart weighing heavily in the pit of his stomach.

The three piled into Darry's truck. Sodapop absentmindedly threw an arm around Ponyboy, choking back his own tears.

Darry started the car numbly, hot tears burning in the back of his eyes, threatening to spill over, but he refused to let them fall. He needed to be strong for his brothers. He needed to be in control.

The funeral passed in one messy, painful blur of shaking hands with old friends of his parents, making fake, painful small talk with them, and watching Soda and Ponyboy trying to, in vain, comfort each other. The gang showed up, dressed in the best clothes they could scrounge up. Johnny immediately went to where Ponyboy sat, trying to comfort the crying kid, while Steve did the same, trying to comfort Sodapop. Dallas wore a hard expression, but Darry could see how much his parent's death was killing him. Darry's parents had been like Dally's parents.

When Two-Bit showed up, right behind Dallas and Johnny, he was sober at least, but the minute the funeral was over he was at Bucks with Steve and Dallas, drowning his sorrows with a six pack. His grey eyes were stormy, humorless.

After people began sitting down to listen the pastor preach his message, Darry stood off to the side, leaning again a wall, too anxious to sit. He shoved his fists into his pockets to keep from tapping his fingers against his pants and stared at his parents caskets with a hard glare, trying to keep from crying. He tried to turn his mind off from thinking back to how his beautiful mother and strong father looked when he identified their bodies at the morgue. It was an image he would never forget.

Emotionally drained after the funeral, Darry led his two exhausted brothers back to the truck, the weight of the world on his shoulders. He was strong, but he wasn't sure if he could handle this. He glanced over at his two little brother's, knowing he had to be there for them. Be strong for them.

He knew he had to keep his family together. That's why when a social worker knocked on his door the next day, Darry felt his heart sink straight down to his feet.

A/N: Happy Easter everyone! Sorry this took me so long. It's a little shorter than I would like, but I hope it'll do till next time. Please review! :)

Stay Gold kiddos,

~ Alee XxX