Come With Me

"Mom?" Johnny said, feeling only slightly awkward using the word as he stepped out of the plane. His mother, Diana, had been standing outside in her red and blue uniform, staring up at the blue sky with her arms folding casually.

"Yes, Johnny?" she turned to look at him.

"Why're you standin' out here?"

"Oh I was just thinking about how nice the weather seems today," she gestured the blue early-afternoon sky, "These are the most desirable flying conditions."

Johnny perked up and asked excitedly, "Are we goin' flying?"

Diana smiled in amusement, "I was actually about to ask you about that."

She led him back into the plane, where they sat down facing each other, "Do you remember when I told you about Paradise Island?"

"Yeah, but you didn't tell me a lot, other than it's where you all live and that it's pure or something," he replied, curious about her home.

Diana smiled again, "I really think you'd like it. There's a white, sandy beach with rolling blue waves that sparkle like crystals in the sunlight. That's where I first saw your father," Johnny smiled widely at this, "It's always warm, with lush, green forests. We have beautiful, open houses made from carved marble. We spend our days swimming and competing in Olympic Games. We live in peace and harmony."

"That sounds nice," he said, trying to picture the perfect world that she came from.

"Would you like to see it?" she asked, cautiously.

"Really, you'd take me there?"

"Of course," she said, and then her face took on a more serious expression, "Johnny, I want you to come and live there, with me."

Johnny couldn't believe his ears, "Come live with you?" He could never have imagined he'd get this kind of opportunity. To live in a place with no socs, never having to worry about getting jumped or beaten would be the best thing in the world.

"You'd love it there, Johnny," said Diana, thinking she had convinced him, "And your grandmother is looking forward to meeting you."

"I have a grandmother there?" he asked enthusiastically.

"Yes, she's the queen of the amazons."

"The queen…"

"And you have an aunt, my younger sister Drusilla."

This was a lot for him to take in. He had a whole family he didn't know about. A royal family and they wanted him to live with them on Paradise Island. They wanted him. He couldn't wait to tell Pony…

"What about my friends?" he asked, his heart sinking in his chest.

The smile faded from Diana's face, "Unfortunately, if you do come and live with us on Paradise Island you would need to leave your old life behind you. I can't guarantee that you'd ever see them again," she said sadly.

"No," Johnny said, his voice strained.

"What?" Diana asked, surprised.

"I can't leave Pony and Dally and the gang. They're my only friends. I couldn't live without them."

"I can't leave you here."

"You did it once before," Johnny said back before he could stop himself. He regretted it when he saw the hurt look cross her face.

"Please, Johnny, you'd be happy there; you'd be safe," Diana pleaded, "How could you want to stay here with the Cades, and people that would beat you for no other reason than how much or how little money you have?"

"I've lived here my whole life," he was fighting back tears now, "and I did it without you," He turned and ran out of the plane.

"Wait, Johnny!" Diana jumped out after him. He stopped briefly when she called to him.

He turned to face her, "You know, all these years I thought how great it'd be if I met you. I wanted you to come and take me from the Cades and I'd finally be happy. But I was happy this whole time already. I had my friends with me. Now I wish I never met you." He ran quickly from her, but she didn't bother going after him this time.

"I never should have come," she turned back into the plane and shut the door. Soon after, the plane lifted from the ground and took off, headed for Paradise Island.

Johnny was out of breath and clutching his side by the time he made it to the Curtis house. He swiped at the tear tracks on his face before walking up the steps and knocking. He waited a few seconds before the door opened and Pony stepped out.

"Hey Johnny," Pony said, "Something wrong?"

"No," Johnny tried to say, but his voice cracked slightly. He cleared his throat, "No, nothin's wrong." He put on a fake, strained smile.

"What happened to your head?"

Johnny reached up to his forehead and felt the bandage and a pang in his chest, when he remembered that his mother put it there, "It's nothing; my old man, you know."

"Right," Pony knew there was more to it than that, with the head wound and the tear tracks, but didn't ask anymore; Johnny obviously didn't want to talk about it.

"You're not gonna believe what I found out last night," Pony said, suddenly excited.

"What's that?"

"I'll wait to tell you and Dally at the same time. I was just about to meet 'im in town and kill some time, then catch a double feature at the drive-in. Wanna come along?" Pony asked.

"Sure," said Johnny. After Pony closed up the house, they began the long walk into town.

When they got to the DX, which is where they were meeting Dally, he was leaning outside the building with a cigarette in his mouth.

"Pony, Johnny," he greeted them, though he seemed a little more detached than usual.

"Hey, Dally," they replied, though Johnny avoided his eyes.

"I'm gonna go ask Soda for some money, be right out," said Pony. He walked into the station, leaving Johnny and Dally alone. He seemed to be examining Johnny while puffing on his smoke.

"Care for a smoke, Johnny?"

"Yeah, sure Dally," Dally handed him a cigarette and lit it for him. Johnny instantly felt more relaxed as he inhaled the smoke.

"So what happened to your head?"

Johnny didn't answer right away. He let the smoke soothe him a little more and then said, "My dad wasn't too happy when I came home last night."

Dally nodded in understanding, "Who patched you up?"

"My mo- I mean Diana," Johnny said, "From what I remember before I blacked out, she pulled him off me and smacked him around."

Dally let out a bark of laughter when he heard this, "I wish I coulda seen that. So how did things go with mommy?" he asked sarcastically.

Johnny looked down as he stomped out his cigarette, "Pretty good at first. She told me about where she lives. Turns out I got a grandma and an aunt there."

"That's just great," said Dally, again sarcastically, "So what happened then?"

"She wanted me to leave with her."

"She what?" Dally's outburst made Johnny jump a little.

"She told me she wanted me to come live with her. She said she wanted to keep me safe and happy but I might not be able to see you guys again. So I told her I wished I didn't meet her and ran off."

Dally angrily stomped out his smoke, "What did I tell you, Johnny? You don't need her. Then the minute she comes around, tryin' to be mommy dearest like she didn't get rid of you, you let her. Look where it got you now."

"I know, Dally. You don't got to tell me," Johnny said quietly, "I don't really feel like talkin' about it now."

"Whatever," said Dally, lighting another smoke.

Pony came back out then, "Soda gave me five dollars. What do you guys feel like doin'?"

"Beats me," said Johnny. Dally shrugged.

"Oh yeah," said Pony, pulling something out of his pocket and unfolding it, "Remember that lady that saved me yesterday?"

Dally looked pointedly at Johnny, who said, "Yeah, what about her?"

"I found this in my dad's closet," he handed Johnny the article. He looked at it for a few minutes and handed it to Dally.

"What's this?" he asked.

"That's an article from World War II. They used to call her Wonder Woman. She doesn't look any older."

Dally handed the article back, "It's not her," he said simply.

"What're you talkin' about? Look at it. She looks exactly the same. And she's even wearing that bathing suit costume."

"What an imagination you got kid. She's probably a relative."

"But…" Pony began, to be cut off by Johnny.

"Come on guys, let's go find somethin' to do," he said.

So they set off; an angry Dally, a sad Johnny and a confused Ponyboy.