Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, or "All of This" by The Naked and Famous. I've already said it in my chapter three disclaimer, but y'all should check them out.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Sunday, January 29th, 1967

As the plans turn into compromise,
The promises all turn to lies.

She was an awful person, that's all there was to it. An awful person, who was acting like a tramp, and who couldn't even find her underwear.

"Shit," she whispered, fighting back tears.

Doing up the zipper on her skirt, Anna glanced around the room, refusing to look at the mass of blankets she knew covered Steve. It was a surprise he hadn't woken yet; he'd been pressed against her, holding her to him when she'd woken, and it had taken all of her willpower to decide to leave, and all of her concentration to get out of his bed without waking him. With the sneaking around his bedroom, searching for her clothes, and muttered curses that had followed, she half-expected him to be watching her.

Biting her lip, she checked, just to make sure. He was still facing her, breathing softly, fast asleep. A part of her - that same part that wanted to just be with him - thought about climbing back into bed with him and never leaving. The sane part of her - the part that knew she should have listened to his words the night before - felt like crap and wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

Finally finding her underwear, she slipped it on and left, not looking back once. She was an awful person.

She had only broken up with Henry the night before, and she knew that Steve wanted to be with her, and she had gone and done this. She had slept with him, just to make herself better. And it had made her feel better.

He had told her she was still angry at him, that she would regret it in the morning, and that it wouldn't make her feel better, but only one of those were true.

She wasn't angry anymore; somehow, over the last month and a half, Steve had wormed his way into a place in her heart that wasn't angry at him anymore. She was still hurt, and she wasn't sure she had forgiven him, but she wasn't angry.

After the way he'd been there for her - at the hospital and when she'd gone to him - she wasn't sure she could be angry if she tried. He had made her feel so good, had taken her mind off everything, and she was more than grateful. For a while then, he had made her feel better.

But she sure wished she hadn't done it. Henry didn't need to ever find out, but it sure would hurt him if he did. And Steve … she knew he wanted her back, that he still had some kind of feelings for her, and she had basically used that knowledge to get him to make her feel better. She had needed him, no one else but him, and he had been there. He had been amazing, but she wasn't willing to let it be more than it was. They'd had sex, he'd been there for her, that was all.

She hated herself for treating him like that. He'd cheated, and he might have deserved to be hurt by her a few months ago, but he'd been nothing but good to her lately. The night before proved that, and she had just used him.

Leaving his house, she broke into a run, desperate to get home. She felt bad, but there was still a part of her tugging her back, because Christ he had made her feel good. Being with Steve again had been better than she could have imagined.

She slowed her steps as she turned onto her street. There was no point in worrying about this. She felt bad, and she regretted what she had done - more for others' sakes that her own - but there wasn't anything she could do about it. And anyway, Steve had cheated on her - she shouldn't feel bad about anything.

Except the way she had treated Henry, who might just find out after all. She stared at Tim as she reached her house. He was sitting on the hood of his car, smoking, and watching her.

"What're you doin' here?" she asked as she reached him.

He threw a glance down the way she had just come. "Where ya been?"

Tim Shepard wasn't stupid, and Anna knew lying was pointless. "Steve's."

"Huh. Henry know about that?"

Anna pursed her lips. "I'm sure he had his suspicions when he dumped me last night, but it'd be great if you didn't confirm them."

"Christ, kid." Tim chuckled. "You're ballsy, I'll give ya that."

She supposed he was right. After slapping him only hours earlier - and leaving a nice pink mark to stain his scar - she knew she had no right to ask anything of Tim. She did it anyway.

"You won't tell him?"

He shrugged. "I ain't in the business of getting involved in my boys' love lives."

"Right." She nodded, feeling awkward. "So, what're you doing here?"

"Figured I'd wait around until it wasn't too early to wake ya. With your dad working, I thought you might need a ride to the hospital."

She gave him a once over. "You ain't been home, have you?"

Tim grinned. "You wanna stop for breakfast on the way?"

After grudgingly letting her shower first, he drove them to some small diner downtown. It wasn't until he paid for her pancakes that she began feeling bad.

She had never been a violent person. The closest she had been to being in a fight was when she had tried to attack Ruth, which had been completely pointless. As Steve had so kindly pointed out moments after that - she couldn't fight worth shit at the best of times. But now she had slapped both him and Tim.

But, unlike when she had slapped Steve, Anna hadn't felt bad for hitting Tim. She had stopped blaming him, but she hadn't felt bad until her paid-for-by-Tim pancakes arrived. If anything, the memory of slapping Tim had been keeping her from freaking out. Danny was going to be okay, but … shit. He had still been shot.

"I'm sorry I slapped you," she said quietly.

Tim looked at her, and for the first time, she didn't feel like just Danny's little sister when he did it.

"Shoot, kid, at that stage we didn't know if he was gonna be okay or not." He leaned back in his seat, lighting up a smoke. "Could hardly blame ya for bein' pissed at me."

"Well, I shouldn't've done it. I know you would've done whatever you could to make sure he was okay.

"He's my buddy; I've always got his back."

She knew it. She knew it the night before, too. "Don't tell Danny I did it, okay?"

He smirked. "Sure, kid."

XXXXX

Steve liked sex. He particularly liked sex when it was with the girl he wanted to be with. The girl he had thought he might very well have back when she had spent the night in his bed. But, no. Not only was she no longer in his bed when he had woken up in the morning, but he just knew he didn't have her back.

It fucked him off, it frustrated the hell out of him, and it even kind of hurt. They had slept together. It wasn't just some one night stand - it was him and Anna, and that had to change things. Even if he knew they probably shouldn't have done it.

After everything that had happened the night before, Steve had known exactly why she had come to him. It wasn't because she had felt the sudden urge to be with him, it wasn't because she had missed him, and it sure as hell wasn't because she wanted him back. She had needed … comfort? Reassurance? A distraction?

Maybe all three.

And after some careful persuasion on her side, he had been ready to give her everything She had been upset, and he hadn't been sure they were doing the right thing, but then she gave him that look.

That look. Fuck, but it killed him every time. What's worse was he could still remember every single time she had given him that look, and it sent an icy pain through him every time he did - which was more often than he would like.

There was nothing particularly exceptional about it - a furrow of her eyebrows, lips pursed downwards, and eyes reluctantly meeting his. And when she looked up at him with those green eyes - dry but shiny - it tore him to shreds.

Turning her away had never truly been an option, he knew that, but when he thought about it that morning, he wasn't sure he had done the right thing.

By then it was too late and she was sneaking around his bedroom, picking up items of clothing that had been thrown recklessly - landing on the windowsill, on the floor, and he was pretty sure her underwear had landed somewhere behind his dresser. He had watched her silently, ready to open his mouth and ask where she was going, why she was leaving, but then she spoke.

"Shit."

She was completely dressed by then, except for her panties that she was frantically searching for. It wasn't that she spoke that stopped him from doing so, nor was it the curse that came from her lips. It was the way her voice broke as it came out. She was so obviously close to tears, and as much as he wanted to be there for her, hold her, tell her it would be all right, he couldn't.

Because he knew without a shadow of doubt that he would just make things worse for her. It was a bad habit of his and he really didn't like it so much. So he feigned sleep and let her leave.

His mind was in constant confusion about whether or not he had done the right thing by sleeping with her. It had been perfect, but she had spent the night at the hospital, waiting to hear about her wounded brother. He couldn't help but feel he had taken advantage of her, despite her being the aggressor.

He supposed that maybe, just maybe, he was so fucking desperate for her by then that he would have let her in no matter what she wanted from him. He had put up a good fight - tried to do the right thing - but she had just kept going.

And he had let her. Because it was what she wanted and needed - he was who she wanted and needed - and no matter how badly she thought of him, he really did care about her. So he had kissed her, and a small part of his reasoning for that might have been to simply have her. He cared about her, he wanted to make her happy, he wanted her so fucking much.

There had been no chance of him turning her away, but he had known how she would feel in the morning, and there had been a moment when they were both undressed where he had forced himself to try again. Just to be sure.

"Anna," he said hoarsely, resting above her, "maybe we shouldn't -"

She had silenced him with fervent kisses and soft hands.

He was too weak. They had been back and forth for so long that he didn't know what else he could do - not just to get her, but to make her happy.

But then she had left. Deep down he had been hoping that that was it - that she'd come to him and he had her back. But she left without a fucking word, not giving a shit.

Creeping past his passed out dad, he headed out the house and toward Soda's. He wasn't about to brag, but Soda would know what to do. He couldn't stop thinking about Anna, but the problem wasn't just their past and her leaving and her brother. It was Henry fucking Phillips.

He didn't know what had gone on when she had been dating him. He'd asked Anna enough times, but she'd never said whether or not she had slept with Phillips. She had insinuated that she might have, but it could have just been to piss him off. He vowed to never tell her how well that had worked.

But even if she hadn't ever slept with him, her words were still there. If Steve had turned her away, she would have gone to Phillips, and maybe that was a whole other reason why he hadn't told her to leave. The idea of her not getting what she wanted from Steve and going to Phillips killed him.

The fact that she had let Henry break up with her because he knew she wanted Steve didn't escape him. He just hoped being dumped by Henry didn't upset her, and that was for entirely selfish reasons.

Soda was sitting outside, smoking, when Steve turned up.

"How's Danny?"

Steve shrugged. "He's gonna be okay."

"What about Anna?"

Making sure Darry and Ponyboy weren't around, Steve sat. "She stayed with me last night."

Soda raised an eyebrow. "You mean you guys …?"

"Yeah."

"Let me guess, she was gone when you woke up this morning?"

Steve nodded.

"Shit, man. I'm sorry."

Shrugging, Steve decided he didn't want to talk about it after all. He glanced back into the house, hearing Pony and Darry laughing. Sleeping with Anna was all he'd been able to think about, but there had been something tugging at him mind all day …

She loved her brother more than anything.

He'd thought it at the hospital, and it was completely true. He'd always known it, but last night he'd seen it. No matter what they'd been fighting about, Anna loved and needed her brother. It was unconditional, just like Pony with Soda.

"Hey, you remember Millie?"

"The woman who was datin' your dad, right?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah, her. She's knocked up."

Soda was silent for a moment, before breaking into a grin. "You gonna be a big brother, Stevie?"

He smirked. "Yeah, I guess so."

"That's great! Right?"

"I dunno, man. I mean … I didn't think so, but it might be okay."

"Yeah?"

Steve shrugged. "I wasn't sure, you know? But after seeing Anna last night - well, I always knew Danny was the most important person in her life, but seeing it was different."

Seeing it changed everything. No matter what, Anna loved Danny, Anna was there for Danny, and Anna looked up to Danny as though he could do no wrong. Being in Danny's position - minus the gun-shot wounds and with his own brother or sister - didn't sound so bad.

"She sure loves her brother," Soda agreed.

"Yeah." He paused. There was only one other person he'd consider having this conversation with, but she had ditched him that morning. "I guess I'm just worried. I mean, what if I ain't cut out to be a brother?"

"Why wouldn't you be?"

"Just look at the way I've treated Anna," he said, not wanting to bring up Johnny or Pony.

Soda leaned back against the porch steps. "You mean how you told her about her brother? Or about how you let her stay with you last night, probably knowing it didn't mean as much as you'd like? Or how, if I know you at all, you spent the night at the hospital with her?"

"Well, when you put it like that …"

"You messed up once, Stevie. Well, twice if you count gettin' back with Evie, which I'm sure Anna does." Soda grinned. "But you've been good to her, too. You ain't the most patient guy around, but I think you'll make a good brother."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

XXXXX

Danny was asleep. Anna stared at him, unable to remember him ever looking so pale, so still, so lifeless. She wanted to shake him, make him wake up, and tell him to stop acting like such a girl.

Her gaze slid to his chest and the white bandage and she sucked in a breath. It still amazed her that he'd been shot, but was still alive. After what had happened to Dallas, she had been thinking the worst. After what had happened to Dallas, she was surprised Steve had been able to even think straight the night before.

Sighing, she reached for Danny's hand, squeezing lightly. When he squeezed back, she looked back at his face in shock.

"You're awake!"

He looked at her, bleary-eyed. "Keep it down, kid."

She bit her lip, trying to keep back her tears. She'd made enough of a fool of herself by crying all over Steve; she didn't need to do it now.

"You okay?" he asked.

"You're the one who was shot."

He chuckled, and it was too raspy. "Just in the shoulder. A little too close to an artery, apparently. From what the pretty nurses tell me, I nearly bled all over the place."

So she didn't have to answer that, she grabbed the pitcher of water, pouring some into a cup.

"Here," she said, holding the straw out to him. He took a few sips before talking again.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Are you okay?"

He nodded. "'Course."

"You look terrible. And … you know, you were shot." Her voice broke as she said it, and Danny squeezed her hand again.

"C'mon, Miss B. I'm okay. I know you got a fright, but I'm fine."

A few tears escaped, and she quickly swiped them away. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"The things I said to you. We've been fighting for weeks, and you nearly died! I was so horrible to you."

"Hey, calm down. You get too upset and they're gonna kick you outta here."

She wiped her face, knowing he was right. "I'm so sorry," she said, again.

"Forget it, Anna. I was too pushy, and I should've realised you weren't up for it." He grinned at her, but it was weak. "You sure put on a tough face, but you're still my sister; I should've known."

"You're my brother," she said. "I shouldn't have said the things I did. I didn't mean any of it."

He smirked, but she thought he looked a little relieved. "We gotta not fight, okay? I know Dad's been better than ever, but all we've really got is each other."

He was right, and she was reminded of her thoughts the night before. Danny was all she had - at least, she had thought he was. She stayed silent, thinking about Steve.

"Who brought you here?" Danny asked, looking as though he was trying to stay awake.

"Tim. He's outside."

"He bring you here last night?"

She shook her head, slowly. "Um, no. Steve did." Danny was silent, waiting for her to continue. "He stayed with me the whole time," she said. "Didn't leave me alone for a second."

"Right." Danny sighed. "I guess this means you broke up with Phillips."

Anna shrugged, not wanting to go into it. "I really am sorry. I've hated this stupid fighting."

"It was pretty stupid," he agreed.

She grinned, but Tim came in before she could answer. Stepping back, she let them talk for a few minutes, only listening in when Danny brought up the River Kings.

"What's gonna happen now?" she asked.

Tim looked at her. "With what?"

"Rex and the River Kings?"

He smirked. "Rex is in jail. Me and the boys were feelin' awfully honest when the cops wanted to talk last night."

"So it was him?" she asked, looking at Danny "He did it?"

"Yeah." Danny reached for the cup of water, and she jumped to his feet to help him. He continued after a few more sips. "You don't gotta worry about that anymore, though."

"He's right, kid," Tim said. "Hamilton's behind bars - will be for a long while - and once his boys found out Anita was less willing and more drunk when he scored with her, they started wonderin' about their own sisters."

"Really?"

Tim scowled. "According to Mercer, the new leader, they had a lot to be wondering about, too."

She shivered, remembering Rex grabbing her that night. But it was done. He was in jail, Danny was okay, and she had Danny had made up. Watching him fall quickly back to sleep, she sighed quietly. Other than Steve Randle, things were looking okay.

All I had was the hope that pieces would take shape,
And we could watch them all fall into place.

A/N: I know some readers were expecting Steve and Anna to get back together in this chapter ... try not to yell at me if you decide to review anyway ;)

Beta'd by RileysMomma. Reviews make me happy.