Ok, I know, I promised an update ages ago. I really did mean to, but you all know how University goes. So, here it is now! Hope everyone enjoys and thanks go out to not magical me for the review that reminded me that I need to get my butt in gear. So apologies to everyone!

Disclaimer: Own Pass, don't own the name or the Outsiders.

On with the shoe!

Last time Pass's mysterious (ha ha ha) cousin crawled through the window. This picks up right there.

/-/-/-/-/-

We held that look for a moment before he moved to make sure the door was firmly shut incase his father came home I assumed. His frame shook with fury or frustration – I couldn't tell which – but either way he was glaring at me.

"What are you doing here? I thought you knew enough not to stay in my town," he growled

"I tried," I answered in a hoarse whisper "I got beat for trying."

He looked me over slowly, taking in everything he could see in the dim light. I supposed I looked rather pathetic in his eyes. He just looked meaner than ever.

"Damn it, De Moncreiffe," he cursed, "You know him."

"I know." It was a weak response

"He'll beat the shit out of you until you get out and stay gone." He was pointing out what I already knew "Hell, really piss him off and he might just kill you."

"June was worse," I commented "But then he was sober."

"And he won't always be. One of the only things he's good at is getting drunk." His tone was laced with bitterness

"He will be tonight. He has money and a good bit of it, too."

"You brought money here?" I nodded and he let out a huff of air "That's as good as askin' for it."

I looked back down at the quilt. I knew it, too. I just thought I was too quick and lucky enough to get away with it. I guess I had a few things to clarify in my mind. I glanced at where he was glaring a hole through my forehead and figured he was mad at me or maybe even his father. But he was right. He'd gotten out of here, he'd found a way to stay under the radar and I had screwed up; bad. I just couldn't figure out how Jebb'd known it was payday. It didn't make sense for him to randomly beat me up on payday and never before. No, someone had told him or I had given myself away. Either way I was paying for it now.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with you?" he growled, bringing me back to the here and now

"Kill me," I stated bluntly

"Shut up," he ordered, "I'm not killing anyone on your say so."

I didn't bother to ask if someone could get him to kill on their say so, even if the thought had entered my mind. I didn't want to know. I just wanted to get the hell out of Dodge.

"You cleaned my stuff."

I looked up and noticed his gaze was trained on the clean pile of laundry at the end of the bed and I nodded.

"He put you in my room. Son of a bitch."

"Sorry," I whispered

I wasn't up to dealing with someone so angry, so I put my head back down on the pillow and watched him again. He glared at me for a minute before grabbing a shirt and a pair of underwear and stomping across the hall and into the bathroom. He wasn't gone long and he looked more pissed off than ever.

"First you clean my clothes and then my bathroom. What the hell else did you do to the damn place?"

"Sorry," I said again

"Quit staring at me."

"Sorry."

"Quit saying you're sorry."

"Sorry."

"Get off my bed, get your shit together, and get out."

And where, dear cousin, would I go?

"Now."

There was no arguing with him, so I didn't bother. I winced as I got to my feet. I hurt everywhere. And that duffle weighed a damn ton. I didn't have a choice, so I lifted it up anyway and limped out the door with my cousin right behind me. We got out onto the lawn and I noticed the car on the curb. I supposed it must have been his. He picked up his pace and grabbed my pack as he passed me. I didn't ask questions; I just followed along behind him. He tossed the pack in the back seat and shoved open the front passenger door before rounding the car and slamming the driver's side door behind him. I slid in as easily as I could and he took off as I shut the door. He was driving like the reaper was on his tail and didn't slow down until he got to a dingy little place Two-Bit had brought me to once. I couldn't remember the name of the place, but it was hopping. I was pretty confused as to why we were there, but I knew better than to say anything. I just got out of the car and tried to keep up as he pulled me along with one hand as the other carried my duffle. As soon as we walked in I heard Two-Bit's laughter and made to get away from my forceful cousin, but he was having none of it and tugged me towards the stairs. He didn't let go of me until he'd shoved me into a room upstairs. It was messy, but it felt safe enough.

"You can stay here for now. Dad won't be looking for you for a few days. There's a bathroom through that door and no one will come in here."

I nodded and he left me there. I sat down on the bed since my legs felt like they were made out of rubber and that was never a fun feeling. I looked around the room and knew this is where my cousin hung his hat. The clothes were all his style and the room smelled like him and slightly like sex. I supposed he had girls up here all the time. I smirked and knew anyone who had seen me figured I was the latest conquest. For not knowing much about anything, I knew enough.

So I laid down on the bed and reached for the lamp. The room became dark with the flick of my wrist and the shadows began to play on the walls. I closed my eyes, wanting for this to be all part of some bad dream. Mostly, I just wanted Two-Bit to crack a few jokes at me and make everything seem a little better at least. That wasn't my luck, though, and I suddenly hated my life.

"He has a plan."

That's what Mr. Christ had said when I'd asked about life and why it had to be so rough for people like him and me. I didn't know whom 'He' was, but I was willing to bet 'He' had never slept under bridges. It didn't matter. Mr. Christ had absolute faith in Him and His plan. Well, Mr. Christ, that plan sucked. I'd never done anything to deserve this and yet I kept on surviving no matter how much I wished it would all be over. A tear escaped down my cheek and I rubbed it away impatiently. I was not going to cry again. I had shed far too many tears in Tulsa.

The next morning I limped into the shower and let the hot water sting and burn all the cuts and bruises from the night before. I had gotten far more than I thought was fair, but there was nothing I could do to change that. So I got dressed and bit back the pain as I made my way to the diner for another day of work. I wanted to spend as little time as possible there today. I didn't even want to face Davie. He had no way of knowing, but he had left me there to face that thing I called family. Part of me irrationally blamed him. That was the part that was blaming Mr. Christ and his 'plan' and Two-Bit for not knowing I'd been upstairs and every other irrational thought that I could come up with. By the time I walked in the back door of that diner I was ready to scream.

The door opened under my fingers and Davie turned to me with a smile that vanished into a look of horror and I lost the urge to be angry. I just didn't care anymore. No, I did care, but it was self-pity and I hated it. It scared me. I just wanted to find a place to curl up in and die for a while.

"God, Pass! Are you alright?" he demanded

"I've had worse," I told him flat out

But it's been a while.

"Did this happen last night?"

I nodded and he cursed. He cared and I didn't understand why.

"I am so sorry, Pass. I shouldn't have left you there. Those people –"

"Don't blame Ross; it wasn't his fault," I told him "He got me out of there."

"He obviously wasn't there fast enough," he grumbled, guiding me over to the chef's stool "What the hell are you even doing here?"

"I have to work. I need the money to get out of here."

"We just got paid!"

I nodded and Davie looked like he was going to hit something. So I looked at the far wall and hoped he would cool down. I didn't like hot tempers or cold, emotionless ones, either. He must have sensed that or something because he looked me over and gently lifted my chin.

"You look like hell," he commented dryly

"Thanks," I replied, "You look like you're going to hit something."

He got the hint then and his features softened completely "Nah, not unless it's dirty dishes"

"Think I can be on dish duty today?" I asked and he shrugged

"It's never up to me, Pass," he answered

I sighed and nodded, slipping off the stool. It was too high and my sides ached from the effort of trying to keep myself straight and on the stool. Davie watched with this sad look on his face as I sat against the wall by the door to the freezer.

"I guess I'll go talk to the boss and see what I can do –"

"Jocelyn De Moncreiffe Winston."

"Wha-what?" Davie asked, completely off balance

"My name. Jocelyn De Moncreiffe Winston."

"Now you decide to start trusting me," he muttered, "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

I huffed in amusement at the thought of moving and felt every muscle in my side protest. I honestly don't know how long I sat there just looking at the opposite wall. The heat off the freezer was comforting on my pains. I did notice Davie leave the room and there was yelling, but I didn't really catch anything beyond that until Davie's hand was on my shoulder.

"C'mon, let's get out of here," he suggested and I let him help me to my feet

"I can't," I replied "I need to stay and wash the dishes."

"Don't bother, it's not your job anymore. It's not mine, either."

I looked at him and he determinedly ripped the apron over his head and dropped it on the floor. Gently slipping an arm around my waist, he started us on a slow pace towards the door.

"Davie," I groaned, none of this making sense

"Sorry, Pass," he apologized

"You quit your job and got me fired all in the same ten minutes. You'd better be sorry."

"It was time for a change, anyways," he said, shrugging it off

"You have four kid brothers," I pointed out

"Three," he corrected

"Who you support," I continued "What are they going to do without your money?"

"The same they did before I took that job – live off Mom's wages and wait for me to find another."

"Can you find another?"

"In Tulsa? No sweat. I liked that one because I was close to home, but I can deal with stretching my legs."

I wondered how he managed to stay so positive with everything in his life being so bad. It was better than what I had, but you could tell he had something more before his dad ducked out. He and Two-Bit had that in common.

"It could be worse," Davie mused, "I could have gotten fired before pay day. You can bet the boss wouldn't have honored my wages if he had to tell me to hit the road. He'll be missing us come lunch time."

"You think so?" I asked, imagining the rush from the factory and no waitress

"I know so. You should have been there last month when both Stella and Franny had food poisoning. I swear my feet were going to fall off by the end of the day."

I could see it all and wanted to smile, but every time I did that my lip split open again. So I kept quiet and leaned on Davie. He was right; I shouldn't have even come into work today. There was a 'but' that went with that sentence, but I was too sore to work it out for myself. Did it matter anymore?

"Where are we going?" I asked after a while

"My place. No one will bother you there."

"No, I need to get back to where Ross can find me or he'll be less than happy with me."

"I've been thinking on it and I don't know any Ross Winston."

"I'm the only one who calls him that. He's the only one who calls me De Moncreiffe."

"Great," Davie commented "And where does he want you to stay?"

"A bar. There was lots of music and people last night. He has a room there."

"That's helpful. Know what it's called? Where it is maybe?"

"It was on the other side of the bridge. Two-Bit took me there once. He was there last night, but I didn't see him."

"How'd you know he was there, then?"

"I heard him. You would know his laugh anywhere, too."

Davie sighed and we walked for a little ways until we came to a bench. He sat down on it with me and we both watched the traffic for a few minutes.

"So, what's the plan now?" he asked

"You're going to find a new job. I can't believe you quit, you moron."

"I meant what's the new plan for getting the hell out of Tulsa," he clarified, not correcting me on whether he quit or was fired.

"I'm going to take a couple days, get a new job and get as much money as I can together before I get the hell out of here. The State is coming on the fifteenth, so that's my deadline."

"And if you can't?"

"I'll have to. I'm getting the hell out of Tulsa, even if it kills me."

Right then a bus pulled up and Davie helped me to my feet. He started towards the entrance to the thing and ended up tugging on my arm since my feet wouldn't move.

"I've never been on a bus before," I told him, feeling the blush in my cheeks

"It's easy, I promise." He smiled, steering me into the bus

Davie fished out a couple coins for the driver who was staring at my face. I imagine was a sight since I still could only see out of one eye. Not to mention I was hunched over slightly to protect my ribs and fend off a panic attack. Davie smiled at me and sat me down just before the bus jolted. My hand grabbed his shirt tightly and I closed my eyes until I got used to the way it jolted.

"See, nothing to it!"

I glared at Davie and he smiled innocently at me. I didn't want to look at him or all the other people on the bus who were staring at me, so I looked out the window and let the scenery take over. I saw the bridge and wondered where Mr. Christ was. I hoped he was back on the road and not locked up somewhere. People were pretty dumb about people like Mr. Christ. What they didn't understand was that he was better off without help. I was the same way. Maybe that was why I was the only person who seemed to understand. He was better off trying to get by on his own and help others, like me, with just a kind word and some company.

"The place is around the next corner," I finally told Davie and he nodded, pulling on a cord that made a bell ring

The next thing I knew, the bus was pulled over and we were walking towards the bar. Davie shook his head once or twice and I wished he wouldn't.

"What is it, Davie?" I asked finally

"Buck Merrill's place is nowhere you want to be, but at the same time, I can't think of a better place for you to be. I guess it's just kind of funny to me," he answered

"Why's that?" I asked as we went through the door

"Because there is no way in hell anyone is going to bother you because of your cousin. At the same time, your cousin will know where you are at every moment because everyone will be on the look out for you. It's the perfect babysitting service and all it costs is a glare and a threat to the right people."

"At least someone gets it."

We both glanced up at the angry ice blue eyes that belonged to the angry, ice-like hood I called family. I sighed, again.

There was no way this situation was going to end well.

Any comments are welcome and flames are accepted.

See ya in the funny papers!!!

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