Darry was surprisingly kind waking me up the next morning; no tickling, no torture. Just a gentle shake.

"C'mon, baby. Time to get up. School today."

I groaned, but rolled over and threw my legs over the side of the bed.

Both Darry and Soda were exceptionally nice to Pony and me at breakfast. Darry even made my eggs special, scrambled soft, the way I like them. I had to admit, he was getting to be almost as good a breakfast cook as Mom had been.

"You guys ready to go back?" Soda asked.

"No," Pony and I answered in unison.

"The two of you never minded school before, I thought that you might've even missed it," Darry said.

Both Pony and I gave him looks implying that, along with becoming our guardian, he must have lost his mind somewhere during the process.

"Or, maybe not," he laughed.

Two-Bit was at our house at least fifteen minutes earlier than he usually picked us up. I usually alternated between riding with him and Kevin and Ben, but I wanted to ride with Two-Bit this morning, to let him know there were no hard feelings from the night before. I had been angry with him, but, after his conversation with Darry, I was satisfied that he already felt bad enough.

"You kids ready?" He was markedly low-key.

"Almost," I said. I went into my room to grab my books. When I came out, I interrupted Darry and Two-Bit whispering in the living room. Pony was suddenly behind me and asked:

"So what the hell happened to you anyway last night, Two-Bit?" Tactful, Pony, I thought.

Two-Bit hung his head. "I'm real sorry about that, kid. I lost track of time. It won't happen again."

"It's okay, I know you didn't mean it." I felt bad for him. Having Darry that mad at you is not fun.

He walked over and gave my shoulder a squeeze. "Ready?"

"Ready," I said. We went out and Pony followed.

"You two behave yourselves," Darry called. Pony and I both sighed. Really, like we were gonna start trouble after all we'd just been through.

I had been nervous about going back to school- not because of the work that I had missed, but because of all of the newspaper articles and gossip about what had happened while Pony and I had been away, missing, and hurt. I figured everyone would be talking about me running away, being in trouble, and just plain being stupid for getting lost.

What I worried about couldn't have been further from the truth. Pony and I were suddenly like celebrities, among the kids from our side of town, anyway. I had to laugh at how people could completely idealize terrible situations. They all acted like it was tuff to be involved in a murder, and exciting to be lost, hungry, and freezing in the woods. Even when I tried to tell people how bad it all had been, they acted like they thought I was kidding. My English teacher actually suggested that I might have some "fascinating scenarios" to share with the class, related to my "adventures." By lunchtime I had had enough. I ducked out into the parking lot for the safety of Two-Bit's car, only to find Pony already there.

"Are you getting the same crap that I am?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered, slamming the door. Ben wandered over after a few minutes, as Pony and I ate our lunches in silence. He climbed in the front.

"So are you two famous, or what?" he asked.

"We hate it," I said. Pony made a noise in agreement.

"Why?" Ben asked. "All of a sudden you're the big man on campus, Pony."

Both of us hesitated. I looked at Pony.

"They don't get it," he said.

"Everything that happened- it wasn't fun or exciting, Ben," I said.

"It sucked," Ponyboy added.

"It's our family, Ben," I said. "It's not just a stupid newspaper article or TV news story. We almost got split up. You know that. Our friends died, for God's sake. There's nothing tuff about that." Again I forgot I wasn't supposed to talk about that in front of Ponyboy. He flinched noticeably and I reached across the seat to touch his arm. He pulled away.

"I know," Ben said. "But you don't think it's a little bit tuff to have everybody talking about you?"

"No," Pony and I both answered.

"Not at all," I added.

Two-Bit came over to the car as Pony and I were both heading back to class. He looked a little worried to see us there.

"You two okay?" he asked.

"We're fine, Two-Bit," I said. "We're just sick of being celebrities."

"You two be back here at last bell," he said. "Darry'll kill me if I leave you again."

"We will," I said.

We were there, both of us, at Two-Bit's car for a ride home at the end of the school day. Not only did he drive us home, he stayed with us until Soda and Darry both got home from work, and he even helped me with cooking dinner. He was putting water into the pan to boil pasta when I turned to face him.

"I heard you come in last night, you know," I said.

He just stared straight ahead.

"I never, ever meant for that to happen," he said, staring at the faucet.

"I know. I know, Two-Bit." He finally looked up. "What is it anyway?" I asked. "About beer, I mean. Drinking. Why do you like it so much?"

"Scout, you shouldn't even be askin', I mean, you're just…"

"I'm just asking, Two-Bit, that's all. You know I can't ask anyone in my own family," I admitted. "They'd never tell me the truth."

Two-Bit hesitated. "I can't explain it," he said. "It just makes everything seem a little bit easier. Except when shit like last night happens."

That seemed understandable. And it made me see why people liked it so much. Who didn't want things to be easier, after all?

"That makes sense," I said. Pony came in just then for a Pepsi so we ended that conversation abruptly. Pony would tell Darry in a second if he heard me and Two-Bit talking about beer. He sat in the kitchen and talked with us for a while about the rodeo. He tried to make it nonchalant when he mentioned Cherry but I knew he had probably been thinking about it non-stop since he talked to her and had to talk to somebody about it, so he came in to talk to Two-Bit about it, since he hadn't actually been there. Two-Bit completely indulged Pony and listened to everything he had to say, and my casserole was already in the oven, so I just claimed homework and closed myself into my bedroom.

Eventually, I heard Darry come in and from the way he interacted with Two-Bit in the kitchen, I knew all was forgiven. One thing I will say for Darry: as much as a hard-ass as he can be, he knows how to accept an apology. If you never apologize, he'll never forgive you, but if you offer up a heartfelt "I'm sorry," he's pretty forgiving.

"Scout, dinner!" Soda yelled. I breathed a sigh of relief. In our house, for now, all was well again.

_______________

Things slowly settled back into a routine and after a week back at school it seemed like things had never been interrupted. Darry and Soda went to work each day, and Pony and I went to school. Pony went to track practice after school, while I went to open gym with Ben and Anna to shoot baskets. My cast came off and everything had healed right, so I got the go-ahead to start playing again. Kevin was a shot-putter so when he and Pony were done with track, he picked us all up and drove us home. Pony and I usually got back before Darry and Soda, so we started dinner.

The second Tuesday that Pony and I had been back to school, we got home, started dinner, as usual, and started on our homework. Pony still did all my math and I did his science. Both of us could have done it ourselves, we just hated it. If you understood something in class when the teacher explained it, it didn't seem fair that you had to go home and prove that you got it. That's what homework seemed like, to me, anyway. Darry didn't really seem to care as long as our grades held up. He knew we weren't taking each other's tests, at least.

I was tied up in the middle of an English Literature essay question when Pony came into my room. He hardly ever came into my room. I looked up.

"It's kinda late for them, isn't it?" Pony asked. I was lost in my essay world and it took me a second to figure out what he was talking about. Finally I glanced at my clock. It was six-fifteen. Usually Darry and Soda were back by five-thirty.

I jumped up. "Nobody's here yet?"

"Just us," he said.

"Let's call Soda," I said.

Pony dialed the DX while I sat next to him on the arm of the couch trying to listen.

"Hello?" It was Soda; I could hear his end of the conversation.

"Soda? What's taking you guys?"

"Pony? Darry hasn't come for me yet. He didn't call you?"

"No. Did he say he was workin' late tonight?"

"Not to me. You?" Pony turned to me.

I shook my head. He hadn't said anything to me. He always told us if he knew he was going to be late.

"He didn't say anything to us," Pony said.

I started to get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I moved away from the phone, no longer able to hear Soda's end of the conversation.

"Okay," Pony finally said, and hung up.

"What'd he say?" I asked.

"He's gonna call Two-Bit for a ride. Steve's on 'til closing. Darry probably just got tied up, Scout. It's no big deal." I could tell Pony was a little worried, too, but I didn't say anything. I knew he didn't want me to know.

Pony and I busied ourselves setting the table and putting out dinner while we waited for Soda to get home. Finally he and Two-Bit both burst through the door.

"He ain't here yet?" Soda asked.

Pony and I both just shook our heads.

"Alright, let's just eat then, he'll probably show up while we're eatin'," Soda said. He never was one to miss a meal. Two-Bit sat down and ate at Darry's place.

I couldn't eat. I just had a bad feeling. Darry was never late without calling one of us, especially when he was supposed to be picking up Soda. The more I thought about that, the more worried I became.

When dinner was over, Two-Bit offered to do dishes. I figured he was still feeling guilty about the whole rodeo thing. Soda got on me and Ponyboy about getting our homework done, which only worried me even more. He never gave a hang about us getting homework done. He was acting like Darry, like he was trying to take his place.

Like he was practicing, in case he wasn't coming back.

I did the rest of my homework, completely unable to concentrate, and by the time I was finished it was eight-thirty. I went out into the living room to find Soda alone on the couch.

"Where'd Two-Bit go?" I asked.

"To look around, see if he could find him anywhere," he answered.

"Come on, Soda, it's not like he went to a bar or something. We're talking about Darry, here."

"I know, Scout. What else do you want me to do? I have no car. I've called the number he calls to see about work and nobody answers. I don't know what else I can do." I could sense fear in Soda's voice. It occurred to me that if anything had happened to Darry, Soda wasn't nearly as well-equipped to handle things. We had all always relied on Darry. Soda was scared, and that certainly didn't reassure me any.

"Do you know where he was working this week?"

"Not exactly, just that it was out in the woods somewhere, a bunch of hunting cabins or something. That's why he was leaving so early, because it took a while to get there."

I walked over to the couch, trying to be some sort of comfort for him, even though I couldn't deny the absolute fear in the pit of my stomach. I knew now exactly how Darry and Soda had felt when Pony and I had been missing. And I felt terribly guilty; I felt sick after only a few hours of not knowing where Darry was, they had had to deal with us being gone for days.

"Soda," I said, putting my arms around him, "He's probably fine. You and him worried about me and Pony for a week and we were fine…well, mostly fine. This is Darry we're talking about. He knows how to take care of himself." I think I was trying to convince myself of that as much as him.

"I know," Soda said, hugging me back. "You finish your homework?"

"Cut that out, Soda," I scolded. "You and I both know you don't care if it's done or not."

"I know," he admitted. "Just seemed like I should ask. Plus you know Darry'll be mad if he gets back and it ain't done."

"It's done," I said, leaning against him.

Just then Two-Bit came back in. Soda and I both looked up expectantly.

"Nothin'." He shook his head. "I couldn't find him."

Pony came out of his room at the same time.

"He's still missing?"

"Looks like it," Two-Bit said.

Ponyboy immediately changed into logistics mode. I had to give him credit; in crisis situations, he could be real practical, which was strange, because it was the complete opposite of how he was the rest of the time.

"Did you call the hospitals?" Pony asked. I felt my heart skip a beat at that thought. I knew Darry had been working at a remote site, he had to leave for work before Pony and I even woke up the past few days. If anything happened to him, a hospital would probably be at least an hour away.

"No," Soda said.

"I'll do it," Two-Bit said. God bless you, I thought, because I knew none of us could.

I felt tears running down my face, thinking about Darry, in a hospital somewhere, hurt and alone. Soda saw me and pulled me in tighter.

"He'll be okay, Scout. He will." I could feel the insecurity in Soda's body as he hugged me. He was a million percent qualified to be my brother but completely unprepared to be my guardian.

"He would never not call, Soda. Especially after…" I was thinking of the rodeo, when he made such a big deal about me having been responsible and calling him. He was always trying to be an example; there was no way he would let us worry like this, if he could help it. The scenarios in my mind just got worse and worse. It was past nine-thirty.

Two-Bit came back in the room.

"Nothing," he said. "I called all the hospitals. He ain't there."

I didn't know whether to be relieved or even more concerned.

"I'm calling Shepard," Two-Bit said. "He'll know if there was any kind of trouble around here."

Now I was scared, for sure. If Darry was in the kid of trouble Tim Shepard would know about, that wasn't good. That was the kind of trouble that Dally used to get into. That kind of trouble meant fights, jail, and probation, none of which would be good for our family, in our situation.

"Go ahead," Soda said. "That's a good idea."

I sat and listened as Two-Bit dialed.

Someone answered on the other end.

"Tim?" Two-Bit sounded pretty worried, too, which only scared me more.

"Yeah, it's Two-Bit. Mathews." A pause. "Yeah."

"Listen, have you seen Darry Curtis today? He's kinda, well… missing."

Silence. Then "Oh yeah? So you know where?"

Two-Bit was nodding, listening to what was being said on the other end while I, personally, was about to completely lose it.

"Okay, Tim, yeah. That would be great. Alright. See you soon. Thanks."

Two-Bit hung up and I practically exploded onto him.

"What did he say? Two-Bit, does he know where he is? Where is he?" With that outburst, I started to cry again, despite myself. Sometimes I really hated being the only girl around.

"Where is he?" I cried against Two-Bit. Soda came over and peeled me off of him, lowering me onto the couch next to him and rocking me in his arms, like I had tried to do when he had been crying to me about Sandy.

"He's gonna come over and he'll make some calls," Two-Bit said.

"Where is he, Soda?" I buried my face into his neck and felt Pony put a hand on me from the other side. I just sobbed. "Where is he?"

Suddenly I felt Soda get stronger, and hold me with confidence, as if, maybe, if Darry disappeared, he could step up. He held me tight, and stroked my hair back past my ears, just like Darry did.

He held me, but pushed me back, so he could look at me when he talked.

"We'll find him, Scout. Everything will be okay." There was a new confidence in his voice, and it actually did make me feel a little bit better.

I just dug my head back into his chest. I was just sitting there against him when suddenly the door slammed.

I looked up to see none other than Tim Shepard.

A/N: Aw, that's mean, I know! Tim Shepard has entered the building and I ended the chapter. I'll end the suspense soon. Promise.

I posted an additional chapter tonight because I was so happy to have so many reviews waiting for me when I got home. Thanks especially to Riley's Momma and clumsy03 for reviewing older stuff. Getting new reviews for Epiphany and Reality is awesome. Seriously, people, the reviews are a huge motivator to keep writing. I hugely appreciate them.

Thanks also to calla lily rose and fanfar3 for posting amazing chapters to their own stuff that makes me want to do better.