Note: I don't own The Outsiders

Chapter 18

The music and laughter drifted outside and Darry smiled. He was sitting on the steps of the porch, alone with his thoughts. The day had rattled him more than he thought it would. He wasn't sure why, he had heard all the testimony before at Ponyboy's hearing. Maybe it was that time had passed and things weren't as fresh as before and there weren't as many distractions as last time. Remembering that awful, frightening week felt new and raw - like he was reliving it all over again.

He'd almost lost his little brother. Lost him - not just as a runaway, or to a boys' home, or to jail. He'd almost completely and irrevocably lost him. They meant to kill him. If Johnny hadn't … if Johnny hadn't done what he did … Ponyboy would be dead.

He couldn't get the pictures out of his head. Ponyboy being dragged violently to the fountain. Ponyboy being pushed repeatedly under the water, held down against his will. Ponyboy fighting back but getting weaker, growing still.

Those socs had talked about it on the stand, their voices flat, their eyes dead. When Johnny's lawyer cross-examined them, they seemed stunned out of their stupor, shocked that anyone could find them at fault. Darry couldn't help wondering what would have happened if Pony had died. Would Bob and his friends be where Johnny was today? Would they have to defend their actions? Would anyone have held them accountable?

That one soc, Randy Adderson, had surprised him. He seemed genuinely upset. He had been like that at Pony's hearing, too, but Darry had been too distracted to really notice. After leaving the stand, Randy went over to Johnny's table and offered a halting, awkward apology. Darry had never seen anything like it and he was positive the other socs in the courtroom hadn't either. They looked stunned and angry. He was pretty sure Randy Adderson lost a lot of friends today.

Cherry Valance stood up for Ponyboy at his trial and she did the same for Johnny. She appeared calm and cool during her testimony, but Darry found his gaze drawn to her hands. She held a plain white handkerchief which she twisted and twisted into a tight knot while she spoke. Inside she must be like that handkerchief, he thought. Twisted up into knots, feeling like she was betraying her boyfriend but realizing she had to tell the truth.

Johnny made him proud when he testified. Darry knew he was scared, he could see it in his eyes, but he spoke carefully and confidently. His remorse was evident and his wish that things could have gone another way colored everything he said. The judge asked him if he would do it again if the clock could be turned back and he could relive that night. Johnny visibly paled at the thought and it took him a few seconds gain his composure before answering. He quietly said that he would if he had to protect his friend, if that was the only way to save him. Darry thought it was one of the bravest things he'd ever heard.

The door opened quietly behind him but he didn't turn around. He didn't look over as Sarah Martin brushed off a spot on the steps and sat down beside him, primly smoothing her skirt over her knees.

"So …" she said hesitantly, not sure how to start a conversation with him.

"So …" he repeated in a flat tone, not really wanting to have a conversation to begin with.

She sighed. "So, what are you doing out here? Celebration's in there." She jerked her thumb behind her, indicating the house.

A burst of laughter erupted from inside and he easily identified it as belonging to Sodapop. "They're doing just fine without me," he said as he stretched out, bracing his elbows behind him on the worn boards of the porch.

Legs crossed, he looked relaxed and at ease, but Sarah could sense a tension and tautness that didn't mesh with his outward appearance. She really should just leave him be, she thought to herself, but found herself drawn to him. He set himself apart from everyone else; he was the lone adult in a sea of teenagers. Who did he tell his thoughts and problems to?

"Okay," she said in a no-nonsense tone, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," he answered, his tone a bit harsh.

"Sure, you're just out here all by yourself, admiring the stars. Because, if there is a dreamer in this family, it's definitely you, Darrel Curtis."

Caught off guard by her sudden, dry sense of humor, Darry threw his head back and let out a deep laugh. He sat up, and rubbed his hand over his eyes as though he was trying to banish a headache.

"Fine, fine - you got me. I was daydreaming. It's a bad habit of mine."

"Sure you were," she said with a smile. "You can tell me what's bothering you if you want. Who better than someone you barely know and may never see again?"

"Yeah, who better than a social worker who could exploit my weaknesses and take my brothers away from me?" he asked, his eyes narrowing as though to challenge her.

"Who better than a social worker who has, for the past hour, been ignoring the fact that one of your friends has been making frequent trips into the kitchen, sneaking sips of beer?" she countered.

Darry stood up suddenly. "Damn it. Two-Bit!" he said angrily. Sarah reached up and tugged on his arm, forcing him to sit back down.

"Relax. I said I was ignoring it."

"We don't drink. Not Pony, not Soda. I swear," he explained in a rush.

"I believe you," she said, but Darry kept talking, drowning out her words.

"Two-Bit keeps sneaking the stuff into the house so his mom doesn't find it. Soda and Pony don't touch the stuff. Well, Pony did once after our parents died and, trust me, he won't be doing that again for …" he trailed off when he realized Sarah was staring at him, an amused look on her face. "You're ignoring it," he repeated her words back to her as though he had just heard them.

"I'm ignoring it," she confirmed, her eyes crinkling behind her glasses as she smiled and Darry visibly relaxed.

Sarah sat silently with him for a couple of minutes, watching a leaf make it's way down the battered sidewalk, carried by the breeze. The strands of an Elvis song danced lazily in the chilly night air and she could hear one of the boys crooning along - badly. She turned to look through the window and saw Two-Bit, gyrating for all he was worth, singing into a Pepsi bottle as though it were a microphone.

Pulling her suit jacket closer to ward of the chill, she stood and made her way over to the window to get a better look, careful not to be seen by the occupants inside. She didn't want to spoil the moment.

She covered her mouth with her hand, stifling a laugh as she watched Two-Bit draw his lip into a sneer and twirl a finger through a lock of his hair, pulling it into a curl. Soda stood up and started dancing around wildly in his stocking feet. His handsome face lit up with a huge smile. He pulled Steve to his feet, who awkwardly stood there for a moment before making a half-hearted attempt at moving his hips. Soda stopped for a moment, shrugged and then bounced away while Two-Bit continued to sing.

Her gaze moved to Johnny and Ponyboy, they were sitting apart from everyone - Pony on the floor next to Johnny's chair, laughing and clapping along. Johnny was watching the impromptu concert, a smile on his face, but Sarah also recognized the worry. Every once in while, he would raise his hand to his mouth and start biting his nails.

Sighing, she rested her head against the frame of the window. She felt a worry of her own creep up on her. She wanted to help give Johnny a better life. She was finding it a tough road to go down, doors weren't readily open to people in his situation. Trying to find an alternative to a group home was proving much more difficult than she had anticipated. She had an idea, someone she thought would be right, but convincing them was not going to be easy.

She was determined to get this right, not just to prove Darry wrong. His challenge to her in her office was still fresh in her mind, but this was about so much more than keeping her pride. She really liked Johnny, had begun to care about him. He had so much pain in his life, she didn't want to cause more.

She had driven by his parents' house and shuddered at the dilapidated sight that greeted her. It wasn't hard to imagine the people that would occupy such a place - people who would routinely abuse their child for no real reason other than their own self-loathing. Sarah was positive they gave him up for purely selfish and cruel reasons. Inadvertently, however, they'd given their son a gift. They'd given him a chance at a better life away from them. Now it was up to her to make sure that gift didn't go to waste.

Darry stepped up behind her, startling her and causing her to almost lose her balance in her high heels. He reached out to steady her and she felt an odd jolt at the contact. He didn't seem to notice, his focus entirely on the scene visible through the glass. He was enjoying the moment as much as she had been a few minutes ago. She knew the instant his gaze landed on Johnny. He grew still, like she had.

"He saved my little brother's life," Darry said quietly.

"I know," she whispered, her eyes still fixed on the quiet boy in the wheelchair.

"I hadn't really realized until today how close …" Darry stopped, taking a deep breath, "how close they'd come to killing Ponyboy."

"At least the judge got it right," she said, turning to look Darry in the eye. "He knew it was self-defense."

"Yeah, seems there's at least one person in this town who doesn't automatically think greaser equals guilty," Darry said, a note of frustration in his voice.

"So what happens now?" Darry asked and she hesitated in answering. She didn't have a concrete answer yet and she sensed that Darry liked to see things carved in stone.

"I'm working on it." As she said it she noticed an immediate change sweep through Darry.

"I knew it," he snapped.

"Darry …"

"Shouldn't you know by know where the kid is going to go?" Darry was angry and she couldn't blame him. This was her first case working on her own and she was aggravated with the way the system worked.

"Johnny's doctor is officially releasing him from the hospital in two days. He needs special care and I have a placement in mind," she explained.

"A boys' home," Darry ground the words out between clenched teeth.

"Not a boys' home - a real home. I should have the details ironed out tomorrow. I was in limbo, waiting for a verdict." It sounded like an excuse, but it was the truth.

"I'll believe it when I see it," Darry said evenly, his cynical smirk telling her he didn't think that would happen.

She looked hurt and angry and he felt a surge of remorse. He was about to say something else when the front door opened, interrupting him. It was Sodapop, his face flushed from the jubilant dancing and horsing around.

"Guys, watcha doin' out here? You're missing all the fun," he said as he tried to catch his breath.

Sarah didn't say anything. Arms wrapped tightly around herself, she eased past Soda into the warmth of the house.

Darry stood there silently, staring after her in frustration. Soda remained outside, holding the door open. He had a confused look on his face and Darry could sense his mind working, creating any number of scenarios for why his brother and the social worker would be alone outside.

"Darry, what was that about?" Soda asked. His eyebrow was raised and a grin was forming on his lips. Darry shook his head, knowing instinctively where his brother's mind had gone.

"It wasn't about anything," Darry answered, his stony expression daring Soda to contradict him. "Not a damned thing."

Darry started to walk through the doorway and stopped midway. Turning, he leaned toward his brother. "And Soda, tell Two-Bit to quit it with the beer tonight. He ain't foolin' anyone."

A/N - Hope you guys like this chapter. I wanted to write about the trial without having to actually write the trial, lol. Anyway, thanks again for all the reviews :-)