Part 15 – Happy ending?

"Don't worry lad", an officer said. "You won't have to live with this cruel man anymore."

"Huh?" Steve asked dumbly.

"Social service has decided that your father is unfit to take care of you and complaints of his treatment of you have been reported."

Steve felt anger build up in him and he flew to his feet.

"Oh so now social fucking service starts to care? I had to lose my little sister, the person that meant more than anything else in the world to me! She had to die before this bastard was judged unfit! I had to be half-beaten to death and disappear for a few months! I had to lose my best friends and being locked out and slapped around by that jerk for years before no one cared about him being a drunken bastard! There are more kids in this neighborhood that is being treated like me! Will they end up dead before social fucking service act?"

"Calm down young man", the officer said.

"No I won't bloody, fucking hell calm down! Social service starts to care when the one that really needed them is dead! Nice fucking timing!"

"I know you are upset young man but-"

"Upset? I'm not fucking upset I'm livid! Let go of me!" The officer had grabbed his arm and Steve tried to pull himself loose. "I said let go!"

The officer sighed and with help from another officer he dragged Steve to a police car and put him inside. Steve's father was soon led out and put in another car.

Soda was on his way home after looking for Steve when Two-Bit ran up to him.

"Soda", he yelled as he ran. "Sodapop Curtis!"

"Whoa Two-Bit", Soda said when his friend got up to him. "What's going on?"

"I went by animal boy's house yesterday…"

"So", Soda asked.

"Police cars were outside and they took Steve away."

"What?" Soda yelled.

"Yeah something about… uh him calming down and he didn't. They took his old man too."

"Why would they do that?"

"I don't know… oh maybe he's a wanted criminal or something!"

Soda's body jerked at that.

'No', he thought. 'Have they figured out he's Dodger?'

"Huh Soda you okay", Two-Bit asked.

'Will they arrest him for it? What if they give him death penalty? No they wouldn't do that would they? I mean he was just a kid back then…'

"Soda!"

"He's just a kid", Soda screamed and when he noticed that he blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Uh I mean… well… see ya!"

"Not so fast", Two-Bit said and grabbed his shoulder. "Do you know something I don't?"

"Maybe…" Soda mumbled.

"Guys", Darry asked as he and Dally hurried over. "What's going on?"

"I know where Steve is", Two-Bit said.

Mr. Curtis slammed the doors to the police station open and the cop behind the reception desk jumped high.

"Whoa sir take it easy", he said and Mr. Curtis stalked up to him.

"Have you arrested a boy named Steve Randle?" he demanded.

"No… well we had to take him to the hospital."

"What for?"

"He was almost hurting himself… we are going to put him in a boys home."

"Why did you get him for?"

"Well actually we were going to get his father after some people complained on how he treated his son and daughter."

"Well news flash that daughter died a few months ago."

"We know, sad story that one."

"Which hospital?"

"Huh?"

"Which hospital did you put that boy in?"

"The bigger one… err I haven't been living here for so long so I don't know the name."

"That's okay", Mr. Curtis said before leaving.

Steve was sitting on a bed, well he was handcuffed to the bed so he wouldn't escape and hurt himself further. He had his knees pulled up and hid his face in them and hugged himself with his arm that was in a cast, the other one was handcuffed to the bed. When Mr. Curtis saw him through the doorway he thought the boy looked so young and fragile. He really wanted to go over and hug the boy but he couldn't because outside stood a police that was keeping an eye on him and Steve.

"Where is that social worker", Mr. Curtis grumbled and soon a woman came towards him.

"Mr. Curtis", she asked.

"Yes."

"You wanted to see me about Steve Randle?"

"Yes, I want to be his foster parent."

She looked at him and cocked an eyebrow.

"You know he's a really troubled child?" she asked. "And you have three sons it's said in my papers."

"Yes and a fourth wouldn't do anything. Listen this young man doesn't trust many people and certainly not grownups. But he and I get along perfectly; I hope he sees me as a father figure and my wife as a mother figure. We've taken care of him a lot during his tragedies."

"Yes he said that… but he also said he wouldn't let anyone take care of him. He said that everyone getting close to him dies… something about his sister, mother, a fox and a vixen, a ranger and fingers… I don't understand it."

"I do", Mr. Curtis said and managed to keep a straight face. "His sister was killed in a fire and his mother died when she gave birth to the sister."

"Yes I know that."

"The others well… the ranger I think you can understand."

"Yes he said he was from a really bad part of Chicago so I guess that ranger looked after him but got killed."

"Yeah", Mr. Curtis said but he knew who Ranger really was.

"But he said he is a danger to everyone."

"He's depressed and emotionally scared. I think my family can help him, he just needs an outlet for his sorrow."

"Judging by his wounds he got one."

"Yes he was in a fight but he was provoked."

The social worker looked at him and then at the boy in question.

"You really care about this child don't you?" she asked.

"Yes I do, I've never met someone I feel so sorry for before… well someone that young."

"You think you can help him?"

"I will try."

She looked at Steve and sighed.

"Then take him, give him a chance at life. Come to my office tomorrow and we can sign all the papers."

Mr. Curtis shook her hand and then cocked his eyebrow to the police. The guy stepped aside with a small smile. He handed Mr. Curtis a key.

Steve looked up when he felt a hand on his back. He saw that it was Mr. Curtis.

"Oh it's you…" he mumbled.

"Is that a way to say hello", Mr. Curtis laughed.

"I'm not in the mood", Steve said and buried his head again.

"I know son."

"Don't call me that."

"Well, you are mine now."

"Huh", Steve looked up in confusion.

"I'm your new foster parent."

"You're joking."

Mr. Curtis sat down with a sigh.

"I'm not Steve, I came here as soon as I heard what happened and called the social worker. All I need to do is sign some papers tomorrow and you're mine."

Steve felt tears press behind his eyes.

"No", he said and shook his head.

"Yes."

"No you'll get hurt."

Mr. Curtis laughed. "I will not!"

"Yes you will, everyone I care about gets hurt."

"Soda hasn't get hurt."

"Yet…"

"Now listen here Steve, everyone you love won't leave you."

"The trend says otherwise."

"Well I am a known trend-breaker. Now let's go home."

"How exactly… I'm stuck."

Mr. Curtis held up a key and Steve couldn't help the small smile.

"I think this is starting to turn into a habit for us", Mr. Curtis said as they left the hospital behind them.

"Yeah… Next time I'll be dead."

"Don't say things like that."

"It's true…"

"No it isn't, be quiet."

They drove in silence all the way home and when they got there Mr. Curtis took out the car key and looked at Steve.

"You must tell them the truth", he said. Steve looked at him and Mr. Curtis nodded towards the house. Steve saw Soda and the others in the living room and shook his head.

"They were very worried about you", Mr. Curtis went on. "They want to know what made you snap."

"Loss after loss…"

"Yes but they need to know the truth."

"They'll hate me."

"No they won't."

"They won't trust me."

"How do you know that?"

"How do you?"

They looked at each other in the dark and Mr. Curtis sighed.

"Steve you won't know if you don't try."

"Maybe later…"

"No, now. It's now or never. If you don't tell them they surely won't trust you. Do you want to lose them?" Steve's eyes went wide. "You will if you keep quiet about it. Think about it."

Steve looked down at his knees and saw that his clothes were really dirty and some of the stains were blood.

"They'll be scared", he whispered.

"I don't think you can scare Darry." With that Mr. Curtis left the car and Steve stayed behind to think.

"Where's Steve", Soda asked when his father came inside.

"He's outside", Mr. Curtis answered. "He needed some time to think."

"About what", Pony asked.

"Something very important… now I must talk with you one on one Mary", he said and led his wife to their bedroom. The gang looked after them and didn't notice the door open and being shut behind them. Darry was the first to notice and saw Steve stand there looking really fragile, not much unlike Johnny. The others noticed him look at something and followed his gaze. Steve tried to smile.

"Hi", he said softly.

Soda walked over to him and flung his arms around his neck.

"Don't ever do that again", he stated firmly.

"I'm sorry", Steve mumbled.

"What for? For freaking out?"

"For scaring everyone…"

"You did scare me but I don't think you scared Dally or Darry."

Steve looked up at the gang and Darry walked over and patted his shoulder.

"We were worried about you", he said.

"I'm sorry", Steve said.

"It's okay animal boy", Two-Bit said.

"Two-Bit", Soda hissed and let go of Steve.

"It's okay Soda", Steve assured. "I was acting like an animal."

"Is there a reason behind it", Dally asked and Steve nodded.

"Yeah", he said and sighed. "You better sit down… this will take a while."

The gang sat down and Steve took a deep breath.

"I'm from Chicago and it was pretty rough around there. People fought to death everyday and the fuzz arrested so many people for man slaughter I lost count. It was a poor neighborhood and most people didn't get food on their table every day. Someone once asked me what my fondest memory is and I'll tell them. I tell them…"

Steve told them the same story he had told Mr. and Mrs. Curtis and afterwards things would end happily… wouldn't it?

I'm so sorry it took so long to update! I had a writers block on Outsiders fanfiction... I'm really sorry!