A/N: Please read the lyrics.

Disclaimer: Don't own the Outsiders. Don't own Exit Music (For a Film).

Wake.. from your sleep. The drying of your tears. Today we escape, we escape. Pack.. and get dressed, before your father hears us. Before all hell breaks loose. Breathe, keep breathing. Don't lose your nerve.

"Anyone here?" I threw my bag on the sofa. No one answered. "Darry, Sodapop, Pone?"

Dally took his opportunity and planted himself on the sofa, propping his feet up and grabbing the newspaper and flipping to the comics. He smirked to himself.

I searched the room for a note. Darry usually always left one. "Think they left."

"Really?" he stated sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm going to go get somethin' upstairs. I'll be right back. Stay here."

Stuff was everywhere. I'm terrible at cleaning...getting to the cleaning part anyway. Those magazines needed to be thrown away, the plate on the dresser had been there since last month, and half of the clothes laying everywhere didn't fit me anymore.

"Damn," he cussed as he walked in. "Fuckin' bomb went off."

I tossed a shirt towards the closet. "I'll get around to cleaning it up." He tossed a bra off my bed and lied down on it, staring up down at me. He winked. "Didn't I tell you to stay downstairs?"

He didn't answer. He's like one of them dogs you train and train, send all your money and time on, and it ends up with the dog being too damn stubborn and stupid to learn anything you taught him.

"Never been on your bed before," he said.

I ignored him and sorted through some clothes. "You won't be again if Darry comes home and sees you up here."

I hung a shirt on a hanger when I heard some movement on my bed. I spun around and saw him sitting up and taking his jacket off. He winked again. "Curtis."

"Don't think about it." I pointed a finger at him.

He threw his jacket in the corner and lied back down, just looking at me with those eyes.

I gave him a sour look. "Dally; are you fucking deaf and stupid?"

"Why?"

My eyes popped. "This is my house!"

He grinned. "Come on, Curtis. Live a little."

"Dallas," I hissed. "No."

He smoothed a place beside him on the bed and smirked. He looked like a cat when it purred. "It's been a while. Said it yourself."

I watched him pat the bed and stare at me, his eyes like a child's and a shit-eating grin on his face. It had been a while. He was just a little kid, Dallas Winston. A little five year old, horny, boy who just wanted something.

He wasn't giving up until he got it...and I needed it just as much as him.

His tongue pushed farther into my wind pipe. I slipped my hands under his back and clung to him, taking hold of him until we were finished, making sure he was still there. I drove my nails into the skin on his back.

"Fuck," he moaned. "Fuck."

Two months. I counted. He was working a lot. I was working a lot. I was crying a lot.

After Angela died things changed. Darry stuck to his promise and got me some personal help. Professional. I tried to get Dally to come to sessions but he refused. He was grieving in his own way. Coping.

Things were slowly getting better but sex seemed to never happen. I thought about Angela every day for one thing. Somehow, something would trigger her memory and things like that are hard to get out of your head. Her dead bloody body is something that's hard to get out.

Slowly things pieced back. Dally stayed in the picture. He never said anything about what happened. Never. He never mentioned Angela or Jeff. He was the only one in my life that did that. He's the only one that kept me sane. That still is.

I needed him.

His stomach stared to sweat beads. His muscles started to move every time he went up and then back down. His warm breath smelled like mint and smoke.

I needed this just as much as he did. We deserved it.

He fell down beside me, breathing hard and closing his eyes, enjoying this as much as he could.

"You got a weed?"

I leaned over him and pulled a box off the nightstand and pulled two out. I clicked open the lighter and lit them both.

We lied there smoking and listening to our chests move and our hearts slowing down.

"Dal?"

He blew out a ring of smoke. "What?"

"Have you talked to Tim?"

He got quiet and stared at his cigarette. His chest was still bobbing up and down and sweat was still running down his stomach. He took a drag. "Last week." He laughed. "Bastard got his brains beat out with a cafeteria tray."

I shook my head and took a puff. "Guess that answers my next question then."

"Dumbass is tuff, Curtis." He twisted the stick around his fingers. "It's when he gets out that he's got to worry about."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"I'm gonna kick that motherfucker's ass."

I slumped back down, hitting my back on the wall. "You mean like you did the comic store guy?" I chuckled. "Get his brains all over the counter maybe?"

He sneered.

"You better get outta here." I waved my hand, getting the smoke clear. "Darry will be home anytime."

He lit another cigarette and smirked. "No encore?"

"Now."

He leaned back to where he was in my position and breathed out smoke. "You scared of big bro?"

"Very." I got up and sat at the end of the bed and grabbed my shirt. "I mean it, Dallas." He watched me get my stuff on and brush my hair, still smoking that damn cigarette and smiling that smirky ass grin. "Fine you deal with Darry."

He stayed for a minute then slowly drug his feet out and slipped his jeans on.

I'd want to see the day Darry and Dally really got into it. Like full force. That'd be like two speeding trains hitting over and over again. There's no telling who would win or who would get hurt. Just two trains hitting each other. The outcome was up in the air.

"What was that?" I hissed, easing toward the door and pressing my ear against it. "You hear that?"

He slipped his shirt over his head. "You worry too fucking much."

"Shut-up." There were footsteps outside. Someone was here. "Get your stuff!"

He rolled his eyes and shook his head as he put his arms in the sleeves. "Relax."

Something else moved.

"Dally there is someone down there."

He grabbed his jacket and slung it on. "I'm goin'."

"Danni, you home?" It was Soda. Footsteps were getting closer. "We're back. Sorry we had to pick Kathy up from work and run to the store."

"Oh God!" I ran over and pushed Dally towards the door. "You have to get out of here!"

The door slowly opened. I held my breath as it opened and thought about who I'd rather have on the other end. If it was Darry, no one would make it out of here alive. Soda, on the other hand, would take it but give us that look. Pony...he would laugh and leave.

I needed that kid.

"Danni." Soda barged in with a huge smile on his face. It wasn't there for two seconds. "Oh."

Dally chuckled and put his hands in his pockets. "Ay."

Soda looked us over and did the same. "Hey."

"Is Darry down there?" I asked softly.

He slowly nodded. "Him and Pony both. Danni, um, you might wanna-"

"Soda!" Darry shouted. "Is she up there?"

He looked at me, unsure of what to say. Dally leaned against the wall and smiled. I'd like to see how much he enjoyed this when Darry was busting his face in. Dally didn't care.

"Yeah, Darry!" I answered.

I held my breath as he came up the stairs, stopping as the first thing he saw was his favorite person standing smack dab in front of him in his baby sister's room.

"Darry, uh, Danni was just-"

"Hey," Dally interrupted Soda. "How's it goin'?"

The only thing anyone could hear was Darry breathing. Just heavily breathing through his nose and the sound of his fists clinching. He tried to say something but nothing came out.

"Darry," Kathy came running. "What do you want? Hamburgers or-" she stopped and stared at us. "Chili..."

"What are you doing up here?" Darry finally asked.

I clunged to Dally's arm, standing in the way of Darry's aim. "You should go," I whispered. "Now."

Darry was blocking the whole door. Soda was inside, staring at the floor and Kathy was behind Darry, just nervously trying to find what to say next.

"Guess I'll see ya'll later." Dally patted Soda on the back and scrambled past Darry and out the door not even making eye-contact.

We all stood there. No one saying anything.

Downstairs, the front door slammed shut. I took that as a sign and sped past Darry and down the stairs.

"Don't think you're getting out of this one!" He ran after me. "What were you doing?"

I tried to walk into the kitchen, still ignoring him.

"Danielle, I'm talking to you!" I turned around at the sound of my full name and crossed my arms over my chest. "What were you doing up there?"

Kathy was right behind us. "Darry-"

"We were playing cards, Darry," I sassed, tapping my foot. "We were talking," I quickly changed my tone. "I'm sorry. I know the rules."

He glared his face turning from pink to red. "This isn't funny."

Kathy stepped in-between us, and faced him. She put her hand on his chest and rubbed his arm. "Let me talk to her. You're not helping here."

He looked over her, only looking at me. I rubbed my shoulder and stared at the floor. He had a right to be upset and I knew he did. No boys in your room, that was the only rule. The main rule.

He pulled away from her and went outside, not saying another word.

Kathy sighed and rubbed her head.

"Kat, I'm sorry," I said. "I really am. I didn't mean for-"

She spun around and took a deep breath. "I know you didn't. Just...he doesn't want to think about that and he's got a lot going on and you know that Danni. He has a hard enough time with even thinking about you two together."

"We're gonna have sex Kathy, he knows that-"

"Not in the house." She slumped down on the sofa and covered her face. "So much for him and Dally gettin' along, ey?"

I sighed and sat down beside her. "I'm so sorry."

She chuckled and sat back. "Guess I don't have to tend that relationship."

"I didn't mean to-"

"You didn't mean to get caught."

I just stared at her. Kathy had never talked to me this way before. Being the only girl in the house, she'd always take my side. Always. I was always out voted but now that she was here, things changed. She'd back me up. That's why we were friends. That's why she was Kathy.

She let out a laugh. "You know I fought with him for two hours one night about you and Dally?" I just looked at her. "He didn't want to have dinner. He didn't want him in the house Danni but stupid me, I was trying to fix it."

"Kat-"

"I almost had him. I told him about how responsible you were and how you'd never let anything happen. You were smart." She shook her and stood up. "So much for that."

"Why are you blaming me?" I chased after her.

She turned back around. "You had sex with him in your room! Under his roof, Danni. How is that not your fault?"

"Kat-"

"What if you get pregnant?" she asked. "What then Danni? Have you ever thought about that?"

"We use protection."

She ran her hand through her hair. "You think that helps? Things happen, Danni!" She stomped into the kitchen.

"Look Kathy," I followed her. "I'm real sorry about this. Look if you knew how long we've gone without having sex then you'd know how bad it was to say no. I mean I know-"

"You just couldn't say no?" She looked me in the eye showing how drained she was. "Danni."

"I'm sorry." I said again. "I'm sorry Kathy."

She jumped up on the counter. "He's going to be pissed. I don't know if I can get you out of this one."

I winced. "How bad?"

She shrugged and rubbed her head again. "I'll do my best to keep you alive."

She was quiet for a while. Darry had never had this problem before. Darry's the type of person that if he doesn't hear about sex, see it, or have to talk about it, he's fine. I just brought it to him.

Kathy let out a sigh. "Well it's not like Darry doesn't do it here anyway." My mouth dropped and she laughed. "Consider that your punishment."

"You two?"

"What, you thought you were the only one in this family?" She jumped off and headed out after Darry. She didn't stop laughing.

Touché, Kathy. Touché.

She was sitting up in her room, the book she couldn't put down in her lap.

Two-Bit was out again and her mother had taken enough sleeping pills to where she wouldn't be waking up for a while. It was just her tonight.

Something began to tap her window. "Emily."

She knew that voice. She'd been hearing it a lot lately. They'd been seeing a lot of each other these past few weeks. She could depict his sound from anywhere. She loved it. It made chill bumps on her skin.

She leaped across her bed and unlatched her window. "Ronnie, what are you doing here?"

He beamed up and her and stepped into her room. "See you. What'd ya think?"

She couldn't help but giggle as he came in and took a seat on her bed. This was the first time anyone had ever talked to her like this.

"Pink," he smirked, looking around at the walls. "Cute."

She blushed.

"What are you doin'?" he asked her.

Emily shrugged and sat down beside him. "Reading. What are you doing?"

He flashed her a full teeth showing smile. He had a beautiful smile. She caught on to that the first time she met him. "Let's get outta here?"

"What?"

He stood up. "Let's get out of this town!" He got down to her level and looked her in the eyes. "I mean it, Em. Come with me."

This took her by shock. She hadn't known him that long. They've never been out on a date. They've never held hands. They've never done anything. They barely knew each other outside of phones calls and the few times she'd shown up and the DX and he was there. What was this?

"What are you talking about Ronnie?" she asked. "Where would we go?"

He stood back up and threw his hands down. "Anywhere!"

She could smell a scent of beer on his breath. She'd smelt worse. Two-Bit, when he was drunk, wasn't like that. Ronnie wasn't drunk. He was just...she didn't know.

"I can't leave!" Emily stated like it was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard. "I...I-"

He grabbed her hands and held them. "You what?" He shook her lightly. "See you don't have an excuse!"

"Ronnie I-"

He stopped her. He grabbed the back of her head and pushed it toward him. He pressed his lips gently on hers and then pressed harder. He could feel her face turning red.

He grinned at her as he pulled back, his eyes begging for her just to hear him out. "Come on," he said softly.

She didn't know what to say. Everything was happening so fast. That was her first kiss. She just had her first kiss.

"What have you got here?" he asked. "I can give you the world Emily. Run away with me."

She took a minute and looked around her room at everything. Never would she see herself here. This was something her friends always talked about. Something Danni would always talk about. They all had boyfriends. They were all in love and for so many years she envied them. She wanted this.

"Emily," he breathed out, rubbing her hand. "Come with me. I need you."

What would they do? She asked herself. What would they do right now in this situation? This once in a lifetime situation. What would Danni do?

She turned her head and looked into his eyes. Those stupid blue eyes. "Let's go."

Breathe, keep breathing. I can't do this alone. Sing.. us a song a song to keep us warm. There's such a chill, such a chill. You can laugh a spineless laugh. We hope your rules and wisdom choke you. Now we are one in everlasting peace.

A/N: Dally/Danni action. Next chapter should be a little bit more exciting.