Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders or the song Run This Town.

Life's a game but it's not fair I break the rules so I don't care. So I keep doin' my own thing walkin' tall against the rain. Victory's within the mile. Almost there, don't give up now. Only thing that's on my mind Is who's gonna run this town tonight.

Darry threw a blanket over my knees and handed me a cup of hot tea. Evie and Steve went home as soon as they dropped me off. Evie was too shaken up to walk even and Steve was like a bomb getting ready to explode. They both just needed to rest for a while.

"So this rumble is going to happen?" Ponyboy asked Two-Bit. "It's official?"

Two-Bit crossed his legs and scraped the tips of his finger nails. "We're plannin' a big one. They ain't gonna catch us with our panties down!"

Darry went back into the kitchen, ignoring the details Two-Bit kept going on about the rumble. Darry once was right there on the edge of his seat, eager to get in on the action. Darry was getting old. He wouldn't participate in this one. His glory days were over.

Soda sat quietly unknown on the other side of the room with a pack of ice on his cheek. Once he caught word of what had happened he dropped Jennie off and came home….his night was over anyway,

Darry came back into the room and noticed him. "What happened to you?"

Soda fumbled with his legs, trying to get comfortable. Two-Bit chuckled. "Got into a tussle with ol' Buck is what he did."

"What'd you go doin' that for?" Darry asked.

Soda scowled, still angry. "He deserved it."

Darry looked at Two-Bit for further explanation. "Hittin' on his girl, that's what."

"He was drunk," Soda said. "He kept comin' on to her, touchin' her and stuff. He did it right in front of my face and even after she told him to stop. He was askin' for it."

Two-Bit snickered and leaned back. "Hey, he got one good punch in before Buck threw him out, flat on his ass!"

"Doesn't Jennie live with Buck?" Pony asked.

"She moved out a few weeks ago," I said. "He wouldn't leave her alone and she got fed up with all the noise and parties."

Soda groaned as Darry further examined the damage. "Socked ya pretty good, Pepsi."

Soda moved from his touch and pouted. "Yeah. So much for a date with no disasters happenin'."

Darry stretched out and yawned. "You all seemed to have an eventful evening." He turned to me. "You and Pone go get ready for bed. It's late. I wanna talk to all three of you in a minute."

Two-Bit stood up and stretched out. "Nighty night Curtis family."

After we all got changed Darry instructed us all to go back into the living room. He sat us all down and said sternly: "I'm only going to say this once so listen. I don't want any of you in this rumble or whatever it's going to be. It's getting too big and frankly, it doesn't concern us."

"Darry," Soda protested. "They went after Dan, Dal, and Evie. It kinda concerns us."

Darry shook his head, not budging. "Sodapop you listen here, I don't want you goin' in on that. What they do to us isn't the problem. It happens anyway."

"Darry-"

"No!" Darry's voice rose. "I ain't goin' to worry about something happening to this family again because of a bunch of stupid kids thinkin' they have to get revenge for every little thing that goes wrong. You're not goin' Sodapop."

Soda pouted, folding his arms over his chest. "It's my responsibility to protect them," he pointed to us. "To protect our friends!"

"Well right now you're my responsibility," Darry got stern. "And I'll be damned if I let you get in on that and something happens to you. Look at your face now!"

Soda grew defensive for the first time. "I can hold my own, you taught me that much. I'm eighteen Darry. You did this all the time when you were my age. You're treating me like a kid! You even let Pony fight in the last rumble."

"That was different!" Darry's voice rose. "They went after our family then. It was more important than this stupid battle against who's more macho! It's a pointless battle."

Soda stood up from the couch. Pony and my eyes followed him. "They went after Danni. They went after our family. Who knows what they'll do to any of us next! I'm not going to let them run over us."

"Then I'll take care of it if they decide they want to mess with us!"

"Hell Darry!" Soda threw his arms in the air. "You always say that. It's not your job to protect me anymore. I'm not a little kid anymore! I'm eighteen – an adult. If I wanna fight, you gotta let me fight."

Darry swooped his hand over his head and deeply sighed. He flashed back around and faced Soda. He pointed a finger in his face. "Hey, no matter how old you are, you're still my kid brother. And as long as that stands, I'm always going to be in charge of you."

"Why is that?"

Darry grinned slyly. "Because I'm the oldest. That means I'm the coolest brother, thus I control the weaklings like you."

Soda held back a smile. "I'll show you weak."

Darry ruffled his hair and grinned. "No fighting, little buddy. I mean it. This stuff ain't our fight."

"Dar-"

"You dig?"

Soda gave up and mumbled, "Yeah, Dar. I dig."

So there is the rule that stands. The one not to be broken. Don't go near the rumble. Don't talk about the rumble. Don't mention it. And whatever you do, don't fight. Stay away from the fire. Those are the rules.

I'd been caked to my bed for two days now. Dally hadn't called in a while and I don't think he will until he calms down or I do, either one. I got his point about Ronnie. That didn't upset me….it surprised me. I'd seen firsthand how much Dally would sacrifice for someone he cared about but, even now, it takes me back, especially when he's doing it for a relative he left and wanted nothing to do with.

The picture of Randy from the other night stuck in my head. The way he smelled, the way he just stood there, the way he defended everything. Randy and Sam were the two that went hand and hand. Michael was always the one left out. Michael was always the quiet one when I first met him. When I first met him, that is.

That wasn't Randy...not the one I remembered, going alone with something he knew wasn't right. He was going after my friends and my family. Something he promised he'd never do. Something they all had promised.

There was a tap at the window. Another one, another one, another one. Then there was a hiss, "Danni!"

I rolled myself off the sweaty bed and crawled over to my window. I clinched the window seal in anger. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He dropped the small rocks that were in his hands. "I need to talk to you."

I looked beside me at the scratched window pane. "So you use a phone? Or maybe the front door?"

"Your brothers are in there." He swallowed. "And so is Matthews."

I sighed, grabbing my jacket and climbing out of the window and landing on the grass. "Where have you been? I heard someone posted bail?"

He leaned against the fence, his hand slightly twitching. "Yeah. I was with some family for a while. I thought it'd get the cops off my tail for a while."

"How'd that work out?"

"They got a new lead in the investigation," he said nervously. "I'm not sure what it is but some people have told me to watch my back. That they might be coming after me."

I buried my hands in my pockets. "Have you talked to Dally?"

He nodded. "He told me just to go. The cops though man, I don't know what to do."

"If Dally's going to take the blame then take his advice and leave." I buried my hands further into my pockets. "He knows what he's doing so if he tells you to do something, then you should do it."

He looked at the ground and kicked his shoe. "There's something else."

"What?"

He gazed up at me timidly. "I can't go without doing something. I can't go…..without Emily."

I couldn't help but laugh. Every bone in my body was twitching with anger and annoyance. I could not believe what I was hearing let along comprehend it. Everything Dally was doing for him and he wanted to complicate things with this.

"It's not funny," he said, irritated. "I like her a lot whether you people want to believe it or not!"

My laughing silenced. "You people? You have a lot of nerve saying that."

He pressed his lips together and looked up at the sky. "I didn't mean it like that. I really do like her. She wants to come. It's just-"

"Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?" I asked. "You want me to help you take Emily with you."

He slowly nodded. He sucked in a breath of air. "She wants to come with me. I just need some help and getting her away from her family. Then we'll leave and you'll never hear from us again."

"She's fourteen," I pointed out. "That's kidnapping and you'll defiantly go to jail once they catch you no matter how old you are. Have you even considered what her family wants?"

I watched as his hands twitched into fists. "She wants to go. Her family doesn't understand her. You of all people should know what that feels like."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Dally and I talk more than you think."

Steam was building up inside of me. How could Dally have told him about me and my family? That was a long time ago. Dally wouldn't have brought it up again to him and for what? What reason would he have in doing that? Ronnie was lying.

I bit my tongue and got out, "Ronnie, you need to just leave. There's nothing more you can do here."

He stood his ground, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm not leaving without Emily."

"What?" I asked, exhausted with the conversation. I rubbed my temple hard. "That's not going to happen. She's only fourteen, Ron! Forget about it!"

"I'm not leaving here without her."

I rubbed my aching head and thought for a minute. "If she goes with you then they'll just arrest you, ruining everything we're trying to do here."

"What is your problem? If this were you and Dally you'd go with him."

"Depending," I said. "And I'm not exactly liking the idea of my boyfriend taking the blame for you. I accepted it. You're family and I get he's trying to protect you. Whatever. I'm not too keen on the idea of you taking away a fourteen year old girl in the middle of the night and going right back to jail and ruining everything! Sorry Ronnie, you're not my favorite person at the moment."

He slumped his hands in his pockets and pouted. "I can't control what Dally does and it just eats you up that you can't either. I can't help it that he wants to do this for me. You're just mad because you don't think he'd do the same for you."

"You don't know me," I growled. "I just met you. Don't go trying to judge me. You came to me for help. Insulting my relationship isn't going to get you anywhere."

His face didn't change back to the nervous kid look he once had on. He remained cocky as ever. "Sorry. You're right; I am in no position to judge your relationship. So can you help me or not?"

"I'm not helping you take her."

"C'mon!" he shouted, kicking around. "You owe me!"

I jumped towards him, the conversation reaching new grounds. "I owe you nothing! If anything you owe me and everyone else in this God-for-saken town for causing all of this!"

"I didn't do anything."

"Yeah right."

It was silent. I needed a cigarette. My hands were shaking. The nerve of this kid to come to my house and say these things. The nerve of him to even show up here after everything.

"Listen," he said, walking towards me. "I'm sorry about Dally. I really am. Please though, Danni. Help me! I really need someone on my side….we're practically family, aren't we?"

I gaged at the word. "What's your plan?"

He beamed. "I got a place in New York. I figure we take the four o'clock train tomorrow and hide out there for a while. I just gotta sneak Emily out and then-"

"The fuck you will!"

"Two-Bit!"

He rushed out of the house, lightning speed. He charged toward Ronnie, who stood his ground and quickly started rambling, trying to defend himself. Soda was right behind Two-Bit, trying to calm the situation, Steve cheering on a good fight that we all knew was about to happen. It was way over due at this point.

"I don't care if you're Dal's kid brother or not! You touch her, and you'll be face down in the dirt before you can even lift a finger to scratch your ass!" Two-Bit cornered him, getting right in his face. "You've got balls kid. I'll give you that. Coming down here, thinking you can take her away."

Ronnie seemed unphased by this point. A sly grin appeared on his face. "Seem to have worked the first time."

Blood went gushing all over the dying grass. I backed away from the punches. Soda went toward them and Steve inched closer to get a better look. This was meant to happen. It had needed to be done. I wasn't about to interfere.

Two-Bit grabbed Ronnie's shirt and pinned him against the fence. "Say it again! Say it again!"

Despite the blood and snot coming from his nose, Ronnie still managed to put on that trademark smile of the Winston's. "It happened right under your watch. Big brother wasn't watching baby sister close enough."

"Ronnie!"

I'd never seen Two-Bit put that much force into a shot. You could hear the smashing of bone on bone. Blood spewed automatically. Two-Bit's hand was covered with Ronnie's blood along with his own from just how hard he had packed the punch. He put everything in those two punches. Everything he had been building up.

He pinned him up again. "You think she'd ever go with someone like you? I see better looking shit in the toilet in the morning than I do on your face."

"That's not what Emily said."

Soda rushed in this time, just not in time. He tried to create a barrier between the two, only getting shoved quickly out of the way. He tried to calm Two-Bit, but this was his fight. He wasn't going to let go so easily.

"Who's the tough guy now?" Two-Bit spewed shaking Ronnie. "Who's the big bad greaser. Just 'cause you murder a kid, doesn't make you king. You gotta play by the rules in these parts."

He lifted his hand back and brought it back down just below Ronnie's belt. Ronnie gasped and doubled over, coughing uncontrollably. Two-Bit didn't let any room between them. He got right back in Ronnie's face.

"You don't mess with my sister." Punch. "You don't look at her." Punch. "You don't fucking dare think about her." Punch.

Ronnie gasped trying to catch a small breath. He, like all like him, didn't back down. "Not even in the shower?"

PUNCH.

"Hey, Two!"

The screen door banged as Darry and Kathy joined us. Darry rushed over to where Soda was, trying to break up the fight, and ended it his way. He lifted Two-Bit off the ground, spinning him behind him, and setting him down, all without taking his eyes off Ronnie who was bent over, collecting what little air supply he had left.

"He's trying to take Em to fucking York!"

Darry kept a tight hold on the raging maniac. "What are you doing here, Ronnie?"

"He came to talk to me," I answered for him. "He's leaving town tomorrow...aren't you Ronnie?"

Ronnie didn't respond. It wasn't clear if he could or not. Everyone stood and stared as blood and spit ran down his throat. Everyone waited patiently for a response, even Two-Bit.

"I-I can't...leave without...her."

Two-Bit tried to lunge again, Darry created a barrier, holding him back. Steve and Soda joined in this time trying to keep the bull in his pin. Everyone was yelling and screaming, Two doing the majority of it. Ronnie seemed unconcerned, but lifted himself up into a standing position.

He exchanged a look with me, his eyes pleading. His lips mouthing, "We're family. Right?"

I turned to the four people standing on the other side of the yard. I sighed and walked towards them, standing at Darry's side. "You've done enough," I said. "We're cleaning up the mess...just get out of here Ronnie. For good."

Darry calmed Two-Bit down enough to where there was silence. Ronnie's face was pure white and hard. He respectfully nodded, and limped to the gate. "I'm sorry. I really am...for everything."

"The best thing you can do at this point is leave," Darry explained. "Get out...now!"

He complied with requests. He didn't mouth off again. He sunk his head down, put his hands in his pockets, and walked down the sidewalk alone. Dallas Winston's baby brother left as quick as he came. All alone, never to be seen or heard from again.

It was starting.

Feel it comin' in the air, hear the screams from everywhere. I'm addicted to the thrill. It's a dangerous love affair. Can't be scared when it goes down. Got a problem, tell me now. Only thing that's on my mind is who's gonna run this town tonight... Is who's gonna run this town tonight... We gonna run this town.