(I have read the reviews and some of your ideas are great, and thank you for the ideas, and I'm sorry if it's rushed or anything. And yes slash will be later. I planned a scene for Pony to ask about the gang I planned for Johnny to tell Pony later. I also wanted Darry to turn all the others or a gang of Scos will change the Greaser of your choice. No OC's will be in this fic (but in future ones) when I get enough likes for this. You can suggest ideas for the sequel I'm gonna write. By the way, a familiar character will appear shortly, I dare anyone to guess. I don't own the Outsiders or any of its characters.)

Chapter 7

I was the first one up the next morning. Soda must have pulled my shoes and shirt off for me; I was still wearing my jeans. I got up and pulled the curtain closed I went to take a shower. The water felt good on my skin. The scars from the attack were still there, but slowly healing. I always wondered if Johnny still has his scars. After my shower I put on some clean clothes and spent five minutes or so hunting for a hint of beard on my face and mourning over my hair.

"Anybody home?" a familiar voice called through the front screen, and Two-bit and Steve came in followed by Johnny.

We always just stick our heads into each other's houses and holler "Hey" and walk in. Our front door is always unlocked in case our boys is hacked off at his parents and gets too drunk to make it home. I was usually Steve who we find stretched out on the sofa. Or it might be Dally, who lived anywhere he could. Once we found Tim Shepard, leader of the Shepard gang far from his turf, reading the morning paper in the armchair. He merely looked up, said "Hey" and strolled out.

Now that I know that vampire's exist I'm scared that the Socs will come waltz in and out at whim. And Tim Shepard is a leader of vamps and sat in Darry's favorite chair, reading the paper like nothing was out of the ordinary. That scared me more than any other Soc will.

"In here!" I yelled, forgetting that they had supernatural hearing. "Don't slam the door."

They slammed the door anyway, and Two-bit came running into the kitchen, a blur he caught me by the upper arms and swung me around ignoring the fact that I had two uncooked eggs in my hand.

"Hey, Ponyboy," he cried gleefully, "long time no see."

You would have thought it had been five years instead of five days since I'd seen him last, but I didn't mind. I like ol' Two-bit; he's a good buddy to have. He spun me into Steve, who gave me a playful slap on my back and shoved me across the room. Johnny, who walked in behind them, caught me before I hit the table. One of the eggs went flying. It landed on the clock and I tightened my grip on the other one, so that it crushed and ran all over my hand.

"Now look what you did," I griped. "There went my breakfast. Can't you two wait till I set the eggs down before you go shovin' me all over the country?" I really was a little mad, because I had just realized how long it had been since I'd eaten anything.

"Thanks for catching me Johnny." He let me go and Two-bit and Steve looked at us. "I already know what you guys are so..." I trailed off as I saw Steve lick his extended canines.

Two-bit was walking in a slow circle around me, and I sighed because I knew what was coming.

"Man, dig baldy here!" He was starring at my head as he circled me. "I wouldn't have believed it. I thought all the wild Indians in Oklahoma had been tamed. What little squaw's got that tuff-lookin' mop of yours, Ponyboy?"

"Aw, lay off him." Johnny said.

Steve looked around. "Where's Soda and Superman?"

That was as far as he got, because Darry; shaved and dressed, came in behind Steve and lifted him up off the floor, then dropped him. We all call Darry "Superman" or "Muscles" at one time or another; but one time Steve made the mistake of referring to him as "all brawn and no brains" and Darry almost shattered Steve's jaw. I'd never seen Soda mad at Steve.

Soda came running in. "Where's that blue shirt I washed yesterday?" He took a look at Steve on the floor, grinning.

"Hate to tell you, buddy," Steve said, still flat on the floor, "but you have to wear clothes to work. There's a law or something."

"Oh, yeah," Soda said. "Where's my jeans, too?"

"I ironed them. They're in my closet." Darry said. "Hurry up, you're going to be late."

Soda ran back to the room, with Steve following him and in a second there was the general racket of a pillow fight.

Darry was about to say something to me when I sat next to Johnny who put his arm around me, when Soda and Steve came back into the room. "You know what?" Sodapop said to no one in particular. "When we stomp the Socs good, me and Stevie here are gonna throw a big party and we'll go chase the Socs clear to Mexico."

"Where you gonna get the dough, little man?" Darry said handing me a piece of chocolate cake to me from the fridge.

"I'll think of something!" Sodapop said while putting on his pants.

"We'd better get to work. I hate to leave you by yourself, Ponyboy," Darry said slowly, "Maybe I ought to take the day off."

"I've stayed by my lonesome before. You can't afford a day off."

"Yeah, but you just got back and I really ought to stay..."

"I'll baby-sit him," Two-bit said, ducking as I took a swing at him. "I haven't got anything better to do."

"Why don't you get a job?" Steve said. "Ever consider working for a living?"

"Work?" Two-bit was aghast. "And ruin my rep? I wouldn't be baby-sittin' the kid here if I knew of some good day-nursery open on Saturday's."

I stuck my tongue out at him childishly, Darry looked at me sternly.

He was pulling on his jacket. "You two do up the dishes. You can go to the movies if you want, but Two-bit you keep on eye out for Socs. The sun is supposed to be out sometime today so be sure you guys get back. Johnny, you and Dally go hunting will the sun is still out." He went for the door but stopped and turned to me. "You smoke more than a pack today and I'll skin you. Understand?"

He grinned at me. "Yeah. See y'all this afternoon."

"Bye," I said. I heard our Ford's 'vrrrrooom' and thought Soda's driving. And they left.

Johnny gave me a hug and went toward the door. "Where you going, Johnny?" He turned toward me.

"I'm going to go get Dally and we'll go hunting, then we'll catch up with you guys back here." He gave me a kiss on the lips, which were soft but pulled away. "See you soon, love you Ponyboy." I smiled, a felt a blush appear on my face, "Love you too, Johnny."

He was gone. I got up and started on the dishes when Two-bit asked me a question. "You and Johnny are a thing? I'm glad you guys finally got together," I looked at him, he had a smile on his face but a look in his eyes, "don't go makin' babies you here." He laughed at me when he made me blush. When we finished, I put on the Evangel Charm and we headed for Tenth Street. The sky was cloudy. But not for long.

"I would drive us," Two-bit said as we walked up the street trying to thumb a ride, "but the breaks are out on my car. Almost killed me and Kathy the other night." He flipped the collar of his black leather jacket up to serve as a windbreak while he lit a cigarette. "You oughtta see Kathy's brother. Now there's a hood. He's so greasy he glides when he walks. He goes to the barber for an oil change, not a haircut."

I would have laughed but I saw the familiar blue Mustang that had been trailing us for eight blocks pulled in the parking lot of Tasty Freeze. I almost decided to run and Two-bit must have read my mind, for he shook his head ever so slightly and tossed me a cigarette. As I lit up, the Socs who had jumped Johnny and me at the park hopped out of the Mustang. I recognized Randy Adderson, Marcia's boyfriend, and the boy-David- who pinned me down so Bob can suck my blood. I hated them.

Two-bit put an elbow on my shoulder and leaned against me, dragging on his cigarette. "You know the rules. No jazz before the rumble," he said to the Socs.

"We know," Randy said. He looked at me. "Come here. I want to talk to you."

I glanced at Two-bit. He shrugged. I held onto the Evangel Charm as I followed Randy over to his car, out of range of the rest. I was getting nervous as we sat there in his car for a second.

"I see you have the Evangel Charm," I glanced at him. "I promise not to do anything I just want to talk."

"I'm not going to the rumble tonight." Randy said slowly.

I took a good look at him. He was seventeen or so, but he was really young, for a vampire. Cherry had said her friends were too cool to feel anything, and yet she could remember watching sunsets. Randy was supposed to be cool to feel anything and yet there was pain in his eyes.

"I'm sick of all this. Sick and tired. Bob was a good guy. He was the best buddy a guy ever had. I mean, he was a good hunter and tuff and everything, but he was a real person too. You dig?"

I nodded.

"He's dead-his mother has had a nervous breakdown. They spoiled him rotten. I mean, most parents would be proud of a kid like that- good-lookin' and smart and everything, but they gave in to him all the time. He kept trying to make someone say "No" and they never did, even with mind control. They never did. That was what he wanted. One time..."- Randy tried to grin, but I could tell he was close to tear-"one time he came home with blood on his lips. You know what they did? They thought it was something they'd done. They took all the blame and didn't do anything. I don't know why I'm telling you this."

He looked at me, as I looked down to avoid his gaze.

"And tonight... people get hurt in rumbles, maybe killed. I don't want you to fight in that rumble, you could be killed or worse get bite to let the venom kill you. Besides your bloodsuckers can't win, you know that, don't you?" And when I remained silent he went on: "You can't win, even if you whip us. You'll still be where you were before- at the bottom. And we'll still be the lucky ones with all the breaks. So it doesn't do any good, the fighting and the killing. It doesn't prove a thing. We'll forget if you win, or if you don't. Greasers will still be greasers and Socs will still be Socs. Sometimes I think its the ones in the middle that are really lucky stiffs..." He took a deep breath, I knew it was fake. "So I'd fight if I thought it'd do any good. I think I'm going to leave town. Take my little old Mustang and all the dough I can carry and get out."

"Running away won't help."

"Oh, hell, I know it," Randy half-sobbed, "but what can I do? I marked chicken if I punk out at the rumble, and I'd hate myself if I didn't, I don't know what to do."

"I'd help you if I could," I said. I remembered Cherry's voice: Things are rough all over. I knew then what she meant.

He looked at me. "No, you wouldn't. I'm a vampire. You got get bit, you would die."

"No," I said, "I would be one of you."

He just looked at me- from the way he looked he would have been ten years older than he was. I got out of the car. "You wouldn't like to be one of us," He said. "Unable to grow old, grow up, and have to live on blood without having to be exposing yourself."

I nodded. "I liked our talk."

"Thanks, grease," he said, trying to grin. Then he stopped. "I didn't mean that. I meant, thanks, kid."

"My names Ponyboy," I said. "I hope you show up at the rumble so you can fight with, us."

"If I do," he looked at me, serious look, "I better not see you at the rumble. If you do, I might not be able to control my hunger."

It sounded like a threat, but he winked at me. "Just keep that Evangel Charm on and your safe."

I walked over to Two-bit, and Randy honked for his friends to come and get into the car.

"What'd he want?" Two-bit asked. "What'd Mr. Super Soc have to say?"

"He ain't a Soc," I said, "he's just a guy. He just wanted to talk."

"You want to see a movie before we go find Johnny and Dally?"

"No," I said, lightening up another weed. Things were rough all over, but it was better that way. That way you could tell the other guy was human too.

When we got home you could tell when the sun was coming out, Two-bit was pale, he looked like he was dragging a heavy load. He had bags appear under his eyes that looked like the hadn't slept in a while. I opened the door for him and he collapsed near the TV. Dally was asleep in the recliner. Johnny was laying on the couch. "Pony, you should rest." I wanted to walk to my room, but it was too far, so I laid down near the couch. I heard the familiar sound of our Ford's car pulling in before I fell asleep. Waiting for the rumble tonight.

(AN: I have the rumble undergoing re-writing then FrankElza is going to help along so I can do a better job at writing. Hope you like this chapter till I get the next chapter where Darry tells Pony how they all got turned to Vampires. Soda and Johnny are going to tell Pony on they're own. Sorry again for those who thinks this is rushed. Please review!)