Separated Chapter 6, an outsiders fanfic

A/N- Here's chapter 6 guys! YAY! Sorry it took so long. It was supposed to be posted on The Outsiders 30th anniversary, but my luck sucks, and the internet went all dfvvbdhvj for that whole week. I realized that I spelt 'Pony' wrong almost EVERY time last chapter, so sorry about that :-s
Enjoy!
Disclaimer- I don't own The Outsiders, S E Hinton does. And Always will ;) I only own a few of my characters.

Chapter six

Darry's POV

"Where in the almighty universe is Steve?" Soda asked for the millionth time today.

He was pacing back and forth across the tent, making me dizzy.

"Quit pacing Soda, or I'll nail you to the ground. It's Steve, he'll be fine." I didn't mean to snap at him, but I was worried about Steve too.

Soda sighed and sat down on the ground beside his duffel-bag. He instantly stood up, unable to sit still for more than a second.

"I'm going to go see if we have any letters." He muttered, walking out of the tent.

"Be careful!" I shouted out to him.

"I'm worried about Steve." Two-bit said, making me jump slightly.

"I know, I am too, it wouldn't have taken him this long to go get water knowing we're here worrying about him."

"Yeah, d'you think he's okay? Maybe he just got lost or something?" Two-bit said hopefully.

I smiled at him, but I knew he was wrong. Three days is a long time to be gone for someone who was just getting water from a creek one hour away from camp.

"He'll be fine." I said, trying to calm us both down.

"Yeah, I guess. He's Steve." Two-bit chuckled humourlessly.

I sighed.

"I hope we get a letter from Pone. It's driving me crazy, him not being close to me. I mean, I'm his guardian for a reason. I'm supposed to protect him, how am I supposed to do that when he's not with me?" I ranted, completely changing the subject.

Two-bit just listened. It was hard for him to; Pony was his brother as much as Soda and I.

"He's a strong kid," he said after a minute of silence, "He'll make it through this. That kid has nine lives." He chuckled.

I grinned, it was true. Pony really did have nine lives. He'd make it through anything- even this damn war.

Soda's POV

"Be careful!" Darry shouted out to me.

I nodded, and then realized he probably couldn't see me, but I moved on anyway.

Our troop leader's tent was fairly close to ours, and I got there within 30 seconds.

I unzipped his tent and walked in, not bothering to ask first.

"Mr Curtis, what can I do for you?" He asked in a bored voice.

I glared at the man. He was short and chubby, maybe in his late 50's. I didn't like him, he was an asshole.

"Do I have any letters, sir?" I asked as politely as I could.

He rummaged through stacks of papers on his desk. He stopped and held up a letter.

He handed it to me and I sighed with relief when I saw Pony's neat handwriting scrawled on the envelope.

"Thanks." I said, walking out without another word.

I speed walked back to my tent.

"Darry!" I said ecstatically.

"Letter from Pony?" He asked, hopping up from his cot.

"Yeah." I ripped open the envelope eagerly.

Dear Soda, Darry, Two-bit and Steve,
I'm alright. It's good to hear that you're all okay, I've been worried. Very unfortunate for Steven though, I hope he didn't have kids. My troop just moved camp and we were attacked on the way, no one was injured or killed. I killed someone though, and I feel guilty as hell. Yeah, yeah I know. It isn't my fault...but still. I hope I see you guys soon, I miss you. Love you all.
-Ponyboy Curtis.
I read the letter out loud.

Two-bit sighed. "He shouldn't feel guilty for nothin', it's not his fault the government are assholes."

Darry nodded his head in agreement.

"We should write back now, tell him that Steve is MIA." I said bitterly.

"Steve's fine Pepsi-cola, have a little faith in him." Darry said soothingly.

I muttered curse words under my breath but nodded to make him happy.

Darry shoved past me and walked over to his duffel-bag, taking out paper and a pen.

"You wanna write it this time?" He asked, holding the pen and paper out to me. I nodded and took it from him.

Dear Ponyboy,
Please don't feel guilty about anything, it ain't your fault little buddy. I have some bad news, Steve is missing, he didn't come back from collecting water. I really hope he's okay, maybe he's just lost or something. Anyway, be safe Pone. Darry, Two-bit and I love and miss you. See ya soon honey.
-Sodapop Curtis.

I handed the letter to Darry so he could read it. He smiled and nodded in approval.

"I'll go get an envelope." He muttered, walking out of the tent.

"Steve ain't okay, Two. I can feel it. I know that sounds crazy but he's in trouble."

The look on Two-bit's face told me he believed me, not that he wanted to admit it.

I sighed and flopped down onto my cot.

"Let's hope for a miracle." I muttered to myself.

"It's late, get some sleep Soda." Two-bit said.

Normally I would have protested, but I was unconscious as soon as I closed my eyes.

YYYYYYYYYYY X

I woke up in cold sweat, shaking like a leaf.

I walked outside to see if there was any danger. Satisfied that everything was okay, I walked back in.

"Soda?" I jumped a little at Darry's voice, "You okay, little buddy?" He asked, groggily.

I nodded and walked over to his cot.

"Can I stay here?" I asked, gesturing to the empty side of his cot.

"Sure you can." He said, patting the spot next to him.

"Thanks Darry." I smiled, lying down next to him.

I moved in closer and he put his arm around me. It was comforting.

"I remember when this was Pony and I." I whispered, a sad smile on my face.

"We'll see him soon." Darry said reassuringly.

"Yeah I know," I sighed, "I just miss him."

"I know, so do I. Who knows? Maybe we'll come across him soon?"

I chuckled.

"Yeah, that'd be great."

"Ay, shut up. I'm tryna sleep over 'ere." Two-bit said, almost incoherently.

"Suck it up, princess." I joked.

"Whatever, Curtis." He said, sitting up and looking at me. "Awh! Well ain't that just the cutest thing you've ever seen!" He said cheekily.

"Better shut it, or I'll drop you on your head. Not that it would make a difference." Darry said sassily.

"Woah, okay Superman!" He replied good naturedly.

"Well, since you bastards woke me up, you gotta tell me a funny story so I can go back ta sleep." He said with a cheeky grin. "Preferably a Pony one."

"That rule only applied at home, and only when Pony woke you up, idiot." I said.

"Well hey now, don't get ya knickers in a twist. Pony ain't here!" He stated.

I looked over at Darry and he shrugged, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"Okay, but only one!"

"Woop!" Two-bit hollered.

"D'you want the one where he was 4 or the one where he was 15?" I asked.

"15, obviously." He replied, a huge grin plastered on his face.

"Okay, Darry, you didn't know about this! Promise you won't get angry?"

He sighed.

"Depends on how bad it is."

"Not telling then!" I said stubbornly.

"C'mon Darry! This happened 2 years ago, Pony is a big boy now." Two-bit said impatiently.

"Fine, but don't think I won't have something to say about it if it's bad." He said gruffly.

I grinned.

*FLASHBACK*

Steve and I had taken Pony to Buck's one Saturday in summer break.

We had been there for a few hours, chatting to Curly Shepard and playing pool.

I remember Curly teasing Pony because I wouldn't let him drink...Pony didn't mind though, he was pretty content with his Pepsi.

After a few more games of pool, Angela Shepard came and joined us.

"What're ya doing 'ere, Ang?" Curly asked.

Angela smirked at him and grabbed Pony's arm tightly. The look on Pony's face was hysterical, a mix between horror and embarrassment.

"Me and Pony here are gonna dance, gotta problem with that, Curls?"

Curly chuckled and waved her off and started talking to Steve.

Pony looked at me, 'Help me' was written all over his face. I smirked and shook my head.

"Have fun!" I called out, earning a glare from Pony in return.

"Kid's gonna bite your head off when we get home." Steve chuckled, enjoying the look of discomfort on Pony's face. "I think he likes that Cathy broad. Y'know, the one with the kid brother who had an acid trip?"

"Oh yeah! ..She's pretty cute." I replied.

"Yeah, I think she likes him too. Evie told me that Cathy's been asking around about him."

Well, of course. Who wouldn't like my kid brother? "Aww, she can be his first kiss!" I joked.

Steve grinned, he was looking over my shoulder.

"I don't think Cathy will be his first kiss, man." He replied.

I spun around and instantly cracked up laughing.

Angela had grabbed hold of Pony's face and was literally sticking her tongue down his throat.

Pony looked terrified; his eyes wide open in shock. He pulled away from her and turned a shade of red I had never seen before.

Then he turned an even brighter red when he saw that almost everyone in the room had stopped what they were doing to stare at them.

Pony walked away blushing when a chorus of 'Ooooo's' had erupted the room, Steve and I trailing behind trying to hold in our laughs.

"It wasn't funny!" Pony said moodily when he saw the looks on our faces.

"Yes kid, it was." Steve chuckled. "Maybe we should stop callin' ya kid now! Horseman."

That did it for me; I erupted into a fit of laughter which also set Steve off.

"I hate you both." Pony mumbled, a small grin spreading across his face.

"Love you too, little brother." I replied, slinging an arm over his shoulder.

"So, how was it?" Steve piped in, winking at Pony, making him blush again.

"I...I didn't like it." Pony said, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"What if Cathy kissed ya? You wouldn't mind that very much." Steve chuckled, Pony grimaced.

"How'd you know?" He said breathlessly.

"We didn't, but thanks for telling us!" Steve and I both cracked up again while Pony blushed.

"That was cruel." He said, moody again.

*END OF FLASHBACK*

"Why'd you never tell me about that?" Darry asked a little offended, but he was grinning.

"We didn't wanna get in trouble, and Pony was embarrassed!" I said defensively, giving a little chuckle.

Darry barked out a laugh. "Yeah, I bet he was."

"Oh man, I'm never gonna let the kid forget that. When I see him next, I'm gonna congratulate him! Angela Shepard is one hot broad." Two-bit smirked.

"Two, you're 5 and a half years older than her. That's disgusting." Darry stated.

"Yeah, so? Kathy was 3 years older than me." He said.

"That was different." I said.

"I don't see how." He argued.

I sighed. "It just is, Two-bit."

Darry seeing that this was going to turn into a huge argument joked, "Okay, break it up love birds."

I grinned at him while Two-bit glared at the ground, unhappy that his point wasn't going to be made.

"I wonder what the kid is doing now." Two-bit said instead of continuing the almost argument. I wouldn't of either, Darry can get mighty mean.

"Well he's either sitting, doing nothing like us or fighting." Darry said.

"Or, some of those entertainment girls are where he is and they're keeping him company," I joked, Darry laughed.

"Pony is scared of girls." He replied, sending me and Two-bit into a fit of laughter.

"Don't let him hear ya say that Dar, the kid will skin you." Two-bit laughed, gasping for air.

"Oh, I know."

Pony's POV

I could hug Marcus!

He agreed on letting Steve stay with us, saying he'll let the big tide know about it- hopefully they'll agree.

Marcus said they most likely would because their all too busy with bigger projects then to actually give a crap about one lone soldier. Steve took offence to that with a curt reply of 'The can kiss my ass', the spitting on the ground.

"This is great, Pone! We should write to Soda, Darry and Two. Let them know I'm here, ya dig?"

"I dig." I replied happily.

Before I could grab a piece of paper ad a pen from my bag, Eric came loping in, a grin on his face like always.

"What's up, Eric?"

"Mail, Curtis. Says it's urgent." He said, handing it to me.

On the front was Soda's handwriting.

"It's from Soda!" I smiled cheerfully.

Steve ripped it out of my hands, already impatient and read.

"Aww, they're worried about me!" Steve joked.

"I don't see why." I mumbled back, earning an elbow to the ribs by Steve.

"Don't get mouthy." He said.

"Let's write back now then." I said, reaching for the pen and paper.

Soda, Darry, Two-bit,
You'll never believe who is with me now! ...Okay, I'll tell you. It's Steve! I saved his sorry butt from one of the big POV camps by the river. Marcus has given permission for him to stay with me. Y'all can have him back if you want, but let me tell you, it's great seeing a familiar face again, even if it is Steve. He says hey, by the way. I love you all, be safe!
-Ponyboy Curtis

I re-read the letter for spelling and grammar errors, and when I didn't find any, I stuck it in an envelope.

"I'm going to go put this on Marcus' desk." I said, looking at Steve.

"Wait a sec!" He interjected.

"Mmm?"

He grabbed the letter out of my hand and picked up the pen I left on the ground.

He handed it back after writing something on the front.

URGENT!

I grinned at him, fully aware that they would now get the letter within a day or two.

"Sneaky." I stated, impressed.

"Yeah, but what can they do?" He smirked.

"Kill ya." I joked, he rolled his eyes. "Be back in a sec!" I said, walking out into the hot air.

"Be careful!" He shouted after me.

Marcus' tent was only a few down from mine so it was impossible to get into any trouble.

I walked straight in, not bothering to ask or knock first, like always.

"Christ, Curtis, don't you ever knock? You don't know what I could be doing in 'ere." He lectured.

"Yeah, and I'm pretty sure I don't want to know what you do in here, Marcus." I replied, sassily.

"Smartass." He muttered. I grinned, it was true.

"I gotta letter. Can you send it off tonight, please?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever." He said, bored.

"You better! It's important!" I nearly yelled.

"Okay, okay, I'll do it now." He grumbled.

"Thanks!" I said brightly, a smug smile on my face.

I walked out after saying bye, and returned to my tent where Steve was waiting.

"All done?" He asked.

"Yep! He's gonna send it now." I said happily.

"Good, good!" He shared my enthusiasm.

"Where's Eric?"`

"Left about a minute ago." Steve replied.

"Curtis!" Eric came running into my tent. Speak of the devil.

"What?" I asked worriedly, expecting an ambush.

"Ralph's gone A-wall. He's beating on Marcus." And with that, all three of us were out of the tent and running towards what looked like a fist fight between Marcus and Ralph.

"Wow! Wow, calm down!" I yelled, trying to break up the fight.

"Piss off, Curtis." Ralph snapped harshly.

"What's ya problem?" I snapped back, balling my fists.

"He thinks he doesn't get enough action." Marcus said through clenched teeth.

"Why in the hell would you think that?" I said angrily.

"Because it's true! You, Warren and the kid getta do everything!" He spat.

And, do you think I enjoy it?" I cursed. "Grow the hell up, man."

"I'll grow up when I get stuff to do!"

"Fine! Next mission, you go on ahead and take lead. See how much you like it then you little shit." Marcus said hotly.

"Yeah, but don't come crying to us when you find it to be too much of a challenge for you." I added.

"You're just pissed you don't get to be the hero, like always." He said, smirking at me.

"I don't ever try and be a hero, asshole. Get the hell away from me before your face breaks my fist." I said, shaking with anger. That comment pissed me off.

He huffed, but walked away, not taking any chances.

"He's bloody crazy." I muttered to Steve.

"He needs a damn hospital. Not even I get that angry!" He replied, looking a little pissed.

"Cheers, Curtis." Marcus said, slapping my shoulder, "He woulda kicked my ass, good." He chuckled.

"No problem." I said flatly, still a little angry.

"Well, I got stuff to do, places to be." Marcus said, feeling the tension.

I nodded. Steve, Eric and I walked away.

"I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat." Steve said, trying to distract me.

It worked. At the mention of food, my stomach growled, telling me I hadn't eaten all day.

"Yeah, me too." I said.

I followed Steve and Eric to the food tent, not yet realizing that trouble was on its way.

A/N- Thanks for reading! Sorry if it was boring blah blah, so on!
Thanks for the reviews, favourites, follows, views..They make me happy :) If you have a request for the next chapter, don't hesitate to tell me :) And thanks to the people who have made requests!
-Stay Gold ;)