(A/N: Hi guys! Sorry about the long wait. This was originally going to be the epilogue, but I decided to write one more chapter. I did the first scene a little differently from the book/movie. I really hope you like it, but I promise I didn't change much. Please review and let me know what you think! Love, Ellivia22)

Disclaimer: The Outsiders is still not mine, sadly.

Broken Bond

Part VIII

Darry

When I wake up the next morning, I feel incredibly relaxed. The muscles in my back and shoulders feel loose. Not only was it very nice to sleep in my own bed for a change, but I also slept through the whole night without any terrifying nightmares to wake me up. It would also seem that all the anxiety and sadness that has plagued me the past couple of days has disappeared. I feel refreshed and energetic-as if I could build ten houses in one day. The best part is I feel happy-truly happy. Ponyboy is back home. Everything is back to the way it should be. All that's left now is that I apologize to Ponyboy for what happened that night and mend our bond at last.

I'm in such a good mood it doesn't take me long to go through my usual routine of showering and shaving. In no time at all I'm in front of my brothers' door, ready to wake them up and start the day. Like I tried to do with Sodapop, I plan to take the day off and spend the day with Ponyboy. Just like old times.

"Rise and shine," I say as soon as I open the door. "It's time to get up."

My blood runs cold. Instead of seeing both my brothers asleep in the bed, it's just Sodapop sprawled on top of the covers, dead to the world. My palms start sweating and my breathing becomes uneven. Where is Ponyboy? Is he up already? Or was everything that happened last night just a really good dream?

SLAM!

"Anybody home?" I hear Two-Bit's familiar drawl as the front door slams shut. "Ponyboy! Long time no see!"

I grin to myself, my worries instantly disappearing. Everything is okay. Pony is home. I shake Sodapop's shoulder. "Wake up, little buddy. It's time to get ready for work."

Just like the day before Sodapop bolts out of bed and darts out of the room and toward the bathroom in the middle of the hallway. I shake my head. I really need to get that kid to use his alarm clock.

By the time I reach the kitchen, Steve has already pulled out the chocolate cake from the fridge and is chowing down on a piece. "They don't do that to heroes," he's saying in between bites. "Where is Soda and Superdope anyway?"

Silently I grab Steve around the waist and lift him up. He's such a scrawny guy, picking him up takes no effort at all. I set him down hard on the ground and give him a look. "Super what?"

Steve mumbles something under his breath and shuffles off. I turn my attention to the coffee pot in the kitchen. It looks like Ponyboy already made a pot for me. Not only that, a bacon and tomato egg sandwich is on a plate waiting for me. I smile to myself, pouring myself a cup.

The morning proceeds like any normal day in the Curtis household. Sodapop is running around the house half naked looking for his work clothes and goofing off with Steve. Two-Bit is sitting in front of the television watching Mickey Mouse. I watch the scene absently. I'm not sure which I enjoy more: the chaos in the house again, or the sandwich Ponyboy made for me. The juiciness of the tomato enveloped in bacon melts in my mouth. Now that I think about it, this is the first full meal I've had since Ponyboy ran away.

"Darry," Ponyboy says suddenly, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Did you know about the juvenile court?"

My youngest brother has an anxious look on his face. I look at him seriously, doing my best to not show my own anxiety. "Yeah. The cops told me last night." I turn around so I can put my empty plate and coffee cup in the sink. Then I take Ponyboy's empty plate and cup and also put them in the sink.

"I had one of those dreams last night. The one I can't ever remember."

My world comes to a sudden halt by that one sentence. The fear grips my heart like a vice. I whirl around and stare at Ponyboy with terrified eyes. "What?!"

Two-Bit asks Ponyboy about the dream, but I barely hear him. Not again. After Mom and Dad were killed Ponyboy started having really bad nightmares. He would yell so loudly I would think he was being violently attacked. The worst part of all was it was nearly impossible to wake him from them. It was as if he was trapped in his mind. Sodapop was the only person able to calm Ponyboy down. Once he started sleeping with Ponyboy the nightmares finally faded after that, but I'll never forget Ponyboy's terrified screams for as long as I live.

I open my mouth to say something comforting, but no words come out. I've never been good at being comforting, like Sodapop. I'll never admit this to anyone, but sometimes I envy the bond Soda and Pony share and wish I would be the one Pony would ask for comfort.

Sodapop comes into the kitchen, fully dressed in his blue DX uniform, followed by Steve. "You know what? When we stomp the Socs good me and Steve here are gonna throw a big party and everybody can get stoned. Then we'll go chase the Socs clear to Mexico."

I raise an eyebrow at him skeptically. "Where you gonna get the dough, little man?"

"I'll think of somethin'" Soda responds cheerfully.

"You gonna take Sandy to the party?" Pony says suddenly. As fast as a lightbulb blowing out, Sodapop's face drops and his eyes lower.

I watch the scene before me sympathetically as Sodapop is getting more upset with each passing minute. His heart is still broken from losing Sandy and Ponyboy unintentionally rubbed salt in an open wound. "Come on, Pepsi Cola." I say gently. "We'd better get on to work."

I turn to Ponyboy, who has made his way to the living room and is standing in front of the coffee table. I take a deep breath in order to build up my courage for what I'm about to say next. "I hate to leave you by yourself, Ponyboy. Maybe I ought to take the day off."

"I've stayed by my lonesome before," Ponyboy says, waving his hand. "You can't afford a day off."

I look at my hands. He's right, but I find my courage fading fast. "Yeah, but you just got back, and I really ought to stay."

"Don't worry, Darry I'll babysit him," Two-Bit quips from the red chair by the door. Ponyboy takes a swipe at him and Two-Bit has him down in a second. I watch them silently as they wrestle. I know that Pony didn't mean anything by it, but I can't help but feel rejected-as if he doesn't want to spend time with me.

Can you blame him a voice whispers in my head. I feel as though my ribs are squeezing tightly together painfully. You haven't exactly been a caring, loving brother to him. Just face it. Ponyboy's scared of you.

"Hollar Uncle!" Two-Bit yells as he squishes my little brother further into the ground.

"Nope!" Ponyboy stutters.

I force the pain down. Just like I always do. "You two do up the dishes. You can go to the movies if you want to before you go see Dally and Johnny." Ponyboy's face is starting to turn an ugly shade of purple. I put on my jacket. "Two-Bit lay off," I say sternly. "He ain't lookin' so good." I grab Ponyboy gently by the arm and help him to his feet. "Ponyboy, you take a couple of aspirins and go easy. You smoke more than a pack today and I'll skin you. Understood?"

"Yeah," Pony sighs. "You carry more than one bundle of ruffin' at a time today and me and Soda here will skin you. Understand?"

I blink in shock. Did he just tease me? It's been so long. Maybe he isn't afraid of me after all. I grin back. "Yeah. See you later."

I leave the house and head towards the truck, Sodapop and Steve right behind me. I never thought I'd be so happy to be going back to work, but I am. Everything is getting back to normal. Just the way I like it.

Sodapop

Tonight is the night-the night of the rumble. I'm pumped and ready to go. The adrenaline is running through me fast and I'm so hyper it's a struggle to stay still. I'm always ready for a fight, but this time we'll finally get back at the Socs for not only trying to kill Ponyboy but for what happened to Johnny and Two-Bit too.

It would seem that I'm the only one ready for the rumble. Dinner is unusually quiet. We're finally getting around to eating the leftover roast chicken Darry made yesterday. A plate of two baked chickens, potatoes, and corn for Ponyboy-his favorite. It would seem that I'm the only one with an appetite. Darry is silently picking at his food and Ponyboy isn't home yet. This doesn't surprise me. He's always late for dinner. He must be out watching the sunset again. I'm surprised Darry hasn't said anything about it yet. It usually drives him crazy when Pony's late.

The silence is starting to get to me. "How was work?" I ask.

No response.

I glance at my older brother. Darry looks completely lost in thought. His brows are scrunched together, and I can see worry lines in his forehead. I had hoped that everything would be back to normal now that Ponyboy is back home, yet it seems that something is still bothering Darry. Because I know my older brother so well, I have a pretty good idea of what he's thinking about.

"He ain't avoiding you,"

Darry's head snaps up as if I had brought him crashing back to Earth. He stares at me blankly. "Huh?"

"Ponyboy. He ain't avoiding you."

He gives me a small grin, but I can see the doubt in his eyes. "I know he's not. He's just late like always," he says unconvincingly. I give him a knowing look. He sighs, his smile faltering. "Okay…I hope he's not."

The silence between us resumes. As I continue looking at him, I find that it's me who becomes lost in thought. I find myself reliving what happened last night all over again.

"He's in here," Jerry was saying to us as we approached the door to the waiting room. I followed the older man eagerly. I've been anxiously waiting for this moment since Ponyboy ran off. I knew that all the bad emotions I had been feeling the past couple of days would disappear once I saw my little brother. I couldn't wait.

I stopped suddenly when I realized that once again, Darry didn't follow. Instead of his face being pale, like it was in the truck, this time it was a greenish color-as if he was going to puke any second.

"Darry?" I asked with uncertainty.

"Go ahead," he said uneasily. "I'll be right behind you."

Once I entered the door, all my worries and doubts disappeared in an instant. Ponyboy was sitting in the waiting room, smoking a cigarette. He was dressed in a plaid collared shirt two sizes too big for him and jeans. He was covered from head to toe in ash and soot. He smiled as soon as he saw me, putting out his cigarette.

"Ponyboy," I said happily as my little brother ran straight into my arms. I hugged him tightly and swung him around. I was so happy I thought my heart would burst. My little brother was alive and safe. I pulled back slightly and took a good look at him. His beautiful reddish-brown hair was cut short and bleach blonde. Not only that, but it was washed out of grease-something that Ponyboy would never go without. "Oh, Ponyboy your hair," I ran my fingers through it lightly. "Your tuff, tuff hair."

Ponyboy looked past me. I turned to see Darry leaning in the doorway. His fists were jammed in his pockets and his eyes were pleading. He swallowed hard. "Ponyboy," he said quietly.

Ponyboy let go of me and stood there, his eyes not leaving our brother. My eyes darted back and forth between each brother, wondering who was going to make the first move to apologize.

I bit my lip as I saw silent tears falling down Darry's face as he continued to look at Ponyboy. Ponyboy still hadn't said anything either. The longer the silence between my two brothers went on, the more anxious I felt, and my confidence was draining. Was their relationship really beyond repair? Would Ponyboy not forgive Darry after all?

Darry lowered his gaze and turned away. I couldn't let him leave. I had to say something. "Darry, wait!"

He ignored me. The next thing I knew he was out of the waiting room, the door shutting behind him. I let out a sharp breath. The intense pain I was feeling in my heart was no longer mine. It was Darry's. My chest burned and felt like it was tearing into pieces all over again. Ponyboy had every right to be wary of Darry after what he did, but I can't stand it that Darry is hurting. I had to fix this. Now.

I placed a gentle hand on Ponyboy's shoulder. My baby brother seemed to have frozen in place. "Ponyboy…" I began stroking his hair again. "Pony, you have every right to be angry. What Darry did was wrong. He never should of hit you. But you gotta believe me when I tell you that he didn't mean to. He reacted that way because he was scared. He has regretted it since it happened."

Ponyboy turned to look at me. "Scared," he asked in surprise.

"Yeah." I thought about what Darry said when he broke down in the kitchen the other day. "He was so scared that somethin' bad had happened and you were hurt."

"I didn't think big brothers got scared. Especially Darry."

I smiled sadly. "He gets scared a lot more than you think, kiddo. He's always afraid that he's not doing enough to provide for us; afraid that he's gonna lose us to the boy's home." I was quiet for a moment. "When we got here, he was almost too afraid to get out of the truck."

Ponyboy stared at me, his brown eyes wide in surprise. "R-really?"

"Yeah. He was so afraid that you would never forgive him, and that you didn't love him anymore."

I watched as a silent tear fell down his cheek, followed by another. Without a word, he left the waiting room the same direction Darry went. I wasn't far behind, hoping with all my heart that Ponyboy and Darry would finally reconcile at last.

SLAM!

The front door slams shut, pulling me out of my memory. Ponyboy comes into the kitchen. His eyes are really tired, and his face is all sweaty. I also notice that he looks visibly upset.

"Hey kid," Darry says. His tone is gentle. "Dinner's waiting for you. Better eat up before the rumble."

"How are Johnny and Dally?" I ask.

Ponyboy doesn't answer my question. Instead, his head lowers and I see what looks like tears brimming in his eyes. "I ain't hungry." His voice wavers slightly. "I'm gonna lay down for a while."

Before we can say another word, he's out of the kitchen. I hear the bedroom door shut.

"Why don't you go check on him," Darry says. "I'll handle the dishes. Besides, you're better at comforting him than I am."

I glance at him. Though his expression hasn't changed, his tone almost sounds like he's jealous. Without arguing I rise from the table and head to the bedroom to see how our little brother is doing.

Knock Knock

I open the door to find Ponyboy lying on his side, his back towards the door. "Hey, Pony. You doin' okay?"

"Yeah," he mumbles. "I just have a headache."

I sit next to him on the bed. I rub his back gently. "What happened at the hospital?"

"Johnny busted his back pretty bad. He will never walk again." A sob escapes his throat. "The doctors don't think he's gonna recover."

My heart aches for my little brother. I know how close he and Johnny are. It would be like if I was told that Steve was going to die. I shudder at the thought. I don't think I could handle that. "I'm sorry, Pony."

"It ain't fair," Pony whimpers. "Johnny doesn't deserve this. I-I know he shouldn't of killed that Soc, b-but he did it to save me. H-he's a hero. He saved those little kids. After all the good he's done, why does he have to suffer?"

"I don't know," I answer honestly.

Suddenly Ponyboy sits up and wraps his arms around me as his emotions collapse. He sobs hard against me. I continue to rub his back in comfort. "I-I'm so scared, Soda," he chokes out in between sobs. "J-johnny is my buddy. I-I don't want him to die."

"I know honey. None of us do," I say soothingly. I hug him tighter. "No matter what happens, you'll always have Darry and me."

A small silence passes between us. I continue to stroke his back. Slowly Ponyboy is calming down. His breathing is getting back to normal at least. "Soda?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry that I brought up Sandy," he says in a small voice. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's not your fault. You didn't know."

"What happened? I thought you guys were in love."

I force the pain down to the pit of my stomach the best I can. My chest sears from my still-aching heart. I don't know if I'll ever be able to let go of that pain. I pull back slightly. "I thought we were too. I guess it just wasn't meant to be."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too."

We pull away a few seconds later. "So did anything else happen while I was gone?" Ponyboy asks in an attempt to change the subject.

My thoughts immediately return to Darry. "To tell you the truth, things weren't good while you were gone."

"What do you mean?" he asks in panic. "What else happened that I don't know about?"

I sigh, looking at my hands. "Pony, while you were gone…Darry wasn't doin' so good."

"Because I ran away?"

The past couple of days floods through my mind like a fast river. It hurts all over again to think about how bad of shape our older brother was in while Pony was gone. I look at my little brother straight in the eye. "Yeah, that was part of it. He also felt really awful for what he did to you. It got so bad that he stopped takin' care of himself. He barely ate and stopped sleepin'. He even collapsed from the stress." Ponyboy's face turns paper white and his mouth drops open slightly. I swallow hard. "If you never came home…I don't think Darry would've been able to handle it."

Ponyboy looks at his hands. "I wanted to run to him as soon as I saw him in the waitin' room at the hospital, but I held back 'cause I was afraid. He always hollers at me and gives me a hard time. I thought because he didn't love me, that it was a matter of time before he started yellin' at me again." He sighs. "He really does love me, doesn't he?"

I hug him again. "Of course he does. He's just not as good at showing his emotions as you are. Trust me, Darry loves you. He wouldn't have given up his college dream to raise us if he didn't. Talk to him. Talk to him and you'll see."

We hear a light knock on the door. Darry sticks his head in. "Are you all right, Pone?"

"I'm fine," Ponyboy attempts to say in a normal tone. Instead, it comes out as soft. I notice he's staring hard at our older brother as if he's trying to read his mind.

I don't think Darry believes him, but he doesn't press the issue. "Steve and Two-Bit are here. I'm gonna jump in the shower. Pony, how are your burns doin?"

Ponyboy shrugs. "They're okay."

"Well, you should put some aloe vera on them just in case. There's a bottle in the medicine cabinet. Soda, make sure to help him if he needs it."

"Actually, I was wonderin' if you could do it, Darry," Ponyboy says suddenly, surprising the both of us. Ponyboy looks down at his hands. His cheeks are slightly red. "I mean…you took such good care of Johnny when he got jumped…" he stops talking and I can tears in the corner of his eyes again at the mention of his buddy.

Darry's expression softens and his hazel eyes are full of concern. He gives a gentle smile. "Sure kiddo. I'll be right back." Then he leaves the room.

I get off the bed and head towards the door as well. "I'm gonna challenge Steve to a game of gin rummy. Hopefully he won' cheat this time!"

I make my way to the living room, my grin growing. Things are about to change for the better, which is something I've been wanting for a long time.

Darry

There's no need to be nervous. You're just taking care of your baby brother like you always do.

Despite my mental mantra I find that my hands are shaking as I grab the green bottle out of the medicine cabinet. It was a pleasant surprise when Ponyboy asked me to tend to his burns instead of Sodapop. Yet my heart is slightly elevated, and sweat is appearing on my forehead. This is my chance to finally talk to Ponyboy and mend our bond. I hope I don't screw this up.

When I walk back into Ponyboy's room I find my brother sitting alone in the bed. He removes his shirt as I sit next to him silently. I cringe when I see how red his skin is on his shoulders and arms. A particularly nasty burn on his spine is blistering. What makes me cringe the most is the massive bruise on his back. It's dark purple and covers the upper part of his back like a bad tattoo. As bad of shape as my brother is in, I remind myself that this is minor compared to what Johnny is suffering from.

Silently I squeeze a handful of the green goo into my palm and apply it to the large burn on Ponyboy's arm, by the elbow. I can feel Ponyboy's body jerk from the pain and sudden coldness of the aloe. "Sorry," I mutter. Once the wound is lathered to my satisfaction I move on to the next burn.

We sit in silence for several minutes as I continue to treat his burns. I should use this time alone to spend quality time with my little brother and make amends. As always, I can't think of anything to say.

"Darry?" Ponyboy says suddenly.

"Yeah," I respond absently.

"I'm sorry."

I stop what I'm doing. I look at him in confusion. Extreme guilt is in his brown eyes. "Sorry? For what?"

He lowers his gaze and fiddles with the blankets. "For everythin'. I'm sorry that I came home late; sorry that I ran away; sorry that I ran into that church. Maybe if I actually used my head like you keep tellin' me to none of this would've happened."

The pain and regret in his voice twist my insides. "You definitely need to be better about using your head," I agree somewhat sternly. His head lowers even more. I soften my tone. "But what happened wasn't your fault. It was mine." He meets my gaze. I swallow hard as the memory of what happened that horrible night goes through my mind once more. My voice wavers, but I force myself to get the words out. "I-I'm really sorry, Pony. I didn't mean to hit you. I was so afraid that somethin' bad had happened to you and I acted before I thought."

"I know," Ponyboy says in an attempt to reassure me. "It's okay. I forgive you."

"No. No it's not okay." I put the aloe aside and look at my brother seriously. "Nobody has the right to hurt you, and the fact that I did that to you…" I wipe my face briefly with the back of my hand before a tear can fall. A lump forms in my throat. I attempt to get my tone back to normal, but it comes out as hoarse instead. "Pony, I know that I'm always hard on you, but it's not because I don't love you. I just want you to have the best life I can give you. I want to protect you and keep you safe. If anything ever happened to you…I-I don't think I could live with myself." I sigh, looking down at my aloe-covered hands. "I just want you to be more careful, that's all."

"I will be. I promise." Suddenly Ponyboy hugs me tightly across the chest. He buries his head into my shoulder. "Thanks Darry. I love you."

I return the hug as gently as I can without hurting him. I stroke his back. "I love you too, kiddo. Never forget that."

A sense of peace consumes me as I continue to clutch onto my younger brother. Now that Ponyboy has forgiven me for my mistake I can finally let go of the guilt and shame that's been plaguing me the past week. I smile to myself. Our bond is finally on the way to mending and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that it never breaks again.

Epilogue is coming up next (for real this time )