A/N: I wrote this while crying to Great Expectations :)

March 1957

Darry: 12

Sodapop: 8

Ponyboy: 5

The sound of the screen door slamming shut around the time school got out wasn't an unusual one. The sound of Sodapop's door slamming, however, was. Margaret looked up from the kitchen sink and sighed, hoping that what she expected to happen wouldn't.

"3…2…1…" she thought, before the sound of cries filled the house. She slammed her dishrag on the counter, frustrated, and went to get Ponyboy from his bed. It took her forever to put him down for a nap today after morning kindergarten, a nap he had desperately needed, and Sodapop's various door-slamming antics had woken him up.

She scooped her 5-year-old into her arms and held him close. He may have technically been too big to carry, but he clung to her and she let him. He was the baby of the family, after all.

After setting Ponyboy down on the couch and turning on a cartoon, Margaret marched toward Sodapop and Darry's room where Soda lay on his bed, his back facing the door.

She threw his door open. "What do you think you're doing, coming in here slamming all these doors? You woke your brother up!" she exclaimed.

Soda didn't respond.

"Sodapop Curtis you better turn and look at me right now!" Margaret scolded.

Soda reluctantly turned to face his mother, causing her to notice his tear-stained cheeks and the bruise forming around his left eye. Her tone immediately changed as she rushed toward her son.

"What on earth happened?" she asked frantically.

Sodapop tried to answer, but after a few deep breaths, he could do nothing except cry in his mother's arms. Margaret pulled him onto her lap and rocked him slowly. He may not be the baby of the family anymore, but he was still her baby.

The only sound for the next few minutes was Soda's muffled sobs and Margaret's gentle shushing. That was, until Darry burst through the door of their bedroom.

"Soda where'd you go you practically ran home—" he stopped short when he saw the scene in front of him. "Soda, what's wrong?" he asked.

Margaret and Darry sat quietly as Soda began to speak, pausing periodically to sniffle.

"It was this boy—at school—he kept bugging Steve and me at recess. Then after school, he waited until Steve left and—he punched me. I tried to get him back but he's two grades bigger than me."

It was all Soda could get out before once again breaking down into sobs, Margaret quickly moving to comfort him again.

"It's alright sweetie, you're going to be okay. Let's get some ice on that eye, hon," she soothed.

Darry followed as his mom led his brother to the kitchen.

"What's his name?" Darry asked.

"Billy. Thompson, I think. He's a fourth grader."

Darry nodded, the wheels already turning in his head.

"Is Soda okay?"

Everyone's head turned to see Ponyboy standing in the doorway of the kitchen, eyes wide with concern for his brother.

"I'm okay Pony, just a little fight," Soda said, trying to grin.

"Did you win?" Pony asked eagerly.

"Not really," replied Soda.

Not yet, thought Darry.

— — — — — — — — — —

Margaret stood once again at the kitchen sink, drying the dishes from lunch. She smiled to herself as she heard Ponyboy from the other room "reading" a book. (Never mind that he was still learning his letters, he still liked to pretend).

As usual, the sound of the screen door slamming filled the house as the older boys got out of school. Except this time, there was no bedroom door slam to follow. Just as Margaret thought today might go smoother, her hopes were diminished.

"Woah Darry, that looks tuff!" exclaimed Ponyboy.

Margaret turned around to see her two older sons with matching bruises. Soda's had turned to a deeper purple than it was yesterday, and Darry had a fresh one on his right cheek.

"What on earth?" she shouted, rushing to Darry. "Did you get in a fight too?"

Darry beamed with pride. "Yeah, but I won. Got revenge on that kid that was bugging Soda!"

Margaret sighed. "Darrel Shaynne Curtis Jr. we do not condone fighting in this family. You can spend the rest of the afternoon in your room thinking about what you've done and we can have a discussion when your father gets home," she scolded.

Darry slowly walked back to his room, struggling to hide his smirk. His mom could yell at him all she wanted, but he was still glad he had stood up for his brother. Stomped that other kid good. It didn't matter that he was two grades older than him, he went after Soda under the same circumstance unprovoked.

Soda waited with Ponyboy on the couch for their dad to get home, his eyes anxiously moving from the window to his bedroom door. He hoped Darry wouldn't get in too much trouble, he had stood up for him, after all.

A couple hours later, Darrel's truck pulled up to the front of the house. Pony ran out the door to greet his dad with a hug and a kiss, but Sodapop sat waiting on the couch.

"You will never guess what stunt your son decided to pull today," Margaret said as her husband walked through the door.

Darrel shot her a confused look before they both moved to the kitchen to talk in private. A few minutes later, Darrel walked to his son's room and quietly closed the door.

"So, I heard you started a fight today?" Darrel asked.

Darry nodded sheepishly.

"Did you win?" Darrel asked, a smile spreading across his face.

Darry matched his father's smile. "'Course I did, Dad! Oh, you should've seen it. He was all talking smack but then I got him good in the face, and then—" Darry continued to tell the story of his fight, his father's feeling of pride growing by the second.

Darrel took a deep breath once his son had finished. "Now, I'm supposed to come in here and tell you no more fighting. And usually, I wouldn't condone this behavior, but considering the circumstances, I'm glad you stood up for your brother."

Darry nodded in understanding, and the two walked out to the living room to join the rest of the family on the couch. Soda smiled to himself, glad that Darry didn't get in too much trouble.

Darry had always been his big, strong brother. His defender. He just hoped that if the time ever came, he could be Pony's.

A/N: So what's Joe Biden's plan to get me to New York to see the musical?