(Kate's POV)

I was making pancakes when Rachel woke up the next morning. She got up and wanted to help me with breakfast, but when she saw my face, she noticed the cut on my cheek and demanded to know what happened. I asked her how much she remembered, which apparently wasn't a lot. She remembered going to Buck's, drinking a lot, and the next thing she could recall was both me and Two-Bit being there when she was getting sick in my apartment. I quickly filled in the blanks and told her everything else that happened.

Once she learned the whole story, Rachel was appalled that she was so drunk that she was no help against Tim's guy at the bar, but she seemed grateful that the guys were there to step in. She was also worried that she came off as a bit of a mess and that Two-Bit would make fun of her about it, but I assured her he wasn't the type of guy that would talk poorly about her for being drunk on a Friday night. He's drunk half the time, so he can't make fun of anyone else for it.

After a pancake breakfast, lots of water, and a few aspirin, Rachel thanked me for everything and decided to go home and rest for the remainder of the day. I didn't have to work, so I spent an hour or two to clean around my apartment. When I was done, I looked at the clock, which read one o'clock. Then when I looked at the calendar, I was stunned to realized it was already December. It's almost Christmas. What am I going to get for Darry?

We had just established that we were going steady the night before, and I was thrilled about it, but that meant I only had a couple weeks to figure it out.

During the next week, my tips from customers at the diner were significantly lower than average, and I figured it was probably because of the cut on my face. Darry had done a good job at patching it up, but it wasn't something I could hide, and apparently, patrons didn't like when their waitress looked like she got into fights. Less income meant it was going to be even harder to figure out what to do for Darry's Christmas present.

It was a slow day, and I was bored as I stood behind the diner's counter when I heard familiar voices shout greetings at me. When I looked in their direction, I smiled at Two-Bit and Sodapop as they approached me and sat down at the barstools in front of me. All of us ignored the strange looks they were getting.

"How's it going Kate?" Soda asked.

"Get in any more scuffles?" Two-Bit added.

It was comforting that even though both of them had learned about my step-father, neither of them were giving me pitied looks or treating me differently.

"No I haven't," I said simply. "Can I get you guys something?"

"Now that you mention it… are chocolate shakes always free when you're working?" Soda asked as he flashed his shining smile at me.

"Nah, only when Darry's here," Two-Bit answered.

"He shouldn't be too long. He's comin' here right after Johnny's appointment," Soda replied.

Darry had told me during our phone call the night before that he was bringing Johnny to a physical therapy appointment and they would be stopping by afterwards. He didn't mention Soda or Two-Bit making an appearance though. Not that I minded.

"Speaking of Darry, I need your help," I said, dropping my voice a little.

"Really?" Two-Bit said almost excitedly.

"What is it?" Soda asked, more nervous that excited.

"Christmas is only in a couple weeks, and I've been trying to think of something to get him, but I'm struggling," I admitted. "You guys know him better than anyone. Do you have any ideas?"

The greasers glanced at each other for a moment, both of them had concentrated expressions on their faces, but then Two-Bit looked at me slyly, and I somehow knew whatever he was about to say wasn't going to be a conventional gift idea. "Well I know there's one thing no man would pass up-" he stopped when Soda punched him in the arm.

"Knock it off, Two-Bit. If Darry was here, he'd smack you for sayin' that," Soda said protectively.

"But am I wrong?" Two-Bit continued.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Boys.

"Sorry Kate, I don't really have any ideas," Soda said sadly. "In fact, Pony's the one that thought of an idea for us, but I don't think I'll have enough money by Christmas for it."

"Just say the word man," Two-Bit said, his attention quickly changing from his previous "idea" to Soda's predicament. "I can swipe just about anything for ya."

Soda laughed, but shook his head. "It's nothing you can steel, you hood."

"Then what is it?" I asked.

Soda let out a sigh, and I wondered if it was mainly out of disappointment since he didn't think he could pay for whatever it was, or if it was because of something else. "It's Dad's watch. Darry loves it and used to wear it all the time, but it hasn't been working for a while. We thought it would be a quick fix, but it wasn't. Not even Steve can figure it out. Pony wondered if we could bring it to someone to fix and show Darry, but I doubt I'll be able to afford whatever that costs. Pony even offered to get a job to help pay for it, but Darry is set on Pony not working while he's in school, and he'd be suspicious if we brought up Pony working somewhere."

Two-Bit nodded knowingly, and he even looked a little defeated. It was apparent that their dad's watch meant a lot to Darry, and it probably was significant to his younger brothers too. Maybe I can help.

"I might know someone that can help," I offered.

Soda's eyes grew instantly. "What? Really?"

"Maybe. Let me ask, one second," I said. Then I turned my head towards the kitchen window. "Cap! Can you come out here?"

"Yes ma'am!"

When I turned to look back at Soda and Two-Bit, I chuckled at their confused expressions. "Captain always seems to know a guy," I explained. "I don't know how, but it's sort of his thing."

"You called?" I heard a familiar voice say behind me.

I turned and smiled up at Captain. He was a tall man, around the same height as Darry but a little bit bigger build. Rather than gaining muscle from sports or roofing houses like Darry, Captain's muscles were from being in the armed forces and they never shrunk or disappeared. His brown hair was still cut short, as if he was still in the military, and his tanned skin displayed various scars from mysterious origins.

"Captain, these are my friends, Sodapop and Two-Bit," I said, motioning towards each individual as I said their name. "Two-Bit and I went to school together, and Soda is Darry's middle brother."

Cap extended his hand out to shake the boys' hands. "Nice to meet you two."

"Same here," Soda said, obviously trying to be polite.

"Kate's told me quite a bit about your group of friends," Captain said as he retracted his hand after greeting both Soda and Two-Bit. "All good things, I promise," he added with a smile.

"Well, that can't be right then. I'm sure there's plenty of bad things she would've said about us," Two-Bit joked.

"Oh stop, you guys are great," I said. Then I addressed Cap directly. "Soda was just telling me about his father's broken watch that he'd like to get fixed for Darry. Any chance you know someone that can help?"

Immediately, Cap nodded his head. "Yeah, I do. I got an old friend that can fix it, no problem. We call him Father Time."

That got Two-Bit laughing immediately. "Shoot, with all the names being thrown around, Kate's starting to sound like the one with an odd sounding name."

I wanted to argue, but between Two-Bit, Sodapop, Captain, and now hearing about Father Time, my argument wouldn't have a leg to stand on.

"To be fair, her real name is Catherine," Captain offered. "That's at least closer to being as cool as the rest of us."

Soda and Two-Bit both laughed at that.

"Anyway," I started, trying to bring the conversation back on track without joining in on the laughter. "Do you think Father Time would be willing to help us out? Maybe even before Christmas?"

Cap nodded. "Sure thing. If you bring me the watch tomorrow, I can bring it to him after work to fix, and I'll bring it back on Monday."

"How much would he charge?" Soda asked sheepishly. "My younger brother and I are trying to surprise Darry with it, but we can't afford much." I could tell it was awkward and uncomfortable for him to admit, but he knew he had to address it.

Cap waved a hand in Soda's direction. "Don't worry about it."

Soda looked conflicted. "I got some money saved up, I can pay-"

"He won't charge me for it," Cap interrupted. "Fixing things is like a hobby for him anyways, so he'll be happy to do it."

"Are you serious?" Soda said, perking up immediately.

Captain nodded. "I'm serious."

The two of them spent the next couple minutes discussing details, which included Soda explaining what was wrong with the watch, as well as the times Soda would drop it off and pick it up. They were luckily wrapping up their conversation when Two-Bit's obnoxious voice sounded. "Hey Darry! Fancy seeing you here!"

"He's the one we're surprising," Soda muttered to Captain before turning to look at his brother pushing Johnny towards us. "Hey Dar!"

"Do you guys really have to yell across the whole place?" Darry asked as he maneuvered Johnny's wheelchair so the teen could push himself up to sit on the barstool next to Two-Bit. Then, after moving the wheelchair to the side and out of the way, Darry took a seat next to Soda and smiled at me. "Hi Kate."

"Hi Darry," I said, mirroring his smile. My eyes were immediately drawn to his hands, which were ripped to shreds. "What happened?" I asked, reaching out to hold his hands so I could study them.

Darry looked confused, then after glancing down at his hands, he pulled them away and his eyes shot back up to mine. "It's nothing."

"He had a chat with Tim's guy, Joe," Soda said with a smug look.

I felt my eyes get big. "You what?"

"Aw don't get mad at him, Kate. He couldn't let that guy off the hook for hittin' you," Two-Bit said, coming to my boyfriend's defense. "I warned you he was protective."

While Darry looked surprised by Two-Bit's comment, I let out a breath that wasn't quite a sigh. "Darry, you didn't need to-"

"Yes I did," he said shortly. The intensity in his eyes was almost overwhelming. "And if he comes near you again, I want to hear about it."

I wanted to remind everyone I didn't need protection and I could handle myself, but if I was being honest, it felt nice to have people that cared enough about me to take it upon themselves to take measures to ensure my safety.

Then, suddenly remembering that Cap was still standing there, I quickly changed topics and introduced Cap to the newcomers. "Anyways, Captain, this is my boyfriend, Darry. And this is Johnny."

Just like with Soda and Two-Bit, Captain shook Darry and Johnny's hands. "It's nice to meet you two. I've heard a lot about both of you."

"Apparently all good things, but I ain't buyin' it," Two-Bit fake-whispered to Johnny, who laughed at the jokester.

"Hey Johnny, since you're here, would you like to tour the kitchen?" Captain offered. "I know you aren't wanting to start yet or anything, but I can show you around now since we're slow tonight."

A guy like Captain was sure to make Johnny nervous since he was so big and muscular, but Captain seemed to sense it, because his voice was soft and his offer was genuine. Johnny looked almost embarrassed, but he managed to look up and reply. "I can't walk real good yet. I think my chair would get in the way. I don't want to mess anything up."

Cap grinned at him, then he limped around the counter, stopping only when he was standing next to Johnny. I saw all four of the guys watching Captain's movements, then one by one, they noticed his leg. Cap was wearing his usual attire, which included the left pant leg of his pants being cut off at the knee, exposing his whole prosthesis. He said having his pants cut like that made it easier to take the prosthetic leg on and off, or adjust it if needed. For people who weren't used to it, it's probably a little jarring, but I've become so accustomed to it, sometimes I forgot about it entirely.

"What hap-" Two-Bit was cut off when Soda elbowed him in the ribs.

"I lost it in Korea," Captain said, ignoring Soda's attempt of silencing Two-Bit and dropping the subject. Then he looked directly at Johnny. "It took some getting used to, but I don't try to hide it anymore. Plus, Connie made sure the kitchen is easy to navigate, and if a large clumsy man like me could do it, I know you'll be able to do it too."

Johnny looked at Cap's leg for another couple seconds, then when he looked back up at the man, there was a hint of determination in his eyes. "Yeah, okay. I'll take a look around."

"Wonderful," Cap said with a smile. Once Darry helped Johnny ease back into the wheelchair, Cap grasped the handles and gave the guys a smile. "We'll be back in a few minutes."

Once Johnny and Cap disappeared into the kitchen, I turned to face the three guys in front of me. They all looked shocked.

"You didn't say anything about his leg," Darry said quietly. He didn't sound mad, just surprised.

I shrugged. "It doesn't affect him much, and none of us here even notice it anymore."

"It might be good for Johnny to spend time with him," Soda said to his brother. "It ain't the same, but that guy is closer to understanding what Johnny's going through than the rest of us."

Darry nodded in agreement, then he looked back at me. "Thanks, Kate."

"It's no problem at all," I said.

"How did his appointment go?" Two-Bit asked.

Darry looked over at his friend. "Pretty good. He's walking better, and he's really only in the chair now because therapy makes him tired and sore. They think in a couple weeks he could be out of it for good."

While the other two cheered and said optimistic things, I just silently smiled. It's about time something goes their way.

Suddenly, Soda looked at me with a devilish grin on his face. "Hey, since Darry's here, could we get those chocolate shakes now?"

I laughed, and despite Darry adamantly saying they didn't need anything, I started getting four chocolate shakes ready for all of the guys.

After my shift, I decided to stop at the Curtis house before going home. Not only did I want to spend time with Darry, but Soda said that I should come over to help them decorate for Christmas. Once I parked in front of the Curtis house, I walked up the porch steps and was about to knock on the door, but it swung open before I had the chance.

"Kate, you're here!" Soda said excitedly. Then he spotted my fist in the air, and he laughed. "You don't need to knock, nobody does. Just walk right in; the door's always unlocked."

I chuckled at that. "So I've heard."

Soda smiled and opened the door wider, allowing me to walk into a scene of chaos.

The radio was playing Christmas songs, there were strings of tinsel all over the furniture, opened boxes covering the floor, and Pony and Johnny were trying to set the Christmas tree up in the corner of the room with Two-Bit directing them to move a couple inches one way or another.

"You weren't kidding about needing help," I joked.

Soda shrugged, still smiling. "Darry thinks we're getting carried away, but if you ask me, it ain't enough."

I raised my eyebrows. "What would be enough then?"

Soda gave me an mischievous look. "If I got some fake snow and sprinkled it around the house. Maybe even get Dally to dress as Santa."

After imagining snow around the inside of their house and Dally dressed up in a Santa outfit, I started laughing uncontrollably. "I'd pay money to see that."

"How much?" Two-Bit suddenly asked from his spot on the couch. "If it's more than twenty bucks, I'll make it happen."

I shook my head, still laughing. "Sorry Two-Bit, that's too high a price for me." Then I looked back at Soda. "Where's Darry?"

"He's in the kitchen taking care of some stuff," he said without giving me any other details. Then his voice got surprisingly quiet. "Hey, before you see him, I wanna show you the watch."

I nodded my head and followed Soda to what I assumed was his bedroom. Since fixing the watch was a surprise, I stayed silent and out of Darry's line of sight so he wouldn't come see me or wonder what we were doing.

Once inside Soda's bedroom, I was surprised to see two dressers, a desk littered with books, and pencil-drawn pictures of horses and members of the gang taped up on one of the walls. As Soda went into the closet to rummage through its contents, I walked closer to the desk and looked at the pictures. One of them in particular drew my attention.

"That's Mickey Mouse," Soda said, still keeping his voice quiet as he walked up to me. "Pony was still pretty young and he only saw him a couple times when he was at the stables I worked at, but somehow he remembers my horse well enough to draw him real good."

"Do you keep all of his drawing's in your room?" I asked as I glanced at the other pictures.

"We share this room," Soda explained simply. Now all the books and two dressers make sense. But there's only one bed. Sensing my confusion, Soda explained. "After our parents, Pony couldn't hardly sleep, and when he did, he woke up from awful nightmares. He would scream bloody murder, and it scared me and Darry somethin' awful, so I moved in here to calm him down and help him sleep. Ever since Johnny started living here, he took my old room and I just stayed in here."

I nodded my head, making a conscious effort not to show any indication of judgement because I honestly thought it was selfless of Sodapop to take care of Pony the way he did. "That's real sweet of you, Soda. I'm sure he appreciates it a lot."

He shrugged, acting as if he didn't do anything more than help his brother tie his shoes or something. "It helps me too, knowing where he is and that he's safe." I guessed what he meant without saying the words: "I have nightmares too, and it helps to have Poynboy there when I wake up."

Without saying anything about Soda's confession or lack thereof, I looked back at the picture of Mickey Mouse. It was breathtakingly beautiful and realistic. "He's an amazing artist."

"He really is." I turned away from the picture and looked at Soda. His eyes were glimmering with pride for his little brother, just like Darry's did whenever he talked about his brothers. "That kid's goin' somewhere. He could be an artist, a writer, or even a track star if he'd lay off them cigarettes."

I nodded in agreement. "It sure seems like he has a lot of talents."

Soda nodded. "He does." After standing there and admiring his brother's art, Soda showed me the item he held carefully in his hands. "Here's what I was talking about earlier."

It was a gold men's watch with a black face. On the watch face, not only was there the normal minute and hour hands for the time, but there were three more dials that I didn't understand with dashes and numbers. On the outside of the watch face, there were more numbers and dash marks too. It was a beautiful watch, and it looked expensive, but I knew that wasn't the main reason the brothers all seemed to care about it so much.

"It's amazing," I said.

"Since it stopped working, Darry hasn't worn it in a couple months, and after sitting on his dresser for a while, he packed it up and put it in the attic to store with the rest of our parents' stuff," Soda said sadly. Then, like a switch was flipped, he looked cheerful again. "He'll be so excited to see it working again. You sure you trust Cap with it?"

I could tell that while he was acting happy and excited, it was hard for him to trust someone who was basically a stranger with a prized procession that once belonged to his father. "I'd trust him with my life. He'll bring it back in one piece, and you've seen him; nobody will even think about trying to take it from him."

Soda grinned genuinely. "Alright, if you trust him, then that's enough for me. I'll bring it to the diner tomorrow." With that, he put it back in some corner of his messy closet.

I smiled at him. "Darry will be so happy. You and Pony are really sweet to think of this."

He shrugged, but he was still grinning. "It was Pony's idea, and I told him I'd do what I could to get it fixed, but it'll be thanks to you if it ever works again."

I waved at him dismissively. "Cap's the one that knows someone. And even if it was Ponyboy's idea, you're the one that brought it up at the diner. Don't act like you have nothing to do with it."

He smiled sheepishly, and after the front door slammed open and shut, he looked towards the direction of the living room. "That's probably Steve." Then he started walking towards the doorway. "He said he'd stop by after work."

"To help decorate?" I inquired, following Soda as he started walking out of the bedroom.

"That, and free food," Soda said with a smile. With the number of teenage boys constantly in the house, I was surprised the Curtises ever had food around.

Once we were in the hallway, I dared to speak at a normal volume. "I'll help you guys in a minute; I'm going to see what your brother's up to," I told Soda. He nodded, then joined the other boys in the living room, likely about to add to the commotion I already heard coming from that part of the house.

I walked towards the kitchen, only to find Darry sitting at the dining room table with papers sprawled all over the surface in front of him. Before greeting him, I took in his appearance. His elbows rested on the table, his head was hunched down, and his palms were pressed against his forehead. A moment passed, and he scribbled some things down on a piece of paper before returning to his previous position. Between his posture and the fact it was the first week of the month, I knew what it meant. Bills.

I slowly approached the table and sat down across from my boyfriend.

"I got it, Soda. Don't worry about it," he muttered, his voice sounding tired and defeated.

"Hi Darry," I said as sweetly as I could.

Instantly, his head shot up, and his striking eyes looked deep into mine. "Kate, hi. Sorry, I didn't know you were here," he said as he quickly started gathering the papers and putting them in a pile.

As the papers were being moved, I noticed at least two of them had "PAST DUE" in red letters at the top, and it made my heart drop. Living on the east side and not being wealthy wasn't anything to be ashamed about, but Darry was a proud man, and I knew he wouldn't want me to know about his family's financial status. Even more than that, he wouldn't want any form of pity or charity if I did find out. Still, I wished he wasn't worried about any of that.

"You don't have to do that, Darry," I said, trying to sound more patient than demeaning. "I pay bills too. It's a burden we both have to deal with. Being an adult sure isn't fun."

Once the papers were stacked neatly in a pile, he pushed it aside and returned his focus on me. "No, it sure isn't. But we can't really go back to high school, can we?" he said with a sad smile.

"No, we're stuck being geriatric twenty year-olds," I said with a small laugh. Thankfully, he laughed at it too.

As we sat there with a pile of bills off to the side, I started thinking about how difficult it must be for Darry to deal with all sorts of finances by himself. Then the thought of Christmas presents popped into my mind again, and I felt nauseous at the thought of Darry spending money on me when his family obviously needed every cent.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash that originated from the living room, immediately pulling me out of my thoughts. I jumped out of my chair and was about to run to teens that were busy decorating, but when I only heard sounds of laughter, I tried to ease the tension in my body.

"Do I need to come in there?" Darry shouted half-heartedly towards the living room without even getting up from his chair.

A chorus of "no!" sounded, and I eased back into the chair while Darry chuckled at the antics of the five hooligans in the living room.

"How do you even get anything done in here?" I asked jokingly.

Darry shrugged. "You get used to it." A moment later, his eyes widened, and he jumped up to his feet. "I should've asked earlier. Did you eat yet? Do you need something to drink?"

I was startled by the sudden change in his demeanor, but then I realized I had stumbled onto "at-home Darry," and it must've taken him a minute to return to "boyfriend Darry." I didn't mind seeing him in a different state than usual. In fact, I was glad I got a glimpse of another aspect of Darry's life, even if that meant I could see how stressed he was when he was away from others.

"I'm alright, Darry. I ate at work. You can sit down," I said calmly. After a moment of consideration, he slowly sat back down across from me. "Are you doing okay? You seemed really stressed."

"I'm fine," he said too quickly. He was looking at me, but I had a feeling his eyes were looking at my face, specifically the still-healing cut on my cheek, rather than meeting my eyes. "I'm just a little tired, and doing math gets harder when it's late."

I debated calling him out and telling him I knew it was more than that, but I didn't want to start an argument with my boyfriend over his finances. Instead, I nodded and acted like I believed him. "And the noises coming from the decorating committee probably isn't making it any easier."

He chuckled at that. "I honestly don't notice most of the time. It's practically like listening to the radio at this point."

I laughed. "Sure, because a bunch of boys roughhousing and causing a ruckus is just like listening to Elvis."

"It is around here," Darry said fondly.

The radio started playing a popular Christmas song, and it seemed to spark something in Darry. "What are your plans for Christmas?"

I grinned shyly at him. "I was going to work, but Connie told me I'm not allowed to. She said since I worked Thanksgiving, I couldn't work Christmas. Then when I pointed out that it had never been a rule before, she said I should spend time with my 'handsome boyfriend and the rest of the boys.'"

His eyes gleamed and he smiled at me. "Good, because we'd love for you to be here."

The thought of spending Christmas at the Curtis house was exciting, but I couldn't help but feel a little nervous. "Are you sure? I don't want to intrude or anything."

Darry gave me a pointed look. "Kate, you won't be intruding. You're my girlfriend, and I'm inviting you." Then, apparently sensing my hesitation, he added, "you were here for Thanksgiving, and my brothers already said they want you here for Christmas too. All the guys and Two-Bit's mom and sister will be over too."

If his brothers are okay with it, then I guess it's okay.

I smiled and gave him a nod. "As long as everyone's okay with it, I'd love to be here for Christmas." He looked pleased, and I hoped the idea I was about to propose didn't dampen his mood. "Speaking of Christmas, I had an idea that I want to run by you."

One of his eyebrows quirked up. "Really? What is it?"

"Well, it's an expensive time of year for everyone, and we haven't been dating for too long," I started, suddenly feeling anxious about my idea. What if this is a bad idea? What if he's going to be hurt by me suggesting this? I debated backtracking, but since I had already started, I knew I had to fully commit. "What would you say if we agreed to not buy Christmas gifts for each other? Instead, we could spend time together and do something that doesn't cost money."

He looked at me quizzically, then his eyes got wide as he glanced at the pile of bills he had moved. When he looked back at me, his expression and his voice were both sad. "It's alright, Kate. You don't have to worry about me. I'll figure something out. I always do."

I studied him, and I realized that he probably felt like I was pitying him, which was absolutely not what I intended. "No Darry, it's not that," I said quickly to absolve his thoughts and concerns. "I haven't been earning as much money at the diner as normal, so I have to pinch some pennies for the time being." It was the truth, even though I had savings that I could dip into to buy Darry a gift, but he didn't have to know that. I'm trying to help you, Darry. "Plus, you're not exactly easy to shop for," I added jokingly.

He seemed to lighten up slightly, but he still looked uneasy. "Don't worry about getting me anything, Kate. But you can't possibly think I'm not getting my girlfriend something for Christmas."

"I'm thinking you should listen to what your girlfriend is asking," I said as I narrowed my eyes slightly, but I also grinned at him to let him know I wasn't actually upset, but I was being serious. "I figured you'd put up a fight, but I'm more stubborn than you, so you know I'll win."

He studied me closely. Then he put his arms down on the table and leaned towards me. "Why wouldn't you want a gift?"

I copied his movements and leaned forward. "It's not that," I started. Then I grabbed his hands in mine, loving the feeling of his strong hands, but not so much the split knuckles. "It's that I don't want either of us to be more stressed than we already are. The most important thing is to spend time with loved ones, so as long as I get to do that, I don't need anything."

His icy blues bore into my eyes, and it felt like I was an open book that he could easily read. It made me feel vulnerable, but there was a part of me that relished the feeling.

"Would it make you happy if I agreed?" Darry finally asked.

I grinned. "Yes, it would."

He let out a sigh, looking like he wasn't happy about something, but he was about to do it anyway. "Alright. No spending money on Christmas gifts for each other."

I smiled at him and gave his hands a squeeze. "Thank you."

He maneuvered his hands so he was holding mine, and he lifted them in order to press his lips against the back of my hands. Then he grinned at me. "Your birthday is fair game though."

I sat back in my chair and I laughed at Darry's comment. "Fine, when April comes around, I'll let you buy me whatever you want."

We sat there and continued to talk about anything and everything that came to mind, both of us acting like there wasn't probably a wrestling match occurring in the other room. Other than our daily phone calls, it had been a while since the two of us had time alone, and it was a nice change of pace. Eventually, Darry decided we should go in the living room to make sure nothing was broken and to see if progress had been made in decorating for Christmas. Surprisingly, despite all of the fuss we had been hearing, the room looked almost completely decorated and the tree already had ornaments hanging. I sat in the recliner and watched as Darry's brothers pulled him in to assist in their efforts. I didn't miss the smile on his face as he put the star on top of the tree.

Two-Bit had abandoned his directing duties and had apparently decided to watch Mickey Mouse on the tv, not even bothering to turn off the radio to reduce the sheer volume of noise in the house. Meanwhile, Steve and Johnny sat on the couch, looking like they were trying not to get in the Curtis brothers' way.

In the midst of watching the boys, listening to the radio, and seeing cartoons play on the tv, I started thinking about what I could get Darry for Christmas that didn't cost money, and it didn't take long before I came up with the perfect idea. I just had to make a phone call first.