You guys cannot understand how excited I was to write this chapter.

(Darry's POV)

Kate and I managed to fit in two more dates before Christmas was almost upon us. The first one included us going to another movie, and for the second one, she picked up pizza and brought it to my house because she didn't want me to worry about making dinner after a particularly long week of work. For the latter, we only got to spend about an hour alone before the guys started trickling in, which inevitably led to the guys all wanting to talk to Kate until she had to leave.

Despite not getting a lot of time alone together, I was eager to see what Kate had planned for the Saturday before Christmas. She had told me it was the day that I'd get my Christmas present, but she didn't give me any more details. She had also made sure Soda and I were both off of work that day, but she wouldn't tell me why; she just said she wanted to spend the day with me and my family. I was surprised that whatever my Christmas present entailed included other people, but I wasn't necessarily mad about it, just confused.

As the day got closer, Kate told me that whatever she had planned would remain a surprise until we actually got to our destination. By then, I was curious enough to let her go forward with her plan without asking too many questions.

The night before Kate's surprise, all the guys were over at the house when Kate stopped by after work. We managed to get her to tell us a few more details without spoiling anything. She admitted it would be a bit of a drive, but we wouldn't be in the truck for more than an hour at a time. Unfortunately, Johnny's still-healing back meant sitting in a car for that long was still too painful, so Dally decided he'd hang out with him while my brothers and I were gone with Kate. Kate looked a little upset and guilty about Johnny not being able to go, but he told her it was fine and it would be good for the four of us to spend time together. Kate smiled at him and promised he'd get to go to the same place one day when his back got better.

When that Saturday morning came around, my brothers and I were up early per Kate's instructions. I got up when it was still dark out, so I showered, got dressed, then started making breakfast. Not long after that, I heard the door open and shut quietly, which could only mean one thing.

"I'm in here, Kate," I said in the direction of the living room. I didn't want to disturb everyone else that was sleeping, so I kept my voice at a normal speaking volume.

A few moments later, she came walking into the kitchen with a huge smile on her face. Even in a simple pair of jeans and her hair in a braid, she was the prettiest girl I'd ever seen, and she nearly took my breath away. She walked up to me, and even while I was still making eggs, she hugged me from behind and I felt her press the side of her face into my back. "Good morning, Darry."

I smiled to myself. I could get used to this. I put my spatula down, grabbed her hands, and pulled them towards my lips so I could kiss them. Then, in one move, I turned around and guided her hands to rest on the back of my neck so I could lean down and press my lips against hers.

"Good morning," I muttered when I broke away just far enough to speak without mumbling against her lips.

Her loving eyes met mine before she leaned in for another kiss. Yeah, I could definitely get used to this.

"If you're gonna make out and burn our food, you can move aside," Soda joked.

Kate and I broke apart and looked at my brother. His hair was disheveled and he still looked half asleep, but he was smirking at the fact he caught his older brother kissing his girlfriend in the kitchen. In the background, I heard the shower running, which meant Pony was up too.

"Morning, Soda," Kate said with a smile as she stepped away from me. "I'm sorry, I'll leave the chef alone."

Soda waved her off as he walked towards the stove. "That's alright, I can take over cooking duties." He lightly pushed me away from the food and toward Kate, giving us both a wink. "Darry's food is boring anyways. Plus, then Pony will get to do dishes all by himself."

"Boring?" Kate questioned in an entertained voice.

"He means I don't make it all the colors of the rainbow," I explained. "In addition to mixing jelly and eggs like a crazy person, Soda likes to mix things up by changing what color everything is supposed to be."

Kate smiled and tried to keep her laugh quiet. "I love that. Life should be fun and colorful."

"Thank you!" Soda said with a smile. Then he gave me a jokingly serious look. "At least someone appreciates my genius."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. While you're doing that, I'm going to throw a few jackets in the truck in case you or Pony get cold."

"Figured out where we're going yet?" Soda asked, looking at me, then at Kate. "Pony and I were trying to guess all night. Care to give me a hint?"

Kate shrugged while a smug look plastered her face. "I think you'll like it."

Soda flipped the eggs, then let out a dramatic sigh. "That's not a helpful hint."

Kate and I laughed as we both left the kitchen. Apparently, she was planning on accompanying me to bring the jackets to the truck, but I didn't mind. I was always happy to spend even just a minute alone with her.

Once I put the jackets in the truck and shut the door, Kate turned to walk back to the house, but then she stopped and gave me a look. "Okay Darry, there's one more thing I should tell you before we leave."

I nodded. My heart rate was steadily increasing, but I tried to maintain my composure despite the pain in my chest. What could she possibly need to tell me?

"Don't freak out, but you'll meet some of my family today," she said casually.

My heart rate skyrocketed. "Wh- what?"

"It's nothing to worry about, it's not formal or anything," she said as she lightly grabbed my arm, assumingly to calm my nerves. "My surprise just happens to include my family. I promise you don't need to worry. It just didn't feel right not to tell you before we get there."

I tried to get my heart to stop racing and return to its normal rhythm, but it wasn't happening quick enough for my liking. Once I felt like I could breathe and speak normally, I finally replied. "And you wanted my brothers to come too?" I asked with raised eyebrows, trying to figure out what in the world Kate had planned.

She nodded, a smile crossing her face. "Yes. If they found out we went there without them, I think they'd be pretty upset they didn't get to come with. Plus, I wanted them to join anyways. I know they'll like it."

I nodded my head. Given the fact my heart rate was still a little too fast for comfort, I thought I'd be panicking more, but between the grip on my arm and the gorgeous pair of eyes looking at me, I couldn't really be frightened. "Okay. Thank you for telling me."

Her face brightened. "So you're not mad?"

I shook my head, then wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her closer to me. For a moment, I wondered if she could hear or feel my heart still pounding. "No, I'm not mad. But is there any chance you'll tell me where we're going? I am driving, you know."

She smirked at me, but I could recognize the stubborn look in her eyes. "No, I'll give you directions. You just drive."

"Are we there yet?" Soda asked for the hundredth time.

"If you ask again, I'm going to shove you out the window," Ponyboy tiredly mumbled, earning a laugh from the rest of us in the truck.

In the back seat, Pony was leaning his head against the window, apparently trying to sleep during the drive. Meanwhile, Soda was practically bouncing with energy as he looked out the window, constantly trying to figure out where we were headed.

"I promise it'll be worth it," Kate said.

"How much longer?" Soda whined.

I was about to tell Soda to quit acting like a child, but Kate's chuckling from next to me made me bite my tongue. "About ten minutes. Darry, take the next exit."

"Yes ma'am," I said obediently.

After taking the exit off the freeway, we were immediately met with farmland as far as the eye could see. Suddenly, I somehow figured it out. Of course.

I glanced over at Kate, who was smiling as she kept looking straight ahead. Despite not meeting my eyes, one of her eyebrows quirked up, which told me she knew I was looking at her. "So… you know where we're headed?"

"Yeah, I think I do," I said as I turned to look at the road. Then I shook my head as I let out a short chuckle. "I can't believe I didn't figure it out before."

Kate laughed a little, while Soda grabbed my seat and shook it a little. "What?! Where are we going? Darry, tell me!"

"Sorry little buddy, I think it'll be better as a surprise," I said, not able to erase the smile from my face.

For a few more minutes, I followed Kate's instructions until we drove up a long dirt driveway that led up to a white farmhouse on top of a small hill. Nearby, there was a smaller building that looked like a smaller house, and not too far away, I spotted a barn.

"A farm?" Pony questioned as I parked the truck. "Whose is it?"

Kate turned to looked back at my brothers. "It's my aunt and uncle's. I heard how much you guys like the country and everything, so I thought it would be fun to spend the day here. And Soda, there's horses."

At the mention of horses, Soda jumped out the truck, with the rest of us following suit. Kate led the way towards the farmhouse, carrying a bag that I hadn't noticed she brought. I walked alongside her, Pony was following as he looked around dreamily, and I could tell it took every ounce of willpower Soda had to keep himself from running off to find the horses.

Suddenly, the front door of the house opened, and a middle-aged woman walked out, already smiling at us. "Catherine! It's so good to see you, sweetie!"

"Hi aunt Kay," Kate said as she approached the woman. The two of them hugged, and I couldn't help but feel a tug on my heart as I saw Kate have yet another mother figure in her life. That's a dumb thing to be jealous of, Darry.

When the two of them separated, Kate looked around. "Where's Uncle Ted?"

The woman gave Kate a small frown. "I'm sorry, honey. He had to go help Joshua at his place. Apparently, the cattle got through the fence."

Meeting one of Kate's family members seemed substantially easier than meeting two, so as much as I would've liked to meet her uncle too, it took some pressure off of me to know he wasn't around.

There was a flash of disappointment on Kate's face, but it quickly faded and changed back to excitement. "Oh right, introductions. Kay, this is-"

"Oh I know who they are," the woman, Kay, said. She was still smiling as she looked at me and my brothers. "The tall one must be your handsome boyfriend, Darry."

I felt myself blush, but I pushed past that and extended my hand towards her. "It's nice to meet you, ma'am."

She shook my hand, and I was surprised at how strong her grip was. I guess that comes from working on the farm. "Darlin', you can call me Aunt Kay, or even just Kay. Everyone does, even the neighbor boys around here."

I nodded, but I stayed silent as she withdrew her hand. Kate had moved to stand next to me while Kay looked over at my brothers. "And you must be Sodapop and Ponyboy."

"You know us?" Soda asked. He sounded surprised, but not upset; more like excited that Kate had apparently told her about them.

The woman nodded. "Catherine's told me a lot about all of you and your friends." With that, she looked back at me. "And you… thanks for lookin' out for her. She's certainly good at finding trouble."

"I am not!" Kate interrupted, but her voice had no heat. In fact, she was laughing.

"Sweetheart, you could find trouble just as easy as your cousins do," Kay said without hesitating.

Kate looked like she was going to argue, but I threw my arm around her shoulders and looked down at her with a smirk. "You do remember what happened at the rodeo, right?" I didn't want to bring up what happened to her at the bar, it just didn't seem right to bring that up again, but the incident at the rodeo with the injured horse seemed like a safe topic.

My beautiful girlfriend glared up at me, but I knew she wasn't actually upset.

"Speaking of which, I heard Kate's not the only one who likes horses," Kay said with a smug look on her face. "Sodapop, would you like to go see them?"

Soda's face brightened so much, it was like I was looking at the sun. "Yes please!"

Kay led the four of us towards the barn, and while Soda and Pony walked with her, Kate and I were behind all of them, my arm still around her shoulders. There was a bounce in my brothers' steps as they eagerly followed Kay. When we were about halfway to the barn, Kate slowed a little to create some space between us and the other three. "This is why I wanted all of you here. I knew they'd like it."

I grinned at her, then kissed her temple. "They won't want to leave."

She smirked back up at me. "Just you wait. There's more."

I wasn't sure what she meant by that, but I was excited to find out.

Kay stopped at a wooden fence, and turned to smile at all of us. "This is my herd of rebels."

We all walked up to the fence, rested our arms on the top wooden beam, and looked ahead. It was a large pasture with at least a dozen horses scattered around, most of them drinking water from the pond in the middle. There was every color of horse imaginable out there: bay, chestnut, grey, black, even some pintos. While I thought horses were pretty tuff and interesting to be around, my brothers loved them even more. Soda was practically giggling and trembling in anticipation, which made him look like he was ten years old again.

"You have so many," Soda said in awe.

"Kay is sort of a horse-whisperer," Kate said with a proud look on her face as we approached the others. "She rescues horses that nobody else wants because they're either too difficult or too dangerous for the average person."

Soda looked at Kate's aunt like she was a goddess or something. "What's your secret?"

The woman gave him a soft grin. "Be more stubborn than the horse."

That got all of us to laugh, but Soda most of all. Then, when his laughs turned to small chuckles, he looked towards me and Kate. "Then you two ought to be great with horses too."

I turned to look at Kate, prepared to make some remark about her being more stubborn than me, but she was looking at Soda with a fake offended expression. "What could you possibly mean by that?"

"To be fair, Catherine, you are just as good with the horses as I am. You know what that means," Kay said with a smirk, causing us to laugh again.

For the first time in a long time, I felt completely relaxed. Something about being in the country, laughing with my brothers and Kate, along with Kate's sassy aunt, made me feel perfectly content. This all just feels right. I could get used to being out here.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Kate suddenly said, pulling me out of my thoughts. She set her bag down on the ground, opened it, and reached inside. "I brought something for you, Ponyboy. In case you're interested."

"Me?" Pony asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

"Yup!" Kate said as she pulled out a notebook and some pencils. As she handed them to Pony, my brother gave her a confused look, which just made her smile. "I heard you like to draw. I figured since we're here, you might get some inspiration."

Ponyboy beamed at her as he accepted the gift. "Thanks, Kate."

"Don't mention it," she said before returning to her spot at the fence next to me. She tied her bag to the wooden beam, freeing up her hands. "I also brought some apples and carrots for the horses… just in case anyone wants to see them up-close and feed them."

"I do!" Soda shouted, then he immediately dug in Kate's bag and grabbed an apple.

Before I could scold him for being rude, Soda did his horse call. It was a whistle like the one our gang and the Shepard gang uses– starting with a long, low note and ending with a sudden high note– but he added an inflection in the middle, which added a couple extra tones. The whistle immediately got the attention of the horses in the pasture, and while a few of them started walking towards us, a large black horse started trotting in our direction.

"Of course it's him that's running up here," Kay said mysteriously.

I turned to my left and looked at her. What's that supposed to mean?

Apparently noticing my confusion and slight concern, Kay gave me an amused look. "Out of all of my horses, that gelding is the one that gives me the most trouble. You'd think he was a stallion by the way he parades around and thinks he's king of this place."

"Is he dangerous?" I asked, immediately on edge. If the horse-whisperer has problems with this horse, then what does that mean for the rest of us? Should I get my brothers and Kate away from the fence?

To my dismay, Kay shrugged. "Not necessarily."

Needless to say, that did not calm my nerves.

The black gelding was running towards us, and he started whinnying loudly. I hope he's friendly. Suddenly, Soda scrambled to duck between the wooden beams of the fence, apparently about to go into the enclosure.

"Soda!" I said, reaching across Kate to grab him, but he was too fast. He was already running towards the black horse.

I moved to duck through the fence and go after him, but Kate held me back by grabbing my arm tightly. I looked at her, wondering why she wouldn't let me get my brother, but she didn't seem worried at all. "Don't worry, he'll be fine," she said confidently.

I wanted to argue, to tell her horses could be dangerous, and nothing Kay said told me this horse could be trusted, but words escaped me as I watched Soda approach the horse.

"Darry, is that-" Ponyboy started, but he never finished his question.

He never finished it because we both already knew what he was about to ask, and also what the answer was.

Standing in front of us, eating an apple and getting his nose rubbed by Soda, was none other than Mickey Mouse.

"Holy shit," I muttered, letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Language," Pony joked under his breath. I ignored him, letting it slide since we were both dumbfounded by what was happening in front of us.

Soda was sobbing with joy, rubbing his hands all over Mickey Mouse's head. The gelding seemed to enjoy it too with all of the noises he was making. If horses could purr, Mickey Mouse was purring for Sodapop.

"How…" I started, but I was so shocked, I couldn't say anything else. Next to me, Kate was chuckling with a huge smile on her face. "You knew it was him?"

Kate spared a glance in my direction. "I did. As soon as you told me about Soda and his horse, I knew. That's why I wanted to surprise y'all."

I stared at her, then I looked back to Soda and his horse. This can't be happening. This can't be real. Can it?

I turned to look back at Kate, and she was still gazing at me like she was trying to read me. Before I could try to say anything else, she grabbed the bag of apples and carrots, then dipped through the fence, turning around to look at me and Pony. "C'mon, let's go say hi."

Pony and I followed Kate's lead, ducking through the fence and walking towards Mickey Mouse and Soda, who was still bawling.

"I missed you, buddy," I could hear my brother mutter against the horse's face. In response, Mickey Mouse was still making purring noises. As we approached with more food, the young horse started smacking his lips, causing Soda to laugh in the midst of his sobs. "Yeah, you're still one hungry horse, ain't ya?"

"Aunt Kay says he eats almost twice as much as any other horse here," Kate said with a fond smile the second Mickey Mouse swiped an apple from her hand.

Soda pulled away from the horse slightly so he could wipe the tears from his cheeks before turning to look at Kate. "I can't believe it. He's here. Has he been here the whole time?"

Kate nodded a little, then she gave a few carrots to one of the other horses that had approached us before replying. "His previous owner thought he was too difficult to handle, so he wanted to get rid of him. In fact, when Aunt Kay bought him, the guy told her only one person at the stables seemed to be able to deal with him… I wonder who that could be," Kate said sarcastically.

Soda glowed at the praise, and he leaned his head against the side of Mickey Mouse's face. "Thank you for this, Kate. Thank you so much."

"No need to thank me," Kate said with a smile. She looked like she was about to say something else, but then a red horse nudged her from behind, making her spill a few carrots onto the ground, which were quickly eaten by the equine creatures that had surrounded us. Kate turned to look at the horse that bumped into her, and her face brightened. "Well hello there, pretty girl. Your eye's looking better."

Her eye? What?

Suddenly, I spotted a scar that stretched vertically across the horse's left eye. "Is that… is that the horse from the rodeo?" I asked Kate.

Kate nodded, then stroked the red horse between the eyes. "Yes, it is. Once I told my aunt about her, Kay decided she needed to bring her here." Then Kate turned her head towards my brothers. "Boys, I'd like you to meet Kay's newest addition to the farm: Scarlet. She's the one Darry and I helped on our date at the rodeo."

While Soda stayed with his horse and just looked at the red mare, Pony slowly approached Scarlet and let her sniff him before reaching out to pet her. Scarlet's ears went back a little and she stomped her feet down, which made Pony freeze in his tracks.

"Don't take it personally, Ponyboy. Scarlet's just a little timid of most people. She isn't difficult in the same ways as the other horses here are, for instance Mickey Mouse, but she has some trauma that Kay's helping her work through," Kate said softly as she gave the mare a carrot. "She doesn't let my uncle get within a mile of her, so believe it or not, she actually seems to like you all."

I moved to go towards Scarlet's left side, making sure I was talking softly as I moved so I wouldn't startle her. "Hey girl. It's okay." She let me touch her front left shoulder without flinching away, so I was pretty pleased with myself.

"I think she remembers you," Kate said fondly. I could only smile in return.

"Is she called 'Scarlet' because of her color, or because of the scar?" Pony questioned. He was already petting the buckskin horse that approached him.

"Yes," Kate said simply before she busted out laughing, making Scarlet jump slightly before allowing Kate to resume petting her. "It's both. My aunt thinks she's hilarious."

"Because I am!" Kay said from her spot on the other side of the fence. She was only about twenty feet away from us, so Kate had to have known she'd hear the remark about her.

Kate rolled her eyes, but then smiled. "Kay figured this mare needed a new name for a new life, and when she came up with the name Scarlet, she thought it was perfectly fitting." Pony nodded, then his attention was focused on the horse he was petting.

We spent the whole day at the farm, mostly with the horses. Kate's aunt made sandwiches for lunch, and after we devoured those, Kay refused to let us help with the dishes, so we all went right back outside. While my brothers returned to the horse pasture after lunch, Kate and I walked around so she could show me the other parts of the farm. According to Kate, Kay rescued more than just horses, which became apparent quickly. There were some sheep, goats, chickens, cats, and even a donkey. Past the areas dedicated to the animals, Kate told me there are fields of wheat and corn. With everything going on at this place, do these people ever have free time?

The irony of my thought wasn't lost on me.

We eventually returned to the horse pasture, where I spotted Pony inside the enclosure, sitting on the ground and resting his back against the wooden fence. He was drawing in the notebook Kate gave him, which made me smile. Soda was still with Mickey Mouse inside the pasture, sparing some pets for other horses as they walked towards him.

Kate and I took our previous spots along the fence, leaning our arms on the top beam. We stood there silently, just watching my brothers and the horses. I realized that not only had I not been so relaxed in such a long time, it had been what felt like eternity since I saw my brothers at peace too.

"I don't know what else to say other than thanks," I said after some time. Kate turned to look at me, and the way the sun hit her eyes only intensified the color variations in her irises. She is beautiful in every possible way. "Thank you so much, Kate."

"Just like I told Soda earlier, there's no need to thank me," she replied with a smile. "I'm glad you all could be here."

I leaned down and pressed my lips against her forehead, then I rested my forehead against hers so I could look deep into her eyes. "Me too."

A whinny drew both of our attentions towards the pasture. Mickey Mouse was bobbing his head up and down, which drew a laugh from Soda. Off to the side, I noticed that Pony was smiling.

"It's been so long since I've seen them like this," I said quietly. I wasn't sure how to elaborate to my girlfriend what I meant "this" was exactly, but she didn't question it, so I hoped she somehow understood.

She nudged me a little, causing me to turn to look at her. "You seem happy too."

I grinned, then leaned forward to give her a quick kiss. Then, when we separated, I said, "I am. I'm really happy."