Sorry for the long wait, I hope a really long chapter makes up for it!

(Darry's POV)

When I woke up on Christmas morning, I knew it was still early just from the sunlight that came through my bedroom window. I was so accustomed to waking up early, that I didn't even try to get more sleep; I decided to get up and get ready for what was sure to be an emotional day.

It was the first Christmas without our parents, and every time the thought crossed my mind, I felt sick to my stomach. My brothers and I hadn't said those exact words, but we knew we were all thinking about it. That's why we went to visit them in the cemetery the day before.

After getting dressed, I quietly made a pot of coffee, hoping I wouldn't wake anyone else up by moving around in the kitchen. On a whim, after pouring myself a cup of coffee, I decided to go sit on the porch to watch the sunrise. Ponyboy always talked about sunrises and sunsets, mostly with Johnny or Soda, but I had overheard him enough times to know he really enjoyed them. It's been a while since I've sat back and watched one.

It was a brisk morning in Tulsa, but the warmth of the glorious dark liquid in my mug kept me from freezing outside on the porch. As the minutes ticked by, my gaze didn't move from the sky. The colors were indeed beautiful, and I found myself starting to relax, which was an unusual feeling since I was constantly stressed about several things all at once.

I have to hand it to Ponyboy; there's something special about these.

By the time the sky's colors were fading to its typical blue color, my coffee mug was empty, and I was starting to feel the effects of the cold air, so I went back into the house to pour myself a refill. With a fresh cup of coffee in hand, I sat down in my recliner and started to read the newspaper.

I had told Kate to come over any time she wanted to on Christmas, and I expected her to want to sleep in on a rare day she had off of work. However, less than half an hour after I sat down in the recliner, the front door opened quietly. I peered over the paper in my hands, only to find Kate walking into the house with wrapped gifts in her hands.

The sunlight washed over her as she entered the house. The green shirt she wore gave her a striking appearance since it made her green irises and the red in her hair appear even brighter.

She's gorgeous.

"Kate," I said as I let out a breath.

"Good morning, Darry," she said, flashing her bright smile at me as she slipped her shoes off. It seemed like she didn't even notice that she left me almost breathless. "Merry Christmas."

After shaking my head a little to clear it, I tossed the paper to the side and jumped to my feet. I approached my girlfriend, and after I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, I smiled at her. "Merry Christmas, Kate." Then I took the pile of presents from her arms and moved to put them under the tree. As I set them down, I realized something. She went against our agreement.

I turned to look at Kate. "What happened to not spending money?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest. I didn't want to sound angry, but I wondered why she would come up with the idea of not spending money for Christmas presents if she was going to go against it anyways.

She walked up to me and loosely wrapped her arms around my neck before she looked up at me warmly. "Technically, we only agreed not to spend money on each other," she pointed out with a small grin on her face. "And I'm sorry, but none of those presents are for you, sweetie."

I guess that's technically following our agreement. But still, she didn't need to buy presents for the boys. I don't want her spending money if things are tight for her too.

"I didn't spend money on these either. I promise," she added, still looking up at me with a sweet look on her face. "I just wanted to do something for the boys."

I was touched. Even after she surprised my brothers and me with the trip to the farm, she apparently felt the need to give them tangible presents. Not only that, but I spotted Johnny's name on one of the gifts too. Pretending to be reluctant, I wrapped my arms around her waist and rolled my eyes. "I guess that's alright, since you technically didn't break our agreement."

She smiled, then went on her tip-toes to give me a quick kiss. "Thank you for understanding," she said with a little bit of sass.

I laughed a little at that. This girl is something else.

"You know, my brothers haven't stopped talking about the farm since we got back. Soda's telling everyone that'll listen how he has his horse back," I started, still keeping my arms around my girlfriend so she remained close. She didn't seem like she wanted to break apart anyways.

Then I dropped my voice lower, hoping she realized how serious I was about to be. "Seeing my brothers so happy… it was the best gift anyone could've given me. I really can't thank you enough for that."

Her eyes seemed to shine as she smiled up at me. "You're welcome. I'm glad I was able to do something for you all. And you're always welcome to go back there. Kay loved you three, and I know she'd loved the rest of the guys too."

"Really?!" Soda shouted, making me and Kate jump in surprise. My brother had suddenly made an appearance by running into the living room. Kate and I broke apart just in time for Soda to come skidding to a halt right next to her. "We can go back?"

Kate laughed and nodded her head at my crazy brother. "Of course."

Soda's eyes practically popped out of his head, then he suddenly squeezed Kate into a tight hug. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

She briefly looked stunned, and with her arms pinned to her sides, she wasn't able to do much but stand there and let Soda keep hugging her. After a moment, the shock wore off and Kate let out a laugh that sounded slightly strained. "You're welcome, Soda."

I put my hand on Soda's shoulder and pulled it a little, hoping he'd get the message. "Lay off, little buddy. You're going to suffocate her."

Reluctantly, my brother let go of Kate, but he stayed where he was and still looked at her like she was the best thing he'd ever seen. "Sorry Kate, but glory I never thought I'd see my horse again."

"We get it, Pepsi," I said calmly, trying to coax him to relax a little bit. I loved seeing him so happy, but there were several reasons I hoped he could keep his voice down. "But you if you don't quiet down, Pony and John-"

"Mornin'," Johnny mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. His dark hair was going every which way, and he looked like he was barely able to stay upright, but for once, it wasn't because of his back injury; it was because of his exhaustion.

"Mornin' Johnny!" Soda said lightly, as if he didn't realize he was probably the reason the teen woke up.

"Merry Christmas Johnny," Kate said brightly.

When he heard Kate's voice, Johnny's head snapped up, and I could see him try to erase the tired expression written all over his face. "Merry Christmas, Kate. You guys too," he said, looking at me and Soda.

Ponyboy suddenly made an appearance behind his friend, having a similarly tired look on his face before he let out a yawn. "-rry Christmas guys."

"Were you two up late to try to catch Santa or something?" Soda asked with a wild grin on his face.

Pony shook his head. "No, I was in Johnny's room late last night finishing your presents. I didn't wrap them though, so I'll get them later when we open presents."

I looked at my youngest brother quizzically, wondering what on Earth he was working on, but I figured I'd find out later, so I let it slide. Instead of asking him about it, I moved to ruffled Pony's already-messy hair. "Since we're all awake, I'll make breakfast. You want some coffee, little colt?"

Pony's face scrunched up into a disgusted look. "Gross, no."

I grinned at his reaction. When I was his age, I hated coffee too, but now it's sometimes the only reason I can make it through the day. That, along with the constant reminder that I had to provide for three teenage boys.

"Oh that reminds me," Kate suddenly interjected. "I left something in my car, I'll be right back." Without any further explanation, Kate rushed out the door.

The three boys looked towards the door, confusion written on their faces, but when Kate walked back in a minute later with a large box in her arms that smelled delightful, I knew all of them were excited about whatever she brought.

"I stopped by the bakery on my way here to get some donuts," she said with a smile.

I didn't have to look at the guys to know their expressions likely mirrored my own. We never got donuts, mostly because the money I set aside for groceries needed to purchase nutritious food that would give the boys enough protein and energy for the day, which pastries couldn't provide. Donuts were a treat that we hadn't had in a long time, and my mouth was watering just from the smell.

"No way! Thanks Kate!" Soda said excitedly as he reached for the box in Kate's hands. He took it and quickly made his way to the kitchen, with Pony and Johnny following close behind.

"Manners Soda," I scolded, knowing all too well that he wasn't listening to me.

After breakfast, the five of us gathered around the living room. Johnny had an extra day of physical therapy before the holiday so his muscles were still pretty sore, which led to him lying down on the couch with his feet resting on Pony's lap. Soda sat in the chair on the other side of the room, which left the recliner for Kate. I told her to take my typical spot, but she apparently disapproved of me sitting on the floor next to her, because before I knew it, she guided me to sit in the recliner and she perched herself to sit on the arm of it. It didn't look comfortable, and I thought it was ridiculous to let the only woman in the house to not have a proper seat on furniture, so in a bold move, I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her down to sit on my lap. She let out a small squeal in surprise, but she immediately started giggling and smiling at me when she realized it was just me pulling her closer.

Soda started a small fire in the fireplace to warm the house, and when he moved to sit back down in the chair, I caught him glance at me and Kate, and I could see him barely suppressing a smile. That happened to be exactly what I was doing too.

"Wanna open presents now?" Pony asked, his eyes bright and excited since he had fully woken up after eating breakfast.

"Sure kiddo. Why don't you and Soda hand them all out," I said, not wanting to move from my spot on the recliner with Kate.

In record time, my brothers distributed the presents to everyone, and I was surprised when there ended up being two presents with my name on them by my feet. It still bothered me that I didn't get Kate anything for Christmas, but it looked like she held up her end of the deal since none of the presents she brought into the house ended up on the floor next to me.

"So you two really aren't giving presents to each other?" Soda asked in a tone of disbelief.

"No, we just want to spend time together," I said defensively. I might've still felt weird about not buying anything for Kate, but I didn't want Soda to make her feel weird about it too. "The trip to the farm last weekend was Kate's idea, and the two of us will be doing something tomorrow for what I have planned," I explained.

"And he still isn't telling me what that is," Kate said, faking annoyance as she leaned back against my chest and turned to look at me. Her playful glare was endearing.

Two can play at this game. "This coming from the girl who didn't even telling me where I was driving last weekend," I said, quirking an eyebrow at her. "We could've ended up in California for all I knew."

"I would've told you to pack your swimsuits and beach towels if that was the plan," Kate joked, earning laughs from everyone in the room.

"And Johnny," Kate said, suddenly addressing the quietest greaser in the room. "I promise you'll get to go to the farm too, as soon as you're ready. Kay's excited to meet you."

Johnny's eyes brightened. "Really?"

Kate nodded. "We can even spend a night there if you guys are interested. One of the best things about being out in the country is you can see all the stars at night. It really is beautiful."

Her statement only solidified what I had planned for following day. She's going to love it.

"That sounds great," Johnny said with a smile, which was becoming exceedingly common from him. Since moving in with us, he came out of his shell so much that he was almost like the kid he was before he got severely jumped the previous summer; he talked, joked, and smiled more whenever he was around us, which made all of us thrilled.

"When are we goin' back?" Soda asked excitedly.

"Calm down Soda," I said, trying to rein him in. "It hasn't even been a week since we went there. Let's give Johnny some more time to heal so he can come with. Plus, we'll need to give Kate's aunt and uncle a heads up before all of us show up again."

Soda deflated some, but he nodded his head in agreement.

"I know you want to see Mickey Mouse again," Kate suddenly said softly. "But I think there's something that might help, even just a little. Open the present in the blue bag."

I wasn't alone in my confusion; it looked like Pony and Johnny were just as perplexed as I was. Still, we all stayed quiet as Soda pulled the newspaper out of the blue bag. Then, when his eyes landed on something on the bottom of the bag, they widened. "Are these…?"

"Yup," Kate said proudly. "They're his. I figured you could have them here so he's always nearby."

I was about to ask what they were talking about, but a second later, Soda reached into the bag and pulled out a couple of used horseshoes. Oh, now I get it.

"Thanks Kate!" Soda said with a glistening smile.

"You're welcome," she said with a matching smile.

As the three teenage boys looked at Mickey Mouse's old horseshoes, I gently tightened my arm around Kate's waist and whispered into her ear. "Thank you, Kate."

She turned to smile at me. "Don't mention it."

Our quiet moment was interrupted with Soda's voice. "Alright, who's opening the next present?"

As the next half an hour passed, everyone took their time to open their presents.

In addition to the horseshoes, Soda got some car magazines from Johnny, and I had given him new boots and cowboy hat. I told him they were for when we went back to see Mickey Mouse, plus we could also discuss the possibility of him competing in rodeos again. He instantly jumped up, ran over to me, and almost shoved Kate away so he could hold me in a tight embrace. Luckily, Kate was laughing, and my brother was so happy, I couldn't find it in me to be upset with his antics.

Pony had received some drawing materials from Johnny, a book from Kate that I was pretty sure they talked about on Thanksgiving, and a pair of new running shoes that Soda and I both worked overtime to afford– not that we would ever tell him that.

"What…" Pony trailed off as he stared at the shoes, his eyes as wide as saucers.

"Do you like them kiddo?" I asked, hoping Soda's choice of the white and orange sneakers was the right one; he knew Pony's likes and dislikes more than anyone.

Ponyboy seemed to be speechless, but he managed to nod quickly. Then, after the apparent shock wore off, he looked between Soda and me. "They're real nice. How did you-"

"Don't worry about it, Pony," Soda said with a huge smile. Both of us assumed Pony would worry about how expensive they were, but we were both determined not to let him think about money. "You like the orange?"

Pony grinned at him. "Yeah, I really do." Then my baby brother's eyes landed back on me. In that moment, I saw so much love and admiration, it felt like I was looking at four year-old Ponyboy rather than fourteen year-old Ponyboy. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, little buddy," I said with a smile.

"Maybe you'll run even faster now," Soda joked, earning a wicked grin from our brother.

"You bet I will," Pony said confidently.

After Pony tried his shoes on and repeatedly thanked Soda and me for them, it was time for Johnny to open his presents.

Soda and I got Johnny a new jacket. We hoped it would be warmer than his denim jacket that he loved so much, and even though he no longer slept outside, we agreed that Johnny still needed to have better clothes for the colder months. He almost seemed reluctant to accept the present, even going as far as stating that he didn't want to cost us any money, but Soda and I reminded Johnny that he was part of our family and he deserved it. After he accepted the jacket with a smile and a lot of gratitude, he opened his present from Kate, which included kitchen utensils and cook books.

"Connie and Captain wanted to chip in too," Kate said as Johnny was looking through all of the cook books. "They wrote some tips and notes on some pages, and they added some of their own recipes in the back. They're excited to have you around."

After the night Captain showed him the kitchen at the diner, Johnny seemed even more excited about the opportunity to learn from the man. I had even overheard him talking to Pony about Captain's prosthetic leg and how normal he seemed despite it. We figured Johnny would start going to the diner after the new year, and judging by the look on his face as he flipped through the pages of the book in his hands, he couldn't wait.

"Golly Kate, thank you," Johnny said.

"You're welcome," Kate said softly.

After looking at a few more pages of the books with Johnny, Ponyboy jumped to his feet. "I'll be right back. I need to get all of your presents."

I had forgotten that Pony mentioned something about working on presents late into the previous night, and my curiosity immediately returned.

"You gonna tell us what Pony was workin' on, Johnny?" Soda asked as soon as Pony was out of the room.

Johnny shook his head. "I don't even know what it is. He didn't let me see what he was doin', so I just fell asleep while he was in my room."

Soda looked a little disappointed with Johnny's lack of information, but his expression quickly changed to pensive. It was apparent that all of us were confused and curious. When Pony walked back into the living room a minute later, his arms were behind him, and he had a bashful look on his face. "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to wrap them."

"That's alright Pony, we just wanna see what you were workin' on," Soda said with a reassuring smile.

Our little brother nodded, then he maneuvered his arms to bring whatever he was holding in front of him. It looked like a stack of wooden things, which only confused me. I think I'd notice if Ponyboy was woodworking late at night in the room next to me, so what was he doing?

Before I could ask anything, he started by handing something from his stack- a wooden rectangle frame– to Soda. Soda looked down at it, and his eyes immediately grew ten times their normal size.

"Pony…" Soda said, his quiet voice containing so much emotion, I was stunned into silence.

What is it? What's going on?

"I only had a few days to work on it-" Pony started saying self-consciously, like he was unsure about something.

Soda's gaze tore away from whatever was in the wooden frame and he looked up at Ponyboy with tearful eyes. Suddenly, he jumped up and threw his arms around Ponyboy, who was still holding the stack of rectangular wooden frames. "It's amazing, Pony! Thank you!"

I squinted my eyes to try to catch a glimpse of the image inside the frame, and I realized it was a drawing of some sort.

"You really like it?" Pony asked, his voice muffled due to being squeezed into Soda's arms.

Soda pulled away and looked right at Pony. "Are you kidding? I love it!"

"Can I see?" I asked, wanting to get a better look at the picture.

Soda smiled and rushed over towards the recliner. He gripped the frame tightly as extended his hands so Kate and I could see the drawing. "Our brother's an artist Darry!"

I already knew Pony was good at drawing, but immediately after looking at the picture, I was shocked. Ponyboy had drawn a perfect image of Soda with his horse, Mickey Mouse. In the picture, Soda was smiling and looking up at Mickey Mouse, who seemed to be enjoying Soda's presence too. Just with paper and some pencils, Pony managed to capture all of the happiness from the day that Soda was reunited with his beloved horse.

"Glory Pone, this is amazing," I said honestly as I looked up at Pony. He was still standing a few steps away, looking a little unsure of himself. "Soda's right; you're a fantastic artist."

My kid brother smiled shyly as his skin turned pink. "Thanks Darry."

Soda moved away to show the picture to Johnny, which allowed Pony to walk up to Kate and me. "Here's your pictures," he said, handing each of us a wooden frame with drawings in them. "I hope they're as good as Soda's."

I took the picture frame from my brother and looked down. Somehow, the drawing managed to stun me even more than the one Soda received.

He had drawn a picture of me, which was also from our day at the farm. I was standing, leaning my back against the wooden fence of the horse pasture, with one of my feet casually crossed in front of the other. My arms were crossed in front of my chest, and my kid brother made my muscles appear extremely prominent. Is this an exaggerated drawing, or is this really how he views me? One of the coolest things about the drawing was how he drew my smile. He somehow managed to capture how relaxed and happy I truly felt when we were at the farm.

I tried to recall when I had stood like that, and after a moment of thought, I remembered what had made me smile like the drawing depicted. Soda, Pony, and Kate all wanted to say their final goodbyes to the horses, so the three of them were in the horse pasture. Mickey Mouse had started nibbling at Soda's hair, making my brother laugh. Scarlet had rested her head on Kate's shoulder and closed her eyes as Pony ran his hand up and down her face; apparently the traumatized mare decided that my youngest brother wasn't a threat after all. Meanwhile, Kate was beaming, looking like being around the horses and my brothers was her favorite thing in the world. The scene was so full of peace and love, I never wanted to leave.

"Glory Pone, this is…" I started, but I struggled to come up with words. I looked up at my brother, whose large eyes were looking at me expectedly. "This is incredible, Pone. Thank you."

He gave me a grin.

"You are so talented Ponyboy," Kate said kindly next to me. I had been so enthralled by Pony's drawing of me, that I had forgotten that he had given one to Kate too. "I love this so much. Thank you."

I looked at the picture in Kate's hands, and I was just as equally impressed with my brother's talent.

Similar to Soda's drawing, Kate's picture included her and a horse, but instead of Mickey Mouse, it was Scarlet. In addition, he added another person to her picture: me. In the drawing, Kate and I were on either side of the red mare, both of us smiling brightly as we each had a hand on the horse. However, instead of looking at Scarlet, we were both looking at each other. I had a feeling that even without knowing the people in the picture, anyone who saw the drawing could tell the two people had a real connection; the facial expressions gave it away.

"Wow kiddo, that's amazing," I said softly, returning my eyes to meet Pony's. His eyes were watering slightly, and I knew what he needed. I shifted around so Kate was sitting in the recliner and I could stand up. I immediately wrapped my arms around Pony and squeezed him tight. "You really are talented, Ponyboy. In so many things. I love you, Pone."

He returned my embrace with more strength than I was used to him having. "Thank you, Darry. I love you too. I'm glad you guys like them."

After giving Pony and me a moment to ourselves, Soda spoke up kindly. "Hey Pony, I still see one in your hand. What did you draw for Johnny?"

Ponyboy and I broke apart, then his eyes landed on his best friend. Wordlessly, my youngest brother walked to the couch to sit next to Johnny while I maneuvered to resume the seating arrangement Kate and I had in the recliner.

I watched the exchange between Johnny and Pony. Strangely, after handing Johnny the picture, Pony suddenly looked extra nervous.

Johnny's eyes grew, and I watched him stare down at the drawing in his hands, analyzing the entire thing.

"Do… do you hate it?" Pony asked quietly.

I had no idea what would make Pony think his best friend would hate whatever he drew, especially not after the reactions the rest of us had, but my brother looked terrified.

Johnny's head snapped up and looked at Pony. "Is this really what…?" Johnny didn't finish the question, but apparently Pony knew what he was asking, because my brother silently nodded. "No, I don't hate it. I love it," Johnny said before looking back down at the image in his hands. "Golly Ponyboy, I didn't think I'd ever look like this."

"Can we see?" Soda asked gently. He was standing by the couch, but he was far enough away to provide some privacy if they didn't want him to see the picture.

Johnny nodded, then handed the framed picture over to Soda. I watched my brother's face as he looked at the drawing. At first, his eyebrows shot up and his eyes widen, but his expression quickly changed to something unreadable. Is he upset or something? What could Pony have drawn that would get a reaction like that from Soda?

After he looked at it for a minute or two, Soda spoke so quietly, I could hardly hear him. "You two really are heroes. You know that, right?"

Heroes? What does that have to do with- I suddenly had an idea of what Soda could be talking about. Windrixville.

I didn't know if I wanted to see what Pony had drawn or not. I was sure it had amazing details about whatever scene he drew, but that might make it even worse to look at. I know what they went through- at least the basic idea- but do I really want to see it for myself? Does it make me a bad person or a coward if I don't?

"Is it okay with both of you if I see it?" Kate asked gently, bringing me out of my spiraling thoughts. My eyes moved to look at my girlfriend, who was looking in the direction of the couch. "I understand if it's something you want to keep to yourselves," she added.

Pony and Johnny looked at each other, and after apparently communicating via telepathy, they both looked at Kate and nodded their heads. With their decision made, Soda slowly walked over towards Kate and me, then handed her the framed picture. Upon first glance, I could feel Kate's body freeze and tense up.

After a moment of hesitation, my curiosity won over my fear. I peered over Kate's shoulder and looked down at the image. It felt like my heart stopped.

In the picture Pony drew, Johnny was inside a building that was engulfed in a fiery inferno. His arms were extended away from him slightly, and given what I knew about the events of that day in the church, I assumed he had just helped a kid escape the blaze. Strangely, rather than the terrified sixteen year-old I was used to seeing whenever I looked at him, Johnny had a brave and determined look on his face. In fact, it almost looked like he was grinning. What was going through his mind when that was happening? Was he not scared at all?

Then more frightening thoughts emerged. Is that really what they dealt with? My baby brother and his best friend were so close to death, but they were more worried about saving some kids than themselves.

"Wow Johnny, Superman's got nothing on you," Kate said in awe, again bringing me back to the present. She had stood up to return the picture to Johnny. "You too, Ponyboy. You two are real heroes."

I found myself nodding along with Kate's words. She's absolutely right.

Johnny and Pony looked a little embarrassed, but true to form, Soda came to their rescue and broke the silence. "Hear that, Superman? You got nothin' on these two."

Kate was about to sit back down, but she suddenly turned to look at me, possibly to apologize or say something to take back what she said, but I didn't let her get that far. "I'm not arguing. Kate's right," I said casually to Soda as I wrapped an arm around Kate, bringing her close to me again. Then I looked to the two youngest members of the gang sitting on the couch. "You two really did an amazing thing. It looks like it was terrifying, but you still saved all those kids."

Again, they both looked embarrassed, but Ponyboy at least shrugged and spoke softly. "It wasn't just us. Dally helped too."

"Yeah, but he hates being called a hero or anythin' like it," Johnny mumbled with a slight smirk. "It ruins his reputation."

The rest of us laughed at that. Dallas was a juvenile delinquent in every sense of the term, but even if he denied it, he was also a hero.

"All of your drawings were great kiddo," I reiterated to Ponyboy once we stopped laughing at Dally's expense. "Thank you so much." Pony grinned shyly and nodded.

Then Soda suddenly shouted, disturbing whatever somber peace we had created. "Darry, you still have to open your presents!"

Until that moment, I had totally forgotten about the two presents on the floor next to me. Honestly, I didn't need or even expect any gifts, and Pony's drawing was already more than enough for me. Still, that didn't stop everyone else from looking at me expectedly, eagerly waiting for me for open my presents.

Apparently not wanting to wait, Kate bent down to grab the two boxes on the floor and handed them to me, all without moving from my lap.

"You guys really didn't have to get me anything," I said as I looked at the three boys sitting in the room.

"You deserve a real Christmas too Darry," Pony said softly. Something about my brother's words and his tone of voice hit me hard, and I struggled to shove down the emotions that were bubbling up to the surface. Instead of trying to say anything, I gave him a grin that I hoped showed my appreciation.

"C'mon Darry, hurry up!" Soda shouted, practically vibrating in the chair from his impatience.

"Alright alright," I said with a laugh.

I decided to start with the bigger box, which was wrapped with newspaper and had "From Johnny" written on it. I had no idea what to expect, but it certainly wasn't the high quality work gloves that I found inside the box. They were made out of real nice leather, and I felt my eyebrows shoot up towards my hairline. How did he manage to buy these?

I looked up at Johnny and gave him a big smile. "These are great Johnny. They're really high quality. Thank you."

Johnny grinned shyly, not unlike Pony had done just a couple minutes before. "The guys chipped in too, but they let me pick them out. I hope they fit real good."

I wondered if by "chipped in" he meant they actually paid money for them, or if they worked together to swipe them from some store. Still, with it being Christmas and all of the emotions swirling around the day, I realized I didn't care; I was surprised and grateful that Johnny and the rest of the guys even thought about getting me something.

I slid my hands into the leather gloves, and they fit perfectly. Like a glove. "They fit just fine." I looked at the teen again. "Thanks Johnny."

He gave me a curt nod. "No problem, Darry."

"You still have one more present, Dar," Soda stated in a giddy voice.

I rolled my eyes, but a grin remained on my face. "Geez Soda, will you just give me a second?" I said, removing the gloves and gently placing them back in the box.

"No, you're taking too long," my brother retorted. He reminded me of when he was a toddler and would pout and whine when people weren't doing whatever he wanted quick enough. He was always the most impatient Curtis, and that's saying something.

"Seems like Soda is excited about this last one," Kate said with a smile as she handed me a box wrapped with scraps of wrapping paper that my brothers likely found in our bin of wrapping supplies.

I ripped the wrapping paper away and revealed a black box. I didn't think much of it, but when I tried to remove the lid, I realized the box had small hinges on the back, so the top actually lifted up. That's interesting; it's like a jewelry box or something. Then when I spotted what was inside, I was confused for a moment. It was our dad's broken watch; the same one that I had reluctantly boxed up and put in the attic when it stopped working.

Then the second hand moved.

Then it moved again.

And again.

I was speechless.

It's fixed. Dad's watch is fixed!

Our dad always wore his black and gold watch, and after he and our mom died, I wore it all of the time too. I tried to convince myself that I just needed to know what time it was since I was always so busy and had so many things to keep track of on a daily basis, but deep down I knew I wore it because it felt like I still had a piece of my dad with me. When it stopped working, it felt like the last bit of life my father had disappeared, and it took a few weeks for me to accept the truth and store it with the rest of our parents' possessions.

I stared as the hands on the clock face moved at a steady pace, and I immediately felt emotional. It works. I have a piece of him with me again.

There was a gentle hand grasping my arm, giving it a squeeze, then a feminine voice spoke in the background, but I couldn't focus on it. Something like pressure felt like it was suddenly lifted from me, and somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought Kate had gotten up to do something.

Finally, after an eternity of staring at the watch that was our father's prized possession, I blinked several times for my blurry vision to clear. Then, I looked up in my brothers' direction. I realized Johnny had left too. "What… how…?"

"We knew how much that means to you, so we wanted to get it fixed," Ponyboy said slowly, like my mind wouldn't be working quick enough to understand him if he spoke normally.

I felt my eyebrows furrow slightly. Fixing things like expensive watches wasn't cheap, and I really hoped my brothers didn't have to go into debt or anything on my behalf. "But how-"

"Let's just say we know a guy," Soda said knowingly with a sly grin. He tried to look mischievous, but his watery brown eyes were full of kindness. "Well technically we know a girl who knows a guy who knows a guy."

It didn't take a lot of pondering to know at least who the girl was in that statement, especially since Soda glanced towards the kitchen for a moment when he spoke. Kate… I owe her so much.

I looked back down at the watch, still not quite believing that it was working again. "I can't thank you guys enough," I said, although I wish my voice was louder and steadier so they could understand how much I appreciated them.

Before I knew it, both of my brothers appeared in front of me, bending down and wrapping my torso with their arms.

"Merry Christmas, Dar."

"Merry Christmas Darry."

I stood up so I could throw my arms around them too, pulling them impossibly close to my chest. "Merry Christmas. I love you both so much."

We stood like that– an emotional trio of brothers hugging each other– for what felt like an hour before we broke apart from one another. Once we were separated, we were all wiping our eyes and smiling at each other.

"Glory, and I thought I was the bawl baby of the family," Soda joked, laughing a little. "Looks like we all are, huh?"

Pony and I both grinned at our brother, then I ruffled Soda's hair. "Yeah Pepsi, but you still take the cake for that particular trait."

Soda smirked at me as he punched my arm. "Whatever."

Suddenly, a soft voice spoke up. "The hot chocolate's ready whenever you guys are."

I looked over at Kate, who had a warm, fond smile on her face. Oh, so she left to make hot chocolate? After thinking about it for a moment, I realized she and Johnny were giving my brothers and I a private moment to ourselves, and I appreciated them for it.

"Did Johnny find marshmallows?" Pony asked.

Kate nodded. "Yes he did."

My brothers both rushed towards the kitchen, and before I could follow them, Kate approached me. She kept that warm smile on her face, and I felt like I was melting. Then she nodded her head towards the recliner. "Do you want help putting the watch on?"

I turned to grab the box with my dad's watch. It still felt like it was impossible that it was working again, but I took the watch out of the box and saw that the second hand was still moving, so I had to believe it was true. "Sure, that'd be great."

Kate and I managed to secure the watch around my left wrist, then before she pulled her hands away, I held them and looked into her eyes. "Thank you so much Kate," I said quietly, my voice suddenly remembering how emotional I've felt all day.

She smiled and leaned forward to connect our lips for a brief moment. "It was my pleasure. Merry Christmas Darry."

By the afternoon, our small house was filled to the brim. Two-Bit came with his mother and sister, bags of food in tow. Steve brought Evie, who insisted on bringing wine as a "thank you" for being invited over, and of course, Dallas showed up too.

While Evie, Mrs. Mathews, and Two-Bit's sister, Cassie, seemed content to immediately jump into a conversation with Kate, the guys all wanted to know about the gifts our household had exchanged earlier in the day. The whole gang seemed excited by the potential of Soda competing in rodeos again, and their eyes grew when they saw Pony's new running shoes and Johnny's new jacket. Then everyone, which surprisingly even included Steve, marveled at Ponyboy's drawings.

"And Superman, how'd you like your gifts?" Two-Bit asked, his eye brows quirked.

"They were all great, thank you," I said genuinely to him, Steve, and Dally.

"I dunno what you mean, man. Your brothers came up with the watch idea, and the other box said it was from Johnny. We didn't have nothin' to do with any of it, so I don't know what you're thankin' us for," Two-Bit said with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes and shoved his arm. "Yeah, alright."

He shoved me back, then we all dropped the subject for good.

Throughout the day, everybody talked, played cards or board games, and waited while Mrs. Mathews and her assistant, Johnny Cade, worked on dinner in the kitchen. Most of the conversations were carried in large part by Two-Bit, but when others were able to get a word in, it was nice to see Kate engage with the group like she had known everyone for years.

As soon as Mrs. Mathews announced that dinner was ready, the rest of the guys all ambushed her in the kitchen, while Kate, Cassie, and Evie laughed at their antics and waited in the living room with me rather than try to compete with a bunch of boys getting food.

"Boys, where are your manners? Ladies first!" Mrs. Mathews shouted at the gang.

"But-"

"But nothing, Keith!" Mrs. Mathews shouted at her son. Even though she had raised her voice, I could tell she was smiling as she yelled, and I could feel the love she had for Two-Bit, along with everyone else in the house. "You get your ass out of here before I throw your dinner out onto the street and have you to eat it off the pavement! That goes for the rest of you too, except you Johnny dear."

Within a few seconds, my brothers, Two-Bit, Steve, and Dally all shuffled out of the kitchen, allowing the three girls access to the kitchen to get dinner. The guys all had wide eyes, Two-Bit most of all. As the girls walked by, Evie patted Steve's cheek and smiled at him, and I saw Cassie stick her tongue out at her older brother, to which he mimicked the action right back. Before disappearing into the kitchen, Kate glanced at me and gave me a wink.

None of us wanted to move much after eating so much delicious food. We lounged around the living room, with the three youngest– Cassie, Pony, and Johnny– sharing the couch, Mrs. Mathews sitting in the cushioned chair, and Kate and I sharing the recliner just like we'd done in the morning. Everyone else was sitting on the floor, despite my objection about Evie not getting to sit on a piece of furniture.

"I'm fine, Darry," she said sternly. Evie was a tuff greaser girl, and she had been around the gang for long enough to know that if she really wanted to sit on a chair or the couch, we'd make it happen.

As the night progressed, the flames in the fireplace started to die down, and so did the conversations. A game of poker was started on the coffee table, and everyone joined in except Mrs. Mathews, Kate, and myself. I was a little surprised that when Cassie asked to be shown how to play, it was Ponyboy who showed her rather than her older brother.

Kate leaned back against my chest, and I tightened my arms around her as she did. "Is there something going on between them?" Kate whispered to me.

I looked at her, hoping my expression demonstrated my confusion so I didn't have to say anything.

"Ponyboy and Cassie," Kate added quietly. Her eyes moved to look at the group around the coffee table before returning to me. "They seem awfully close."

I felt my eyebrows furrow. "Really?"

I looked over at Pony and Cassie, and sure they were sitting next to each other and talking and smiling, but they were always friendly like that. Ponyboy was only one year older than Cassie, which meant she was the closest in age to him out of any of our friends in the neighborhood. The two of them weren't as close as the rest of our gang was, but Pony and Cassie were still friends. Plus, Pony was showing her how to play poker, so he kind of had to be close to her to explain things.

"They're not dating, if that's what you're asking. They're just friends," I whispered back to Kate.

Kate shrugged. "Okay, I was just wondering."

More time had passed, and suspiciously Cassie seemed to be winning the most. Someone mentioned that she learned how to cheat from her older brother, which then led to a wrestling match that included Two-Bit, Soda, Steve, and Dally. In the midst of the chaos, I felt Kate chuckle before she turned to look at me.

"Thank you for inviting me over for today," Kate said softly.

"Thank you for coming," I said with a smile. Then I kissed her forehead before she rested her head against my shoulder. "Merry Christmas, Kate."

"Merry Christmas, Darry."

The name I used for Two-Bit's sister comes from my story "The Cost of Bravery."

I'm still writing and editing the next few chapters, but I hope once those are done, updates will be more frequent.