He wakes up to Betty kissing him, whispering his name, and gently shaking him. She does this every morning before she leaves for work. He stretches and opens his eyes. She's sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a chocolate cupcake with two candles on it.

"What's goin' on?" Darry asks. His mind is still clouded with sleep.

"It's your two month sobriety birthday!" Betty says. "Make a wish and blow out the candles."

Darry snickers, thinks for a minute, and then blows out the candles. Betty sets the cupcake down on the nightstand and cuddles up next to him. He kisses the top of her head.

"Have I told you that I love you lately?" he asks.

"'Course you have," Betty says. "But it still hasn't gotten old."

He gives her shoulders a squeeze. "Wish you didn't have to go in today."

"I know, I know," she says. "But we need all the money we can get."

"I'll get back to work soon," Darry says.

"Take your time," Betty whispers. She nuzzles his neck and gives him a kiss on the cheek before she rolls out of bed.

"I've gotta go, but I wanna hear all about your meeting and your sponsor when I get back."

He nods. "See you tonight."

XXX

They're paired off and then seated at small tables in the church basement. Darry is across from a middle-aged man with graying brown hair and brown eyes. His skin has the deeply tanned and weathered look of someone who's spent years working outside in the sun. He's wearing a wedding ring, and his fingertips on his right hand are stained yellow from smoking.

"Well, this ain't my first rodeo, so I'll start," the man says. He has a thick Southern drawl. "I'm Jerry. I was born over in Mississippi, but the family moved out here when I was still a baby. I got two older brothers and one younger sister. I quit high school to join the army back in World War Two, but they wouldn't take me on account of how I've always got kidney stones real easy. That really threw me for a loop, and I recon that was when I started to really drink. But I also started learnin' brick masonry from my uncle, and I been doin' that ever sense."

He pauses to take a drink from his cup of water and light up a cigarette. "Met my wife, Betty, when I was twenty. Got married only a couple months later 'cause she was pregnant. Had three kids before I realized that I was spendin' more time at the bar than I was with them, and that didn't fly with me. I was missing so much of them growing up. So I started comin' to these meetings. Slipped up some at first, but I'll have been sober fifteen years this October."

Jerry grinds out his cigarette and looks up at Darry. "Your turn."

Darry smiles faintly. "Well, for starters, my girl's named Betty, too."

Jerry laughs. "They're good girls, those Betties, ain't they?"

"No idea how she's put up with my shit for so long," Darry replies.

"How long's it been?"

"Three years. Last year or so in particular has been real bad, though. For me, anyway. But, for some ungodly reason, she sticks around. Started comin' here for her. Probably would've just drank myself to death if not for her."

Jerry nods. "What's your story?"

Darry sighs. "Grew up poor, but was good at school and sports, so I always figured I'd go to college. But when the time came, we couldn't afford it. So I figured I'd work and save up money, but then both my parents died in a car wreck and I took over custody of my two younger brothers. I'd just turned twenty. Then a couple years later, the older one of my brothers died in Vietnam just a week before he was supposed to come home. And then this past year, right before Christmas, the younger one decided to leave college and travel around America without tellin' anyone first. I don't know anything about where he is or who he's with. He could be dead for all I know."

"And how old are you?"

"Twenty-four."

Jerry whistles. "No wonder you drink."

"No wonder at all," Darry agrees.

"So, your Betty, is she your wife, girlfriend, fiancée, what?"

He thinks about it for a minute. She's his roommate, his best friend, his cheerleader, and his shoulder to cry on. She's the only thing that hasn't changed. She's been his rock for so long, and girlfriend doesn't even begin to describe what she is to him.

She's all he has left. Her, and his mother's engagement ring.

He shrugs and gives Jerry the most truthful answer he can think of.

"She's my everything."

XXX

Betty is already home from work when Darry gets back. She smiles at him, and he can't miss how her eyes light up.

"Hey," she says. "Was wondering when you'd get back."

"Yeah, sorry. Stayed late at the meeting, and then I had a couple errands to run. Then went to the gym."

"No, don't be sorry. I'm glad you're getting out. Sounds like a good day."

Darry sits down next to her on the couch, wraps an arm around her shoulder, and gives her a kiss on the cheek.

"How was work? You have a good day?"

She nods. "It was good. Not the same without Pearl, though. I'm still not used to her being gone, and I hate being the youngest one there."

"I know," Darry says. He kisses her cheek again. "I'll get back to work soon, and then you won't have to spend much time there if you don't want to."

"Hey," Betty says. She shifts so they're facing each other, and she looks right into his eyes. "I know you hate this. I know you don't like that I'm the only one working. But I'm fine with it. I'd be working full-time even if you were also working, because I love this job."

She kisses him softly. "You're doing so much better. You've stopped drinking, you're getting out of the house, you're going to your meetings."

She smiles sheepishly. "We have a good sex life again. You seem so much happier now. And I'm sorry you had to get fired and hit rock bottom, but I'm also glad it happened. I don't think you'd be doing this well if you hadn't."

"I know," he says. "But it's because of you, too. Wouldn't have made it this long without you."

Betty giggles and blushes. Darry tilts her chin up and kisses her deeply.

"I love you," he breathes in between kisses. "I love you so much."

XXX

They're snuggled up next to each other in their bed. Darry is gently rubbing Betty's back, and she's periodically going in for kisses. The room is almost completely dark now that the sun is down, and the radio is softly playing music in the background.

He knows what he wants to do, and he knows that he can't wait any longer. But he's still nervous. He's acting calm, but his stomach is in knots and doing backflips.

Betty's lips are on his again, and he kisses her deeply. When they come up for air, he realizes that the song playing on the radio is Stand by Me. It's the perfect moment.

"Where ya' goin'?" Betty asks.

But Darry doesn't reply. He just walks over to the pile of his clothes on the floor and takes the ring out of his pants pocket. He had it cleaned earlier, and it looks brand new.

"Darry?" Betty asks.

He turns on the table lamp. She props herself up on her elbow and looks at him quizzically.

"Betty Jane Harrison," he says. He drops down on one knee and holds the ring out to her. Her eyes are big as saucers, but she's also smiling one of the biggest smiles he's ever seen.

"Will you be my wife?"

Some happy after a bunch of sad chapters. Let's see if it stays that way ;)

Am I making Darry OOC now though? I'm not sure how I feel about him in this chapter. I'd love some reviews!