Disclaimer: S.E. Hinton owns The Outsiders. The Wallflowers own "One Headlight."

A/N: For those of you who read the last chapter where Dally is injured in a prison riot and wakes up to find everything just a dream ... Happy April Fools day to you! When we realized we would be posting the ending so close to April 1st, we couldn't resist and hopefully the chapter we threw together was at least enjoyable to read. We hope you don't hold it against us for pranking you, but please know that *this* chapter is the real last chapter of One Headlight. Nothing that happened in the previously posted chapter actually happened in this universe. If you would care to read it again or missed it the first time around, we have posted it up as a one-shot. Thanks for being such good sports about it. :)

And now, the REAL last chapter of One Headlight.

Come on, try a little, nothing is forever,
There's got to be something better than in the middle.

December 31, 1967

Dallas,

I can't do this anymore. If you even knew what you're doing to me, you'd think I was the biggest idiot and I just can't do it. I've tried everything to get you to talk to me and now a year's gone by and I haven't heard one word from you. I know how you are and I've tried to get past it. I know you're not the type to write letters or say nice things, but I think you owe me something. You've pushed me as far as I'm going to go and I don't think you know how much you've hurt me. And it's not just me not hearing from you, but because you went behind my back with Sylvia, because of Tim, because you never keep your promises, because of everything. I'm not waiting until you get out to see if you're going to talk to me because I know you've already made up your mind. I'm smart enough to know that there's nothing me or anyone else could say to change that. You'll be the same stupid, mean, stubborn boy you always have been and probably worse.

I'm not wasting one more minute of my life on someone who can't even take the time to write me a little note. All I ever wanted to know was whether or not you were okay. I know how upset you were when Johnny died, but you're the most selfish person in the world to think it was harder on you than anyone else. I don't know if you can ever know what it was like watching you get shot up like you did. I'll never be able to get it out of my head, and it was all because it was you. I wanted to be the one to tell you to leave me alone, but you already decided that for the both of us. Maybe you don't even care, but you better start caring about something soon.

Have a nice life.

Ellie

Jesus. It was like she had a fucking meeting with Two-Bit before she stuck her little hissy fit into a letter, Dally thought. The paper was wrinkled like it had been through a goddamn rainstorm, but he ignored that as he read the words over and over. He had read the others she sent him, although most of them he just skimmed. This one was different though. He read every single word, and when he was finished, he read it again, a grim smirk on his face.

That crazy broad. He could picture her planning out her little letter, writing it, then crying over the damn thing like it was all his fault she was waiting around for him. Sure, he would take some of the blame because they were supposed to be back on, but after everything that had happened, he didn't know how she could possibly think everything was going to be just fine when he got out. He thought he made that pretty clear when he launched that tray at her head. It took a lot to get anything through to her, so it wasn't all that surprising that she didn't get it.

He kept looking at the letter, a little surprised when he found himself smoothing out the wrinkled paper as he re-read it. He thought about crumpling it up – seriously considered it – but instead he tucked it back under his pillow.

Down the row, they were calling for lights out. He lay there, listening to some of the inmates protesting that it was New Year's Eve, and they should keep the lights on until midnight. Dally just stared up at the bunk above his, not caring either way. If they left the lights on or turned them off before midnight, he was still stuck inside, resting his head on a letter full of angry words. Of all people, he didn't expect Ellie to send him something like that. He only expected her to stop sending letters altogether.

He was surprised to feel guilt in the pit of his stomach and hear those words Two-Bit said to him before he left, that when he got out, he wasn't going to have a soul waiting for him. That thought alone was enough to keep him from sleeping. It shouldn't bother him, it never bothered him before. He never had anyone, not really. His parents didn't give a shit, he didn't have a any other family he was close to. There were only his friends and he was starting to understand how important they were to him. He tried to push them out of his mind and try to focus on sleeping instead, but it wasn't coming that easily. Instead, he listened to the guys on his block counting down the years they had left on the inside. That was enough to make him feel like he was going to lose his mind, and he sat up.

"Hey, Marty."

Marty was a sleeping lump in the top bunk until Dally elbowed the bottom of the mattress hard enough to wake him up.

"What the fuck?" he mumbled.

"You got any of those envelopes I gave you a while back?"

"Yeah, I got a few."

"Paper too?"

"Yeah."

"Give me some, will you?"

"Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

"What the hell else is on your busy schedule right now?" Dally asked.

"Sleep. You oughta try it sometime," he replied. "The table down there. There's some blank paper and a pencil. Help yourself and leave me alone."

Dally shuffled through the things – all of Marty's – on the little table in the corner of the cell. It was hardly big enough to use for anything, but Marty sometimes used it to draw pictures for his kids. He was pretty decent at it, but Dally didn't think there was a damn thing worth drawing where they were.

He found a piece of paper and a dull pencil and sat there for a long time. It sounded like a better idea before, when he was just thinking about it. Now, he didn't have a goddamn thing to say. Before he lost his nerve, he put the pencil to the paper.

Ellie …

XXX

Darry stood in the kitchen as his friends packed the living room. It had been Ellie's idea to have the party there and he was glad she did. Everyone was happy and having a great time, and he felt full inside for the first time in a long time. Allison was watching Soda dance around the living room with Lizzie, a smile on her face. Darry couldn't take his eyes off her. They had been dating for about a year, and he couldn't imagine his life without her. He didn't want to.

He felt the weight of the ring in his pocket, the engagement ring their dad had given their mom, but he knew he couldn't give it to Allison. Not yet at least. He didn't know why he had taken it off the dresser earlier in the day, but he knew it was going to stay in his pocket for a little while longer.

There were responsibilities he couldn't ignore. He had to get Pony through school. He had to make sure Soda could stand on his own two feet. He still had two brothers to take care of, and he couldn't add a wife and a daughter to the mix. Just the thought of being a father was enough to scare him half to death, but it didn't change how he felt about either Allison or Lizzie. He just needed to make sure all three of them were ready for that kind of commitment.

The song on the radio had ended and Soda was still dancing with Lizzie when Darry walked into the living room. He wrapped his arms around Allison.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear.

She leaned into him and kissed his cheek. "I love you, too."

XXX

Two-Bit twirled Ellie, trying to keep from tripping her on the couch. They had pretty much cleared out the living room except for the couch, but that still didn't leave them much space for dancing. He didn't care, though. It was the most fun he had had in a long time, and he didn't want the night to end.

"You sure Wade doesn't care that I stole you out from under him?" he asked.

"You didn't steal me," she replied. "He just came to hang out."

He glanced over his shoulder where Wade was hanging out in the kitchen. He still seemed to be having a good time talking to everybody, but Two-Bit didn't miss his glances in her direction.

"Open your eyes, kid," he told her. "That cowboy is head over heels for you."

Ellie rolled her eyes.

"What?" he asked.

"Let's not start on that, okay?"

"He seems like a good kid."

"Sure. He is. He's real nice."

"So what's the problem?"

She only looked at him, and he knew what she was thinking.

"But he ain't Dally, is he?" he asked.

Ellie shrugged a little like she hated to admit it. "I know that's not what I should be thinking," she said. "It's just hard not to."

He nodded as the song ended. "Sure. I get it."

She smiled like he knew she would and stood on her tip toes to kiss him on the cheek. "Thanks for the dance, Two-Bit. I'm so glad you're back home."

"You and me both, kiddo."

He sat on the arm of the couch and watched his friends milling around the house. It was taking some getting used to, but he would never take spending time with his friends for granted again. Anything was better than being in the big house, and nothing was worth turning into Dallas Winston.

The door opened and closed as someone else came in to join the party. Two-Bit looked up, expecting Steve and Evie, but it wasn't them. He was on his feet and walking toward the front door before he could register the girl standing in front of him.

"Kathy?" he asked. He hadn't seen her since he had been out and hadn't talked to her since well before he went in.

"Hey, Two-Bit," she said, shifting uneasily like she was nervous.

Her hair was shorter than he remembered it being, but other than that, she looked just the same. He knew he missed her, but he didn't realize how much until she was right there in front of her.

"How are you?" she asked.

"Good. I'm good. How about you? You still …" He hesitated, unsure if he should open that can of worms, but he had to know. "Are you still seeing that one guy?"

"Ross?" she asked.

He wanted to roll his eyes at the sound of such a Socy name, but he didn't.

"No," she said. "That didn't really work out."

"That's too bad," he said, not meaning it and not sounding like he meant it either.

She gave him a look. That look she always gave him when he was joking around, and she didn't think it was funny. He forgot how much he missed that look.

"No, it's not," she said. "I missed you, Two-Bit."

He tried not to let those four words affect him the way they did, but it was too hard to hold it back. He kissed her long and hard, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. She seemed surprised until she finally melted against him, and as far as he was concerned, the whole world could crumble apart around him, and he would just keep on kissing her.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into her ear. "I was a jerk."

She kissed him again, the sweetest sign of forgiveness.

XXX

Soda sat in Darry's chair with Lizzie in his lap. He knew he had won the little girl over not long after he met her with the way she always wanted him to color with her or play paper dolls with her. It was to his surprise, however, that he enjoyed every minute of it.

A doll sat on her lap at the moment and she was telling him all about her, but he was finding it hard to concentrate. He looked around the room, seeing his friends so happy. Darry hadn't left Allison's side for most of the evening, and now Kathy had shown up to see Two-Bit. That had been a surprise to everyone, he thought, but it was nice to see so many things finally going right for their buddy. He figured Steve would show up before long with Evie at his side. Soda felt bad for being jealous of everyone else's happiness, but he couldn't help it. He missed Sandy every day, and when he thought it should get better, it just got worse.

He wondered where she was now. He wondered if she had kept the baby. Mostly, though, he wondered if the baby was a boy or a girl. He didn't have to wonder if it was his; he knew that for a fact, no matter what she told him.

No matter how lonely he felt without Sandy, he felt lonelier not knowing anything about their baby.

XXX

There wasn't a good excuse that Steve was late to the party, he was just late. He and Evie had been driving around for the last hour doing nothing but just talking. They had talked about everything, including graduation and what came after it. When he pulled up outside of the house, she turned in her seat, eyes bright and her smile wide.

"What if," she asked, "we just do it?"

Steve leaned back against the door, his arm over the seat and asked, "Now? We gotta go in."

She punched him in the chest. "You're a pig. I didn't mean that. I mean get married after graduation."

He had already asked her months ago, in the heat of the world falling apart and she had wanted to discuss it later. Apparently, it was later.

"I'm all for it," he said, taking her small hand. But he started thinking about everything that came with a wedding and without his mother around, it made him sad. "You want all the stuff that comes with it?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know, the whole deal: The dress, the church, the cake. All that stuff?"

She tossed her dark hair over her shoulder, scooted closer to him and kissed him. Pressing her hands against his cheeks, she said, "I just want it to be us."

It took all of five seconds for Steve to understand what that meant.

"You want to elope?"

"I think that's okay," she said. "We can have the whole reception thing later. That's not what's important."

"My God, you are perfect," he said, giving her a long kiss. Inside, they heard cheering and she backed off. "I guess we should make an appearance."

They walked up to the door clasping hands and he stopped her just before she went in.

"Don't say nothing, okay?" he told her. "Just you and me."

She pretended to zip her lips and they went inside.

XXX

"How come you didn't bring anybody?" Wade asked as Pony poured some more punch into his cup.

He shrugged. "Wasn't anybody to bring, I guess."

"You gotta be kidding me," he replied with a laugh.

"What?"

"Are you blind? Don't tell me you don't see how girls stare at you."

Pony shrugged again. Sometimes he thought it was because they might like him. Most of the time, he figured it was just because of the mess he and Johnny had gotten into.

"There was one girl I thought about asking," he said, "but I found out she was dating somebody else. Glad I found out before I asked her."

"Who was it?"

"A girl named Cathy. We have English together. You know that guy Mark from the bowling alley?"

"Yeah."

"His friend Bryon is dating Cathy, I guess. And Bryon doesn't like me already because of the whole mess with Angela."

"Oh yeah," Wade said. "Angela. She's kind of …"

"Scary?"

Wade nodded.

"Yeah, tell me about it," he said. He felt like he couldn't go anywhere because she still had her eyes on him, arranged marriage or not.

"Thanks for inviting me," Wade said. "A couple guys from the football team invited me to their party, but I heard theirs are kind of wild."

Pony thought about the beer blasts some of the Socs would have. "Yeah, those probably aren't your style."

"This is a lot of fun."

He could only agree. It was nice seeing everybody back together and having a good time when, not so long ago, it seemed like nothing would ever be good in their lives again. He couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have Johnny there. He even let himself wonder what it would be like if Dallas were there. He figured Dally would drain some fun out of the night, but that didn't change the fact that Pony wished the whole gang were there.

XXX

It was awfully cold outside, but it was quiet too. It was the first bit of quiet she'd had all day, so she stuck it out. Midnight had come and gone, and it was 1968. Ellie ticked off the last few years in her mind, thinking about New Years a year ago and how it was only the beginning of her troubles. It was nice to be so far away from that. It felt like a long time ago.

Inside, everyone was happy. The music was still playing, and she could imagine Darry and Allison, Steve and Evie, and – the biggest surprise of the night – Two-Bit and Kathy, all slow dancing in the living room. It was wonderful, and she was a little jealous, but even if Dally were there, he wouldn't have danced with her. It made her tear up a little as she thought about the letter, that terrible, awful letter that she knew ended anything that might be left between them. It was impossible to go back on what she had said, and she wasn't even sure if she should try. The ball was in Dally's court, and he had to be the one to beg for her to come back. She knew how unlikely that was which made her regret sending it all over again.

The backdoor opened and she turned to see Wade step out, shutting the door behind him.

"I thought I saw you hidin' out here," he said, sitting on the step beside her.

"Yeah," she answered, trying not to look at him because she knew Two-Bit was right.

"How come?"

Ellie shrugged. "Guess I just needed some air."

Chills swept over her and Wade immediately took off his jacket and set it on her shoulders. She accepted it without a word, feeling its warmth and breathing in the smell of the laundry soap it had been washed in.

"Thanks," she finally said, daring to look at him. His water blue eyes looked back into hers, and she read the hope in them. It was innocent hope, and she felt herself getting lost there for a long moment.

"You're welcome," he said. His fingers were drumming nervously on his jeans, and he looked out at the overgrown backyard. "You know, I'm really glad I met you all. You guys seem like such a great bunch of people."

"They're something," she agreed, pulling the jacket tighter around her, the smell and feel unfamiliar but comforting.

"So are you," he said.

Maybe it was his charming ineptitude or the way he had shown up when she was at her loneliest, but something came over her right then. The warmth from his body was still inside his jacket and that warmth traveled through her. Slowly, she leaned closer and kissed him. It was innocent enough, closed and sweet, and when she parted, he tried to follow. The kiss was warm on her lips, passing through her like sparks. Meeting his eyes again, she could tell he felt it too.

He took her hand in his, dropping their intertwined fingers between them on the step. It was bold move for him, she could tell, and in that bold move, she began to panic. She had never planned to kiss him, and she had no idea why she had done it when all she had been able to think about was Dally. She sat there frozen, wishing she could take that kiss back.

"I don't know what to say," he said, giving her hand a squeeze. She let hers go limp and he squeezed again as if trying to put life back into hers. "What's this mean?"

Slowly, she pulled her hand free of his and tucked her arms inside his jacket. She had no answer for him. Instead her mind raced between the kiss and trying to remember the last kiss she had with Dally. The sparks she felt then, the fire under her skin when he touched her the night of the rumble. How could she have written that letter? It would ruin everything.

"I have to go," she said.

Without looking at him, she stood up, shrugging off his jacket. He said her name and she ignored him, unable to get away fast enough. It wasn't until she was around the front of the house that she started to cry, wondering why it was that she never got to kiss the one person she wanted to kiss the most on New Year's.

XXX

Just shy of signing his name, Dally put the pencil down. He studied the letter carefully before crumpling it in the palm of his hand and tossing it into the toilet.

Who was he kidding?

I'm so alone, and I feel just like somebody else,
Man, I ain't changed but I know I ain't the same

A/N: We hope you have enjoyed this story! Thank you so much to everyone who has been following along and especially to those who have taken the time to review. Your thoughts and reactions keep us driven, and we promise to finish this saga. We will keep you posted as to when you can expect the sequel. We love you all!

xoxo Kori and Katie