The Outsiders Imagines

Dallas: Just Like Daddy

"Dal, I gotta tell you something here. And it ain't easy so I'm just gonna come out and say it. I'm pregnant, with your child."

He remained silent, no yelling no cursing. He just poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue. "You know I don't like little kids. I don't - I just don't like them you know."

"I know."

"So don't expect me to be helpful."

"I won't. Trust me."

That was the best case scenario you  could play in your head of telling Dallas Winston you were pregnant.

**

"Hey, Dal," you whisper, taking a seat on the grass. "I gotta tell ya somethin', it may comes as a shock, but you outta know." You wiped the tears from you eyes.

"You're gonna be a daddy. I wish I coulda told you sooner but I didn't know. Maybe if I had, you'd still be here." You voice was shaky and distant. You feared looking at the ground, knowing more tears would come.

"Hell, I know you Dal, it wouldn't have made a difference, but I can pretend, right?"

You braved it and looked down at the grave stone in front of you.

Dallas "Dally" Winston
1948-1965
Died the way he lived: Young, violent, and reckless.

"Goodbye, Dally."

*Ten Years Later*

"Momma! Momma!"

"What is it DJ?" you turned to face him, noticing he had something in his hands.

"What's my name again, momma?"

"You're ten, you know what your name is."

"Momma..," he pleaded sadly.

"Dallas Jonathan Winston, why?"

He pulls out from behind his back the thing he had been hiding. It was a picture you had someone take of the gang one day. You had written down their names on the back just not in order.

"One of these guys has the same name as me," he had a confused smile on his face. "It's gotta be one of these three", he says pointing out the three men he was talking about. "Cause I know the rest."

You patted you lap, silently instructing him to sit down. You looked over the picture, pointing out Sodapop first.

"That one there is Sodapop Curtis. He's Darry and Ponyboy brother. You've met him before. Although I reckon you wouldn't remember," you sighed, suddenly becoming sad. "He died in Vietnam when you were only about two."

"Oh," was all he said.

You smiled and point to the next one. "This one here, that's my best buddy Johnny Cade," the sadness returned quickly. "You never got to meet him. You'd love him if you had. He died one night when we had a rumble, before I even knew about you."

"How?"

"He saved some kids from a burning church. A beam fell on him and busted his back and had third degree burns," you paused, looking down at DJ, who looked like he could cry. "I tell ya what honey, sixteen years ain't long enough."

DJ squirmed uncomfortably, he wanted to change the subject, so he pointed to the last man.

"So then, that's gotta be Dallas Winston."

You giggled. "Right you are."

"He looks just like me. Why's that?"

You looked down at the boy who shared Dally's snow blond hair and ice blue eyes, except DJs were warmer. "Cause he's your dad."

"Did he not want me or something," he asked saddened at the idea of being unwanted.

"He died the same night Johnny did."

"How.."

"Same way he lived: young and violent, but gallant. All three did, cause only the good die young," you tried blinking away tears.

"You think daddy would be proud of me?"

"Well let's see, you've been arrest already and your only ten - same age as your dad when he first was, and you have a record a mile long already. Plus you have a vocabulary that would make even him blush. Safe to say he'd be proud," you laugh.

"So, then, I s'pose this is the best time to say, me and James got busted by the fuzz again. Court date's next week."

You closed your eyes and rubbed your fingers on your temples. "I swear, your becoming more and more like your daddy everyday and I don't know whether to be proud or scared."

DJ just laughed before getting off you lap and running outside.