<Dallas's POV>

I fall to the ground, Skyler a mess in my arms. I can't stop looking at the world around me. Steve ripping the blade out of his gut, Lena sobbing uncontrollably over him. Darry, blood spilling from his chest, directly from the heart. Leala shrieking in horror and falling to her knees next to him. But maybe worst of all, Soda, limping helplessly to his brother. He drops next to Darry's. body and with a shaky hand, reaches out to caress his sibling. He just pushes Darry's greased hair back, out of his face. "You're okay," I hear him whimper, "it's okay." I feel my heart break in my chest. I am not ashamed at the tears spilling down my face into Skylers hair. I can't stop them. I see Christina at the car, on her knees, grasping desperately onto the handle of the car door. I can hear her screaming, Skyler screaming, Lena, Leala, everyone just screaming so loud I think my head may explode. Skyler begins to hyperventilate in my grasp. She looks up at me with despair in her eyes, her breath escaping her. I look into those steel grey eyes and cry. The pain behind them resembles my own. I pull her closer to me and we just sob. 

A ear piercing sound leaves Lena's mouth. When I whip my head to see her she is on her back on the ground, holding her belly. Steve claws the ground and peels himself up to help her. Blood spilling from his body, he cups her face, attacking her with "whats wrong?"'s. I have had enough experience with pregnant women to know what this is. The stress of everything must have put her into labor. She screams on the ground, writhing in pain, both emotional and physical. Two-Bit sprints towards us. He makes it to Lena and Steve and helps Lena up first. "Come on Len, you can do it come on," he coaxes her. With his help she is able to stand, hunched over, but standing. He then leans down and rips Steve off of the ground. Steve hold his stomach where he was stabbed, blood seeping into his wet shirt. "We gotta go Steve, she needs a hospital, we gotta go," Two-Bit exclaims. He tugs Steve along and supports Lena as she walks. "Chris start the car!" Two yells. I do not know where Keith got his motivation from. He was able to see what we all just saw and keep going. He is stronger than we give him credit for.  A million thoughts run through my head. 

We did not win this rumble, not in the slightest, which means the Socs can tell us whatever they want now. Someone is going to have to take the blame for everything, Johnny's dads death since John accused the Socs, Johnny's death, and now Darry's. Someone has tp take the fall for all of that. They will make us pick someone to take the blame. We aren't going to pick someone though, my friends are not going to jail. With that thought I grip tighter onto Skyler, never wanting to let go. The Socs, writhing in their victory, begin to retreat to their cars. One Soc looks down at me as everyone cheers, "someone better be confessing by tomorrow, or we'll come after more of you again." I can't even find it in me to be angry. I am to upset to be angry with him.

Chris speeds away with Lena, Steve, and Two-Bit and I am left in charge here, I have to be. Buck approaches Skyler and I who are still on the ground in each other's arms. He squats in front of us, "You gotta get them out of here Dally, you gotta split before the cops show up, I'm sorry Winston, I'm real sorry." I just nod my head. Everyone leaves and it becomes just us. Skyler and I, and Soda and Leala hanging over Darry's body. I know Buck is right, I have to get them to leave. I lift Skyler up with me as I stand. She clings tightly to my chest, still crying, hard. 

"Buck's right Sky, we gotta go," I whisper to her. She nods and pulls away from me, going to try and coax Leala up. I go to Soda and put a hand on his back. "Soda... we gotta take him and go, please man," I start. Soda just looks down at his brother.

"How do I tell Pony?' He says in a daze. I try not to cry at that. Poor Pony doesn't know.

"I'll help you Sodapop, but you gotta help me first okay man, we gotta get to the car, just get to the car," I beg. Soda nods and stands with me. Skyler leads Leala to the car and Soda and I sling Darry's arms over out shoulders and haul him behind the girls. Skyler and I hop in the front of the car, Soda and Leala in the backseat with Darry in their laps. Driving is difficult, between the trauma in my brain, and the blood dripping into my eye still.

I dread pulling into that driveway, knowing Pony is inside the house. I can't bare it, but I know I have to, I won't be around to help later, so I have to help know. I put the car in park and take a deep breath. I look back at Soda with remorse weighing me down. The car is filled with the sound of sniffles and quiet sobs. Soda looks at me, his eyes like glass. "Soda I can tell him if you need me too..."

"No, it has to be me, its always been the three of us, it has to be me," Soda says quickly, his voice cracking. I nod slowly. Skyler and I get out of the car, not before sharing a look. I don't know what of, sadness, guilt, most likely dread. We leave the body in the car for now, thats another matter to be handled later. I realize that  I won't make it to the funeral, or be able to help with anything regarding Darry's body. Leala and Skyler walk behind Soda and I. I squeeze Soda's wrist. He does not look at me, and I don't blame him. We get to the door and Soda stops, I know he must be thinking, thinking about what the hell he is going to say to his kid brother. He opens the door slowly and we find all the kids, coloring or toddling on the floor. I know this will be scary for them, traumatizing even, their parents soaked in blood. Pony is on the couch, dismal looking. He notices quickly so few of us are at the door and his eyes fill with tears. Skyler quickly rushes to the kids, trying desperately not to look at Pony. She grabs the babies in her arms and tells the toddlers to follow, and the good kids they are, follow. She leads them upstairs. I stay close to Soda, in case he needs me. 

"Soda, Soda what happened?" Pony asks holding back tears. Soda begins to cry. "Soda, where... where is Darry, Soda where..." Pony never finishes his statement. Soda walk to the couch and sits next to his brother. 

"Pony, Darry didn't-" Soda take a deep breath, "Darry saved Lena, but he, he took a hit to the heart, Darry's d- Darry's dead." Soda bursts into tears. Pony, always trusting his brother, knows this isn't a lie or a dream, this is all to real. I drop my head, looking at the floor. I don't want to see this. Leala stands in the doorway, head in her hands. I hear the crying start and I can't help but cry myself. I watch the tears fall from my face to the carpet on the floor. What have we come to? A world where Darry's house has no Darry. A world where I won't find Johnny on my living room couch when I go home. No, I'm not going home, I remind myself. 

I do not remain in the living room for long. Instead my feet carry a shell of my body into the bathroom where I collect the first aid kit from the counter along with a cloth dampened with warm water. I find Skyler in the hallway upstairs outside a closed door, I just assume she has put the kids to bed in that room. She sits on the floor, her black length of hair falling in puddles around her shoulders, shielding her face. Her legs are sprawled carelessly, her hands on the ground, finger tips spread. I kneel on the floor next to her, opening the first aid kit. She does not even look up at me. I take the wet cloth and wipe up the blood from her face, her neck, her shoulders. It smears until it eventually vanishes from her skin, instead dying the white rag a dirty crimson. I continue to clean all the cuts, all the nicks from punches. I patch her all up until all that remains are the bruises, everywhere, inside and out. Now my hand travels to her chin and I life her face to look at my own. Her eyes well with tears and her lips quiver as if in the cold. "Skyler... baby," I whisper.

"Don't Skyler baby me," she whispers eerily with furious tears cascading down her cheeks, "I know what you think you're gonna do, I am telling you right now, it does not have to be you," Skyler sobs. I run my fingertips through her hair. "I know you to well Dally, I know that you are gonna do what you think you have to do, but you don't have to do it," She continues. My heart feels even heavier in my chest now. "You have four children Dallas Winston, they need you, I need you." I lean in and kiss her lips softly, much gentler than usual. I pull away and look at my wife's somber face. "If you do this, its forever Dallas, you will never see your kids again, you'll miss every birthday, every single graduation, every smile and giggle, first steps, achievement, you won't get to see any of it, and you won't ever see me again, ever." Her silver eyes stare into mine and I can feel them burning into my soul. There is so much I want to, need to say to her. She is perfect, I love her more than anything in the entire world. This is for her, my girl.

"I'll see your gorgeous face every time I close my eyes."

"And I hope you think about this moment every day you are stuck in there, and I hope you remember that I asked you not to go, not to leave me, but there you are," She states, the tears stopping. Let her be mad, at least she'll be safe. Thats a sacrifice I'm willing to make. I bite my bottom lip. Not a muscle in Skyler's body even twitches when she speaks and its terrifying.

"I love you Skyler Elizabeth." I stand and open the door to the children. I hear Skyler in the hallway walk slowly toward the stairs leading to the living room. I look into the room and find my four beautiful children curled up on pillows on the floor, smothered in blankets. Their mommy tucked them in so well, so well it breaks my heart. I look over them, Tibby, Shailene, Aiden, and Kaya. Tibby has her hair falling over her face, brown hair, like mine, but crystal eyes like my mother's. Shailene, has her little thumb in her mouth, she lays closely to her twin, Aiden, my little fire. His mouth is open just enough to notice as quiet snores leave his lips. And Kaya, just a baby, curled up and coddled in her onesie. I will never know what her hair color will be, if she favors Me like Tibby, or Skyler like the twins. I will never know how she likes to play, rough or gently. No matter what, she will be amazing, they all will. Without really thinking about it I pull the small chain from around my neck and lay it on top of Tibby, I slip the skull ring off my finger and place it in Shai's small hand. My jacket practically melts of my shoulders before I place it over Aiden like a blanket. As for Kaya, I pull my leather blade case from my jeans pocket and tuck it in her arms. Tears well in my eyes yet again. These little bodies are all a piece of me, and it hurts to know I won't be there for them. I whisper I love you and then look to my nieces and nephews and my heart strings pull. I won't be there for them either. But I can't be, I have to do this. I walk to the doorway and look one last time at all of the children before closing the door and walking down the stairs to the living room. 

Chris passes me lifelessly as I reach the downstairs. "Chrissy?" She just keeps walking. My heart races, I make it to the sitting room and find Skyler frozen where she stands looking at the doorway. As my eyes move they skim past Two-Bit sitting on the floor, his head in his hands. I keep looking until I find Steve, disheveled, wobbly, and covered in blood, holding two newborn twins in his grasp. Skyler covers her mouth with her hand. Steve bites down on his bottom lip and sobs. His eyes look closed they are so swollen and squinted from crying. His arms shake as he holds the small bodies.

"She's gone, she, she didn't make it, it was to much on her heart at once, she..." Skyler quickly rushes to Steve, crying hard. She stands in front of him and he stares at her sobbing. 

"Steve, what do you need Steve?" She asks him gently through tears. He gasps and sobs, harder than I have ever seen him cry before, more than after the army, more than anything else that has ever happened to him before.

His lip shivers and his red eyes well with even more tears. "I don't know," his voice comes out shaky, barely understandable. Now Two-Bit stands, seeming to regain some composure. Unlike myself, seeing as I am frozen from shock. Two takes the babies from Steve muttering things about how he'll handle it and its okay. Steve just nods mindlessly, I don't think he quite understands what is happening around him, to much shock. Two-Bit takes the infants upstairs to care for them there. Steve collapses to the ground now and Skyler follows him down, she is the only one that moves, the rest of us are stuck in puddles of tears. Skyler hugs Steve as hard as she can, being wary of his deep wound. He does not hug her back, his entire body lays limp, racked in sobs. 

Finally I know its time, there is nothing more I can do for the people here besides leave. I walk slowly upstairs feeling my heart grow darker with each step. I find Two-bit walking out of a spare bedroom where it seems he left the infants with Christina. He walks towards me and quickly I say, "I need you to be strong just a minute longer okay Keith?" He nods, his face stoic. We walk into the bathroom and I shut the door. I take a deep breath, "don't say anything okay? I am gonna go, I am gonna take the fall for all of it, I'll probably be sent to a federal prison, I know you have Henry and you need to take care of Steve now since you live with him, so I just need you for the next week to just be there for Skyler too, Chris will be to busy caring for herself and Soda, she's pregnant, she doesn't need this, I just need you to make sure my Sky is okay, can I trust you Two?" I ask before holding my breath. 

"Yea of course Dally, but why you?" Kieth asks. 

"Because I've been behind those bars the most, better me than any of you, I'll never see my kids again, you know that?" Kieth nods remorsefully. "Then you know you boys have to be the best uncles ever, do you hear me, whoever is left from out broken gang, you have to be there for them, I think you and I both know what its like to grow up without a father or a good one at least." Kieth again nods.

"I'm gonna miss you man, you're a part of me," Kieth says sadly.

"I know man, I know, make sure Pony goes back to school as soon as possible, make sure the funeral goes well, make sure Skyler eats, and Chrissy's birth is safe, make sure Steve doesn't quit on those kids, they're all he has besides the gang now, I need you to-"

"Dally, I got it, I'll make sure they're all okay, you can trust me," Two  states. I nod slowly.

"I know man, thank you." I hug my friend tightly. I pull away and we nods to each other. I walk out of the bathroom and glance at Chris in the spare room. "Hey Chrissy," I say quietly. She glances at me. "I fucking love you little sister." She looks at me confused as I walk away I hear her walk slowly behind my down the hall, but I walk much faster. I walk through the living room. They have Steve on the couch now with Soda and Pony, and I see Skyler still leaning in the open doorway, getting fresh air. I look at what remains of my family, but I don't say a word. I pace quickly to Skyler and before she can say anything I plant a long deep kiss on her tired lips. I grab her hair gently and rub her waist. I feel the fire between us that has always been there. I can almost hear her thoughts. Don't go asshole, stay with your family. I can practically hear her voice saying it. Without another word from either of us I take my hands away and take my first step onto the porch. When I pull my lips and hands away from her body I hear a gasp leave her mouth. A small almost silent one, but one that says I love you. I love you too Skyler Elizabeth. My feet then move to the stairs, then the pavement, and I begin to sprint. I hear Christina from the house saying my name, not yelling it, just saying it. I sprint past Johnny's blood in the road, past the lot, the Nightly Double, all of the bars, convenience stores, the DX. This town is part of me, I know every inch, rock and piece of grass. This is my town, and this is how I say goodbye. My heart pounds in my chest as my feet stop in front of that white building. I pause for only a second, seeing my breath collect int he cold air around me. I read the harsh black words abasing the paste white exterior. I descend into the building step by step and stand in the lobby surrounded my tired workers. Officers stare at me and the blood dripping down my face. Some grab the guns in their holsters. Slowly, I raise my hands into the air. 

"I did it, I killed them."