~*~Month 3~*~
"This book says she should be walkin' soon." Pony said, smiling as he held it up so Two-Bit could get a good look at the cover.
"She's a doll, though. She'll walk when she wants to." Two-Bit snapped a bit. Ally crawled up to them and reached up for her mother to hold her.
Ponyboy smiled and pulled her up onto his lap. Ally cooed and grabbed at the chocolate cake that was in her father's lap.
Two-Bit pulled it away from her. If there was one thing he was greedy about, especially to babies, it was chocolate cake.
Ally sat back on the floor and, with a pout aimed at Two-Bit, crawled away to the table where she gripped the edges. She pulled herself up- Pony and Two-Bit paid no attention because she did that often, only to sit right back down.
Today was different, though, because she started walking from the table back to the couch, not falling at all.
Pony jumped up and caught her just as she stumbled back a little. Her small hands wrapped around his thumb and she pulled out of his grip, smiling and placing one hand on the cushion of the couch.
"Those books were right, then." Two-Bit said with a smile on his face.
"Yup." Pony smiled as Ally walked back to the kitchen, where Soda was preparing lunch for him and Steve to take to work.
Soda did a double-take, looking at his niece standing by the door.
"Pony, she's walkin'!"
"I know that, Soda!"
"Is... Is that safe?"
"Yeah, Soda! Baby book says she should be walkin' by now!"
"Shove the book, she ain't a baby, she's a-"
"She's a what?" Pony almost hissed. Soda closed his mouth and continued cooking.
"Uncle 'odapop!" Ally exclaimed, giggling with delight and walking towards Soda.
Soda looked down at her and smiled.
"Hey, Munchie!" Sodapop scooped her up as he pushed the wrapped sandwiches to the side, setting her on the counter.
"Sa'ich?" Ally said, pointing to the wrapped sandwiches.
"Yup, those sandwiches are for Uncle Sodapop and Uncle Steve to take to work."
Ally cocked her head to the side. "'ork?"
"Mhm. Work." Soda set her back down on the ground, waking to the bathroom to take a shower.
Dally strolled in through the front door. She smiled widely and made her way to him, him stepping back a little.
"Woah. Since when could she do that?!"
"Just a few minutes ago." Pony said as Two-Bit kneeled down and stretched his arms out.
"Walk to Daddy, Ally." He said excitedly.
"No, Daddy!" Ally responded, giggling excitedly as she ran into the kitchen.
Two-Bit sat back and stared at her as she ran away from him, shaking his head.
Dally threw his head back and laughed.
"What?" Two-Bit said, getting up.
"She's gonna be a handful when she gets older, is all."
Two-Bit sighed, "You got that right, if she's anythin' like Pony."
"I heard that." Said greaser grumbled from the couch.
"Yea, I know, s'why I said it."
That earned a pillow thrown at his head.
Two-Bit threw it right back and got up, smiling.
Dally sat on the couch and Ally trotted her way to the carpet where she finally stumbled over onto her behind.
Completely unfazed, she turned her attention to the rodeo on channel ten. She'd definitely been hanging around Dal too long because the rodeo was all she watched.
Darry walked out of the bathroom and Ally turned to him, getting up and walking over to him.
Darry stepped back and got a good look at his niece as she stumbled over with wobbly knees.
His smile grew wide as she tripped and wrapped her little arms around his leg, looking up at him and smiling.
"Well, hi, darlin'. You okay, sweetie?" He asked as he picked her up. She giggled as he kissed her cheek over and over.
"She's gettin' so big so fast." Darry said, remembering when she could barely sit up on her own.
"I know, where'd the time go?" Pony joked, getting up to make breakfast.
"Mama." Ally said as Darry set her down.
Ally followed Pony to the kitchen and smiled, her hand gripping the side of the chair as she watched Pony cook. Pony grinned at his daughter and resumed cooking.
"Ally, c'mere, sweetheart, Daddy's got a surprise for ya." Two-Bit called from the living room, taking out a shopping bag.
Ponyboy looked over at him.
"You swiped it, didn't ya?"
Two-Bit tried not to smile as he pulled out the little cowgirl outfit.
"Maybe."
Ally giggled as her daddy put it on her, already liking it. They both knew that she wouldn't be taking the outfit off for a few days... or a month or two.
Breakfast was done in just a few minutes. Pony set out the plates and Ally watched in curiosity, wondering why they didn't eat the things she did. She wanted to try what they were eating.
Ally looked at Pony and whined as he forked his eggs.
"What? Ya want some?" Pony asked as Two-Bit sat across from him, food on his plate as well.
Ally nodded and Pony forked a bit of his eggs, putting them in her mouth. She chewed for a while before swallowing.
"More, Mama!" She suddenly said, smiling eagerly.
Two-Bit, without a second guess, pulled her onto his lap.
Ponyboy frowned a little and pulled his plate more towards him. Two-Bit cracked a smile. "Don't be stingy."
"More!!" Ally screamed, wanting someone to feed her already. Two-Bit shoveled eggs onto his fork and fed them to her.
Ponyboy sighed and looked over at her abandoned formula. "I was gonna feed 'er after I ate..."
"Too bad." Two-Bit shrugged as he watched her chew.
~*~
"Ally, c'mon.." Pony said, tugging at the hem of her adorable skirt.
"No!" She cried, reaching to swat away his hand.
"Just a bath, Ally. A small, fifteen-minute bath. Then you can wear your cowboy outfit all over again."
She had fat, frustrated tears rolling down her cheeks. She wanted to wear this outfit forever. No baths!
Two-Bit walked into the bathroom. "What's up?"
"She won't take a bath." Pony answered.
Two-Bit walked over and sat on the toilet seat, pulling a fussy Ally onto his lap.
"Ally, bath time for daddy?"
"No!" She said, trying to break free from his iron grip on her teensy waist.
"And why not?" She stopped fussing and a few frustrated tears rolled down her cheeks.
"You don't wanna take it off?" She looked down at his big hands on her waist and nodded.
"Well, how 'bout you take a bath and we can put it back on you after your bath's over?"
"Nuh-uh!" Ally said, shaking her head.
"You gotta take a bath sometime, sweetheart."
Ally squirmed a little more and Two-Bit sighed. Then, he perked up.
"How's about this. If you take a bath today, I'll go out and get ya another cowgirl outfit. But in a different color."
Ally perked up and immediately started taking her outfit off. Pony smiled and started the bath up.
"Thanks, Two." Two-Bit ruffled Pony's hair on his way out as Ponyboy drew the bath.
"Be good, okay? I'll be back."
"Was that to me or to Ally?"
"The both of y'all."
~*~
Ponyboy was pushing Ally on the swings when Two-Bit walked up, folded clothes in his hand.
"Two-Bit, go set that on my dresser so it don't get dirty out here, got it?" Two-Bit turned towards the house after ruffling Ally's small tufts of hair a bit.
Ally whimpered a little as Two-Bit walked away.
"Don't worry, baby. He'll be right back, okay?"
Ally still whined and eventually, those whines turned to cries.
Ponyboy sighed, just about to pull her out of the baby swing, when Two-Bit's loud voice greeted her from far away.
"Ally-Girl!" Two-Bit shouted with a wide grin. Her cries resorted to whimpers as she watched him draw nearer.
"What's all of this fuss about, huh?"
He finally reached them and poked her belly, making her giggle slightly as the stream of tears running down her cheeks dried.
Ally looked up at Two-Bit and smiled as he caressed her cheek lovingly.
"No more tears, huh?" He asked as the smile on her face grew wider.
Ponyboy sat on the bench, thankful to catch a break after spending most of the day with her.
He loved Ally with all his heart, but sometimes, she was a handful.
Two-Bit pulled Ally up from the swings and twirled around with her, making her giggle.
"How's your day been, guys?"
"Good, yours?"
"Almost got busted by the fuzz. I can't really be seen 'round town for a while, ya dig?"
Ponyboy rolled his eyes and nodded.
"What's the eye rollin' for?" Pony stayed silent for a second.
"You're always gettin' in trouble and ya don't have a job. Don't ya think you should be settin' an example for your daughter?"
"What's it matter? She ain't gonna be here in a couple more months." Pony looked away and Two-Bit sighed.
He sat next to Pony and threw his arm around his shoulder.
"I didn't mean it that way."
"I know... s'just, I just can't bear the thought o' lettin' 'er go now..."
"But, Pony, a grade is a grade, you said so yourself."
Ponyboy looked over at Ally playing in the sand.
"She's more than just a grade... she's our baby, Two-Bit."
"She's a doll, though."
As soon as those words spewed out from Two-Bit's mouth, Pony gave him a cold, nasty, mean glare, got up from the bench, grabbed Ally, and was headed home.
Two-Bit jumped up and started walking to them.
"Don't you dare tell me you want her to go, Two-Bit! You know you want 'er here as much as I do!" Pony snapped.
Two-Bit bit his lip as they walked into the house.
"Hiya, Pony, Ally, Two-" Ponyboy pushed past Soda with tears in his eyes. Soda and Darry both looked over at Two-Bit.
"What happened to 'im?"
"Some things were said..."
"What the hell did you do?!"
"I may've said that our daughter was... just a doll, and that's when he got so upset.."
Sodapop looked at him and then went to the room.
"Why'd ya say somethin' like that? Does she mean nothin' to you?" Two-Bit shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed.
"No, it ain't like that... but we're gonna have t' return 'er in 3 more months, anyways, so..." He shrugged.
Darry almost smacked him in the back of his head.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Two-Bit shrugged and sat next to Dally on the couch.
~*~
Darry walked into his brothers' bedroom. Pony was cradling Ally in his arms as tears continuously fell down his face. Soda was next to him, rubbing his arm.
Darry sat down on the bed and Ponyboy looked up at him.
"Why does he have to be so mean, Darry?"
Darry shook his head.
"I don't know, Pone."
Soda looked back at Darry with worry. Neither of them wanted to give her up, either.
Ally saw the big frowns on their faces and pouted. Her small hand was over Pony's in a few seconds, shaking it and begging for his attention. When Pony looked over at her, she was pressing a little kiss to his cheek.
She then crawled over to her two uncles and did the same to them.
A small smile spread across the trio's faces.
Ally giggled, knowing she had done a good deed.
Pony reached over and ruffled her small tufts of hair, sighing.
"She'll be so scared without us, Dar..."
"I know, Pone, I know." All three of them stared down at Ally. She didn't quite understand what was happening.
"I wish we didn't hafta give 'er up... atleast not so soon..." Soda sighed.
"We ain't gonna give 'er up." Ponyboy said, determination laced in his voice. Darry and Soda looked over at him.
"Whaddaya mean?" Darry asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"I'll ask for an extension on the assignment until I can think of somethin' else."
"Pony, I don't think that's the right thing t' do.." Soda argued.
"Y'all wanna keep 'er as much as I do, right?"
Soda shut up and looked down.
Darry looked at Pony. "Ain't there another way?"
"You got a better idea?" Ponyboy snapped, pulling Ally closer.
"No..."
"Well then..." Pony cocked an eyebrow.
Darry sighed in defeat. "Alright..."
Ponyboy laid back in bed, pulling her onto his stomach which she straddled while she trailed a toy train up and down his abdomen.
"Alright." He said, a big smile on his face.