The first grey light of dawn is beginning to spread through the streets when Ice finally returns home. There is a chill to the air that wasn't there yesterday. It is almost as if it has turned to Autumn overnight. It feels like weeks have passed, not just 24 hours. Ice shivers and quickens his pace.
As he crosses the street he sees a figure huddled on the steps of his apartment building. He doesn't need to see her face to know who it is. Velma. She is wearing the same blue top she was in the night before and her hair is untidy from the wind. Her arms are wrapped tightly around herself for warmth, but she is still shivering. Somehow Ice is not surprised to see her here.
When she sees him coming Velma gets to her feet, but doesn't come down the steps to meet him or call out a greeting. She waits in silence until he has drawn level with her. Without realising he's doing it Ice automatically slips his jacket off and wraps it around her narrow shoulders. "Thanks," Velma whispers and her voice sounds hoarse from the cold.
Ice unlocks the door for them and they slip into the dark hallway. The lights are off and there is still no sound from any of the apartments. They don't speak as Ice leads the way up the narrow stairs to his apartment, but he can feel Velma's eyes on his back.
The tiny apartment is dark and cold when they let themselves in. For the first time since he moved out of his parent's home Ice feels the loneliness of coming home to an empty apartment. It feels unwelcoming and sad. He shakes his head to clear it and switches on the kitchen light. Everything is just as he left it when he went out the day before, his jacket over the back of the chair, washing-up in the sink. It feels strange that everything has changed so much since then, but here nothing has moved.
Velma moves past him to the sink and fills the kettle to make coffee. Neither of them mentions the events of the previous night as they wait for the water to boil. Instead Velma tries to talk about the weather, but gives up when Ice doesn't respond.
They take their drinks through to the living room and curl up together on the old couch, Ice's arm around Velma's waist, his cheek resting on the top of her hair. It feels good after everything that has happened to know that they are both safe and still together.
"Where were ya, Ice?", Velma asks eventually. It doesn't sound accusatory, only curious.
Ice shrugs. "Walkin'. Needed to think." Velma doesn't argue with that, it's not hard to imagine why he might need some time to figure things out. They lapse back into silence.
It has been such a long time, that Ice almost thinks Velma has fallen asleep, when she speaks again. "Why didn't ya come with us to Doc's?", she asks, twisting around to peer up at his face. She doesn't mention Tony, but they are both thinking of him.
It must have got light while they were sitting together, because looking down at her, Ice can see how tired Velma looks. There are dark bruise-like shadows under her eyes and she looks pale and drawn. He pulls her closer to him and smooths hair hair behind her ear, while he considers his answer. "I couldn't carry him, Vel. He come through for us an' I let him down, y'know. I shoulda done more for him. I dunno..." His voice trails off and he shrugs.
Sympathetically Velma wraps her arms around him. "It weren't your fault," she tries, but Ice shakes his head straight away.
"I know. It ain't like I shot him." There seems nothing else to say on the subject. Ice has never been one for regrets. There is nothing he can do to change what's happened, best to just deal with it and move on. He has the Jets to think about now. They are all going to be looking to him for what they should do now.
Almost as if she has read his mind, Velma asks: "So, whatcha gonna do now? You in charge of the Jets."
This is one of the things Ice spent the night considering. While he was walking he tried to look at things logically. He had arrived at the one conclusion that seemed to make sense to him. "I gotta meet up with the others, see what they think, but I say we gotta stop fightin'."
Ice can see without asking that Velma agrees with him. Last night's events have shaken her more than she's letting on. He can see how worried she is for him and how relieved she is by his answer. This is one of the things Ice loves about her, she cares, but she doesn't make a fuss like other girls. He leans in and kisses her gently on the lips. "Everything's gonna be ok now, Vel," he whispers.
"I hope so," she whispers back and snuggles against him. "But what about them Sharks? What if they don't stop?"
"They will." Ice knows they will agree to stop the fighting. He saw their faces after what happened. Nobody was meant to get killed. They can't allow something like that to happen again. As it is, they will all have to stick together against the police. Ice wouldn't put it past them to use this as an excuse to arrest them all, just to get them off the streets, and he has no intention of going to jail.
Velma smiles up at him. "That's good then." She sounds reassured, almost happy.
Gently Ice frees his arm from behind Velma. "I gotta go now, Vel. Meet up with the others. You ok on your own?" He feels slightly bad for leaving her like that but he promised the Jets they'd talk over what had happened in the morning. Some of them were probably already waiting for him.
"Yeah." Velma unfolds her legs from on the couch and gets to her feet stretching. "I better go see Graz. She were real upset last night." She goes to slip of Ice's jacket and hand it back to him but he waves it away. He doesn't want her to freeze on her walk over to Graziella's apartment.
They head to the door together and back out into the chill wind. On the steps they stop, where Velma was sat, and Velma stretches up to kiss Ice. Then she goes left and Ice heads right. At the end of the street Velma stops and turns. "See ya, Ice," she calls, her voice carrying faintly on the wind.
Ice raises a hand and waves back. Then she's gone and he walks on, his thoughts now on his meeting with the other Jets.