The Jets gathered together under the highway, Macavity standing in front of the group with his arms crossed over his chest. The others jostled behind him but remained silent.

Munkustrap and the Sharks arrived a few minutes later, sizing up the other gang. Munkustrap looked around the Jets, "You seem to be one short, Jets."

"Do we now?" Macavity drawled, turning slowly to check and carefully keeping the scowl from his face. "Does that much matter?"

"No, just surprised that you choose to be here without a full compliment," he shrugged out of his jacket, passing it to Alonzo. "Shall we settle this?"

"Sure," Macavity drawled, motioning Admetus forward. The other gang member stood just about as tall as Macavity and they were built along the same lines. "Our best, your best."

Munkustrap considered the Jets chosen champion and nodded, stepping forward, "As agreed."

Stepping to meet the other, Admetus offered his hand to be shaken. "Now be gentlemen," Macavity admonished them.

Looking at the offered hand, Munkustrap shook his head, "I don't shake hands with people I hate, and we hate each other. It is a falsity."

"It's polite," Mac returned.

"It's a lie."

"Yeah, well, what did you think bein' polite was about?" Mac said with a scowl.

Munkustrap's eyes narrowed, but he shook his head, "In that case I politely decline."

Mac laughed, the sound harsh and he motioned for Ademtus to do as he liked. The two sides fell into what looked like it was shaping up for a fight. Munkustrap kept himself on the balls of his feet, swinging in quickly and dodging back a bit to see about figuring out the other's reflexes.

Admetus was a solid fighter, used to using his bulk against opponents, but he was light enough on his feet not to be taken advantage of by a faster or smaller fighter. This became rapidly apparent to his opponent. Munksutrap was tall, but slender, used to relying more on speed than on bulk and he found himself pretty evenly matched.

There was a call over the general calls of encouragement from either gang, "Hey, hold it!" Coricopat appeared on scene as Munkustrap and Admetus broke apart again.

Mac blinked, tearing his eyes away from the fight which he'd been watching avidly. "Get with the gang," he said, voice low.

Coricopat shook his head, "No."

"Excuse me?" Mac asked and if possible his voice dropped further.

"I said no," Coricopat answered.

Munksutrap stepped back fully, holding a hand up for the temporary stop of the fight, "Something the matter, Jets?"

"No," Mac growled, whirling back on Coricopat. "Cor, now."

Coricopat shook his head, "I'm not taking sides here, Mac."

"Or perhaps he's got the courage to finally fight his own battles?" Munkustrap proposed.

"Shut up, PR," Mac growled. "Cor, the hell are you doin'?"

Munkustrap tensed, "You do not get to dismiss half of the party here. Deal with your internal struggles elsewhere."

Coricopat shook his head, "I don't have a fight with him, and frankly, Mac neither do you."

"Really?" Mac asked, voice strained. "How lovely of you to tell me. Now get the hell in line."

"No, Mac."

"Then what are you doin'?" Mac growled again, the other Jets shifting and Tugger for one looking like he wanted to start saying how right he'd been all along about Coricopat. Admetus was still standing in the space between the two gangs, wishing they would figure out what they were doing.

"I'm here to make sure none of you all kill each other, but I'm done with this, Mac. I've been telling you that all week."

"Telling him all week? You are not very clear about things, showing up at war councils and arriving here. It certainly looks as though you are actually seeking a fight, American," Munkustrap drawled.

Coricopat turned to Munkustrap, "If I am, it's certainly not with you."

"Well, I'll certainly give you one, sir."

"If you're not here for the gang, then you shouldn't be here," Mac said quietly, eyes still on Coricopat. "The door out is that way."

"That..." Coricopat turned to Macavity, "Mac, that's not what I meant..."

"Then what did you mean?" Mac asked. "This is not the time, Cor, for your damn philosophy."

"I'm here, Mac, but I'm not here to take sides."

"Really? And here I thought when you snuck out with someone your friends do not approve of, you chose your own side," Munkustrap remarked.

Mac nearly growled at the Puerto Rican. "If you're not on a side, you're not in the gang, so go away."

"Perhaps you are to cowardly to choose a side and stick to it?" Munkustrap offered cajolingly. "It would certainly suit."

Coricopat turned to face him finally, "It's no cowardice to avoid a fight you don't have."

"Spoken like a true chicken."

Mac spared a glance for the rest of the gang, who were watching, silent. "This isn't the deal," he tried to remind Munkustrap. "If we're done with this..."

"I'll take him on as a warm-up," Munkustrap responded. "A coward like him shouldn't make me break a sweat."

"Not the deal," Mac repeated, voice low.

"Are you afraid he would lose? I have already said I won't count that victory against your hold on the territory," Munkustrap mocked.

"Drop it," Macavity warned.

"Or what? You've given me no evidence otherwise. He never fights his own battles, you do it for him," Munkustrap pressed.

"Ain't that how brothers work?" Mac snapped and wished almost instantly to take it back.

"They also don't back out when their brothers need them," came the cutting response, his gaze turning to Coricopat. "What do you say, coward?" Mac could hardly disagree with that, and though his posture was still on guard he remained silent, actually looking to Coricopat for an answer.

"I've said my piece," the other replied quietly.

"That's not an answer, American."

Coricopat frowned, "I don't have to answer to you."

"Defiance, but no action. Cowardly at best, despicable at worst. Just like a Kraut. Your father is one, isn't he?"

Coricopat tensed, but didn't react more than that, "He's German, yes."

"This is not what we're here for," Mac said, voice snapping out between them. Every time he spoke he was starting to feel more desperate.

"We're here for a fight, but this cowardly Kraut seems to have put a stop to that," Munkustrap replied, his gaze never leaving Coricopat who was standing less than a foot away from him. "So what do you say, chicken? You willing to fight me?"

"I don't want to fight you."

"That's not what I asked, chicken."

Coricopat looked him dead in the eye, "We don't have a fight."

Munkustrap tensed, "Oh like hell we don't." He finally put a hand on the other's shoulder and shoved, "Stand up for yourself, you yellow-bellied Kraut son of a bitch."

Mac's voice was low and dangerous again. "Step away from him," he said.

Munkustrap ignored him, following Coricopat as the other stumbled, "Come on, coward." Coricoapt managed to straighten himself only for the Puerto Rican to set him off balance again with another push.

"Come on, Cor!" it was Tugger who yelled that. "Just hit him back!"

Coricopat backed up a step, "Munkustrap, I don't want to fight you."

"Strange, because I find myself feeling a serious urge to fight you," he pushed him again, Coricopat expecting it and not stumbling as much this time. What he wasn't expecting was the light knock to the side of his head which sent him tripping over his feet away from it. "Fight me, coward."

The other Jets were still trying to cheer Coricopat into action. "Cor, don't just stand there," Mac attempted.

"Munkustrap...Don't," Coricopat tried.

"Don't what, Kraut?" The leader of the Sharks caught him slightly harder in the shoulder-hard enough to bruise right on the collarbone. Coricopat stumbled back, but he still wouldn't fight.

Stepping forward past the still confused Admetus, Macavity pulled back on Munkustrap's shoulder enough to punch the Puerto Rican in the jaw.

Munksutrap stumbled back, barely catching his balance as he reached for the knife he kept in his back pocket. Fine, if the rules were that far out of the window, then weapons were welcome.

Mac blinked in surprise, before pushing Coricopat again, this time trying to shove him toward the gang, reaching for his own knife and hating the motion the moment he'd started it. But the knifes were already out on both their sides.

"Mac, don't!" Coricopat cried, taking a step toward the two leaders.

Munkustrap's gaze flickered that way before he started circling Macavity, his switchblade open and at the ready. Mac growled at Coricopat again, as Tugger stepped forward, dragging the other teen back with him to keep him out of the fight. The leader of the Jets feinted forward with his knife, still circling the other. He went to kick the other teen, trying to twist his arm at the same moment.

Munkustrap leaped back, lashing out with the knife as he tried to duck the other's weapon, narrowly missing getting cut. Sweeping his leg under Munkustrap's, sending the other teen down, Mac tried to press his advantage.

Munkustrap rolled away, hoping to avoid the blade, but not quite able to regain his feet yet. Following quickly, Mac tried to get low enough to strike without exposing himself, not quite managing the right balance.

"Mac, don't!" Coricopat managed to twist away from Tugger, moving forward.

At the sound of the other boy, Mac hesitated a moment, taking half a step back. Munkustrap, not distracted as much by the interruption, continued the motion he had started with his knife hand, the blade plunging into Macavity's stomach and stabbing up at an angle toward his heart.

The leader of the Jets barely had a moment to react, staggering backwards and crumpling in front of Coricopat and the other members, the knife dropping.

Coricopat froze momentarily as Munkustrap got to his feet, shaking blood drops from his hand. Coricopat moved swiftly, not thinking. He swept up Mac's knife and dashed over, catching Munkustrap's shoulder and slamming the knife home, a duplicate wound to the one just inflicted on Macavity.

Munkustrap's eyes widened and he gasped, stumbling back before collapsing.

Both sides of the gang were frozen until a police siren pierced the air, causing most of the members of either side to scatter.

Coricopat stood frozen, the knife falling from his hand. His gaze darted between the two bodies, turning Munkustrap over to confirm and stumbling back. He turned and fell to his knees in his best friend's blood. His hand moved to brush over the other boy's hair, "Mac...I...God..." His voice broke and he could feel the tears streaming down his face as he bent over Macavity's body, pulling the other into his arms and weeping.

Tumblebrutus stepped out of the shadows, "Cori, come on. We gotta go." The other boy ignored him until he came and lay a hand on his shoulder at which point Coricopat pushed him away. Tumble drew a shaky breath, "Coricopat, we have to go, the cops are on their way!" He grabbed the taller teen's shoulder and yanked him away from Mac. "Come on!"

Coricopat stumbled to his feet and let Tumble pull him away. They split up, taking different routes away from the scene as the police pulled up.

w.w.w.w

Mistoffelees was sitting at the main kitchen table, the same homework from last night spread over the table and it was in the same state of completion. He had his hands clasped in front of him, head bowed, and he might have been praying for all that he was doing nothing else. He'd been sitting that way a long time.

There was a frantic pounding on the apartment door, and Pounce's voice could be heard, "Misto!"

Head snapping up, Mistoffelees moved quickly, knocking the chair open. Yanking the door open he took a step back as he took in Pounce's appearance. "Pounce. What has happened?"

"The...the rumble, Misto..." Pounce stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

"The rumble?" Mistoffelees repeated, taking a step back. "What about it? It was just a straight forward fight, wasn't it?"

"It..." He drew a shaky breath, "Nobody meant for it to h-happen..."

"Happen?" Mistoffelees parroted back, throat dry. "What happened?"

"It...you see..." He drew a deep breath, "Th-there was a fight. M-Munkus...and there was a knife...and someone..."

"What happened?" Mistoffelees repeated, a note of high panic in his voice as he actually reached out and grasped both of Pounce's arms. "Pounce, what happened?" He wanted to shake the other and only barely managed not to.

Pounce pulled away from him, finally looking him in the eye, "Coricopat killed him."

The smaller teen's arms dropped and his mouth worked but no sound came out.

Pouncival stepped back, shaking his head, "I...have to go break the news to Bomba."

Mistoffelees was still just staring at him in shocked horror. "You're, you're lying..." he rasped out finally.

The other gaped at him, "Do you honestly think I'd do that?" he yelped.

"He, he can't have..." the darker haired teen replied, that note of panic in his voice again.

"Well he did. You can ask anyone. They were all there," Pounce returned, a note of anger in his voice.

"But, b-but," Mistoffelees' mind kept shrinking back from the thought, his entire body shaking.

Pouncival hesitated but shook his head, "But it happened."

Mistoffelees flinched back, hating Pounce then for not offering more comfort and not allowing him to deny what happened. The other hesitated, reaching out to put a hand on the other's shoulder, "Are..."

The smaller flinched again, finally raising large eyes to look at the other. "I'm sorry I had to tell you that," Pounce said, voice softening slightly.

Mistoffelees couldn't help the bitter bark of hysterical laughter raising in his throat. "Th-then why did you?"

Pouncival frowned slightly, "Would you prefer it to have been Alonzo? Or someone else? Someone would have. Or you would have asked how, or who. And you would have found out."

Eyes widening, Mistoffelees gripped Pounce's arms again, mind finally focusing enough to remember his brother's intensely loyal second. "Alonzo! Where is Alonzo?"

"I don't know. We split ways to get away from there."

All Mistoffelees could think about was the gun that Alonzo owned, that he was so proud of showing off to the other Sharks. "Find him! Stop him from doing anything stupid, just...!"

Pouncival looked Mistoffelees in the eye, "Like stop him from killing the man who killed your brother?"

The smaller teen squared his shoulders, returning the gaze. "Yes. Hasn't there been enough killing?"

"I cannot promise to find him first," Pounce answered.

Taking a step away, Mistoffelees kept his eyes. "No, you can't."

He sighed, "But I will try."

"Thank you," Mistoffelees said, voice shrinking.

"Do you want me to send Bomba to you?"

"No," Mistoffelees managed, shaking his head. "No, I need to..." He had no idea what he could possibly do but he knew it had to be something else.

Pounce nodded slightly, "I will be back later to check on you, after I have found 'Lonzo."

Mistoffelees nodded, the motion jerky. Pouncival hesitated before finally slipping out of the apartment.

"Be careful," Mistoffelees said after him before taking several quick stumbling steps backward. Everywhere he looked reminded him of his brother. Nearly falling on his way to his room, he closed the door on the space they had shared the last several years, his back falling against the door. He sank to the ground, drawing his knees to his chest and burying his head in them.

Coricopat made his way carefully through the Puerto Rican territory, finally finding the right building and climbing the fire escape to Mistoffelees' window. He slipped into the window, pausing when he saw the smaller teen, "Misto...?"

Mistoffelees' head snapped up, his entire body frozen as he just stared at the other teen.

Coricopat looked far the worse for the wear. He hadn't had a chance to change, his clothes still stained with Macavity's blood and where he'd wiped his hand clean of Munkustrap's as well, "I...I came to find out if you'd heard…"

"You killed my brother," Mistoffelees said, voice sounding dead.

"I..." He swallowed, "Yes. I did. I-I don't know what went wrong. I d-didn't mean to, I didn't realize what had happened until he fell. But Mac...Mac was my brother. When Munkustrap killed him...I'm sure he didn't mean it e-either. I just..."

"You killed my brother," Mistoffelees repeated, all the rage and pain and sorrow seeping finally into his voice. "You..." his breath caught.

Coricopat shook his head, "I did. I don't know what to say. I came to tell you what I'd done, and then I'm going to the police."

"No!" Mistoffelees said, suddenly launching himself to his feet.

The other startled back at that, "Wh-what?"

"N-no," he said again, looking around as if the room held the answers. "You, you need to go. Get away. If Alonzo..."

"I...I can't just leave, Misto."

"Why not?" he asked, throwing his arms out. "If Alonzo finds you, he'll kill you."

"And if I leave? What then?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, voice still strained.

"Where would I go? For how long? I'd rather take my chances here," Coricopat said.

"Chances?" Mistoffelees returned. "There are no chances here! Hasn't everything that happened more than established that?"

Coricopat flinched, "What do you want me to do then?"

"Leave," Mistoffelees repeated, voice strained. "Just leave, go anywhere else, just get away..."

"I can't! Don't you understand? Without Mac, my parents have nothing. I can't just leave."

"So you'll what? Stay and be killed?" he yelled, panic flaring again in his chest. "I can't lose you too tonight!"

"And if I leave you never see me again!" Coricopat snapped.

"Isn't that better than you dead?" Mistoffelees returned, not daring to say he had little worth staying for anymore.

"I..." He drew a deep breath, "Would you be able to leave with the person you knew killed your brother?"

For a long moment Mistoffelees stood frozen, jaw slack and not even breathing. Finally he drew in a long breath and nodded, the motion shaky.

"Then, I have to go to Doc and then I can be ready," Coricopat said, staring at him.

Sharply in drawing a breath Mistoffelees surged forward, wrapping himself around the other. Coricopat wrapped his arms around the other, "I-I..."

"I still love you, god, I still," Mistoffelees said, voice finally breaking. "I can't, I can't..."

"C-can't...?" Coricopat managed.

"Lose you, can't," he shook his head, and surged into a kiss instead, hands pulling at the collar of Coricopat's shirt.

Coricopat pressed desperately in the kiss, pulling the other flush against him. One of his hands strayed along the hem of Mistoffelees' shirt. Tilting his head and standing on his toes, Mistoffelees pressed closer, pulling back only enough to get out a "stay" before trailing open mouthed kisses along Coricopat's cheek and back to his mouth.

Coricopat nodded against the kiss, backing the other up and lowering him onto the bed, drawing back enough to pull off his own shirt and drop it alongside the bed.

For a moment Mistoffelees just stared up at him, eyes huge before he scrambled backward, pulling Coricopat toward him with hands on either side of the taller teen's face. Coricopat pressed down into the kiss, supporting himself on his hands over the other. His kisses were desperate, needy, rushed.

Wrapping his arms around Coricopat's back, Mistoffelees pulled him down further, as much desperation marking his movements. Coricopat's hand moved to fumble with the buttons on their jeans.

"I love you," Mistoffelees managed to get out between kisses and breaths. "I," he started again and instead gave in to the sheer desperation of the moment, letting it carry them both along until finally they stilled.

Coricopat drew Mistoffelees close into a gentler embrace, curling around him, "I love you, Mistoffelees."

Pressing his nose against Coricopat's shoulder, Mistoffelees tried to just breathe, and enjoy the warm embrace. But now that his mind was quiet and his body relaxed everything he had been ignoring started to crash down. It started with a few hitched breaths, but soon enough he was sobbing into the other's shoulder.

The taller teen drew him closer, rubbing small circles on his back, "Shh, that's it." He swallowed hard, his mind flickering over the events of the last few days.

Trying to take a breath the smaller just dissolved further into sobs, pressing the length of his body against Coricopat's and holding on. Coricopat looped a leg around the other, pulling him even closer, "We'll...we'll find somewhere away from here. From the violence and hate. There's got to be somewhere, peaceful."

"Where?" Mistoffelees mumbled into his shoulder.

"Out of the city. The countryside maybe? Peace and quiet and open air."

Mistoffelees took a shuddering breath, finally calming. "What sort of a place would we live in?"

"A small house, in a small town. Maybe a medium sized town. Comfortable neighborhood. No gangs. No fights."

"You really think such a place exists?" Mistoffelees asked, tilting his head back on the pillow.

"It's got to somewhere. I mean, it can't all be death and fights and cities..."

"What would we do there?" Mistoffelees asked, voice soft.

"Finish schooling? Get jobs? Live our lives how we want to?"

Hand trailing up to Coricopat's collarbone again, noticing distantly the bruise there, Mistoffelees offered him a shaky smile. "I, god, I want that."

Coricopat's hand moved down to massage Mistoffelees' hip, "I...that is the dream isn't it? Why don't we try for it? I just have to go to Doc, ask him for my back pay. I've had him keep it for me."

The motion made Mistoffelees close his eyes a moment. "Not yet," he said softly. "Just, not yet."

The taller teen leaned down to kiss him gently, "I'll stay for a while longer, and then I'll go. If you can get away and meet me at Doc's we can leave from there, and I don't have to risk running into Alonzo in his own territory."

Mistoffelees nodded. "I'm still mostly packed. I should be able, able to get there quickly."

"But not yet," Coricopat murmured, kissing the other's temple.

"Not yet," Mistoffelees agreed, tilting his head back to drag an open mouthed kiss across Coricopat's mouth. "Need, need you to still be here."

Coricopat pulled him closer, nipping lightly at his jaw line and tilting his head down further to continue the ministrations to his throat.

Shifting against him, Mistoffelees pulled back suddenly, searching for Coricopat's eyes. "No matter what happens," he said, voice soft. "I love you. There's gotta be a place for us, somewhere, a place for us. We'll have time together and time to spare."

"And I you. Forever. No matter what happens."

Pulling back a little further, Mistoffelees shifted around to straddle Coricopat's waist, leaning in for another slow kiss. It wasn't quite languid, pain and fear still marking it with a layer of desperation, but it was gentle. Coricopat leaned up into the kiss, his hands running down along Mistoffelees' spine, massaging the tense muscles he encountered along the other's back.

Letting out a low moan, Mistoffelees rested his forehead against Coricopat's. "When do you have to go?" he asked, voice soft.

"Doc's closes at midnight. I just have to be there by then."

Mistoffelees leaned back to look at the clock and swallowed. "I don't want to let this moment go," he admitted softly. "I'm scared to."

"Shh. Then don't let it go. We'll remember it for as long as we live."

Mistoffelees laughed softly, the sound strained. "Yeah." He leaned back down, dragging their mouths together. Coricopat's hand moved to tangle in Mistoffelees' hair as his other traced patterns on the smaller youth's hipbone. Breath catching, Mistoffelees slowly let his weight fall against the other, hands stroking his hair.


So, dear readers, VS really can't tell which scene of this chapter makes her want to cry more. She's thinking the second one for the sole fact that every time she hears "Somewhere" she starts crying (It's second only to "Maria" in terms of tears). Sometimes all it takes is the instrumental.

Thank you all who have read this, and please do take the time to leave a review. It means a lot and it really helps. We'll see you again the next chapter.