Author's rant: I had little to no intention of writing more West Side Story stuff, but now that my run of the show is done I feel a great void. Yeah, it is mostly from having my evenings free, but I miss WSS a lot, mainly for the people I got to hang out with. I was Anybodys and I miss hanging out with my Jet buddies (and yes, in real life I am friends with them). As a plus I have time to write, and heal my many, many bruises.

All the extra girls got their names from the girls who portrayed them, excluding the girls who were named in the script. All pairings are based on who danced with whom in our show, excluding the scripted pairings. Which reminds me, Riff is NOT with Graziella. I am going with Velma because… I just am, and I already went through that.

Disclaimer: I don't own West Side Story. But you already knew that.

Chino pursed his lips, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Maria. He watched her movements warily, as he had for days, since she had threatened him with his own gun. It chilled him to remember that night. Bad enough to remember bloodying his own hands, but he had almost driven Maria, someone who had been so pure and sweet he had been unsure that she was real, to do the same. The rage had terrified him to the point that he had been unable to even relish the terror that had shot through the Jets when she had turned the gun on them.

Just thinking about enjoying their fear made him want to go to Confession.

"Chino, they were sincere," Maria voice was firm, an odd contrast to her face, which looked pale and fragile, especially against the black clothing she had worn to Tony's funeral. She wanted him to bring the Sharks to the gym, as Action had requested, to resolve what remnants of dispute still existed between the groups.

Chino agreed that he did seem sincere, though cautious considering he was flanked by the Jets' muscle man, Diesel, and the beanpole of a tomboy who had been trying to be a Jet longer than the Sharks had been fighting them. But he was still uneasy, more comfortable letting things lie, going on with life quietly and simply avoiding what had occurred between the two gangs. He wanted no part of conflict any more, and Schrank had given him a second chance at peace by convincing Chino's priest to insist that he had been consoling Chino when they had heard a gunshot. He didn't want to waste the one courtesy the lieutenant had extended him.

Maria raised her chin slightly; a look of pride and maturity on her face that reminded Chino of the paintings of the saints his mother had painted on the walls of his old home in Puerto Rico. She held his gaze for a moment before speaking, "Chino, you… this is a chance to make real peace, not just an… an uncomfortable tension," She stumbled over the English, but she stubbornly continued her efforts to become fluent in the language through practice.

"Maria, I…" He trailed off when he saw her eyes, blurred with tears as they had been for days. She was merciful enough not to say it, but one look at her face and he could see the silent accusations, the blame. He owed her more than he could ever repay, and they both knew it. "I will go to the gym then," He whispered, not in defeat but out of loyalty. He glanced out the window. A few hours until sundown and the appointed meeting time. Time enough to gather the Sharks and tell them what was happening.

It was then that Chino realized he wasn't spared incarceration so he could avoid conflict. He was spared so he could atone for his crimes against Maria, and one day ask her and God for forgiveness.

"This won't work. I shoulda listened to Diesel," Action nervously put out his cigarette and loosened his black tie, noting Anybodys lowering her head slightly. He felt bad for upsetting her, but he was far from supportive of her idea to actually settle their differences with the Sharks. He had to give her credit for getting the majority of the Jets to support the idea. Action and his second in command, Diesel, had been among the few less receptive, but even they had wavered in their when Anybodys had come to them.

"Action, if we don't do this nothing changes," She counseled him, making Action wonder if Diesel was really the second-in-command. "Everyone will just continue being miserable, pretending things have changed when they haven't. If we don't do this things will either stay the same or get worse. I don't want things to get worse; I don't want people dying anymore."

Action turned to face her, the corners of his mouth forming a sardonic smirk, "You're good. You should be workin' for the president, you know?"

"I'm not kidding!" She kept her voice low, but couldn't stop the extreme emotion from saturating her voice. "It can't happen again, I won't be like-"

"Velma? You won't be," His voice seemed slightly scolding, a bit exasperated. He put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a little shake, "Alright?" His voice was gentler this time.

Anybodys nodded, looking childish biting her lip to keep from appearing more upset than necessary. She had been to close to losing him. First Maria pointing that gun at him then he picked up the gun. The cops would have gotten him for it if Krupke hadn't claimed to have been questioning him at the time of the shots.

"I guess it was bad enough when she pointed that gun at me, huh?" Another nod, this time her face wincing as she tried to block tears. "Don't want that happening again anymore than you," He muttered, brushing some of her short brown hair from her face, "So I guess I'll give it a shot." Her face relaxed and she looked back down, a relieved smile on her face.

And that is how it was between them. They denied nothing and admitted nothing. What was between them was simply there and they let it exist in that way.

Anxious watched Juano and the two Jets carefully. They were the first at the gym, before even their newly appointed leaders, and Juano had opted to try and start things out on the right foot with Baby John and A-Rab.

It hadn't taken the one named A-Rab to start treating Juano in the same manner as he treated Baby John. Anxious had always been told that younger people were quicker learners, and here he saw proof of it, with himself as the example of the older person to set in their ways to learn. He watched the three of them, laughing as loud as they dared, afraid of upsetting the memories of their former leaders.

Former leaders… Anxious knew Bernardo would be teasing him about his nickname for being worried. If Bernardo had been alive and accepted the invitation to this peace council (unlikely, in his opinion) he would think Anxious overly concerned. All of the Sharks had thought he was always too worried. A mother hen in a lot of ways. Since Bernardo's death he had noticed a lot less of that, more respect for his pleas for caution.

He looked up as Pepe entered, or rather reentered, the gym. He looked tense, which put Anxious on edge considering Pepe was much bigger than him. He knew Pepe would never hurt him, but he couldn't help but think of everyone as a possible threat.

"It took some begging, and many promises of no fighting, but Glad Hand has agreed to leave us alone while we talk."

"You think it'll be just talking?"

"The gym is neutral territory, the Jets always respected that."

"Except the other night-"

"That was different." Pepe didn't say why and he didn't have too.

The uneasy silence between the two Sharks was short lived, thankfully, due to the entrance of Chino. He nodded to Anxious and Pepe, casting a nervous glance to Juano, perplexed that the few years age difference between him and Juano could make one of them so much more adept at making peace.

Maybe it isn't the age, He thought, remembering how he had killed someone a few nights earlier. He sat next to Anxious and his second in command, watching the three younger boys with a subdued expression.

One by one the gangs trickled in, each looking around nervously before fully entering the gym, checking to make sure they weren't the only ones there, then going to their designated sides of the gym, where they had danced. As the numbers grew Juano, Baby John and A-Rab separated, joining their gangs reluctantly.

Chino stepped to the front of his gang, unintentionally mimicking Bernardo as he watched Action. He knew enough to keep his distance around him. Chino had always been shy, naturally quiet, patiently choosing his words. And he was now thankful for that personality, since this was Action he was dealing with, and dealing with him, Chino had both observed and heard, was like walking through a mine field.

"What do we need to do to make things better?" Action was a surprise as the first to speak, first to extend a hand to repair the damage that had been done. Though, no one would have been surprised by his behavior had Anybodys nudge to his ribs been less discrete.

"How about dropping the term spics?" Toro snapped, looking ready to start another rumble, and understandably considering how Bernardo had been like a brother to both him and the rest of the Sharks.

"Oh, well then maybe you'll want to stop with the micks?" Snowboy shot back, his red hair making it obvious why he took it personal.

Toro stepped foreword, Anxious at grabbing at his arm to stop him. But he stopped himself, his eyes bulging as he stared beyond the Jets. The glare Maria was giving him made him shudder, and he stepped back, looking away.

They were all their, backing up Maria as a silent presence to the gangs, Rita, Toro's girl, comforting Velma with Graziella.

The gangs stared at the girls, dumbstruck, none of them moving until Action turned, glaring at Anybodys. He had known she didn't want him hurt, but he didn't think she would go so far as to bring the other girls. She was willing to emotionally blackmail him, the leader of the Jets, for that cause? He didn't know whether to be impressed or to punch her.

"You should not be here," Pepe scolded Consuela, whose nostrils flared at his condescending tone.

"Oh, shouldn't we?" Her voice was a soprano, effectively shattering any focus that was not on her, "On last check your little councils did a lot to change our lives," She gestured broadly to the other girls, who nodded angrily in agreement.

"Look, you girls stay out of this and let us handle this," Action adopted a similar tone as Pepe's, though a little more edgy.

"We tried that," Anybodys said pointedly, flinching when Action whirled around with a clenched fist. Even after he caught himself and relaxed his hand she didn't let the tension leave her body.

"You told them to come?" Moose gave the tomboy an incredulous look before glaring, "Figures."

"It's what we get for letting the twerp into the Jets." Diesel voiced his agreement.

"Be quiet, Diesel!" It was Nell who spoke, a surprise considering the angry glares she had shot Anybodys since she and Action had suddenly behaved like such close friends. At the dance he had been with Nell, but after the rumble she was forgotten for a skinny tomboy. In spite of this she approached the gangs, followed by the other girls, and stood between Diesel and Anybodys, glad to find that Minnie was backing her up in the protective behavior. Diesel held his hands in front of him, in a surrender position, in response to the glares, particularly the dark one he received from Action.

Anita was the next to speak, catching each Jet in a cold glare before doing so, "I can learn to forgive, and be civil," She turned to the Sharks, "And that is harder for me than it is for you, so don't you dare start behaving like this is not possible."

The Jets looked away, each feeling guilty that the Sharks assumed she was only making reference to her losing Bernardo. They knew exactly how dedicated she was to stopping the fighting, they had found out when they realized she hadn't told the other Sharks about their attack on her.

Schrank, Krupke, Anita… They had all kept silent about their crimes, believing that, given a second chance, these kids could change for the better.

It would be a shame to let them down.