The next day Tony found himself having breakfast in Valentina's tiny kitchen. She'd woken him up with the promise of bacon and eggs. Tony could tell by the way that she was looking at him, she had some stuff on her mind. Sure enough, as soon as sat down, she cleared her throat.

"So, how is Riff?"

"He's okay." Tony shrugged slightly, "He woke up yesterday. I umm…I told him about his back."

"How'd he take it?" Valentina put her fork down, concern written all over her face.

"Like Riff." Tony laughed slightly, "Wouldn't talk about it. Acted like he was fine."

"He's going to need time to adjust." Valentina took a sip of her coffee, "I can't imagine what that boy is feeling. His whole life had been turned upside down."

"The doctor said it might not be permanent." Tony said, shoveling his eggs around his plate. "That maybe when some of the swelling goes down he'll be able to feel his legs again."

"I'll pray for that." Valentina said softly.

"Yeah..me too." Tony sighed, "He's just so stubborn. Yesterday, I could tell he was in pain but he refused to say anything until he literally couldn't take it anymore. Sometimes I just don't know what he's trying to prove. Especially to me."

"Would you expect him to be any different?" Valentina smiled softly. "None of you are good at showing how you really feel. Just think of how things could be if you all just talked."

Tony had to agree with that. She was right. If they all could learn how to just express themselves differently, stop shutting the world around them out, they might not even be in this mess to begin with.

"Well, thanks for breakfast Valentina." Tony started to get up to clear his plate. "It was great. I'm just not very hungry today."

"Tony...you're not looking so good." Valentina frowned, "Please try to eat a little something." She reached out and felt his forehead. "Maybe you need to stay home and rest today."

"I'm fine." Tony brushed Valentina's hand away from him, "Riff just woke up. I don't want him laying in that hospital all alone. I know he's scared, even though he won't admit it."

"Let one of the other boys go." Valentina looked at him worriedly. "You are burning the candle at both ends. Sitting with Riff all day, and then coming home and cleaning and stocking the store for me at night. You aren't going to do anyone any good if you land up in the hospital yourself."

"I don't want the guys around him right now." Tony shrugged before taking a small bite of his eggs. "You know they'll just hype him up. They're going to want revenge. Riff needs to stay away from all of that right now. I don't want him even thinking about fighting."

"Keeping Riff away from fighting is like keeping bugs away from street lights." Valentina shook her head, "It's never going to happen."

Tony sighed. He knew that Valentina was right. He also knew that the Sharks were probably gunning for him because of how badly he'd beaten up Bernardo. He knew he at least broke the gang leader's nose...maybe his cheek bone...and probably gave him a concussion. The only thing that had stopped him from going further was Anybodys pulling at him, yelling about the cops. That and knowing Riff lying unconscious bleeding in the middle of the salt house's floor.

He hadn't been able to tell Valentina about his part in the rumble. Not all of it anyway. He'd just said he fought enough to get Riff out of there and the cover story.

She wouldn't understand.

She wouldnt understand the rage that flowed in him that night and the rage that was still flowing.

She wouldn't understand that Tony was afraid of seeing Bernardo again because of what he might do to him.

She wouldn't understand that the reason he couldn't see Maria was because when he looked at her all he saw was her brother stabbing Riff and then Riff collapsing in his arms.

And she wouldn't understand that the part that scared him the most was that he wasn't sorry for what he had done.

"You're not Riff's keeper." Valentina continued, "You've been trying to save him ever since you were little boys. At some point he's going to have to try to figure things out on his own. God himself knows I've tried talking to him. I spent the whole year talking to him when you were away."

"He's got no one else, Valentina." Tony said simply, "All he's got is me. Me and the Jets. And right now, out of those two, I'm the best option. Besides, he's like blood to me."

"What about his mother?" Valentina asked, her eyes widening slightly, "Tony...Does his mother even know? Did anyone tell her."

"Yeah. I called her the first night in the hospital. She didn't have much to say."

"Tony…" Valentina pushed away her coffee cup, "Has his mother been to visit him?"

"Not when I've been there." Tony shrugged. Riff's Ma not showing up was not a shock to him. He's never known the woman to be there. In fact, she normally acted like Riff was invisible most of the time.

"Can you imagine a mother not going to see her own son in the hospital?" Valentina shook her head, her accident thickening like it always does when she gets upset. "If it were me, they'd have to literally throw me out of there everyday."

"She just ain't that type of Ma." Tony replied simply.

"Then she ain't any type of Ma." Valentina snapped. "Let me ask you something, what are Riff's plans when he gets out of the hospital? Where's he going to live? Who's he going to live with? He's going to need help, Tony."

"I..I don't know…" These were things Tony hadn't even thought about. He'd been so focused on just getting Riff to just open his damn eyes, he hadn't given the rest of his life any thoughts. "His Ma and him live on the third floor of their apartment building..."

"That is not going to work." Valentina frowned, shaking her head. "He's not going to be able to do the stairs."

"I…I really hadn't thought about it." Tony sighed, feeling stupid for not having a plan. He almost always had a plan. "Maybe I can get a place. Maybe I-"

"With what money, Tony?" Valentina reached out clasping Tony's hand, "Please don't forget you are trying to get your life together too." She sighed deeply, biting her lip, falling silent. She got up and began clearing the breakfast dishes. "Well," She said, turning around to face him, "It's simple. Riff will live here. You and I will clean out my small supply closet. It's not big, but it's big enough for a bed and night table. Plus, there are no steps."

"I don't know how Riff will feel about that." Tony had to almost stop himself from laughing. He knew damn well how Riff was going to react. And it definitely wasn't going to be a "Awe, gee thanks, Valentina."

"He doesn't have a choice, now does he?" Valentina locked eyes with him, and Tony saw a look of pure determination. He knew enough not to argue with her when she looked like that.

"No…I guess he really doesn't."

"Of course I will have some rules he'll need to follow..." Valentina trailed off, "But...I think it'll work…It might even be nice." Valentina looked at him and winked, "That is if Riff can learn to shut that mouth of his every once in a while."

"Yeah, I'm sure it'll be fine." Tony forced a smile before getting up and helping with the dishes.

The truth was, Tony knew for a fact Riff was going to lose his mind. Riff and Valentina were always going at it, always squabbling about something. Riff regularly addressed her as the "witch" or as of most recent, "the warden". Valentina normally shot back by in turn calling Riff a "hoodlum" or "juvenile delinquent". Sometimes Tony swore the two of them actually enjoyed annoying one another.

He did have to admit though it was kind of Valentina to open her home up again. She didn't owe him, much less Riff, anything. Yet, she opened up her house to both of them. And he had to love her for that.

Now all he had to do was convince Riff….


Riff opened his eyes, surprised to see Anybodys sitting in the chair next to his bed.

"Hey." Riff said gruffly, clearing his throat.

"Bout time you woke up Sleeping Beauty." Anybodys looked up with a grin, closing the book he'd been reading."Been here nearly two hours."

"Don't know if you heard but I got knifed in the back. I figured sleepings not a crime."

"Don't be a baby." Anybodys replied, rolling his eyes. "You do look like shit though. What the hell are they feeding you in this place. You look scrawnier than normal. I thought this was supposed to be a hospital. Isn't it the law that they have to give you a solid three meals a day?"

"Kinda hard to do when you're passed out." Riff looked at Anybodys and gave him a grin. It was nice to see him treating Riff like he always did. "Now be a pal and hand me that water on the table. I'm fucking thirsty."

"You mean your sippy cup?" Anybodys handed Riff the cup with the lid and straw in it. "Do you need a bib?"

"It's harder than you think drinking halfway laying down." Riff took the cup, rolling his eyes and taking a long drink. "So how are the guys?"

"They're fine." Anyboys shrugged, "Kinda all a damn mess. Worrying about you. They wanna come see you, but Tony told them to hold off until you're feeling a bit better. Naturally I didn't listen to him. I don't take orders from no traitor."

"You know it ain't like that with Tony."

"Whatever." Anybodys shrugged, "Look, it ain't my problem really. I was never part of the Jets when he was in charge anyway. You're the one who let me in. He ain't nothing to me. So I don't take orders from him."

"You don't take orders from nobody." Riff shot back.

"You're right about that." Anybodys grinned. "Except maybe you of course." His eyes suddenly wandered down the bed, locking onto where Riff's legs were, his smile slipping off of his face. "How are ya doing, Riff? Really?"

"Nothing I can't handle." Riff shrugged.

"Yeah." Anybodys rolled his eyes, "Cuz finding out your legs don't work is all peachy."

"Believe what you want." Riff replied. His response sounded so weak though that he almost embarrassed himself. "My Doc says I might be fine in a few weeks. Somethin about swellin and all. You'd have to ask Tony. I kinda tuned it all out."

"Least your piss is clean." Anybodys motioned towards the lower end of Riff's bed. Riff must have given him the weird look he was feeling because Anybodys sighed. "Didn't you pay any attention in school? Your urine in your bag is clean. It means Bernardo didn't hit your kidneys. It he did you would be in a whole new world of fucked. It was probably pretty close, seeing as he stabbed you in the back and all. Guess it's good he aimed low."

It suddenly dawned on Riff he hadn't taken a proper piss since before the rumble. He immediately felt his ears turn red with embarrassment as he lifted up his blanket. He nearly got sick over the tube that was attached to a certain very private area. For a split second, he was glad he couldn't feel anything below his hips.

"Nothing to be ashamed of." Anybodys shrugged, "You gotta filter that out of your body somehow." He cleared his throat, "Least you have something there. I'd kill for…well…." Anybody's own cheeks turned red.

"The guys giving you a hard time?" Riff guessed, glad for the slight change of subject. He felt bad for Anybodys though. He honestly had no problems with him. He knew the guys were opposed to him joining the Jets. It had taken all of his convincing. That and a small scuffle between him and Action.

"That FREAK?" Action had asked, turning to face Riff, "You gotta be kidding me. Tony would never allow this shit. Letting chicks fight with us."

"First of all, Anybodys aint a chick." RIff replied, "And in case you haven't checked, Tony ain't here. Second of all, Anybodys a fuckin fighter. He saved our asses that night with the Emeralds. We could use him. Besides, with all the damn PRs we got comin we need every man we could get."

"If you call that thing a man." Action laughed, getting a high five from Mouthpiece who was laughing like an idiot.

"He says he's a guy so he's a guy." Riff shrugged. "I ain't even worrying about that. Besides, he's got no one. His old man just threw him out. He needs the Jets."

"You're turning into some sort of softy." Action laughed, giving Riff a small playful shove, "Damn it Riff."

"I got final say." Riff replied, shoving him back. "And I say Anybodys is in."

"Whatever, man." Action rolled his eyes and lit up the joint he was storing above his ear. "You're the one who gets to break it to Tony. I just don't think he'll be cool with you letting chicks or whatever that thing is in the Jets."

"Yeah. Yeah." Riff waved him off, taking a hit of the joint as it was passed to him, "It'll talk to him. Tony won't care. You guys just got to give him a chance."

"I didn't come here to talk about myself." Anybodys replied, cutting into Riffs thoughts. He flopped back in the chair, sighing heavily.

"Well, I'm askin." Riff cleared his throat, "They givin' you a hard time?"

"They normally do when you ain't around." Anybodys shrugged, "Course I can handle myself. Punched Action right in the face last night. Think I might have loosened a tooth."

"Hell, sometimes I wanna punch Action in the face." Riff laughed. "I keep tellin the guys you're a killer fighter. Guess they just need to see for themselves. One broken face at a time. Just don't hurt them too badly."

"I got no problem showing them." Anybodys fell silent and leaned forward, rubbing his hands together. "I dunno, Riff. I guess I just don't feel like I belong when you aren't there." He sighed. "The guys…they just never are gonna see me like one of them."

"I'll talk to them." Riff cleared his throat, "You are one of us. Anyone who fights alongside us is one of us. Besides, with these damn PR's…we need all the men we can get."

"They say there's more coming over every day." Anybodys shook her head, "They're gonna start taking over if we don't get ahead of it."

"Well, we ain't gonna let that happen." Riff felt the heat start to pump through his veins. This wasnt just about some damn piece of sidewalk they were fighting over like Krupke, Lieutenant Schrank, and even damn Valentina thought. This wasn't even just about it being their homes. It was so much more than that. It was about that piece of sidewalk being the only thing they could really claim as theirs. And, what no one besides Riff and the Jets seemed to get is when you got nothing, the little you do have you'll fight tooth and nail for. "This is our turf. They ain't just gonna come in and swipe it out from under us either. Me being…well, me being whatever this is ain't gonna stop anything. Jet's are still number one."

"Sure in hell are." Anybodys grinned, "We just gotta get you back. Once we got that those Sharks don't stand a chance. Besides, we gotta make them pay for layin you up the way they did."

"I'll be back." Riff nodded. "And once I am we'll make those Sharks scatter like the damn rats they are once and for all."