Author's note: Just a little oneshot I came up with at about midnight, thanks to my Random Pairings Generator. Can you guess who this is talking about?

Disclaimer: I don't own Cats.

All my life I have been second best. Never properly knowing how to act around queens. Trying to copy Tugger, but it never really worked out for me. Nothing ever did. Having on/off relationships, but none of them were ever too serious. I always thought that that was life would carry on for me. Until last month. Last month was when I saw her. Apparently, she had only been in the junkyard for a couple of weeks at that time, but I didn't care about that. All I cared about was her.

I saw her lingering at the back of the Junkyard. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. At that moment I fell in love, truly, madly, deeply in love with a queen I had only seen, never met.

Over the next week, I wanted…no. I needed her to notice me. But how could this shy beauty ever love a tom like me? She seemed to always run when I approached her, and didn't seem as interested in toms as some of the other queens. She even resisted Tugger's charms!

My friends didn't know what was wrong with me. They kept trying to get me to go and do something else with them, have some fun like I used to. But I said no. I couldn't get distracted! I had to think up new ways for her to notice me. I had to, or else she would never see me. I couldn't leave.

I think I became obsessed. Entranced by her dark, sleek fur, her wide, staring eyes, the way she walked, the way she always lingered in the shadows…

See what I mean? Obsessed.

Things went from bad to worse. I would spend days on end in my den, moping, pining after her, my one true love.

Eventually, my friends gave up on me. They couldn't understand it, couldn't see what I saw in her. They couldn't see why I spent the whole day looking for her.

In reality, I hardly ever saw her. She was so shy. She usually kept to the shadows, to the edges of the Junkyard. This made me sadder and sadder, more and more depressed, as she always made my day better.

But I still never saw her.

Until today. Today I…bumped into her. Literally. I was deep in thought, not looking where I was going, and I didn't see her coming towards me from the other direction.

She looked up at me, startled.

"Oh. Sorry."

Her voice was quiet and musical, the most beautiful thing I have ever heard. I managed to stutter out an apology. She smiled weakly, and started to walk away.

No! She couldn't leave! Not after weeks of obsession, not after all this time. This was my only chance. In a sudden burst of confidence, I yelled out her name, barely believing my own confidence.

"Exotica!"
She turned, confused. My sudden burst of confidence died as soon as it had appeared. I gulped, but stayed where I was. I am going to tell her, I said to myself. Even if she rejects me.

"I…I love you, Exotica"

That was all I needed to say. She walked up to me, slowly, nervously, hesitantly. After what seemed like years, she finally spoke.

"A…Alonzo, I love you too."

FIN