Disclaimer: I don't own Cats. I wish I did... Oh well. I do own a few of these characters, and I guess I'll have to be happy with that...

A/N: So I finally made my computer put this stuff up! YES!! That took me forever. I started this story when I was in 8th grade, and I'm a senior now, so it isn't all quite the way I like it, but if I rewrite the whole thing I'll never be done! Please, R&R! It's my first long fic.

The Lost Cause

carbuckettycue

Part 1

Love Changes Everything

The queen stared, unblinking. She blinked her green eyes suddenly, as if realizing what she was doing. It was then that the silver tabby spotted her; an odd queen with tiger stripes and leopard spots.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded. "You're on Jellicle land!"

The queen started. "I didn't realize this place began to anyone." She blinked up at him. "What is a Jellicle anyway?"

"A Jellicle is a member of the Jellicle Tribe," the tabby replied. He considered her momentarily, "Would you like to join?"

"Oh yes!" The queen was ecstatic. Her, part of a tribe! Suddenly her ears dropped. "Oh, but I can't," she cried, "what about my brothers and sisters?" And with that she ran off.

"Invited you to join his tribe? It's got to be some kind of trick!" Justin couldn't believe his ears. Jenny wasn't really his sister, but to him she was. And he worried about her.

Jennyanydots, the queen with tiger stripes and leopard spots, sighed. "I'm telling you, it wasn't a trick, he was serious!"

"They all are," Jellylorum muttered. The calico queen shivered.

"Please?" Jenny pleaded.

"Okay, we'll try it." Justin didn't seem happy about it, though.

"Great, just what we need, another chance to get beat," the scarred queen put voice to all of their fears.

Jenny and her 'siblings' looked cautiously about the junkyard. No one seemed to be there. Suddenly, the silver tabby came out of nowhere.

"So you're back," he greeted her with a warm smile, "who are these others?"

"These," Jenny said, "are my siblings, "Justin, Jellylorum, Vay, and Alonzo." She pointed to each in turn. Justin, the spritely but scarred tom, and Jellylorum, the calico queen who's confidence had been reduced to zilch. Vay, who bore evidence of her hardships in the scars that crisscrossed her body, and Alonzo, the barn cat turned city stray by a cruel twist of fate. "And I'm Jennyanydots," she added shyly.

"I'm Munkustrap!" The silver tabby grinned. "C'mon, I want you to meet Old Deuteronomy; he's the leader of the tribe."

Hesitantly, Jenny followed him through the junkyard, her siblings close behind.

"Where you going Munku?" A tom cat stepped out of the shadows.

"I'm taking these cats to meet Old Deuteronomy," Munku told him. Suddenly he changed subject. "Hey, where's your twin at?"

"Out," the tom responded. Then he turned to Jenny and her siblings. "By the way, I'm Coricopat." He then leapt nimbly away.

"If you see a queen who looks just like him, that's Tantomile. She's his twin sister." Jenny nodded at Munku, she thought she understood. "This way."

They followed Munku to a dark pipe. "Wait here," the young tom instructed. He darted into the tunnel. Several minutes later he returned, beckoning them to follow him.

At the end of the tunnel was a cavernous hole in the junk heap. An elderly tom greeted them warmly.

"Munkustrap tells me that at least one of you is interested in becoming a Jellicle." The elder smiled kindly.

"I am," Jenny spoke up, though a bit slowly.

"If you wish to join you may," the elder reassured her. "Your companions may join, too, if they wish."

Jenny glanced about nervously. "I'd like to talk it over with my siblings first." And with that, she retreated to the entrance, followed closely by her companions. "Do I do it?" She asked the, "And if I do, will any of you join, too?"

Munku leaned closer to the tunnel so he could hear what was going on.

"I already have a tribe." Jellylorum shivered gloomily.

"They dumped you, Jelly!" Vay snapped. "I can't believe you still hold onto them!"

"I don't want to." Alonzo spoke stubbornly.

"All right," Justin intervened, "let's stick around, check this place out, and if they're not bad Jenny can stay."

"Who knows," Vay commented, "maybe one of us will stay, too."

The slash-marked tom hissed, and crouched protectively in front of the two queens. "Back off," he snarled.

The large ginger cat laughed evilly. "Why should I? You're nothing but a kitten!"

Suddenly, the smaller queen leapt up the fire escape behind her. "C'mon, Bomby, Pounce." The three retreated, fleeing far into unknown territory.

Vay hissed loudly. Admetus backed off, flattening his ears in apology. Vay hissed even louder. Admetus slunk back even further.

"Get away from her!" Justin came leaping from somewhere in the junkyard. Admetus slunk back even further.

"I didn't mean to do anything," he whimpered.

Vay shook with contained fear and fury. "That's what they all say!" Poor Admetus looked confused, but no explanation was offered.

Munku watched the whole exchange, then turned to Jenny. "Why do your siblings do that?"

"They don't have any reason to trust you guys," she murmured distractedly.

"Neither do you," Munku pointed out.

"Well, maybe I don't trust you guys, either!" Jenny bristled.

"Say," Munku began, trying to change the subject, "what kind of cat are you, Jenny?"

"A Gumbie Cat." She turned and sat, with her back to him. She snuck a glance back at him, wondering what his reaction was.

But he was no longer looking over at her. He was staring, with a worried expression, towards the entrance to the junkyard. Two queens, a red one and a coppery calico, along with a slash-marked tom, stood there, panting.

Munku ran over there. "What do you want?" He demanded.

The coppery queen jerked spasmodically and the other queen cried, "Here he comes!"

The coppery queen opened her mouth, pointed, and shrieked, "Macavity!" Instantly the Jellicles bunched together, surrounding the kittens protectively. The slash-marked tom, Pounce, crouched in front of the two queens, Bomby and Demi. Jenny and her siblings huddled in a shivery bundle.

An evil laugh split the air. "Well, well. Jellicles, and two groups of inbetweens. Maybe I should kill them all."

"I'd like to see you try," Pounce spat.

"Would you, little kitty?" Macavity laughed ominously. "Then I'll have to try it sometime, won't I?"

That might have been the end of Pounce, if not everyone, but at that moment the one cat who Macavity was ever afraid of showed up. His name was M'chelle, because his mother wanted a daughter named Michelle. M'chelle, who made an imposing figure, was Macavity's father, and a friend of the Jellicles. Macavity fled the scene, for once without physical conflict.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. M'chelle boomed, in a voice only a cat his size could have, "Was little 'Cav bothering you again? Huh!" He began to laugh.

Jenny and her siblings huddled closer together. After all, M'chelle made an imposing figure.

Little Exotica, called Tica, ran up to them. "Don't be scared," she piped in her tiny kittens voice," M'chelle's my friend!"

Justin leaned over and hissed at her, "You make large friends, little one." Tica giggled. Then she ran over to M'chelle.

"Play with me!" She cried, grabbing a hold of his tail.

"Hold on a moment Tica." M'chelle brushed the kitten aside and strode up to Pounce. "Way to go kid! You can't let 'Cav bully you around!" he clapped Pounce on the shoulder, knocking him down. "What's your name young man?"

Pounce glared up at him, clambering to his feet. "My name's Pouncival." He paused then added, "And this is my mate, Bombalurina, and her sister, Demeter." He gestured first at the red queen, and then at the coppery one.

"If little 'Cav calls you 'kitten' pay him no mind." M'chelle boomed. "He's barely anymore then a kitten himself." Pouncival nodded. Suddenly M'chelle laughed. "And he doesn't have a mate yet!"

Laughing, M'chelle strode over to Jenny and her siblings. "And you younglings! I don't believe I've met you yet! What's your names?"

Alonzo let out a low hiss. M'chelle ignored him. Vay bared her teeth warningly, still no response. Justin darted out in front of the group, intercepting him. "Why do you want to know?"

M'chelle smiled. "Simply because I know all the Jellicles, so I want to know you."

Justin snarled. To the Jellicles he made a comic scene, the ity-bity spritely tom facing down the giant. "We're not Jellicles." Justin looked around for the reaction to this, then continued. "We're the Lost Cause."

M'chelle never lost his smile. "I'd still like to get to know you." He seemed unfazed. Jenny jumped in, to prevent any unnessacary violence.

"I'm Jennyanydots, and these are my siblings, Justin, Vay, Alonzo and Jellylorum." Her 'siblings' glowered at her, and Jelly shivered, but remained silent.

M'chelle patted her on the cheek. "Thank you dear. You're a Gumbie Cat aren't you?"

Jenny beamed and nodded. M'chelle looked about to say something more, but something else caught his keen eye. "One moment." He exited the junkyard and didn't return.