Jemima sat atop the TSE1, miserable. She looked longingly at Tumblebrutus, who was laughing with his brother and few of his friends. Her heart twisted, and tears almost formed in her eyes. She turned and swiftly jumped away, climbing onto the junk pile that Pouncival's chair sat on top of. Why didn't she want to accept that she was in love with him? Oh, that's right. Her father. Not her loving step-father, Munkustrap, but her real daddy. The Napoleon of Crime. She had been raised there for a few moons, until her mother got some help from the now-resident thieves, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, and got them both out of there. Now at fifteen moons old, she was quickly approaching queenhood, and was going to be required to preform the Mating Dance at the next Jellicle Ball. She sighed. Her younger self had refused to believe in love, thanks to her parents. She let the tears fall from her closed eyes, her mind completely and utterly mixed up.

"Jem?" a voice said. She looked up, and saw Tumble standing there. Her chest twisted, and she dashed away to the den that she stayed with her mother and Munkustrap with. The patched tom cast a look of longing after. He let his head drop defeatedly. Pouncival came up with a sad expression on his face, clapped a paw on his brother's shoulder and led him away.

From her room, Jemima sobbed into her pillow, waiting for the dusk to turn into night, so that she could go see the moon. She waited, looking out her little window, clutching the pillow to her stomach. She hated this. I'm fine with being alone, she tried to convince herself. But she wasn't. And the queen knew it.

She closed her eyes and let her head fall into the pillow, tears leaking out. No one came to check on her, for which she was glad. She stayed with her face buried in the soft fabric for a while, and when she lifted her head, the moon was out. The light that shown on the floor of her room was pitying, beckoning for her to come out. Jemima rose, wiping her eyes on the back of her dainty little paws. She crept out of the tiny door she had managed to make in her wall, hidden by the beanbag that she liked to sleep on. The rust-black queen slowly swayed back to the TSE1, where she had been earlier. She climbed on top of the old car, then looked up to the moon, her big eyes sad. The moonlight seemed to change to a comforting, yet still pitying glow. Tell me, it seemed to say. Tell me what's bothering you.

Jemima looked down, her blue eyes glassy. After a few moments she looked back up, and opened her mouth to sing as she so often did.

"When I was younger, I saw my daddy cry
And curse at the wind.
He broke his own heart
And I watched as he tired to reassemble it,"

She sang, referring to the day he had heard of her and her mother's escape. She had been swept away by Rumpleteazer right after seeing the sight.

"And my momma swore,
That she'd never let herself forget.
And that was the day that I promised
I'd never sing of love
If it does not exist,

But darlin', you are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception."

The moon's light seemed to smile. The light got a bit brighter. It started to dance around the petit queen. A small smile crept onto her face, and she daintily slipped down the old car. She swayed around the clearing, humming the tune to herself. She spun, then started singing again.

"Maybe I know, somewhere deep in my soul
That love never lasts
And we've got to find other ways to make it alone
Keep a straight face

And I've always lived like this
Keeping a comfortable distance
And up until now
I had sworn to myself that I'm
Content with loneliness..."

Somewhat close to the clearing, Tumblebrutus was unable to sleep. He stared up at the ceiling of his and his brother's den, listening to the sounds and watching as the moonlight crept into the den. It seemed to beckon to him, calling to him to come outside. The patched tom gave a glance to the snoring Pouncival, then soundlessly crept outside. The moonlight almost seemed to dart, and it lead him along an unused path. After walking for several moments, sweet notes of melody hit his ears.

"Because none of it was ever worth the risk,"

the voice sang. Tumble would recognize that voice anywhere. It was sweet little Jemima, that he so fondly watched and listened to everyday.

"Well, you, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception."

The tom intertwined himself between the bars of an old headboard of a bed, watching the queen. His eyes were starry as his listened, tinged with sadness and longing. The little queen continued to sing, completely oblivious to his presence.

"I've got a tight grip on reality
But I can't let go
Of what's in front of me here
I know you're leaving
In the morning, when you wake up
Leave me with some kind of proof that it's not a dream

Ohh-

You are the only exception
You are the only exception,"

Tumblebrutus unwrapped himself from the cold metal and gingerly started walking towards Jemima, who was facing away from him.

"You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception,"

He came up behind her, about three yards away, when she realized that someone was behind her. The little queen whipped around, her facial expression defensive. It softened, though, when she realized who it was.

"You are the only exception,
You are the only exception
You are the only exception."

Tumble wrapped his arms around the small queen, and she leaned into him.

"And I'm on my way to believing,
Oh, and I'm on my way to believing."

They stayed in that position, swaying back and forth. "Hey, Jem," Tumblebrutus finally said.

"Hi, Tumble," she whispered. Her eyes were closed, and her head was resting in the crook of his neck. He rubbed her arms.

"I know you're gonna be a queen soon...and that you've gotta do the dance...and I was wondering...if you'd let me do it with you?"

Jemima's blue eyes slowly opened, and a small smile played on her lips. "'Course Tumble. Just remind me to ask you when I wake up. A dream can't be so good. And I won't have any proof when I wake up," she said.

Tumblebrutus gave a small smile. Then he bent down and pressed a small kiss on her lips. Then he scooped her up an carried her back to her and her parents' den, making no noise as he slipped into her room. He laid the queen down, then sat next to her, continually stroking her paw. Jemima quickly fell asleep, a smile on her lips.

The next morning, the rust-black queen awoke, hoping to see the patched tom still sitting next to her. Her hopes were crushed, though, and her face had never seemed so saddened. She dragged herself out of her room, only to see Tumblebrutus talking to Munkustrap. The silver tabby did not seem very happy. In fact, he seemed downright furious. Demeter was standing nearby, seeming equally as angry as her mate. Tumble seemed to be trying to explain something to the protector.

Jemima's expression lit up, and she ran up to the patched tom and wrapped her arms around him. Tumble's expression seemed to be relived. But he pried her off of him and placed her a few feet away. Then he turned back to Munkustrap, whose frown seemed to have deepened at the greeting the younger had gotten from Jemima. "Munkustrap, I just wanted to ask you if I could dance with her, be formal. I asked her last night, and she said yes."

The Jellicle Protector's eyes narrowed. "So you ask the daughter before the father?"

Jemima skirted around Tumblebrutus, then latched onto her step-father's arm. "Daddy, he didn't mean any harm," she insisted. She moved from the silver tabby to the patched tom standing a few feet away, slipping under his arm. Tumblebrutus wrapped his arms around her. "Please, Daddy. It'll make it so much easier. If you say yes, we'll dance together. I hate to defy you and all, but if you say no, we'll still dance together."

"But why, Jem?" Demeter said, speaking for the first time.

The small queen's gaze shifted to the black and gold queen. "Because I love him, and he loves me," she said. Tumble nodded. "Please, just let us."

Munkustrap sighed, then ran a paw through his head fur. "Fine. Tumblebrutus, I give you permission to do the Mating Dance with Jemima at the upcoming Jellicle Ball." He stuck out his paw, and Tumble gave it a firm shake. "Now get out of here," the silver tabby growled. Tumble nodded, kissed Jemima on the head, then quickly left the den.

Munkustrap shook his head, then disappeared into his and Demeter's bedroom of the den. Jemima looked at her mother, who sighed and sat down in a chair. "I just don't want you to get hurt," the older queen said.

Jemima smiled and went up to her mother. "I know what I'm doing, Mom. I really do love him, though." Her eyes flicked towards the door.

Demeter gave a small laugh. "Go ahead, get out of here," she said, waving a paw in the direction that her daughter was looking.

Jemima smiled at her mother, then gave her a hug. "I love you," she said, before leaning back and running out the door.

"I love you too," Demeter called. She turned back. Her daughter was all grown up and didn't need a mother anymore. "Love you too."

A/N:

This song has been stuck in my head for forever. And my three-year old sister was singing along with it, and she was the cutest thing on the face of the planet! Review, please.