Hello readers. I had a bout of inspiration from 'Tattoo You' with the kitchen scene between Ava and Cat and thought it just didn't capture Ava's character enough. I understand why they wrote it the way they did due to time constraints and didn't want to make Cat out to be the 'bad guy', but… just something missing. I hope you enjoy.

I'm not the Sheriff, I'm the Queen Mother
By OneHorseShay
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue. For God sakes, don't sue.
Rating: +T Language
Summary: What if Ava hadn't been as accommodating to Cat in the kitchen when it came to who was really Gigi's mother? MamaCat vs Queen Mother Ava, alternate scene from Tattoo You.

The (Shoo) Factory
New York City, NY

Ava and Cat had retired to the recording studio's kitchen after the blonde and Gigi caught Cat trying to make the moves on Flash so the blonde could attempt to rein in the former backup singer's behavior. They had done the verbal probing of defenses about love for Gigi and motherhood with comments on clothing and loneness and about doing the UPS man, but Cat had reached her limit in patience with Ava trying to act like she could just step right in and be Gigi's mother. As the blonde was leaning against the counter of the kitchen, Cat took a spot on the other end of the counter and challenged, "Okay, let me lay this one out for you, Ava. The reason why you are close with my kid is because you're not her mom."

Ava rolled her eyes in dismissal, "Oh, okay."

Cat wasn't deterred from Ava's apparent dismissal of her point and quietly, yet ferociously pointed out, "Surrogate moms, they don't need to get pregnant. Surrogate moms don't need to push a little human being out of their formerly tight vaginas and then go raise them all by themselves."

Ava sighed then spoke in hoping to ratchet down the conversation before Cat really blew up, "Cat, I didn't mean to start anything here."

Cat wasn't deterred from her spiel, "Surrogate mommies get to be besties with their daughters. They get to go drinking with them and discuss which guy's got a better ass or a bigger dick."

The blonde's brow shot up and eyes went wide from the unexpected turn in the conversation, "Whoo."

"Meanwhile, I'm a real mom, which means I am not out to be her best friend. I am out to make sure that she does not fuck up the same way that I did. Gigi is my song and you're getting all the royalties. Go write your own fucking song, huh?"

Ava stared at her former bandmate, one time friend and sometime playmate, but that motherly instinct that Cat had dismissed out-of-hand that she could actually feel came roaring out like a lioness protecting her cubs. She sat her wine glass on the sink countertop and defiantly asked, "Why shouldn't I? I want her. I want her and to you… she's the fuck up of your life and you're doing your best to remind her of that."

Cat blinked, stunned that Ava would actually respond, "Excuse me?"

The corner of the blonde's lips turned downward and lazily shrugged her shoulders. "You're the one that just said that you don't want her to fuck up like you did and what was that fuck up? You getting pregnant with her, with her."

Ava shook her head as she felt the disgust rise from her stomach, which quickly translated into venom in her voice, "My God, I know you've disapproved of her going into music from the beginning, but have you been telling her that all of her life? She's the fuck up of your life? She was your greatest mistake and stopped you from the live you really wanted? You fucking bitch."

Cat looked back blankly, unprepared for Ava to come back swinging.

Ava continued with a fierce expression, ready to fight for what she was gaining in her life with Gigi's presence, "She is not a mistake… she's not a mistake to me. I have been a real mom to her for these last few weeks. We may have done some of the bestie things—we're not drinking buddies and if you knew your daughter, you would know that. She doesn't drink because she does care about being a professional and respectable singer and doesn't want to hurt herself and make the same mistakes the rest of the band did with the drugs and drinking."

The blonde took a deep breath and took a step closer to Cat, making sure she looked her straight in the eyes as she pressed her point, "And it hasn't all been just doing those bestie things. I've made sure that the band knows that she's the queen and in charge—not Johnny and not Flash, not any of them. It is 'Gigi and the Assassins' and the only opinion that I care about is hers and what she says will go for them. They'll come along for the ride of fame, but they're not going to use her as some way to capture the glory they missed out on the first time. I'm protecting her from that."

Cat's face flushed with embarrassment and anger. She wasn't expecting Ava to spar with her. She thought she would crumble after the not so subtle jab that she never had—possibly couldn't have—children with Johnny. She gathered her wits and tried to rally herself to challenge, "And what about Flash? You think that's a great idea with that relationship?"

Ava paused as she had deeply mixed feelings on the matter. He had admitted that he initially wanted to sleep with Gigi to get back at her father. She wished that he would just get over his damn petty resentments of his ex-wife that was such a whore she'd do anyone behind his back. However, Gigi did like him for whatever reasons and she was an adult, a young one that sought guidance from her and Johnny, but still an adult that could make her own decisions and it was her feelings she cared about the most and would protect.

The blonde singer took a confident breath then answered, "Whether I approve of her being with Flash or not doesn't matter. What matters is that she knows that I support her. If he does hurt her… if he does break her heart, I'll break his fucking balls."

Cat felt like she was starting to argue with Johnny in his pigheadedness, but that shouldn't have surprised her given that Ava had to be the same just to put up with him for so long. She decided to take a different tactic. "You know it's going to break the band and that would crush her dream of being a famous rock star."

Ava nodded her head towards her, willing to acknowledge part of her point, "It usually does, but I've been with Johnny for more than twenty years and we didn't break our band."

"You're not the lead singer."

"And neither were you… does that still bother you?"

Cat snorted a breath, not willing to rise to that bait, and countered, "And if he gets her pregnant?"

A fire seemed to light up in Ava's eyes as she questioned, "You mean make the 'mistake' she was to you?"

Cat balled a fist and was ready to punch her at that point of throwing up what was the logical conclusion to her premise about her mistake.

Ava finished answering as if she was swearing an oath, "If he purposely tries to knock her up then I'm going to make sure that he's her bitch for the rest of his damn life. He's not going to leave her high and dry, laughing on his way out just as payback to Johnny."

The look Cat was seeing in Ava's eyes was something she had never seen before. She had known the easygoing, give her another glass of wine Ava, but not the person she saw in front of her. The person standing in front of her was a fierce woman ready to protect her child from anyone that would mess with her. She grumbled out, not really having any other points to make, "So… you really are the new sheriff?"

Ava sternly looked at Cat and stated in low, dangerous tone, "I'm not the new sheriff, I'm the Queen Mother and I will protect Gigi from anything and anybody that wants to mess with her and her dreams and that includes you. If you want to keep trying to break her heart with playing your games with Flash and making her think she was a 'mistake'… you're going to answer to me, so the best thing you can do is pack you things and go, before I take those boots and walk all over you."

Ava didn't bother waiting for a response as she picked up her wine glass, took a confident sip from the rim then headed out of the kitchen, leaving Cat fuming.

Author's Note: I hope you liked my little alternate take at a confrontation between Ava and Cat. Don't be shy with reviews and spreading the word for this little oneshot. Thanks, OneHorseShay