MIXED LOVE, MIXED BLOOD
NOTE: this, like most of the other things I write, will be rather dark. It's one of my very many takes on the whole Dem - Mac - Munk triangle story. It's only short. Enjoy!
*~*
As a long and painful night trickled silently into a fearful morning, the young queen could barely manage to keep her eyes open. Sometime during the night, sleep - or rather, unconsciousness - had claimed her, and she had been carried away into a field of dreams far nicer than the reality she was facing.
It was day twenty five of her time spent in captivity. Each day was longer, harder, more and more painful, as her captor found more and more ways to make her suffer. At first, he was traditional - a slight beating, a night pleasing his own sexual fantasies - but now he was being creative. So creative, in fact, that he was allowing anybody to walk in at any time and use her frail body as their personal punching bag.
During the first few days locked in her rancid cell, she had remained brave, remembering the words of her sister. Fear never got you anywhere; fear admitted that you were weak and left you open to attack. Fear admitted a breaking point that could be reached with just enough force. She vowed in those first few days that she wouldn't show her fear. She was almost able to laugh back in his face, something that fuelled his fury and increased the power of his attacks.
But it was getting harder. She couldn't hide the fear that lived inside her. During the day, she could cry, knowing that nobody visited her until after sunset. Then, she had to try and be brave. Try as she might, it just wouldn't work.
Twenty five days. Had anybody tried to rescue her from her hell? Did anybody know where she was? Did anybody care?
The cell started getting gradually darker as the sun went down. The one slit of light beneath the door was all that remained when the world was completely dark. Each time it opened, her body stiffened, just knowing that somebody was ready to hurt her again.
Footsteps sounding through the hallway made her shudder involuntarily, her body preparing for it's torment. But nobody came. The door remained shut. For what felt like hours, she sat there waiting. The sounds of footsteps stopped. Through half-closed eyes, she continued to watch that single strip of light until she couldn't watch it any longer. Her eyes slowly drifted shut, sending her into a deep sleep.
Unnoticed, the door to her cell opened silently, and just as silently a figure entered. Creeping towards her sleeping form, a caring paw landing on her back, unsuccessful in waking her up.
"Demi?" came the whispered voice, shaking her softly. "Dem?" Giving up, the figure hoisted the small feline into it's arms, exiting as silently as it had come.
*~*
Claws readied and retracted dangerously out of reflex as the tabby tom watched over the young tabby queen, a soft growl rumbling inside him as he fought the urge to attack the bastard who had done this to his precious friend. He had been told at first that going after the monster would have been more dangerous than letting him live, to which he had reluctantly agreed. But now, seeing the extent of her injuries, he couldn't be so sure.
"How could anyone do something like that to her?" He turned to face the young queen's sister, her eyes moist as she joined him in watching over the injured body. "To anyone for that matter."
"I know." He nodded in agreement, taking her paw in his. "It's beyond belief."
The red queen shook her head, a single tear trailing her cheek. "Demi couldn't have hurt a flea. I can't imagine what spurred him to attack her like this. It's just..." Any words she could think of fell drastically short of the description.
"Times like these," the tom began slowly. "You wish he had just spared her life. She's probably in more pain fighting than what she would be dead."
Now it was her turn to nod in agreement, closing her eyes tightly. "My poor Demi."
As all turned quiet, a small groan rose from the throat of their charge causing each of them to start. At once, the gold queen started to writhe before them like a kitten awaking from a night's sleep. Her eyes finally opened, blinking sleepily around her.
"Bombi?" she muttered, her face confused as she lay eyes upon her older sister.
Tears of joy ran down the red cheeks as Bombalurina took a firm hold of her sister's paw, bowing her head as she continued to sob. "Thank Heaviside," she breathed in a choked voice. "Demi." She leant down, pressing a small kiss to her sister's forehead, pouring tears all over the bruised face.
"Good to have you awake, Dem." Demeter heard the voice on her other side, and turned her head slowly.
"Munkus?" Blinking as if to clear her mind she took another look around her. "Am I safe now?"
"You are, Demi." Bombi cast an appreciative smile up at her silver male companion. "You're safe for good now."
"We'll make sure," the red queen added, stroking the scarred face gently.
In a sudden flood of emotion, the younger queen sat up, wrapping her arms tightly around her sister, squeezing her eyes shut as she cried freely. "I was s-so scared," she whispered. "Thank Heaviside I'm back. Thank the Everlasting Cat I'm safe."
*~*
Slowly but surely, Demeter started to make a full recovery, thanks to the watchful eyes and helpful hands of her sister and best friend who didn't leave her alone for a minute. It gradually seemed to get easier to adjust to the rest of the Jellicles, realising that they cared for her and wouldn't hurt her the way Macavity had done. But she couldn't erase all that he did to her. Especially when it was still raging a war within her.
"Stay away from me!"
The scream was enough to wake any cat sleeping within a ten mile radius of the young gold queen, wedged safely between her sister and friend.
Munkustrap and Bombalurina were instantly awake, slightly disoriented and negligent of what had awaken them until the cry which followed the first.
"Leave me alone!" Demeter cried, thrashing madly in her sleep as the two bodies pulled away from her sides. "Stop it!"
Bombi sent a concerned look in the direction of the silver and black tabby. "Wake her up, Bomb! Anything's better than seeing her like this!"
The red queen nodded, and without hesitation knelt down to take her sister's shoulders forcefully yet gently, sitting her up to bring her out of the constant stream of nightmares. "Demi! It's just a dream. Only a dream," she whispered soothingly, stroking the warm, moist brow with her paw. "Calm down."
Emerald eyes snapping wide open with a gasp for air, Demeter reached out fiercely, almost catching Munkustrap with her readied claws. "Help!" she gasped, flying forwards, only just stopped by the strong hold of her sister.
"It was only a dream, Dem," Munkustrap soothed, kneeling beside the two. "Nobody can hurt you in your dreams."
Fearful eyes looked up at the older female. "A Dream?"
Bombi nodded. "You were having a bad dream, Dem. You kept calling out."
"It was so real, Bomb." Crying again, she lay her head against her sister's chest, shaking with fear. "I-I thought he had me ag-gain."
"I know, sweetie. I know."
Munkustrap reached out a paw hesitantly, stroking Demeter's forehead as her eyes slowly began to close again. "We won't let him get you again. We're here guarding you all the time, and if he wants you he'll have to take us as well."
The gold queen smiled weakly. "I know..." she muttered, drifting into a deep sleep. "I don't feel good... Need sleep... Watch me..." The deep breaths of sleep overcame the young queen as the gentle, dark fingers claimed her.
Eyes tearful, Bombi looked back up at Munkustrap. "Will she ever get over this?" He looked doubtful as he continued to watch the placid face for a moment.
"Not for a while, I'm guessing." Stretching his body out beside the sisters, he yawned gently. "Tomorrow we'll take her to see Tantomile. She might be able to do something about the memories."
Nodding slowly, Bombi lay down, her sister still clutched protectively in her arms as the two older Jellicles fell asleep.
*~*
Munkustrap sat up with a start as a streak of red, black, gold and white darted past him. Bombalurina had taken Demeter to see Tantomile - the tribe's mystic and medicine woman - over an hour ago. The darting queen had suggested that the meeting was over. The undoubted sniffling that accompanied it suggested that all didn't go too well.
Moments later, Bombi followed the same path, panting badly as she stopped to rest. She tried to call out to her hastily flying sister, but her mouth was dry, causing her voice to lodge in her throat refusing to move any further.
"It didn't go well?" She turned to see the comforting blue eyes of Munkustrap, and shook her head solemnly, still trying to catch her breath. "What happened?"
Bombi shook her head, and for the first time Munkustrap could see that her own eyes were tearful, several tears having already trailed her cheeks. Holding her shoulder supportively, he couldn't have imagined what she would say. "Dem's pregnant." He looked stunned, his mouth dropping. "Macavity's undoubtedly the father."
"Oh, no." The silver tabby turned, watching the path Demeter had taken moments earlier. "I take it she's upset."
"Wouldn't you be?" Munkustrap's arms wrapped soothingly around her, pressing her head to his chest as she cried. "Why did this have to happen to her? Why our family? I can't imagine what we did to deserve this."
Shaking his head, Munkustrap reflected on the time Bombi had spent in Macavity's 'care'. Though she was never unfortunate enough to bear his kittens, she had been scarred for many months after. Upon her recovery, she was never the same again, becoming an almost cut-off personality from the tribe, fully headstrong and confident following in the footsteps of Tugger. It wasn't till Demeter's kitnapping a month earlier that her emotions had been released.
If that was how she had reacted without giving birth to the Napoleon of Crime's kitten, he couldn't imagine what kind of peril awaited Demeter.
*~*
Through a hazy curtain of tears, Demeter could only just see her paws in front of her face. Rested against her swollen middle, it was simply a blur of colours ranging from gold and black to the lightest white imaginable.
Why did this have to happen to her now? Now that all of her scars had healed, when she started to look like a normal queen, she found out the worst possible news. Pregnant with the kitten of the monster who had haunted her for almost a month, returning to her dreams nightly.
Sobbing continually, she tried to make her mind think clearly. She needed a solution to a problem that nobody could solve. If Tantomile couldn't find an answer - an intelligent queen with the ability to predict the future and fix absolutely anything presented to her - what good did poor little, average Demeter have? It was almost unfair.
Wrapped in her thoughts and her sobs, she almost didn't hear the sound of her best friend's voice calling gently to her from outside the pipe. Her back to him, she continued to sob, turning only slightly to talk to him. "M-M-Munkus," she stuttered through her sobs. "I-I-I-I-I don't w-w-want to s-s-see y-you or an-anyone else r-r-right n-n-n-n-now."
"Demi." The voice was sorrowful and comforting to her ears, but not at all what she wanted. "We just want to help you."
"You can't!" she snapped, her voice almost on the brink of hysteria, her sobs growing in intensity. "N-N-N-N-Nobody can h-h-h-h-help me."
"Yes we can." The new voice belonged to her sister, choked and deeper. The older queen was definitely crying. "Demi, you can't go through this alone. We're going to be there for you. We have to be. You're my sister and I love you. I just want to help."
"N-N-Nobody c-c-can h-help me," the gold repeated. "J-J-Just l-l-l-leave me h-h-here to d-d-die alo-ne."
"No!" The word sounded more like a whimper of pain bursting from her sister as the older began to sob. "You can't do that to me, Dem. You're all I have now. You can't leave me here alone."
The sound of mutterings that were not quite coherent to the young queen's ears sounded from outside the pipe, as Munkustrap tried to talk Bombalurina into letting him handle the situation.
"Demi, love," he said finally, his voice softer. "We know we can't take away the pain you're feeling now, but we can help you to feel a little better. This will be a temporary problem which you can leave behind you with time. Bomb knows what it's like to have to forget the things Macavity did, but she got over it. You can get over it to, but you need someone to help you. We're here for you and the kitten. We're not letting you go, either. We both love you too much for that."
If Bombalurina was the young queen's mother figure, then Munkustrap was definitely the father. He was protective, gentle and caring, like the parent the sisters never had. In any crises, he rose to the occasion to fill his position as Jellicle guardian. Demeter had to admit that she was lucky to have a friend like him.
Hesitantly, she crawled backward out of the pipe, welcomed by the sunshine and the smothering, relieved arms of her sister.
"If you two will be there," she sniffled slowly, looking down at the ground once she was free of the vice-like grip. "Then I'll go through with this."
The older Jellicles smiled down at her briefly, glad that for the time being she was quite satisfied to remain with the living.
*~*
Day by day, Demeter's middle continued to grow. With decreasing amounts of energy compounded with the increasing need to sleep all day long, she could do very little more than waddle a few metres before collapsing in exhaustion. For this reason, it came highly recommended that she rest as much as possible, for she wasn't a strong queen, and without a fully healed body to birth a kitten she risked serious injury if she over-exerted herself.
Munkustrap, quite happy to mind his precious friend, often relieved Bombalurina of her duties, considering the older queen did have a fetish for certain tribal members of the opposite sex, and some cravings that needed to be catered for. As a result, he usually spent a lot of time alone with Demeter, realising day by day just how precious, beautiful and wonderful she really was.
For him, it was becoming hard to keep his true feelings inside. Telling Bombi was the worst thing he could possibly have done at that point, for the red queen became so excited that her best friend and sister may one day be mates that she couldn't help but giggle like a kitten whenever the two exchanged words. To make matters worse for the silver tom, the red queen swore that her sister felt the same way, often casting curious glances in his direction and blushing whenever he commented her. He, of course, saw none of this and felt his feelings to be somewhat unrequited.
Still, he started feeling a need to tell her how he felt. Watching her sleep at night, his mind marvelling in her beauty, he was finding it increasingly hard to stop himself from kissing her. But in order to do this, he needed to tell her what he was feeling.
Lying on her back, paws clasped over her stomach, Demeter gazed at the sky. Compared to all that happened on Earth, she considered the sky to be a silent masterpiece of wondrous beauty. Nothing on Earth compared to anything the sky could do. She found no parallel to the twinkling stars, or to the wonder of weather. All she saw around her was chaos, and cats with an absurd need to hurt other cats.
"Dem?" Breaking her thoughts, she turned her head to face the silhouette beside her. "Can I tell you something?"
She smiled at him, then turned back to watching the stars. "If you want to," she muttered, her voice blissful and distant as it always was whenever she engaged in the stars.
Munkustrap sat up, clearing his throat. Turning back to look at her, his breath was caught inside him, and he finally lost the nerve.
"Well?" He gulped, a somewhat sheepish grin on his face. "Are you going to tell me?"
"W-Well," he stammered. "I j-just wanted to t-tell you th-that... You look really beautiful tonight, Demi." For the first time, he witnessed her blushing following one of his compliments. "That's not what I wanted to tell you."
She sighed, slowly sitting up so she was the same height as him, one paw supporting her back warily. "What did you want to tell me then?"
The blissful smile on her face made it a little easier for him to speak, and he took her free paw in his own, hesitating as her eyes went wide. "I love you, Demeter." Having said it, he wasn't sure what else to say. "I've loved you for a while, but every night I just realise how much more I do. I feel like I can't keep it inside a minute longer. I love you, and I don't think I can hide it any more. And... and... Do you think, after you've had the kitten and everything... you could maybe, possibly... become my mate?"
Speechless, Demeter's jaw dropped slightly, her eyes turning a paler shade of emerald as she sat there, bewildered at what he had just said. "Dem?" Somebody loved her? Somebody loved her? The thought was almost too incredible to believe. "Demi?" And he wasn't just in love with her, but he wanted to be with her. He wanted her to be his mate. "Demi, please say something." It was almost too incredible to believe.
"I..." Munkustrap almost held his breath in anticipation, squeezing her paw in his. "I..."
"You..?"
"I..." Her eyes were tearful as she looked down, seeing her paw in his as if it were for the first time, despite the many times he had held her paw to stabilise her. "Heaviside," she breathed. "Munkus, I don't want to wait until after the kitten is born."
Now it was his turn to look bewildered. "You don't?"
Shyly, she shook her head. "I've liked you, but I was far too afraid to tell you. I wasn't sure what you'd say. Or what you'd do. But now I know you feel the same way, I'm not afraid to say it any more. Munkustrap, I think... I think I love you too."
Munkustrap's jaw dropped in the form of a wide smile. "You do?"
She nodded, a small giggle releasing itself from her mouth. "If you'll have me, I'll gladly be your mate from now until forever."
The silver tom was breathless, his eyes wide and his teeth bared in an almost maniacal smile. "You would?" She nodded her response. "That's the best news I've heard in my lifetime." He almost started jumping up and down, but stopped himself. "Demi, I have another question to ask you?" She rose her eyebrows, enticing him onward. "Can I kiss you?"
Shyly, she moved forward, bringing their lips together for the first time. Her first real kiss with a tom. His first real kiss with a queen. The situation couldn't have been more perfect, even as her tongue flicked with his, catching him slightly by surprise. Passion built inside them until there was nothing left but to consummate their affections...
"Dem?" He pulled away hesitantly, looking at her through the dark, seeing her glowing eyes and bright face smiling back. "We don't have to do this. We can wait until after if it's what you want."
"Now," she breathed, drawing his lips down to hers. "I want it now."
As the two progressed their gentle, passionate love-making, Bombi watched from the shadows, a beaming smile on her face. "I knew they'd do it eventually." She wrapped her arm around the neck of her companion teasingly. "They're both too right for each other."
The black, maned tom grinned in response. "Yeah, unlike us." He shrugged. "But should Dem be doing that in her condition?"
Bombi smiled knowingly. "Their both the sensible type - unlike us. If it was bad for her they'd know it." She grinned wickedly in his direction through the darkness. "Fancy another round, lover?"
Without hesitation, Tugger pounced, pinning the voluptuous red vixen onto her back, causing her to send out a muffled giggle through the darkness.
*~*
Frantic with worry and concern, Munkustrap paced the junkyard madly, just as wrought with tension as an expectant father. In all fairness to him, it was his mate that had been in labour for the past three hours, though it didn't take much reminding for him to realise the kitten wasn't his by blood. The kitten would never be his by blood. The kitten would be mixed with the blood of Jellicle from Demeter and Stray from Macavity. Good and evil.
Bombalurina had suggested he wait outside for the birth proceedings. Each time Demeter gave a gasp or a cry of pain, he panicked. Pacing, he could still hear the cries, but he was able to fight down the urge to rip the monster limb from limb. Plus, he had his friends to watch him.
Tugger, Alonzo and Tumblebrutus watched as their silver and black tabby friend marched back and forth. Trying to speak to him was a futile effort, but from the request of Bombi - the queen that any one of the Jellicle toms would gladly bend over backwards for should she ask of them - they had to make sure he didn't go destroying anything or getting himself killed by trying to end Macavity's life.
Watching his panicked fury seemed the safest thing to do for the three toms. Though it was starting to get tiresome.
"Any names picked out, Munkus?" Tumblebrutus asked hesitantly. In response, Tugger and Alonzo, placed either side of him, used their elbows to nudge a warning. "Ow! I was just making conversation. Jeez."
Another hour passed. Munkustrap sat beside his friends, biting his claws nervously. "Everything's going to be fine, Munkus." He barely heard the voice, despite it coming from the tom beside him. "I'm sure they're just cleaning up the kitten and everything."
"Lonz's right, mate," Tugger added. "Dem's not one to give up that..."
"Yes she is," Munkustrap interrupted. "That's what worries me. She didn't want this kitten in the first place. She wanted rid of it, rid of herself. I told her I'd be there. Heaviside, I should be there with her. I should be helping her through this. Dammit!" In self-fury, Munkustrap had readied his claws and stuck them into Alonzo's thigh, not hearing the cries from the black and white in his semi-trance-like state. "My poor Demi!"
"My poor thigh!" Alonzo breathed.
Bombalurina appeared before the four toms seemingly out of nowhere. "Munkus," she said softly. "Demi wants to see you."
Slowly, he stood up, trying to read his close friend's face for any signs of sorrow or worry. Cautiously, he walked away, turning around every now and then to look back at the red queen, who sunk, exhausted, beside Tugger. Munkustrap continued to the area which the newly mated couple had made their home, finding Demeter alone, her back to him.
"Demi?" He slowly walked towards her, kneeling by her side. "Hi, love. Are you okay?"
Demeter looked up at him, her large emerald eyes tearful, a smile planted firmly on her lips. "I have a daughter," she breathed in a choked voice. "A little girl." She indicated the small kitten feeding at her breast with a gentle smile.
Munkustrap smiled, wrapping an arm around his mate before pressing a firm kiss to her temple. "She's beautiful," he remarked in whisper, not wanting to disturb the little one. "What have you named her?"
"Jemima," she whispered in response. "Munkus..." Her free paw reached for his, drawing it to her lips softly. "Will you be her father, help me raise her properly? I can't do this alone."
"I wouldn't dream of letting you raise her alone." He placed another soothing kiss to her temple, then placed a paw softly on Jemima's white belly.
Demeter bit back a sob as she looked down at her daughter, pride evident on her features. "I don't want her to know about Macavity, Munkus. I don't want her to know who her real father is. From this day forth, you'll be her true father. Promise me she'll never know the truth."
"I promise, Dem." He tipped her head up to kiss her lips softly. "She will never know what's happened to you. I swear to the Heaviside."
*~*
The End.