The purpose of relationship
is not to have another who might complete you,
but to have another with whom
you might share your completeness.
Neale Donald Walsch
Immediately, Alonzo could see something was wrong with his friend Admetus. The moment he slumped next him and Coricopat on the car- where the three toms often liked to sun themselves. Coricopat had opened up quite a bit over and after the dramatic events at the latest Jellicle ball and Alonzo was finding him to be quite a likeable tom, three months on. And from the look on Coricopat's curious face, he could tell something was wrong with Admetus, too. The brown tom's eyes were distant as he mumbled his hellos, like something else was completely on his mind. His creamy ears and tail drooped and he sat quite miserably next to them- not even basking in the sun, a rarity in this place, as Coricopat did, splayed back against the top of the car.
A few moments of silence passed, and another curious glance passed between Alonzo and Coricopat. Coricopat was the first to ask however. He was always eager to help his new friends- so that they might stay- his friends.
"What's the matter?" he said, leaning towards the tom and propping himself up on his lithe, black arms.
"Nothin," Admetus shrugged and smiled, "just feelin a bit tired, how're you?"
"Fine." Coricopat replied, slightly thrown off by his friend's nonchalant reply. "Fine. Thank you."
"Good."
More silence and another intrigued glance- though Coricopat's was more confused. Alonzo put his paw on Admetus' shoulder.
"Cheer up then, kit," he smiled, reassuringly at Coricopat who nodded in agreement. "it might never happen."
Admetus frowned.
"You're right." He said, bluntly. "It probably won't."
"So it's a queen then," Alonzo smiled, slyly. Admetus blushed, his ears twitching.
"Sure. But that's all you're getting out of me."
"A queen in question," said Coricopat, lightly, almost as if he could read Admetus' mind, "who you think you cannot have." The mystical cat smiled at Admetus' startled face and the way he avoided the tom's eyes. He knew he was right.
"Right!" Alonzo began, quickly resuming his happy-go-lucky self in an instant, "who is she?"
"I'm not going to tell you."
Coricopat leaned in closer, in quiet interest.
"What?" said Alonzo in an affronted manner, "why not?"
"Because you'll just take the piss- or tell her- or meddle. No don't try and tell me different, it's what happened with Plato and Victoria."
"And look what happened to Plato and Victoria!" Alonzo put in helpfully, his grey-blue eyes searching around for the beautiful white queen and her beau. "There! Look! Happy as can be- and all because of me."
"I don't think your flirting with her at the ball helped much to be honest," Admetus replied, scornfully, "in fact that just made her blank Jemima for a week straight, so there you are."
"Is it Jemima?"
"No!"
"It is, isn't it."
"No it's not," Admetus shook his head, distastefully, "stop being so obnoxious. You're acting like a… like a kitten."
The brown cat froze and looked over at Coricopat who didn't miss much and indeed hadn't missed the youngest tom's hesitation.
"So it's a kitten." Coricopat mused, aloud, whilst a mischievous twinkle began to gleam in Alonzo's eyes. "Clue one."
He didn't mean to tease Admetus, so- but it was nice to have a laugh once in a while. This Coricopat had only really just realised and so he participated in Alonzo or Admetus' teasing wherever possible, often hitting closer to the truth than most realised.
"How'd you-" Admetus' ears drooped and he adopted that startled expression he often wore when talking to Coricopat, who seemed to somehow know everything about everyone, even if the other persons didn't know it either.
"Oh wow," Alonzo said whilst a slow grin spread across his features. "You like a kitten."
"You hang out with kittens," was Admetus', cool, retort, "did Tumblebrutus and Pouncival ditch you for hide and go seek today?"
"Tumblebrutus and Mistofolees aren't kits anymore," Alonzo replied, brushing off his friend's attempt to insult and therefore distract him. "Now talk."
"The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it," said Coricopat suddenly, "you said you thought it wouldn't happen. It might."
"Lay off those fortune cookies, Corico," Alonzo laughed, playfully though secretly, Admetus felt comforted by the tom's wise words. Coricopat didn't need to know her name. He wished Admetus luck all the same.
Squeals reverberated through Jellicle Yard as a sleek, lithe tom paraded through the centre. His ran his hands through his thick luscious mane and merely smirked as Etcetera, a small cream kitten with dark brown stripes squealed happily and tumbled around him with Jemima and Electra. Now Victoria had a mate, the fan club was minus one member. Seeing as Tumblebrutus and Mistofolees still hung on, starry-eyed to The Rum Tum Tugger's every word and action, they were yet to leave its ranks. However the snowy queen watched him still with her vivid, blue eyes. No, longer a kitten, she hadn't felt like a kitten for a very long time, if she was honest; she watched Tugger with quiet desire instead of the loud and kittenish adoration she had once harboured for him. Perhaps the Tugger fan club hadn't lost any admirers at all.
"Look at 'em," Alonzo grinned, and patted the shoulder of a disheartened Admetus. "Not a hope in heavyside, Addy. Not a hope."
"Thanks."
"Tugger!" Alonzo gestured to the gorgeous tom and swaggered over. The two toms greeted each other like good friends and Alonzo spared a quick wink at Jemima who blushed, delightedly. She was at that stage where innocence began to fade and a queen realised just how good it felt to have a tom pay attention to her- so if Alonzo wanted to pay attention to her then… well let him!
Admetus and Coricopat looked at each other, and shook their heads.
Alonzo.
"He should stop meddling in other peoples relationships… or lack thereof," said Admetus, combing his whiskers, "and start sorting out his own."
Coricopat, who rarely talked much and preferred to simply listen, raised an eyebrow as if to say: go on?
"Cassandra. He'll tell you probably." Admetus shrugged and Coricopat nodded in understanding, "Alonzo can't ever keep his mouth shut, unless it's his own business. But you could squeeze blood out of a stone, I think, so you're bound to wriggle it out of him. By the way… where's Tantomile today?"
"Tanto?" he replied, looking confused. "I don't know… perhaps with Mistofolees, I'm trying to learn to spend more time apart from her. But… I don't know," Coricopat felt his the corner of his lips crease into a frown quite of their own accord. "It feels like the less time we spend together the more the connection… our link… seems to weaken."
Admetus cocked his head and then took Alonzo's deserted seat. The cocky, black and white tom had swanned away with Tugger- perhaps to go mousing or just to bask in the attention they always received- Tugger fan club or no.
"You know- everyone was always a little bit scared to go near you and Tantomile."
"Really?"
"Well, it just felt like, no one was on you and hers' level." Admetus shrugged. "so I'm glad you're opening up to us now. I'm… glad to have you as a friend I guess."
Toms rarely showed much affection to each other so Coricopat made sure to brush off the compliment with an easy, nonchalant smile and a nod.
"Thanks."
Admetus nodded again, awkwardly, and muttered a goodbye- leaving Coricopat to his thoughts.
He sighed- Alonzo had seemed to be the only happy one of the unlikely trio, the three of them had struck up. Yes, he did not deny the fact he felt, strangely unhappy.
"Maybe I'm lonely." He contemplated, feeling that dull ache in the pit of his chest that silently agreed. And now Tantomile was beginning to grasp a hold of her own life…
Maybe he was.
Oh heavyside… Victoria blushed and turned away from the brilliant tom that danced in the middle of the Junkyard, exciting the kittens around him to an almost unbearable level of screaming and noise. Victoria wrinkled her nose. She couldn't believe one of those kittens used to be her. Running after that… arrogant, no-good…gorgeous tom.
It was no good! Despite what Jennyanydots and Demeter said as they tutted and shook their heads at The Rum Tum Tugger's latest escapades, Victoria could see no fault in the cats cool, nonchalant manner. She bit her lip, becoming all too well of the playboy's smouldering, brown-eyed gaze and the possessive arm that tightened around her tiny waist.
"You think he'd have the decency to lay off you for just a little while after the ball." Plato growled, his wary eyes fixed on Tugger. Sure, he had been one of the many toms who wanted to be the guy but now he had Victoria and the Maine Coon couldn't help but notice that little Victoria, wasn't a kitten anymore, either. Sometimes it was too much for Plato.
He loved Victoria. The Rum Tum Tugger didn't seem to respect that.
Then again, besides Old Deuteronomy, who or what did The Rum Tum Tugger, respect?
"Don't make a scene, Plato," Victoria replied, softly, resting her head lightly on his chest and nuzzling him, "I'm with you aren't I?"
"You are." Plato agreed, smugly and kissed the top of her head.
But what Victoria would give to run her hands through that thick, mane and down Tugger's leopard spot chest. To snag her fingers in his silver belt and pull him close to her, like she had seen Bombalurina do many times. She licked her lips and sneaked another glance at him. His attention had turned to Alonzo who was striding towards him. They clapped each other on the back and disappeared, the Rum Tum Tugger fan club in tow.
With Tugger gone, her attention turned back to her mate. It was a sunny day in the Junkyard so most cats just sprawled themselves across different parts of the junkyard and basked in the suns golden rays. Victoria and Plato, however, took shelter under the shade of two over-hanging motorcycles. She gazed at Plato, who stared back at her, curiously.
"Soon I will be expected to be holding your kittens," she thought to him.
"Soon, I will have your kittens… and there will be no escape."
"What are you thinking?" Plato asked her, a little smile lighting his handsome features.
"I wasn't." Victoria smiled back, wistfully, and laid her head upon his chest once more.
'There was nothing out of the ordinary when I step out onto the pavement and look about cautiously. Rage is pumping through my veins- oozing from every pore of my body.
I'm not going back there. I'm never going back to the Junkyard as long as I live.
They just don't understand him the way I do.
Midnight. The moon shone dimly on her body, bathing her black and gold fur in silver light. Demeter shivers and pads down the street, alertly. She flinches and skitters forwards, hearing a dog bark, loudly, in the distance.
She purses her lips and stiffens- face set in determination. A few moments later she shoulders on.
There's nothing out of the ordinary tonight. I told you.
Just I shouldn't nearly be out, nearly this late.
I'm not scared though. I don't get scared easily, me. I'm just… cautious.
She was worried, though. Pollicle's were not the friendliest of creatures when you ran into them in the dead of night. And Macavity had sent her no protection.
She falters. If Macavity loved her, then why did he not come for her? Why did he leave her to make her own, defenceless way to him? A lot less people would pick on the Napoleon of Crime than they would on a young queen like her, barely out of kittenhood.
Then- she catches sight of a tom at the end of the alleyway. The moonlight lights up his dusty, orange fur and a lump form in her throat.
He was worried! She cries inwardly, heart leaping. He has come for me!
A deadly mixture of fear and excitement exploded in her skull and rushed all the way down to her legs as his amber eyes locked on hers and he glides towards her, sleekly.
He oozes charm.
Not the arrogant kind that Rum Tum Tugger does. The quiet, reassuring kind that Demeter has just fallen in love with.
She is rooted to the spot as he walks towards her, confidently, tail swishing erratically behind him. Pearly white fangs flash a grin and she smiled back up at him, meekly.
He's dark and menacing- yet so soft… and tender at the same time.
A quick, passionate kiss leaves her weak- and Macavity begins to lead her off the beaten path and further from Jellicle territory than she had ever been before.
WAKE UP! Demeter! WAKE UP! You know it gets bad! You-'
"Demeter!"
Demeter screamed and sat up, breathing shakily.
It was all a dream. Well- a memory. And she was safe in her den with Munkustrap. Its purple cushions and the ragged pink curtain that served as a barrier between their own private world and the Junkyard confirmed this information to her.
That was close. Munkustrap had woken her up just in time. She turned to him, tears of gratitude filling her eyes. His strong, tabby arms encircled her, gently and she hears him laugh, fondly.
"I woke you up to keep you from crying, my pet," he whispers, "dry your eyes."
She forced a laugh smiled, happily, wiping away her tears.
"Thank you."
"Shall I fetch Bombalurina?" Munkustrap inquired, nervously.
"No." Demeter smiled, sadly. "I have to learn how to deal with it on my own."
She settled on the cushions next to Munkustrap once more and smiled, gratefully. He leaned forward and captured her lips in a soft, sincere kiss.
"He'll never hurt you again." Said the silver tom, stroking her slightly damp cheek.
"I know." Demeter nodded and closed her eyes.
She knew Macavity couldn't possibly hurt her again- when she was still hurting from the first time.
Alonzo and Munkustrap had been lucky the last time. But what if Macavity struck again?
Demeter would never rest, with the knowledge in her mind that Macavity was always there- and yet always never to be seen, just as the song she had sung the last Jellicle ball had proclaimed.
Only time could tell if her wounds would heal. And she could love Munkustrap, the way he deserved to be loved.
Pairings so far:
DemeterMunkustrap
AdmetusMysteryQueen
AlonzoCassandra
PlatoVictoria
They'll change- and there will be more, in other chapters. Does anyone have a paticular pairing they'd like to see? Reviews are greatly appreciated :)
Thank you for reading- CheddarPixie