Alright, here's my Sunday entry for BroadwayKhaos' "Random Jellicle Week!" contest!

Theme: Breakup

Today was supposed to have been perfect.

Mungojerrie had decided that the best place to do it was in the park underneath an oak tree Rumpleteazer had always said she'd loved.

He was nervous.

He became fidgety. She was late.

Finally, she arrived. Mungojerrie let out a sigh of relief. "I's so glad you came," he said, pulling her into a hug. "Listen, I was wonderin' if-"

"I need to say somethin' first," she said, her voice sounding somewhat distant.

"The floor is your's, Teaze," he said, motioning dramatically.

She took a deep breath. "I ain't gonna see you again. I don't want to."

Mungojerrie's eye's widened as he stared at his partner in shock. "What are ya sayin', Teaze?"

Rumpleteazer looked away. "I's sayin' we shouldn't see each other no mores," she said emotionlessly. "We shouldn't be workin' together neither."

He was shocked to say the least. "Why?" he was finally able to ask. "What is this all about?" Rumpleteazer didn't reply. "Teaze, please," Mungojerrie said, putting his hands on her shoulders, "this don't make any sense. You're my best mate. You're more than that- I love you; you know that."

Rumpleteazer pushed him away. "You wouldn't understand," she said, her stern façade cracking slightly.

"This is just so… random. At least tell me whys."

"It ain't random- I's been thinkin' about this for a while now." Her tone was angry now.

Too angry. This is out of character for her, Mungojerrie thought. "Teaze, what's-"

"Just leave me alone!" Rumpleazer exclaimed. "Can't you see I don't want to see you?"

"Did someone put you up to this? Is it about your aunt? You can't let 'er control your life."

"No, Jerrie, it ain't that-"

"Is it the jobs? Is it Macavity? I'd leave 'im if that's what-"

"Just stop it Jerrie! You ain't gonna change-"

He was desperate at this point. "Teaze, please-" He grabbed her and turned her around, but was stunned to see that tears were streaming down her face. He had never seen her cry before; the sight was heartbreaking. "The reason I wanted you to come today was… I wanted to ask you-" He went down in one knee and took her paw in his. "…if you would be my mate. So as the 'umans say, would you marry me, Teazer?"

She took a step back. "I don't love you, Mungojerrie," she whispered. Rumpleteazer walked away, leaving him alone in the shade of the oak tree

Later that afternoon, Mungojerrie lay sprawled on an old bed frame, staring dejectedly at the sky. He couldn't even fathom how this could have happened. What could I have possibly done to make her act like that? Something just didn't make sense. Even if I did do something wrong, he thought, wouldn't she have just tried to work it out? This is so unlike her…

"Mungo, I can honestly say that in all my years of knowing you, I've never seen you… well, I've never seen you act like this," drawled a smooth voice.

Mungojerrie turned and saw Tugger leaning over him, his expression suggesting that he was more than a little confused. "'ey Tug," he said quietly.

"Perhaps you didn't catch the hint. Allow me to rephrase- Mungo, what in Bast's name is wrong with you?"

"I think Rumpleteazer broke up with me," he mumbled.

"…You two were going out?"

"That why I's so confused! We weren't actually anythin' official. I mean, we both 'ad feelin's for each other, we both knew it. And I guess we'd kissed a few times… But never 'ad we actually gone on a date or nothin' or spent the night togetha'. We just sorta did our thing, ya know?"

"Don't really know what to tell you man… Queens are weird."

"I coulda told ya that."

"I say just go with it. There're other fish in the sea, so to say."

"But she means everythin' to me. She's like my other 'alf. I loved 'er Tugger, I was going to ask 'er to be my mate. Actually, I did… and I think she said no…"

"You seem unsure of a lot of things."

"I don't even know what to do now."

"See, now that should be obvious. Stop thinking about her- go hang out with some toms or something."

Mungojerrie sighed. "I guess that would be alright…"

"How about this: tonight, Misto, Plato, Munkustrap, and myself are going out for a bite. You wanna come?"

"So long as you and Sparkles don't schmooze on each other the whole evenin', I's in."

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Tugger's grin faded. "Alright, if you insist.

Rumpleteazer's eyes were swollen from crying, but her sobs were finally beginning to quiet. Why does doing the right thing have to be so hard? She hated this. But she had done what she'd had to.

As she lay in her den, her fingers brushed idly against the string of pearls around her neck. Fresh tears began to fall as she thought of them- their meaning, their memory. Mungojerrie had given them to her months ago as a gift- not for any particular occasion, he'd just said they reminded him of her- and she hadn't taken them off since. Nor could she hardly bear to part with them now.

She'd have to though, to make this convincing. With much effort, Rumpleteazer undid the little latch holding the pearls together, noting absently how strange her neck felt without them. She opened up a small music box him and her and stolen only a few weeks before and gently placed the necklace inside. She looked away as she slammed the lid shut.

It was painful. Truly, deeply painful. But it was either that, or his death.

At least now he'll be safe…