It was an average day in the Junkyard. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and Jellylorum was bored stiff.

Her friend Jennyanydots had gone to meet Skimbleshanks from the train station-he had been away for a month, and Jenny was worried sick about him. Her brother was away somewhere with her two nephews, Pouncival and Tumblebrutus. There was pretty much nobody left in the Junkyard, and Jelly had nothing to do.

She was staring at the sky, and thinking about her father. She was worried about him. He wasn't exactly the youngest cat ever, and the death of her mother last month had unsettled him somewhat. She had to look after him most of the time now. She feared he would not last until the next Ball, although she knew Gus was a strong old cat. He would survive. He had to.

Jelly sighed, and sat up. Things had changed so much over the last month. Just to think, not so long ago, she had a happy, sane father, and an alive mother. She was happy. She had been dating this tom, Ares, who she had loved so much. They were going to be mated in the summer.

Then Macavity murdered her mother. The her life had turned upside down. Her father had been pushed over the edge, her brother had grown more and more distant and she had got more emotional, being snappy and angry when talking to anyone, so much so that Ares had dumped her, saying he couldn't handle her.

That had just made it worse.

Jenny had been the one to bring her around, she remembered, wiping a single tear from her cheek. She had coaxed Jelly into thinking it was going to be okay, telling her she could pull through. And she did, eventually. Now she was trying to do the same thing for her father, but she was having doubts he would ever be the same again. He seemed to spend more and more of his time in the past now. He was always reminiscing about his old job in the theatre, when he first met Hecate, her mother, anything but the truth. Anything but the reality.

Jelly wished she could do that from time to time. She wished she could be like her father, just forgetting what had happened. Forgetting the night she saw the corpse of her own mother, bloody and beaten, lying beside Macavity. Forgetting the wild gleam in his eye as he turned to face them. Forgetting the cold grin he gave her. Forgetting the blood staining his paws redder than his fur...

A sudden noise distracted Jelly from her train of thought. What was that? It sounded like someone bashing down the fence that kept the Junkyard apart from the rest of London. But no cat would try something like that. No cat but one...

With a sickening feeling rising in the pit of her stomach, she ran to investigate.

Macavity was stalking the perimeter of the place he had once called home. He was trying to find a way in, so that he could work his despicable but ingenious plan. He had had some success-there was a small wooden fence over one part that looked flimsy and easily breakable. To test his theory, he sent a quick bolt of magic at the fence. It collapsed. Macavity smiled cruelly. Now those stupid Jellicles were defenceless. Excellent.

He was so caught up in his smugness that he didn't notice Jellylorum coming towards him until they were practically touching.

"Macavity."
There was a cold steel to her voice that he had never heard before.
"What are you doing here? You know you were exiled." The last word was almost an accusation. So what, he killed her mother. Get over it. His mother had been dead for years, and he wasn't still crying over it.
"None of your business. And see, tecnically not in Jellicle land." Macavity smirked. "So, Jellylorum, how's mummy? Still crying over the dead Pol, are we?"

Jelly whipped out her paw and struck him across the face. Surprised, he stumbled back. She had caught him off guard.

The yellow queen hissed, and scratched him again. And again. And again. But on the fourth time Macavity caught her paw, and threw her off. He was bleeding down his face. Jellylorum was stronger than he thought.

"And stay out." the queen spat at him, before walking off triumphantly.

Macavity recovered what was left of his dignity, before running off to lick his wounds.

What have I done? thought Jelly. Why had she attacked him? It wasn't as if he had attacked her. Just seeing him made her angry. Why had she lashed out like that?

Did that make her as bad as him?

Oh, catnip.

What had she done?

Author's note-Linked to Demeter's Struggle, although you can read this separately. I will reference this in chapter 5 of Demeter's Struggle, though. Reviews much appreciated!

Disclaimer-I don't own Cats.