It's The Thought That Counts

By: Jessica R Vance

Summary: Mungojerrie attempts to write a beautiful love letter to Rumpleteazer. He's no Shakespeare, but it's a whole-hearted attempt!

Rating: Oh, G. Mungo does nothing bad!

Disclaimer: Don't even start with me.

*It's The Thought That Counts*

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"Dear Rumpleteazer," Mungojerrie wrote. It was the eve of his one-year anniversary with his mate, and he wanted to do something extra special for the queen he loved so much.

He wanted to write the perfect love letter.

He stared at the page. So far the heading was all he had. There was so much that he wanted to tell her, so many things that he wanted to tell her that he loved about her. But he didn't want to simply make a list. He wanted it to be beautiful, like his Teazer. Something worthy of her.

"Yo' eyes..." he muttered to himself as he wrote, "ah loike..." he paused. What were her eyes like? "Loike two... great shoiny... 'ubcaps!" He smiled. Then he studied what he wrote. "No, no, no..." he shook his head and erased the line.

Sighing, he started over. "Oi could... look into yo' eyes... fo'ever..." No, too sappy. He erased again. Deciding to abandon the eye issue for the time being, he tried a different approach.

"When Oi first... met... you... Oi knew... 'at... Oi 'ad... found... my..." His what? Soulmate? Too cheesy. His other half? Too clichéd. "Found... the... mincemeat to complete my pie!"

...

Mincemeat to complete his pie? The tabby tom sighed once more and erased the ridiculous comparison. He slumped over and wracked his brain. Suddenly his head jerked up and he started again.

"Without you... loife... is loike... is loike..." Like what? "Loike... choc'late chip cookies wi'out choc'late!"

... What!?

Mungojerrie began to wonder why this letter sounded like a recipe more than a declaration of love. Perhaps he was hungry. He erased once more. The paper ripped. Another sigh. A new piece of paper. And he rewrote, "Dear Rumpleteazer," the only thing that had gone right in his letter so far.

Where could he begin? He stared out at the drizzling rain. Maybe he'd have better luck with a poem? He could try, anyway.

"Roses ah red... violets ah blue... 'ere's a lil somefin... from me ta you!" He laughed at himself. The mere thought of giving his adored Teazer something like that was laughable. He erased again, wondering how long his poor pencil would last.

He fluttered his lips. "Teaza, Teaza, Teaza..." he mumbled, "Oi luv ya, but yo' an 'eap o' trouble t' wroite a luv letta to!" Setting down his pencil, he began to pace.

"All roight, Jerrie," he said to himself, "Think o' things 'at you love about Teaza 'at DON'T remoind you of food!" He paused. "Or cah pahts." Beginning to pace again, he thought about romantic things. Stars. The sky. Roses. Pearls and diamonds. Italian food. He thumped himself.

He sat down. "Dear Rumpleteaza... If Oi could... Oi'd give ya... tha perdiest roses... tha most sparkliest diamonds... awl tha pearls ya wanted... an' every single stah in tha sky, if ya wanted it." He stared at what he had just written. It was beautiful. It was poetic. It was what he had been trying to do for an hour.

And it just wasn't him.

The words staring up at him didn't scream "I LOVE YOU RUMPLETEAZER!" like he had wanted them to. It looked like something that Mistoffelees or one of the more refined cats would write. It didn't say "Mungojerrie wrote this." He erased it all.

"Dear Rumpleteazer,

I tried to write something really romantic and pretty for you, but once I managed to, I didn't think it looked like something I wrote. So I decided to just stick to the things I know for sure and not try to add a bunch of fancy frills.

I love you, Rumpleteazer. I love you with every bit of me, from my whiskers to my tail. And everything in between.

Love,

Mungojerrie."

~Fin~

Sappy, silly, just what I wanted. :D Short. Wrote it in 45 minutes. Audience: It took you that long!?!?!? ... -.- Shush yourselves.