Switched

CHAPTER 1: Tears

"I don't care what you have to say for yourself, I don't want to hear it!"

"But you just told me to –"

"Tugger, just go away. Get out of my life."

"Bombie, I thought –"

"I don't care want you want to say and I don't care what you thought. Just go. Now." Bombalurina tapped her foot impatiently.

"But –"

"The door's open."

The Rum Tum Tugger sullenly looked at the door and then back at his mate, his arms crossed. "What if –" He stopped short at Bombalurina's glare. Wow, I've never seen her this mad before, he thought. Sighing, he made for the door. "You'll regret this," he said as he crossed the threshold.

"I regretted the relationship the moment it began," the red queen spat back at him, changing the meaning of his words.

And then he was gone.

It was only two minutes later when the full impact of the situation hit Bombalurina and she realized what she had done. She sat on her bed and the tears flowed forth. "Oh, I'm such a stupid queen!" she wailed to herself.

"What makes you think that?"

Bombalurina's head shot up. "Oh, Deme, I've done something terrible!" she sniffed.

Bombalurina's back-and-gold sister, Demeter, sat down beside her and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "What happened?"

"I – I – I broke up with him!" Bombalurina's shoulders started shaking as she burst into a fresh lot of tears.

Demeter looked at her older sister, shocked. "You did what?"

"I did! I did! Oh, I'm so utterly stupid!"

"Calm down," Demeter instructed.

Bombalurina did as she was told, taking deep breaths to try and settle her emotions.

"Now, tell me why you broke up with him."

"I'm sick of it," was the simple reply.

Demeter understood immediately. "It's what comes natural to him."

"But I'm sick of it," the red queen insisted.

"And it's also what comes naturally to you."

"At least I tried to suppress it after we mated," Bombalurina pointed out. "He could have at least made an effort."

"True, but toms are different. They don't think about changing their habits, even when they're mated. And more often than not, they can't change them if they do think about it."

Bombalurina crossed her arms and pouted. "He could have tried," she repeated.

Demeter sighed. "I know," she whispered, stroking her sister's soft, red fur. "I know." Blast that stupid tom! she thought angrily. I knew this would be a bad mateship. I always knew it would just end in tears.

"Damn flirting!" Bombalurina suddenly burst out. "Damn flirting, and damn him!"

"So what are you going to do now?"

"I don't know…"

"Do you want him back?"

"Of course I want him back!" snapped the red queen. "Why else do you think I'd be making a fool of myself like this?"

"Then go and apologize and tell him so!"

Bombalurina shook her head decisively. "Then he'd think he can get away with it. I won't let him get away with it if he comes back to me. I couldn't bear it."

"Then don't take him back."

"But I love him!" cried Bombalurina.

"Then you know what you've got to do?" Demeter grinned impishly.

"What's that?" Bombalurina's voice was flat, speaking the question as she would a statement.

"Find another tom. Or two. Or more. Shake them hips like you used to do! Flirt. Flaunt. Make him jealous. Make him sorry for the way he treated you."

"I couldn't…"

"Oh, come on, Bombie. Once upon a time, you would have suggested it yourself and acted on the suggestion. The one time I actually come up with something like this, you balk. What else would you do?"

Bombalurina shook her head. "I don't know…fine." She looked nervous.

"You remember how to flirt, right?"

"Of course I do!"

"You can still shake them hips?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure? I haven't seen you do that in ages."

"I'm sure. I do – did it all the time just for him."

"Then what are you waiting for? Get out there and do some flirting!"