A/N: I'm taking a break from my story "Unlikely Love" because I got this marvellous new idea for one about Jenny and Skimble. I noticed there was a serious lack of stories for this pairing, so I wanted to pitch a new one. Just so no one has any previous judgements about certain characters, Macavity hasn't gone completely evil yet and he's preparing for the role of Jellicle Protector, and Grizabella hasn't been exiled yet. There are also quite a few OC's, as this story takes place in Jenny's younger years, before any of the kittens are born. Enjoy, and don't forget to review!
Jennyanydots wiped her damp brow as she walked briskly out of her den and into the early autumn sunshine. She had just completed a particularly difficult evaluation of her nursing skills, which happened to be treating a nasty gash for her younger friend Munkustrap. Jenny was preparing herself to take over her mother's position as Gumbie Cat, as her mother was getting on in years and would be retiring soon. Jenny really wanted to be a Gumbie Cat because on top of helping others by nursing them back to health, she wouldn't have to do much else. That meant she could laze around all day, which sounded like the best job in the world.
The young queen had successfully treated a serious injury for the first time without her mother's help. Her mother actually refused to help her just so she could see how much her daughter's studying and expertise could help her when dealing with the real thing. Jenny glanced over her shoulder to see Munkustrap's silver tabby form trailing behind her. His left foreleg was bandaged perfectly from his elbow to his wrist. Needless to say, she had passed her mother's test with flying colours. The younger tabby darted off in the direction of his den without much more than a quick nod of thanks to Jenny. Jenny sighed slightly as she licked her yellow and orange tabby fur. Munk's constant flinching and swatting had ruffled it, but her rough tongue smoothed it down sufficiently. The young silver tabby had blatantly refused to tell anyone how he got the gash, and Jenny suspected he was too embarrassed to reveal the truth. She wouldn't pry; the reason wasn't that important.
Jennyanydots hopped up onto a giant tire on one side of the main clearing she had just entered. Her best friend Jellylorum, a brown and white tabby queen, was already there waiting for her. She smiled at her yellow and orange friend as she plopped herself down with an exaggerated huff.
"I assume Munk wasn't very cooperative? Was your mother impressed?" Jellylorum queried with a giggle.
Jenny gave her friend a tired smile. "Yeah, Munk was a pain…I think it was just because he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. You should have seen his face when I was wrapping the gauze around his foreleg…He looked mortified! He didn't talk much, and he was silent when my mom asked what happened. But he's fine now and Mom said I did a good job." She explained her trial to her friend.
Jelly nodded and gave Jenny an encouraging nuzzle. "You're even better at nursing than I am! My mom still helps me with all the injuries, while you're able to treat them all by yourself!" She complimented sincerely.
"It's not like I have a choice…" The yellow and orange tabby queen frowned, "I am going to be the next Gumbie Cat. I have to be good at this stuff, or else I'll never be able to follow in Mother's footsteps. It's not that I don't like it, I do, but nursing is so demanding! It's all study, study, study, and then test, test, test. I hardly get a break from it all. You should consider yourself lucky, Jelly. You don't have to be the head nurse of the Jellicle Junkyard."
Jellylorum nudged her friend playfully, but this didn't cheer her up like it usually did. "Stop stressing over this so much! You don't have to be a Gumbie Cat for the next few years! If you're really worried about your skills, then talk to your mom. I'm sure she'll let up on the studying once she sees the toll it's taking on you." The teenaged queen advised.
Jenny nodded in agreement, but she didn't appear entirely convinced. Her best friend was wise beyond her years, and it would be foolish not to follow her expert advice. Jenny sighed once more, this time exasperatedly. She turned to face Jelly and complained, "Have you met my mother? She's strict as an army general, and she won't let up until she thinks I deserve a break, not me. It's not my choice as to whether or not I get a rest."
The brown and white tabby queen rolled her eyes, but in a good-natured manner. Her face suddenly lit up as she thought of a potential idea that would rid her friend of her current stresses. "I know the perfect thing that you need! A tomfriend!" She practically squealed with excitement.
Her friend stared at her like she had just sprouted another head. "A what? Jelly, I know your advice is usually reasonable, but this is just absurd. I don't have time for romance. Period." She remarked without a hint of enthusiasm.
Jelly's cheerful face fell, but she refused to give up. "C'mon, Jenny! Take me as an example: I'm in exactly the same boat as you, burdened with the weight of studying for nursing. The only difference between you and I is that I have Gus, my tomfriend. Look how happy and carefree I am! When I'm with him, I have nothing to worry about, and I can just let go and have fun! You, on the other paw, have no outlet. You're constantly stressed out, you've got huge shoes to fill, and I don't even remember the last time you left the junkyard to go out with me, Gus, Demeter, and Macavity. That is why you need a tomfriend." She stated matter-of-factly, thinking she had finally gotten through to her friend.
The yellow and orange queen shook her head and brushed the notion off. Honestly, it wasn't appealing to her in the least. Not only did she not have time for a relationship, there weren't many toms in the junkyard to choose from. There were Old Deuteronomy's three sons, Macavity, Munkustrap, and Rum Tum Tugger. Both Mac and Munkustrap liked Demeter, though the former was actually her tomfriend. Munk merely had a huge crush on the gold and black queen and was extremely jealous of his older brother. This resulted in quite a few brawls between the two. Tugger had a scarlet queenfriend the same age as him named Bombalurina, and they almost never left each other's side. That left Asparagus, more informally known as just Gus, and he was Jelly's tomfriend. There were no other eligible toms in the junkyard, except for a tom named Coricopat who was a bit younger than Tugger, but he was just…creepy, to put it nicely. He was also too young for Jenny, as she was nineteen and he was sixteen-and-a-half.
Jelly still seemed a tad downcast at the rejection of her idea, so Jenny tried to get her to see how it sounded in her mind. She took the brown and white tabby's paw in hers and said gently, "I know you mean well, Jelly, but the other reason I can't have a tomfriend is because there's no one to choose from. All the toms here either have a crush or a queenfriend already. I'm the odd one out, and I really don't mind. I'll just keep on pushing through until my studying is finished, and then we'll see about love, alright?"
Jellylorum pouted, but she nodded in understanding. Her eyes suddenly brightened and Jenny knew another idea had popped into her head. "Maybe there isn't anyone here, but there might be somewhere nearby, don't you think? Why don't we go down to the train station and see if anyone catches your fancy there? That place is always crawling with toms our age and we both know they're honest and hard-working if they can hold down a job as demanding as that! C'mon, let's go!" She chirped happily as she stood up and tugged her friend along behind her.
Jenny groaned, but she didn't resist as she and Jelly jogged to Jenny's den. "She just won't drop it until I've found someone, will she…?" The yellow and orange tabby thought hopelessly as she was towed into her own den. Her mother and father glanced up in surprise at the pair of fresh-faced queens.
"You look awfully excited about something, Jellylorum. May we ask what it is?" Jenny's father, an older calico tom, questioned.
"I'm going to find your daughter a tomfriend, Sir! We're going to the train station for the afternoon, is that okay?" Jelly replied politely, but with barely contained enthusiasm.
Jenny's father smiled at the young queen, and then chuckled bemusedly as he took in his daughter's tepid expression. "It's about time you got yourself a tomfriend, Jenny. You came of age last year, and we haven't heard a thing in terms of whether you found one or not. We can't take care of you forever. You've got to find a mate sooner or later and move into your own den." His voice became stern, and it was almost like he was chastising Jenny for not finding love.
"Your father has a point, dear. I think the train station is a wonderful place to find a tomfriend. I know some of the parents of those young toms and they say they're very dependable and diligent in their work. That's the kind of tom we would approve of; one who can provide for you as well as himself, and protect you. Go on; tell us how it went when you return. Be home before dark, okay?" Jenny's mother, a yellow tabby, agreed whole-heartedly.
Jenny couldn't say no to her parents, no matter how much she hated the prospect of checking out the local dating scene. It was all just a waste of her valuable time. Nevertheless, she turned to leave with Jelly.
Jenny's father called out, "Wait a minute, girls" before the queens could step out into the sunshine. He gathered up a few envelopes and handed them to Jenny. "Please, deliver these to the post office beside the train station. Take Macavity with you as well, if you don't mind. I don't know what kinds of vandals are lurking beyond our fence." He advised.
His daughter groaned impudently. "Seriously, Dad? I'm a grown queen! I don't need an escort!" She quipped as she took the letters from her father. The no-nonsense stare he gave her told her all she needed to know. He wouldn't let her go without the ginger tom.
Jenny hung her head in submission as she muttered, "Fine, we'll go with Macavity…See you later." With that she let Jelly practically drag her out of the den. They went to Jelly's den next to tell her parents, and they were all for the trip. The pair found Macavity and Tugger brawling in the center clearing, and it was obvious the former was winning. It didn't take long for the ginger tom to pin his youngest brother, even though said brother was almost as tall and strong as he was. Soon, he would be the tallest out of all three of them.
Once Tugger was subdued and the play-fight was over, both young toms shook paws and congratulated each other on fighting well. Jenny cleared her throat to get the toms' attention. "Mac, we need you to escort us to the train station. My dad won't let Jelly and I go alone." She stated in her most business-like voice.
The ginger tom tapped his chin for a moment, thinking. "Okay, I need to go into town anyway. Why, may I ask, are you going to the train station?" He queried with sincere interest.
Jenny pinched the bridge of her nose with one paw while clapping the other over Jelly's mouth before she could make her seem like a desperate queen again. "Jelly had the genius idea of going to the train station to find me a stick-in-the-mud, workaholic tomfriend. Damn it, why does it have to be the boring toms at the station? Why can't we do a bit of clubbing and find someone exciting for me?" She complained in her most sarcastic voice.
Jelly pried her friend's paw off her mouth and explained for her, "Because you're not going to find toms at a bar when the sun is up, and we're looking for a serious relationship for you, not a casual fling! Stop being such a bummer and get going already!" Jelly began walking with her friend and said over her shoulder to the ginger tom following them, "Oh yes Macavity, we need to stop by the post office as well. Jenny's mom wants us to mail some letters."
Macavity nodded and the trio hopped over the junkyard fence. They headed east towards the Riverside London Station. This station was located right by the Thames River, as it was important to be able to ship cargo from the ports as efficiently as possible. While they were strolling along Jenny asked, "Say, why do you need to go into town, Mac? I never knew you did business in the city."
The ginger tom glanced over his shoulder, since he had taken the lead, and replied, "I have some friends I need to meet up with. The place isn't far from the train station, and it won't take long. Then I'll take you to the station and give you two some freedom so I won't interfere with your tom-scoping."
Jenny and Jelly exchanged shrugs. This sounded like a perfectly acceptable plan to them. When the Riverside London Station train yard was in sight, Macavity took a left down a dingy alley. The pair of queens following him glanced around at their surroundings with unease. It felt like they were being watched. Soon enough, that feeling was confirmed as Jenny saw shapes emerge from the shadows and heard raspy cackles that caused her fur to stand on end. These shapes turned out to be squalid, wretched-looking toms. The stench that wafted off of them suggested that hygiene wasn't a priority for them. Jenny and Jelly almost gagged at the revolting smell, and unanimously decided it was best to breathe through their mouths.
Macavity however, seemed right at home with these disgusting degenerates of feline society. He heartily shook paws with each one of the four shady toms that had materialized from the shadows. One or two eyed Jenny and Jelly with something akin to desire in their hollow, darting eyes. Even in the middle of the day, this alley was dark as night because the towering buildings on either side blocked out the sun sufficiently. Jenny could barely make out the coat patterns on the mangy toms even with her acute night vision. They were just too filthy to be anything more than forgotten, poverty-stricken cats.
"Where's the dough, Mac? We had a deal. No money, no merchandise." One of the sordid toms hissed impatiently. His crooked tail lashed from side to side, and the other toms frowned at their clean, ginger accomplice.
Macavity chuckled and snapped his fingers. A thick wad of bills appeared in his paw, and the dull eyes of the toms lit up with greed and excitement. This money appeared to be a ray of hope in an otherwise black abyss to them. "You didn't think I'd forgotten, did you? Now, hold up your end of the deal." He demanded as he held the cash just out of the toms' reach.
The dirty tom who had spoken craned his neck to glare at his comrades on his right. The two toms dashed off for a minute, and then came back with a small parcel wrapped in brown paper tied with twine. Macavity handed the tom with the parcel the money, and swiped the package before he could blink twice.
The ginger tom sniffed the parcel and grinned in approval. "Mmm…It's fresh. You four did a good job in acquiring this stuff. Thank you. Well, we'll be off now." He proceeded to back out of the alley and Jenny and Jelly followed his lead.
"Anything for our best customer." The first tom replied. He looked past Macavity and appeared to take notice of the two queens behind him for the first time. He extended a paw and requested, "Hold on there, Mac. I don't believe you've introduced me to your two fine ladies here."
Macavity set his jaw and growled, "They're not for sale, if that's what you're thinking. They're with me." He threw a steely glance over his shoulder at the pair of queens behind him and warned urgently in a low voice, "Be quiet and stay behind me. Whatever you do, don't turn your back or run until I say so."
Jenny furrowed her brow at the ginger tom's words, but kept her eyes on the sinister cats that were now approaching them. "Not for sale? What does he mean by that?" She pondered as she kept backing up.
The filthy tom smirked and retorted with another bone-chilling cackle, "C'mon, you know the only action we get is with dumb whores. It's a miracle a couple of virgins come by, and you won't share! That's selfish, Mac. We'll just deflower the lil' bitches and be on our way! No harm, no foul!"
Jenny's eyes widened as a bolt of pure fear shot through her. She should have thought something like this would happen the moment she caught the lustful glint in the mangy toms' eyes. She hissed viciously and remarked much to the displeasure of Macavity, "You'd better be careful who you're talking to! Macavity's the Jellicle Protector and he won't let you lay a finger on us!"
The group of toms was now within arm's reach of Macavity. The one who had spoken halted, and so did the other three behind him. His face contorted into a sneer as he shot back, "Is that so? We'll just have to test that theory, then." He chuckled darkly and threw a lightning-fast sucker punch to Mac's face.
Macavity was quicker and ducked. The tom missed and stumbled forward. Macavity followed with an upper-cut that sent the filthy tom reeling backwards, but he was caught by his friends before he could hit the ground. The two continued to fight, but the remaining three toms didn't enter the fray. Instead they surrounded Jenny and Jelly and tried to pounce. One caught Jenny by holding her in a headlock. She managed to escape by elbowing her attacker in the face, but only momentarily. Soon the second tom captured her by taking hold of her arms and twisting them behind her back. She whimpered and stopped struggling for fear of experiencing more pain. Jelly had also suffered the same fate. Now they were both caught, and it looked like Macavity was defeated as well. Jenny thought the ginger tom was a better fighter than that. It wasn't like him to be beaten so easily…Macavity lay sprawled on the damp, dirty pavement of the alley, writhing in pain while the winner stood up and dusted himself off.
"Well, that was just too easy. To the victor go the spoils, eh boys? I'll take the yellow one, since I'm the boss of this group." The leading tom smirked triumphantly as he stood in front of Jenny and eyed her up and down.
The tom that held Jenny hissed and spat, "Like hell you do! I got her first, I should have dibs!"
"Do you want your ass kicked for disobeying your leader?" The first tom snarled at his comrade.
The lower-ranking tom puffed his chest out and responded indignantly, "I captured her first, so it should be first come, first serve. Wait your turn!"
The leader bared his teeth and wrenched Jenny out of her attacker's hold. He gave her a rough shove and she was held captive once more by the only other remaining tom. The leader pounced on his comrade and proceeded to kick and claw him. Yowls and snarls resounded throughout the alley for a few minutes until the lower-ranking tom was beat into submission. When all was quiet again, the loser was covered in fresh bruises and gashes that oozed blood. He lay still as his superior rose up onto his feet and licked a scratch on his left foreleg.
Before he could get to Jenny again, something in the distance caught his eye. He pricked his ears in that direction and Jenny followed his eyes with hers. Two figures were running towards them. They were coming from the train station.
Jenny saw her opportunity and screamed at the top of her lungs, "Help! Over here!" The two figures, which were now close enough to be discerned as cats, clearly quickened their pace.
The leader struck Jenny hard across her face and the result was a high-pitched yelp. "Bitch! Look what you've done!" He snapped viciously as tears pricked Jenny's eyes. He turned to the other two toms and commanded, "Let's beat it; we don't want the station fuzz on our tails. Knock these two out and run for it." With that he dashed off into the darkness of the alley.
The remaining pair of toms shrugged and delivered forceful blows to the sides of the queens' heads and released them. They ran off in the direction their leader had gone without giving their motionless comrade as much as a glance. Jenny heard voices coming from the mouth of the alley, and tried to stay conscious as the throbbing in her head threatened to shut down her mind. She lolled her head to the left to see if Macavity was alright, but he had disappeared. Jenny turned her head to the right and let out a soft whimper as the area where the tom had hit her made contact with the pavement. Jelly was obviously unconscious, and she had a tom in a black waistcoat, the traditional uniform of the railway cats, kneeling beside her. Not a moment sooner another tom's concerned face appeared above hers. Jenny breathed her relief and closed her eyes to let the welcoming darkness completely envelope her mind.
When Jenny slowly regained consciousness again, the memories of the fight were vague at best. She could only register through the dissipating haze in her mind that something warm and weighty was covering her, and that something cushy, but a bit bumpy, was underneath her head. Her makeshift pillow smelled like leather and held the unmistakable scent of a tom. Whatever she way lying on was hard and flat.
Jenny blinked her eyes open to discover she wasn't in the alley anymore, but in a cramped, square room. Jelly was still out like a light on the wooden bench that extended from the wall behind her. Jenny attempted to lift her head to get a better view of her surroundings, but moaned in pain as a terrible pounding erupted in her head again. During her brief glance about her however, she noticed a door to her right and a window sill above her. The view outside the window was obscured by blinds, but the slanted blinds let rays of dull light stream through them. Jenny pricked her ears as she heard the doorknob turn. A middle-aged, grey and white-patched tom donning a waistcoat stepped inside with a relieved expression.
"Ah, it's good to see you're awake. We were beginning to worry." The patched tom greeted in a thick Irish accent.
Jenny cocked an eyebrow. "Who's 'we'? Where am I?" She queried as she massaged the side of her head. The throbbing decreased just a tiny bit.
The grey and white tom took on a sheepish expression for a moment, but it faded as he chuckled and extended a paw. "How silly of me to forget to introduce myself! I'm Coilin, Head Night Watchman here at the Riverside London Station. That's where you are, you and your friend here. Sorry we couldn't find anything more suitable than an empty ticket booth, but it's really the most private place we have right now. Once we brought the pair of you in last night, all the toms working here have been a tad worried. You've been unconscious for about twelve hours now. How are you feeling?" He smiled warmly as Jenny shook his paw.
A blue sleeve slipped off the edge of the bench she was lying on. It was then that Jenny discovered a blue overcoat typical of those worn by human railway employees was draped over her. "I'm Jennyanydots, but please call me Jenny. My friend is named Jellylorum. Were you one of the cats that rescued us last night?" She queried as Coilin helped her to sit up. Her headache receded as more time passed, and she was glad it was going away.
The Irish tom nodded. "Yes, Skimble and I noticed a skirmish going on where you were, so we went to check it out. That nasty gang that was attacking you fled before we could catch them and you two fainted before we could ask any questions. What did happen? Do you remember?" He explained in a gentle tone. If Jenny was still sensitive from the blow to her head, he didn't want to cause her any more discomfort by talking too loud.
Jenny's brow creased as she attempted to recall what had happened. "My friends Jelly and Macavity and I were making our way to the post office to deliver some letters and then hang out around here, but first Macavity said he needed to see some friends…I forget why, but his friends suddenly turned on us and a fight broke out. Then everything's blank after that." She didn't dare mention the real reason why she wanted to "hang out" around the train station. The yellow and orange tabby queen's face took on a worried expression as she asked urgently, "You didn't see a ginger tom anywhere nearby, did you? His name's Macavity and he got beat up pretty badly by those toms. Oh, whatever could have happened to the poor tom…? I hope he's alright…"
Coilin's lips formed a tight line as he responded, "We didn't pick up or see anyone else other than you girls. So sorry…I'm sure he's fine, though."
Jenny sighed, but accepted the answer. She glanced past Coilin to see an orange tabby tom her age step into the already crowded room. Unlike his friend, he didn't have a waistcoat on. He smiled and bowed his head politely to Jenny. "Hello there, lassie. My name is Skimbleshanks, but I go by Skimble around here. You gave Coilin and I quite a fright, you know. Are you feeling okay?" He introduced himself in a Scottish accent.
The yellow and orange queen smiled and nodded. She held out her paw and greeted, "I'm Jennyanydots. Call me Jenny, though. My friend is named Jellylorum, but she prefers Jelly."
Instead of shaking her paw as was customary, Skimble knelt down to Jenny's level, took her paw in his, and kissed the back of it. "It's an honour to meet you, Miss Jenny." He murmured humbly as he stood up again. Jenny couldn't help but let out a giggle at his old-fashioned greeting.
Coilin rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner and warned Jenny sarcastically, "Please excuse him, he's a ladies' tom. Don't let his stupid charm fool you."
Skimble made a noise of disapproval, and Coilin smirked slightly.
Jenny waved the exchange off as she attempted to stand. She wobbled a little and had to use Coilin to steady herself, but her balance came back to her after a few seconds. "I'll keep that in mind. Where can I get a drink of water?" She asked as she took a couple steps forward. Her throat was parched and it was beginning to become difficult to talk.
Skimbleshanks held the door open for Jenny as she hesitantly walked out into the daylight. It was hard to tell what time it was because the sun was obscured by water-laden clouds. "There's a water fountain right over there, lassie." The orange tabby tom said as he pointed to a water fountain on the wall opposite them. After Jenny had gotten a drink his countenance inexplicably became concerned. He glanced about him as if he had forgotten something. "Where's my…?" He trailed off as he folded his forelegs over his chest and used one paw to tap his chin.
"Where's what, Skimble?" Jenny asked, wondering if she could be of help.
The orange tabby snapped his fingers as his face lit up with realization. "Ah! I'll be right back, Miss Jenny." He said hurriedly before he darted back into the ticket booth. A few seconds later he emerged once more, buttoning up his waistcoat. "It slipped my mind that you were using this as a pillow. It's gotten a tad frustrating when your fellow lads keep asking who you are because you're not wearing this thing. It's not a wrinkled mess, is it?" He flashed Jenny a smile as he straightened his sole article of clothing. It was slightly creased at the back where Jenny's head had rested, but was otherwise in immaculate condition.
Jenny returned the smile in full as she murmured shyly, "You look very handsome in it…" She bit her lip once the last word had escaped. Where did that come from? She mentally kicked herself for letting something so foolish come out of her mouth.
Fortunately, Skimble didn't appear to catch the full sentence. "Pardon? Could you repeat that?" He asked in earnest, eyebrows raised.
"N-Nothing. Your waistcoat looks fine." The yellow and orange queen replied in a rush of words. She wasn't surprised Skimble didn't hear her. All around them there were humans bustling about, getting to their designated train or off it. A hundred voices buzzed about her ears, but she didn't mind. Skimble shrugged and began to walk in the direction of the tracks.
"Where are you going?" Jenny queried as she tagged along.
Skimble smiled slightly as he responded, "Oh, I'm just patrolling, that's all. We don't have much to do around here during the day, we railway toms. Our real jobs start at midnight, on the Night Mail. So, when the sun is up, we should be sleeping, but not all of us work on just the Night Mail. I have day patrol as well. As soon as your friend wakes up, I'll be happy to escort you back home. Where do you live, lass?"
The yellow and orange tabby queen halted when Skimble stopped, claws gripping the edge of the concrete as he gazed out over the train yard. "Do you know where the Jellicle Junkyard is?" Jenny asked hesitantly.
Skimble shook his head. "No, I don't believe I do. Is it far from here?"
"It's a few blocks west…Oh, I hope my parents aren't too worried! I hope they'll understand what happened. I'm sure Macavity didn't mean to cause us any trouble…" Jenny fretted as she stared down at her hind paws. She tensed as she felt a finger under chin. She reluctantly let Skimble tip her chin up so he could look into her eyes. The orange tabby tom's eyes were an emerald green that looked so easy to get lost in…
"Don't you worry about a thing, Miss Jennyanydots. I'll explain my side of the story as best as I can, if the need arises." Skimble assured the yellow and orange tabby queen. He held her gaze for a moment longer before removing his finger from under her chin.
Jenny averted her gaze as a blush crept up her cheeks. Why was she reacting like a sixteen-year old? She scolded herself for acting like a kitten. Skimble made her smile and giggle like a schoolgirl. Jenny refused to believe she had a crush on the tom. She had barely known him for a day! It was impossible to have feelings for someone this fast! No, she would get over this silliness soon enough. Once Skimble escorted her and Jelly back home, she would never have to see his face again. Her heart sank at the thought, and she chastised herself once more.
The pair looked to their right to find Coilin rushing towards them, dodging the legs of the hurrying humans. He had a wide smile plastered on his face. "Jellylorum's awake! Come and see!" He announced joyfully. Jenny and Skimble followed suite and were inside the ticket booth again within minutes.
Jelly was already sitting up when the trio came in. She appeared to be a bit dazed, and was holding the side of her head. She immediately perked up when she saw her best friend. "Hey Jenny! Gosh, what a night, huh? I hope Macavity's alright. He went up and disappeared!" She exclaimed incredulously. Jelly's expression changed into a happier one as she added, "Don't worry about the letters, Jenny. Coilin told me he mailed them this morning."
Jenny nodded with a grim expression. She was worried about the Jellicle-Protector-in-training too, but there wasn't much she could do about it. Skimble went to go introduce himself to Jelly, though he didn't use the same old-fashioned greeting as he did for Jenny. The yellow and orange queen found that a bit odd, but she shrugged it off.
Once Jelly proved she could walk without assistance, she turned to Coilin with a smile. "Thanks for everything. We don't know what would have happened if you two hadn't come along. I hope we'll meet again someday." She bid farewell, and Jenny beamed her silent thanks to the grey and white-patched tom.
"You're very welcome, Jellylorum. Skimbleshanks will escort you and Jenny home. Be careful from now on, alright? Next time you might be so fortunate as to have someone around to rescue you." Coilin said sternly, but it almost had a fatherly feel to it.
The pair of queens nodded fervently and left the ticket booth with Skimble. Once they had gotten out of the vicinity of the train station, Jenny felt a drop of wetness on her forehead. A second later she felt one on her ear and then her shoulder. It had started to rain, and the clouds overhead transformed the environment into one that was gloomy instead of happy. They also brought a cold, sharp wind with them that whipped around the trio mercilessly.
"It looks like this isn't just going to be a simple shower. I know a storm when I see one. Let's get you lassies home quickly before the thunder starts." Skimble said urgently as he quickened his pace.
Jenny shivered and wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm. Jelly didn't seem to mind the rain and wind. She was the one cat Jenny had ever met who liked water and winter. It baffled her to no end, but she liked her best friend's seemingly unnatural quirks.
Skimble glanced to the plainly miserable and cold Jenny to her friend who skipped along and splashed through the ever-growing puddles in the street, laughing like a kitten. He felt bad for the shivering yellow and orange queen and removed his waistcoat to wrap it around her shoulders. Jenny glanced up at him questioningly, but didn't refuse his act of selflessness.
"Aren't you going to be cold without this, Skimble?" Jenny protested, but wrapped the waistcoat tighter around herself. It retained some of Skimble's body heat and scent. The thin, short waistcoat made her feel warmer than it should have been capable of. Jenny realized she was blushing again, and wished these tiny actions from Skimble didn't make such an impact on her.
The orange tabby shook his head at Jenny's modesty. "You need it more than I do." He answered. The rest of the journey back to the junkyard was relatively silent. When Skimble, Jenny, and Jelly arrived at their destination, the rain had gone from a drizzle to a steady downpour. The trio stopped at the fence and Jenny returned the waistcoat to its rightful owner.
"Thanks Skimble, for everything. I really enjoyed spending the afternoon with you." Jenny said timidly as she stood opposite him with Jelly at her side.
Skimbleshanks smiled humbly as he bowed his head. "It was no problem, really. I was glad to be of service…" He replied a bit sadly. He bit his lower lip and stammered timidly after a second of hesitation, "Uhh…I get off day patrol at four on weekdays and I have weekends off, i-if you want to…you know…come visit me at the station sometime. I live really close to the station, a-and I'd umm…appreciate the company, Miss Jenny." He hoped neither queen would notice his nervousness.
Jenny eyed the orange tabby tom as she began vapidly, "I'll think about it. I just have a lot on my plate right now and I don't know if-Oww!" Her excuse got cut short as Jelly elbowed her sharply in the ribs.
"She would love to visit you, right Jenny?" Jelly glared at her best friend. Jenny nodded to appease Jelly and prevent any more damage to her ribs.
"Splendid! Consider it a date, then! I-It was nice meeting you lassies." Skimble bid a hurried good-bye as he took Jenny's paw and softly pressed his lips to the back of it again. He spun on his heel and headed in the direction he had just come.
Once Skimble was out of earshot, Jelly batted her friend over the ears. "What's the matter with you? Skimble was gentletomly enough to lend you his coat, basically ask you out, and you wanted to refuse? How hard did that disgusting tom hit you over the head? Goodness Jenny, sometimes you can be so oblivious!"
Jenny sighed and shook her head slowly. "We've already been over this. I'm too busy to chase after some insipid railway tom. Skimble was just being nice to me, that's all. Any other tom would have done the same thing. I doubt this is going to go anywhere…" She seemed set on this notion, but her voice had a twinge in it that suggested otherwise.
Jelly grabbed her friend by the shoulders and forced her to look into her eyes. "I don't think a boring, stick-in-the-mud railway tom would rescue you from mangy crooks, keep you safe until you were back in good health, offer to escort you back home, and lend you his coat to keep you warm. A tom who likes you would do those things. We're going back there tomorrow at four and you're going to spend the evening with Skimble." She said in such a serious tone that Jenny had no choice but to agree.
The two queens hopped over the fence and darted into their dens to explain their adventure to their very worried parents.