Author's Note: This is a repost of the fanfic "Against All Odds". For those of you who've read the fic before, I'd be thrilled if you reread it and threw in some feedback. For those of you who haven't, read! This version is the revamped version of the old Against All Odds. Hopefully better. Author's Notes and Disclaimers will be in the last chapter, marked accordingly on the menu FF.Net has so nicely provided.
My flaming policy still applies. Flaming is unecessary. Just tell me what you think in nice, humane language and I'll understand. That said, onward!


----------------------------------------------------------------------


Something was amiss. Usually quite sedentary and lazy, the human was rushing around the small flat putting articles of clothing into a small, hard box and moving things from one place to another, all the while talking to himself.

Plato sat on the bed watching all the activity with wonder. What the devil was he doing?? The human gave him a pat on the head as he passed, still putting things into the box. He'd never been so active before, what was going on?

"Hello?" came a soft voice from the windowsill. Plato looked up to see Victoria perched there.

"Hi! C'mon down, he's too busy t' notice.."

The white female complied, leaping down from the sill and taking up perch next to the tomcat.

"What's he doing?" she asked curiously.

"I dunno. I think e's going someplace, but I dunno where. Just as long as he remembers to put out enough food and nip for me, I don't mind."

Victoria looked at him critically. "Plato, you know I worry about you. Catnip's not good for you. It impairs your judgement, fries your brain--"

"We only use ten percent of it anyway. Relax, Vicky. I'd never go out and do something stupid while up on catnip. You know me. I can take care of myself."

Victoria sighed. "It still bothers me. I'd hate to see you hurt yourself."

Plato sighed and opened his mouth to say something as the human closed the box and put it near the door, picking up the tomcat and placing him under his arm.

"Wha??" Plato protested. "I'm not going!"

Victoria laughed. "Be careful, Plato!"

"Vicky, tell the guys I'll be back in a few weeks, and if I'm not, t' send the coast guard!!"

"Alright, have a great trip!"

*~*~*

Plato yawned and stretched as the little boat rocked gently. The sun beat down hot on his back and tomcat got up to find refuge in the shade of the galley. His human was already there bumbling around in the kitchen. When Plato leapt up onto the counter, he was rewarded with a scratch behind the ears.

"It's off to find some big fish for us, Tiger."

Plato cringed at the nickname, glad Victoria wasn't here to hear it. The tomcat mewed loudly, asking for dinner. His human complied, tossing him a bit of whatever it was he was making. Plato wolfed it down hungrily and mewed again. 'That's all??' he seemed to say. The human laughed and tossed him the rest. His belly full, Plato turned around on the top bunk and fell asleep once more.

*~*~*

He awoke a few hours later as the galley gave a sharp jolt. Annoyed, Plato looked up and glared around the room. The boat pitched again, sending the tomcat flying off the top bunk, landing on his feet rather clumsily on the floor. What the devil...?

The human was in the wheelhouse fighting with the controls. Outside, the weather had turned ugly, sending ten foot waves crashing against the side of the boat. Plato was soaked and annoyed by the time he rushed into the wheelhouse. The sky was a dark, steely gray and the rain battered the windows of the small room. A strike of lightning made both human and cat's hair stand up on end.

Before he could dash back into the galley, rough hands seized Plato and he was unceremoniously tossed into a small boat. The rain was sharp and stung their eyes as the human jumped into the boat and started rowing. As they got far enough away, human and cat watched what was left of their home on the sea disappear into the black. Plato gave an inaudible sigh. He didn't quite understand, being a cat, but he knew that they were in trouble. The tiny lifeboat was filling with water rapidly, already swirling around Plato's legs. Then, the lightning struck, and the human was gone. Plato dashed to the side of the boat to see him trying to stay afloat in the foaming water. When he disappeared underwater, he didn't come up again. Plato knew little about humans, but his had been down too long, and humans couldn't breathe without air. Curling up into a miserable ball, the tomcat took refuge underneath one of the seats and hoped to Heaviside he'd live to see the morning.

*~*~*

A bird squawked once, twice. Plato opened burning eyes to see a bright sun glaring at him from overhead.

"Must be near noon..."

As soon as Plato sat up, the bird took off, squawking again loudly. Bright white sand stretched out in front of Plato, disappearing into a thick grove of trees. Behind him, turquoise water stretched out as far as the eye could see, with dots of white marring the top of it here and there.

Plato groaned and hauled his sore self out of the boat, landing clumsily onto the hot sand below. With a yowl, he dove into the water to cool his burning feet. Laughter rang out from somewhere to his right. Plato's gaze flew to the right, only to see a queen smirking at him from a few yards away.

Plato blinked. Surely there wasn't another living soul on the island. But the queen was there. He started toward her and she dodged backward, rushing off into the grove of trees. Odd... Dizzy from swallowing too much seawater and the pressing heat above him, Plato stumbled into the forest, only to come upon a tiny lake, fed by a waterfall a few hundred feet above. Filling his belly with the water, the tomcat collapsed into an exhausted sleep underneath one of the palms.

When he awoke again, it was dusk, and the small pool had turned a cerulean blue under the pink sky.

"Wonder where that queen got off to..." Plato mumbled to himself, beginning to doubt he'd even ever seen her. Stumbling out of the forest, he saw a bonfire near his boat, and the queen hunched over in front of it. When he approached, she jumped up and backed away again.

"Whoa, wait..." Plato called, stretching out a paw involuntarily. "Who're you??"

The queen stared and Plato decided on a different strategy, pointing a finger at himself.

"Plato." the queen followed suit.

"Hukilau."

"Don't you speak English??"

"Of course I speak English! Don't you??" the queen demanded and Plato stared.

"Um...my apologies. I just thought..you know, by the way you jumped up and all..."

"...That I was a native, right? Yeah..." grumbled the queen as she sat back down at the fire. "Not even close. I'm from America."

Plato grinned. "I'm from London." he paused. "Can I join you?"

The queen looked up at him. "Might as well, seein' as you're stuck here. Plenty to go around." she threw Plato an uncooked rat and stuck her own over the fire. "Don't get used to it. You're on your own from now on."

Plato sighed and nodded. Some company.

*~*~*

The morning came too quickly, and Plato awoke to find himself lying on a palm frond in the sand with a rough blanket over his shoulders. Opening his eyes, he saw another frond and another blanket folded on top of it, but Hukilau was nowhere to be seen. Off hunting again, Plato suspected. He might as well do the same, and take a good look at the island while he was at it.

Halfway around the island, he saw Hukilau stalking something. Plato crouched down in the sand to watch. Hukilau stayed perfectly still, until Plato began to suspect there was really nothing there. Then without warning, the female pounced and a flurry of white exploded. Disappearing briefly into the mess, the dying call of a gull could be heard from where Plato sat and she reappeared moments later, a bird between her teeth and looking quite proud of herself. Plato had to chuckle to himself. The queen had spunk. Deciding to follow her, Plato got up and walked a few hundred yards behind her, catching glimpses of the yellow coat here and there. He followed her all the way back to the small camp they'd made and watched her drop the bird into the sand near the ash of the fire. He noticed her look toward where he'd been lying and notice his absense. Hukilau spun around to see the tomcat sauntering toward her.

"Been off hunting?" he asked casually.

"Yup." she said, beginning to claw the feathers off the gull.

"Catch much?" he asked dumbly.

"Besides the gull, not much." Hukilau sniffed and looked up at the tom in disdain. "You need a bath, boy."

Plato laughed. "I guess I do. Care to join me?"

The queen rolled her eyes non-discreetly. "No thanks. I suggest you go hunting first. I told you you're on your own."

The tomcat shrugged and made his way to the pool he'd seen.

-----------------------------------------------------------------