Disclaimer: I don't own Cats.

A/N: Okay, so usually I portray Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer as siblings, not mates. I'm changing that perspective in this story. This time they are unrelated and they've just met. This is not a story of how these two get to the Junkyard. It's just of their time working for Macavity. Enjoy!

It was a beautiful day in what people call the "bad side" of London. The sun was shining, the garbage that lined the streets and alleys reeked more because of the heat (if that was even possible), and a fight broke out every now and then. To you, this might seem utterly preposterous! Street cats fighting in the alleys, scattered trash everywhere, and a stench that would turn away anyone who didn't make their home here.

However, to a coming-of-age calico queen by the name of Rumpleteazer, this was home sweet home. She had lived on the streets for as long as she could remember. She made her way in life by doing the one thing she knew best: stealing. The calico queen frequently boasted that she could steal anything, from anyone. Her friends didn't doubt her on that.

Rumpleteazer spent her days sifting through trash to find anything edible, or hunting the rodents that fed on the stinking garbage. She liked to pick fights with toms twice her size, and most cats knew that she would most likely win. She had impeccable fighting skills for her young age and she also knew how to out-smart the not-so-bright toms that ruled the lawless streets.

On this particular summer day, the calico queen noticed someone unfamiliar walking around this part of the slums. He was a brown tabby, had the analyzing eyes of a criminal, and looked like he could snap a cat in two, judging by his muscular build. The tom didn't seem to notice that he was in one of the worst parts of London. He stopped and asked questions to a group of cats every now and then, which Rumpleteazer found interesting. Having nothing else to do, she stalked the tom from a safe distance away while he interrogated various cats. What she found even more intriguing than the questioning, however, was his belt. It was black leather with a rusted brass buckle. It held a shiny knife and a small flashlight. 'Teazer thought the knife would be the most useful if she could steal it off of him.

When the brown tabby stopped to question some cats, 'Teazer saw her chance. She didn't bother listening to what they were talking about as she silently crept up behind him. Her fingers were inches away from the knife when the tom suddenly grabbed said knife, whirled around, and held it under her chin before she could so much as stand up. The calico queen smiled as innocently as she could while putting her paws up in surrender.

"Think ya could've gotten away with that one didn't ya, lass? No one steals anythin' from Macavity's henchcats, ya lil' pick-pocket."He sneered with a slight Scottish accent. He snickered as the calico queen's eyes went wide at the mention of the Hidden Paw. The tom put his knife back in its sheath and let 'Teazer stand up.

The calico queen cocked her head at the tabby. "Whot's one o' Macavity's 'enchcats doin' 'round 'ere?"She asked. The three other cats behind the tom looked just slightly less clueless than her.

The brown tabby smirked. "I'm here askin' 'round for henchcats. Workin' for the Hidden Paw is much better than livin' out here."He said optimistically.

'Teazer raised an eyebrow as she retorted, "Ya've got ta be kiddin' moi! Killin' cats fo' sport an' comittin' croimes is bettah than livin' loife where evreyone moinds their own business an' troies ta survoive?"She crossed her arms over her chest as if that would help prove her point.

"Ah, ya've got it all wrong, lassie! Macavity only kills those who have done him wrong. Plus, if ya're a henchcat, ya get food, water, and a roof over your head. That's more than what ya'll ever have out here, now isn' it? Ya won' have ta spend cold nights sleepin' on garbage anymore!"The tom offered. The other three cats nodded around him. They liked the idea.

Rumpleteazer was more skeptical than the other three. The offer did sound tempting, but it meant she was going to work for the most notorious criminal London's ever seen. She spent a few moments comparing her way of life to the potential life as a henchcat. On one paw, she spent every day hungry, and she had to steal to survive. She didn't have a home or a roof over her head. She didn't have a family to go back to or anyone that truly cared about her. On the other paw, if she were a henchcat, food and water would be provided for her as well as a decent, warm place to sleep. She would probably make friends with the cats she worked with, and was stealing a few more things than she usually did really all that bad?

The calico queen eyed the tabby."Whot's tha catch?"She asked and the tom smiled.

"Jus' swear undyin' loyalty to Macavity and ya've got the job."He said as he started walking down the cracked sidewalk.

'Teazer shrugged and thought, "Whot 'ave Oi got ta lose?"She followed the tom along with the three other cats that seemed to think the same thing. They were all in the same boat right now. They followed the brown tabby in silence. Once they had walked a kilometer or so, he suddenly took a right into an inconspicuous alley. The four followed him down the narrow, dimly lit back street until they came upon an abandoned, run-down warehouse.

Or so they thought it was abandoned. As Rumpleteazer quickly discovered, there were cats patrolling up on the roof. A few were making rounds on the ground as well, but they paid no attention to the newcomers. A tall, black tom guarded the doorway that seemed to be the only entrance into the warehouse. He looked quite intimidating as he held a spear in his paws and wore a brown belt with a knife on it, just like the brown tabby.

The tabby saluted the guard and he returned the gesture. "I'm back from the recruiting mission. I have four with me this time. This was my last run. What's the total count right now?"He asked as the black tom stepped aside to them through.

The tom shrugged as he opened the door for them. "The line's not too long. I'd say fifteen, counting you guys. 'Jerrie's gonna have his paws full registering these guys tonight."He replied. The five cats stepped into Macavity's hideout and the brown tabby directed them to stand at the back of a line. Then he walked off into the dark hallway without another word.

'Teazer took in her surroundings. The warehouse walls were composed of brick, and the only lighting she could see was directly above her. A couple of light bulbs hung from the ceiling, barely illuminating the narrow corridor. She looked to the front of the line, but she couldn't really see much because of the cats ahead of her. She caught sight of the corner of a make-shift desk, but that was it. The cats in front of her were composed of both toms and queens, but the majority was toms. Some of them were big and burly; others were leaner and more agile-looking. A lot of them were much older than her.

A feeling of nervousness suddenly invaded her mind. What if she was too young to be a henchcat? She was only seventeen, barely out of adolescence in the eyes of most cats. As the line moved up more, her anxiety only got worse. If they kicked her out now, her chance of having a decent home would be gone, too. There was only one thing she could do: lie about her age.

All too soon, there was only one tom between her and the cat at the desk. Once she heard the cat call out, "Next!" she padded up to the desk. The tom was an orange calico much like herself, only his coat had a more uniform pattern of tiger-stripes. He didn't look up as he finished scribbling something on the page he had, then flipped it over to reveal a blank one.

"Name?"He asked bluntly. He sounded tired, as if he had been doing this all day. 'Teazer couldn't quite place his accent yet. She would have to hear him talk more.

The calico queen smiled as she answered, "Rumpleteazah."

The tiger-striped tom smirked slightly without looking up. "'Ow do ya spell tha'?"He tapped the pen he was holding impatiently as 'Teazer gave him a funny look. His accent was definitely Cockney, just like hers. What confused her is that he didn't know how to spell her name. Was there more than one way to spell it?

"It's R-U-M-P-L-E-T-E-A-Z-E-R. Whot's yours?"She asked politely. If she was going to work here, she might as well get to know some cats.

The tom sitting at the desk sighed like he was annoyed with her already. "Oi'll ask tha questions. Age?"He said as he wrote 'Teazer's name down.

Rumpleteazer bit her lip. She replied hesitantly, "Noineteen."She hoped he would believe him.

At this the calico tom glanced up at her. 'Teazer noticed he had green eyes, like emeralds. "Don' play games with moi. Ya're too young ta be noineteen."His said curtly. It was obvious that not much got past this tom.

'Teazer smiled back at him as best as she could. She resisted the urge to hunch her shoulders under his piercing gaze, as that would tell him she was lying. "Realleh! Oi jus' look young fo' moiy age."She fibbed again. It was the best excuse she could come up with under the circumstances.

"Loike Oi haven' 'eard tha' one befo'. Whot's ya real age, Rumpleteazah?"He growled slightly. He was losing his patience.

The calico queen finally caved in after a few moments of tense silence. "...Seventeen."She mumbled as she looked away. She squeezed her eyes shut in preparation for her rejection.

"Next. Third door down on tha left."The tiger-striped tom said and 'Teazer looked up at him in surprise. She stood there for a minute like she had misheard him. He jerked a thumb behind him. "Do ya need an escort? C'mon, ge' movin', princess!"The tom barked and 'Teazer nodded once as she started down the dark hallway.

Her night vision told her that there were doors lining both sides of the corridor, but there seemed to be more on the left than the right. All were made of some kind of dark wood and all were closed. As she came to the third door on the left as she had been instructed, she opened it.

The room itself was cramped. Bunk-beds three high and four long lined both sides of the scarcely lit room. The ceiling was lower than in the hallway, the walls were still brick and the floor was concrete. There was barely enough room for two cats to stand side-by-side between the beds. A few cats glanced up as they saw her come in. The room was half-filled with cats who were either sitting on the floor talking in low tones or on the beds playing cards together. 'Teazer walked over to an unoccupied second-level bed and sat down. She watched the other toms and queens who simply ignored her.

'Teazer yawned as she glanced through the tiny window at the far end of the room. It was dark outside. Deciding that nothing else was going to happen tonight, she stretched herself out on her mattress and stared up at the metal bottom that held up the mattress above her. It wasn't particularly comfortable, but it was better than sleeping on unopened trash bags or in an up-turned crate. At least she had a roof over her head tonight. Her eyelids slowly drooped shut as she drifted off to sleep.

After what felt like a few minutes, she felt herself being shaken awake quite vigorously. "Wake up, princess. It's tour toime."A voice she recognized as the tiger-striped tom's said. 'Teazer blinked her eyes open groggily and observed that the other cats were already walking out the door. The calico tom was nowhere to be seen. She wasted no time hopping out of bed and following the crowd. As she stepped out the door, she noticed it had gotten bright. A series of light bulbs illuminated everything from the ceiling, revealing the true dinginess of the building they were in. It smelled slightly of dust and dirt, and the floor looked it hadn't been washed in months or even years. It was like being in a dungeon with the narrow hallways and doors leading to who-knows-where.

The group of cats followed the calico tom who had registered them. As they walked along in the cramped space, he announced the areas they were passing by. "Oi'm Mungojerrie an' this buildin' ya're in is Macavity's 'oideout, if ya 'aven' figured tha' out awlreadey. Tha rooms we awll sleep in ah' called tha barracks. Those closed double doors we jus' passed lead ta tha cafeteria. Oi recommend catchin' tha rodents tha' roam 'round 'ere, as tha food isn' verey edible."He fell silent as they turned a corner and walked down a hall lined with jail cells on both sides.

"This is tha jail 'all. If ya disobey ah' rules, ya will end up 'ere. Tha only othah toiypes Macavity keeps 'ere ah' 'is queens an' tresspassahs."The tiger-striped tom, now known as Mungojerrie, continued.

'Teazer listened attentively as she stole glances into the pitch-black cells. She couldn't see anything inside. As they came to the end of the hall, they had two options: to go straight or right. The group stopped as Mungojerrie explained what was in both directions. As she was listening, the calico queen didn't notice the movement in the cell she was beside. A gold and black paw reached out from between the bars and gently wound its fingers around her upper arm as if to keep her from walking forward. At the unexpected contact, 'Teazer yelped in surprise and jerked away from the paw, which quickly retreated back into the darkness of the cell.

Her sudden noise interrupted Mungojerrie, who stopped talking to walk over to her. The others turned around to look at her with surprised expressions. The tiger-striped tom raised an expectant eyebrow as he looked down at her. He was easily a head taller. "Whot is it, Rumpleteazah?"He asked in an irritated voice.

'Teazer glanced up at him with fear in her eyes. "S-somethin' g-g-grabbed moi..."She said shakily as she pointed a finger to the dark cell beside her.

The calico tom seemed unimpressed as he merely banged the rusted iron bars of said cell with his paw and shouted, "Do it again an' Oi'll tell Mac' ta punish ya!"Then he turned back to 'Teazer and said in a quieter tone, "Toughen up, princess. Ya will 'ave ta endure much more scariah thin's than this if ya wont ta work 'ere."He smirked as he made his way to the front of the group again.

The rest of the tour was boring to 'Teazer. Mungojerrie explained where the storage rooms were, the washrooms, and the stairs to the roof. He also told them where Macavity's office was and the doctor's office. He pointed out a couple of emergency exits and the large retractable door that lead to the biggest part of the warehouse: the "garage" is what he called it.

The tiger-striped tom opened a metal door beside the much larger one and ushered everyone inside. The area was dark unlike the corridor they were just in, but once Mungojerrie turned a few light switches on, the group of cats gasped in awe. The garage was easily three times bigger than the total area of the other part of the building they were just in. As each light bulb sputtered to life on the high ceiling, 'Teazer noticed they weren't the same small, pear-shaped ones she had seen in the hallway. These were much bigger beams of light.

The garage itself was something to be proud of. Instead of the walls being composed of brick, they were made of some sort of metal siding. Crates upon crates of supplies lined the walls, some even four crates high. A few trolleys were parked in the space between them. At the far end of the hall was another giant retractable door with a small control panel beside it. Satisfied that everyone had gotten a good look, the calico tom pointed to the door and the cats started walking back into the hall.

They walked down another empty corridor that only had one door on the left side of the wall. The group stopped as Mungojerrie turned his head to face the closed door. His expression turned from unreadable to somber as he explained briefly, "This is tha execution room. On tha othah soide is a door tha' leads ta tha outside."He tail flicked from side to side like he was afraid something bad might happen if they hung around too long. All too soon they rounded another corner and were back where they started.

The calico tom opened the door to their part of the barracks and stepped inside as everyone else followed. They all lay down in their respective beds as Mungojerrie stood at the front of the room. Once everyone was quiet he said, "Loights out, guoiys! We wake earley tomorrah!"With that, the lights were turned off and 'Teazer could only hear the almost inaudible click-click of his hind claws on the floor as he walked over to his bed. 'Teazer had turned to face the wall but heard the shifting of a mattress very near to hers. She fell asleep to the quiet snoring of some of her new comrades and the deep, even breathing of others.


'Teazer awoke suddenly from her peaceful sleep by a high-pitched noise. "Was tha' a scream?"She thought as she sat up as much as she could in her cramped bed and rubbed her eyes. The room was dead silent around her. She listened attentively to see if she could hear the strange noise again. After a few minutes, she heard the same sound. It was definitely a scream. It also wasn't too far away. As tired as she was, 'Teazer slid out of her bed and stepped as quietly as she could over to the door. She turned the knob and cringed as it creaked open. Glancing around, she breathed a tiny sigh of relief as the room remained still despite the unbearably loud noise she just made. She slipped out the door and into the hallway.

The calico queen brushed her fingers along the wall as she felt her way down the corridor. When she reached the end of the hall, she peeked around the corner and let out a quiet gasp. There was the Hidden Paw himself, at the other end of the hall. She could tell because only one lone bulb shined down on him and...someone else. A gold and black queen. Macavity had her pinned against a wall with one paw while he held her chin with the other. The queen was obviously uncomfortable as she squirmed and winced in his grip. The ginger tom didn't seem to be doing anything to her, just staring at her. 'Teazer watched them for a few minutes and suddenly the gold and black queen cried out like she was in pain. Macavity struck her across the face to silence her. 'Teazer had to bite her lip hard to keep herself from calling out and stopping this injustice. She observed the two some more, unable to look away.

Her spying got cut short as someone clamped a paw over her mouth and wound an arm around her torso to keep her arms in place. 'Teazer tried to jerk herself free from her captor's grip, but they were too strong. Her captor was unmistakably a tom because of his scent and strength. The tom dragged her back a few steps. He swiftly turned her around and she felt her back being pressed against the wall. Her heart pounded in her chest as she froze in fear of what she thought he would do to her. When she felt nothing but his paw over her mouth after a few unbearable seconds did she dare to glance at him.

Emerald green eyes flashed in the darkness. 'Teazer knew who this was. She swatted Mungojerrie's paw away from her mouth and whispered harshly, "Whot ah' ya doin'? Ya scared moi 'alf ta death!" She tried to move away but the tom kept her in place by pressing both paws on the wall so she would have to duck under his arms if she wanted to escape.

Mungojerrie chuckled quietly as 'Teazer crossed her arms over her chest in frustration. She knew she wasn't going anywhere as long as he had anything to do with it. "Moiy question is whot ah' ya doin' sneakin' 'round in tha middle o' tha noight?"He shot back with a smirk.

Rumpleteazer remained silent as she just stared him down.

"Spoiyin'. Oi thought so. Let's ge' ya back ta bed, princess. No more sneakin' 'round fo' ya. Whoiy were ya out 'ere anehway?"The calico tom asked as he slung an arm around 'Teazer's shoulders and started leading her back to the barracks.

She promptly shoved his arm off as she replied, "Stop callin' moi tha'! It's gettin' annoyin'. Oi was out 'ere 'cause Oi 'eard a scream, then Oi saw Macavity and some queen-"She got cut off as Mungojerrie clapped his paw over her mouth again. He turned her around and held her by the shoulders.

"Do not evah speak o' this ta anehone. Not a peep, o' there will be severe consequences. Undahstand?"His tone and eyes were serious, but also fearful. Only when 'Teazer nodded did he let go of her. They stopped at the door to their room. "Ta end this on a 'appiah note, Oi'll keep callin' ya princess 'cause Oi wont ta. In turn, ya can call moi 'Jerrie. Now can ya please promise moi ya won' sneak' 'round anehmore? Bad thin's 'appen ta queens at noight 'ere. Oi don' wont-"He bit his lip and tensed like he was about to say something he shouldn't.

'Teazer smirked as she noticed a flaw in his seemingly impenetrable exterior. "Ya don' wont whot...?"She pried as she eyed him deviously.

Well she thought she had discovered a flaw. 'Jerrie immediately regained his unemotional composure so quickly that she doubted he had even faltered. "Oi don' wont ta babey-sit ya loike tha kit ya ah', princess."He answered and opened the door just enough so he could slip through. 'Teazer followed as she scowled after him. She closed the door quietly and slipped back into bed. She spent the night thinking about 'Jerrie. He was beginning to frustrate her. There had to be some way to get past that sarcastic, witty exterior. She just had to find out how.