It was early evening when Bombalurina finally felt she could leave Demeter's side, much to the relief of the new father. She stalked angrily across the Yard, whispers breaking before her like waves, Tugger was in trouble. Once the queen had located him lounging among his groupies on the car trunk she seized Tugger firmly by the ear and began hauling him away like a mother would a wayward kit. "Ow!" he hissed pulling away. "What's the matter with you babe?" he quipped rubbing the bruised ear, tender from Balurina's consistent abuses of it. The queen's brows shot up, as though he didn't know! "Why did you have to be so rude?" she snapped hotly, her temper matching her coat. "That was my sister's first litter, and what do you do?" she asked rhetoricallty, glaring when he dared try to answer. "I'll tell you," she said rather helpfully. "First you don't even want to go, then you make me look like an idiot dragging you across the Yard and then, then," she bellowed her voice becoming high and pinched as she tried and failed to reign herself in. "Then you mock the beautiful miracle that has just taken place!" Tugger's brows furrowed sharply and a crooked smile assumed position on his face. "Beautiful? Miracle?" he scoffed with disbelief. "Did you smell that den?" he asked following after the Bombshell who had turned and walking away, fists tightly clenched. "Yes, it's called afterbirth!" she snapped as the dipping sun stretched long their shadows across the Yard. "And you think that's beautiful?" the tom countered bitingly. "And what if I do?" Bomb shouted drawing a crowd as often times their spats did.
"Queens!" Tugger said throwing his hands in the air with exasperation. "And what then would be the miracle?" Balurina turned on him with wide blazing eyes. "The kittens!" she exclaimed as Pounce from his perch chortled at Tugger's mistake. All to often it was Bombalurina who came out ontop in such arguments, and Tugger had chosen a losing battle. "The kittens? What's so miraculous about that?" he asked meeting her anger, their faces now mere inches from one another. "Everything!" there was a tense moment of silence as the cats sized each other up, like opponents preparing for a duel. It was then that the res queen made her fatal mistake. "Is this how you would act if we had kits?" she asked through clenched teeth and her tone deadly. Tugger licked his lips, struggling and at a loss at first, who had ever said anything about he and the Bombshell having kits? "See," he said jabbing an accusative finger in her direction, as he avoided the question all together, typical to fashion. "I knew this would happen, we go and look at the kittens and now you're baby crazy, kitten-fever!" he threw his arms in the air. Bombalurina looked at him agasp. "I do not have kitten fever!" She declared loudly. The off again on again couple glared at each other before turning on heel and walking in opposite directions.
Normally when such a spat had occurred Bombalurina would have gone to her sister. She would have railed and yelled, ranted and cursed, sworn off Tugger for good, and then after a few moments laugh and talk about his latest antics all the while feigning the anger she had exhibited to begin with. But as such a thing was an impossiblity at the moment she stormed about the Yard kicking cans and lashing out at anyone who happened to cross her as though she were ready to kill. Overall however the female was chastising her own foolishness. How could she have asked Tugger about the two of them having children? She loved him yes, but she had also loved Macavity hadn't she? Sitting on a broken rocking chair she brooded. How was it that she always seemed to want things, toms, that were no good for her? Macavity had been a brute, vile, abusive, but oh so clever with the way he went about it. One day it would be nothing but violence and the queen would know that tonight was the night she died, while the next showers of jewelry, lavish gifts, kisses, caresses, and apologies. The Rum Tum Tugger on the other hand while he never struck her, and never would seemed to enjoy toying with her emotions. Bombalurina was sure that he was the most flamboyant, most pig-headed, egotistical, fopish, playboy there had ever lived, and yet she loved him. Why did she do it, she pondered. Why did she pine after him for the good looks, witty remarks, and special way he made her feel when he so casually served up such parts of himself to anything that moved? With an exasperated sigh she slumped heavily in the chair wondering just what to do about it.
Meanwhile across the Yard a leopard spotted tom stretched out on the trunk of a car, his brother's usual perch, his tail thrashing with annoyance. "I here that you and Bombalurina put on quite a show today." Munk's cool voice sailed towards him. Tugger scoffed rolling away. "Don't you have a family to take care of?" Munkustrap smiled as he leaped up beside him. "Sleeping," he said simply before adding. "Besides, I'm the Yard's guardian remember? It's my duty to keep the peace." Tugger rolled his eyes briefly. "Tell me what it was about." Munkustrap proded. "The queen is crazy!" Tugger snapped. "How so?" "She asked if we were going to have kittens!" the dark furred tom went on, careful to say each word slowly and with emphasis. "Were those her exact words?" Munk asked, his voice maintaining a light tone. "Well, no..." Tugger replied not yet able to see what his older sibling was getting at. "So that was something you interjected then, that you were going to have a family together?" Tugger sat up immediately, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, I said no such thing, there's no chaining the Tugger down!" Munkustrap laughed, he knew from experience that his brother referred to himself in the third person only when he was trying to distance himself from something, namely a truth he wasn't ready to admit to. "Well," the silver tabby said with a sigh. "That Bombalurina is quite a cat, and I do love her sister, very, very much." Tugger shrugged. "She's ok I guess." Giving his brother's leg a friendly slap as he slid off the car Munkustrap gave a final piece of advice. "You should apologize, and do whatever it is you need to do to make this right, she's not going to just wait around for you forever, watching you chase queens half your age." Left alone Tugger thought on the matter for several minutes while night fell and an early spring shower began to move its way over the Yard. With a sigh he slid off the trunk and went in search of a certain redhead.