Upon recently reading some new Great Mouse Detective fan-fictions, I've come across ones that have brought Felicia back to life. You would think that if I firmly believe in the possibility of Fidget surviving the fall in The River Thames, I would find the idea of Felicia surviving to be plausible, right? Not exactly, and here's why I think this. Felicia was practically mangled by the guard dogs, the plausibility of her surviving would be ZERO. Fidget, on the other hand, has a multitude of possibilities of surviving the River Thames outside my own little theories, that is. Furthermore, I'm not really a Felicia fan, nor am I a fan of cats either (I think that's something Fidget and I share). BUT, I do like an occasional challenge and I figured since everyone else took a stab at dedicating fan-fictions/pastiches to Felica, I got the nagging feeling that I should do one as well. Soooooo ... here it goes!


Chapter 3: Invitation to Tea

"So, you're on the hunt for flesh other than mice, aren't you?" Allison uttered in her husky yet cat-like voice. She sat on the sill of a window close by the old Toy Store as her tawny-colored eyes scanned for any sign of Felicia. Dianah sat right next to her. The dapple-furred kitten nudged her elbow as a means to get Allison to pet her. The girl rat gently stroked Dianah's bridge with her hand.

"This fat feline may be feasting on mouse flesh, Dianah," Allison whispered, "but it seems she's looking for Ratigan's maniacal little Mad Hatter." A childish giggle escaped her throat. "Did you see the look on that stupid bat's face, Dianah, when I pretended to be the voice of Felicia!? He thought he was going mad!"

The dapple-furred kitten gave Allison a look of disapproval. Allison noticed and rolled her tawny-colored eyes. "Yes, yes, I know it's not nice. But that bat and I have a ... history together." Allison curled her long rat's tail around her ankles. "And, my little prank on him was only half-mean. The creature was frozen in his legs with fear. I tried to get him to move the first time by voice impersonation. Obviously, that wasn't enough, so I had to distract her by biting her paw. In a way, Dianah, I saved his life."

Allison cocked her head over her right shoulder in deep thought. The ends of her wild, unkempt hair caressed her arm. It became part of her song and dance whenever she performed at the Rat Trap. Not to mention Allison dressed a little differently whenever she was in the Rat Trap. Unlike her gray-blue, torn school-girl dress which she used to wear, Allison wore a red dress with card suit patterns, very much like the one she wore when she ran into Fidget. And like Deniece, Allison had her fair share of men pursuing her, having to put up a front to keep them at bay. But it didn't bother her as much as it did Deniece because Allison has had to do it practically all her life.

Then Allison's thought fell back on Fidget ... a childlike giggle escaped her throat, revealing her front buck teeth and baby rat fangs. "I'm surprised that peg-legged is actually Deniece's friend. I know Deniece is a better judge of character than that." Allison now cocked her head over the other shoulder. "Then maybe ... just maybe there's more to that bat than what he let's on. So, Dianah, I have an idea."

Dianah meowed in response, almost as if engaging in conversation with Allison. The girl rat unwrapped her rat's tail from her ankles before standing up to climb on Dianah's back. "I will leave a note at Deniece's house and invite that bat to tea. But he mustn't know that it's us, Dianah, or he won't come. He's already afraid of us because he thinks we're Ratigan and Felicia re-incarnated."

Allison situated herself on Dianah's back, then rubbed her own chin as she pondered over how to get Fidget's attention. Her tawny colored eyes widened with excitement as a smile graced her face.

"I know how to get him here! Let's head home, Dianah!"

Deniece sat on her chair and she sipped her tea as she pondered over the strange envelope she found sitting at her doorstep. Fidget had already left for home at the Collins household the previous night, but she knew he would return after his shift at Henry Poole & Co. He always did to help Deniece out in the kitchen. And strangely, this note was addressed to him. When Deniece fiddled with the envelope to find the name of the sender, the only thing she saw were the initials A.L.

A knock followed, as Deniece expected. Knowing already who it was before either one of them could utter a word, she placed the envelope back on the table and rushed to the door. Fidget stood in the doorway with a few bottles of herbs in his hands and a smile on his face.

"I picked dhese up on da way home," Fidget told her. "I know you needed dhem to make your medicines."

Fidget handed the herb bottles to Deniece, which she accepted graciously just before planting a kiss on Fidget's cheek. "You impress me everyday, Finnius Holloway. I'm certain Albert and Anna are impressed too."

A blush appeared on Fidget's face as his smile grew larger. "Don't mention it."

Deniece placed the herb bottles on the table, just before picking up the envelope she found earlier. "Oh, someone left this letter at my doorstep ... and it's addressed to you."

Fidget's smile faded to a neutral expression. "Really? I ... wasn't expectin' one."

Deniece handed the envelope to Fidget, who wasted no time in tearing the flap to read the note:

"It's a RODENT'S DELIGHT to have you
join me for a cup of tea at my place. I've been
MADLY anticipating this moment for an interview
with the newly reformed pirate who once served as Ratigan's executioner. I know how to help you
fight Felicia, so it is with a great sense of urgency that you
accept this invitation without delay.

Sincerely, A.L.

P.S. You must come alone."

Fidget looked at Deniece with a hint of worry in his eyes. "How does dis person know who I am?"

Deniece shrugged her shoulders. "I'm just as confused as you are, Fidget. All I know is that whoever wrote it has the initials A.L. Do you know anyone from Ratigan's henchmice with that name?"

Fidget shook his head. "I may not have been da social type, Niecy, but I would know if dhere was someone in Ratigan's circle with dhose initials."

"Well, this person knows your history ... and knows that Felicia is after you. Could it be that lady mouse in the green dress you rescued?"

Fidget smiled just before shaking his head again. "Niecy, dat lady doesn't even know about us, let alone where I live. She only knows dat I had her little sister executed."

Deniece rubbed her chin curiously as her mind focused heavily on the initials A.L. Then an ecstatic smile graced her face. She knew exactly who it was.

"Fidget, you're in good hands!" Deniece replied. "This person wishes you no harm, so I would trust her and accept the invitation if I were you."

Fidget's ears perked up as he gave Deniece a curious look. "You know who it is Niecy?"

"Yes, I do," Deniece answered. "Abigail Landers is her name! Lacey used to know her. A bit of a busybody as it's obvious she found you out, but she's a very sweet lady mouse."

A puzzled expression appeared on Fidget's face. "I t'ought you were Lacey's only friend."

"It has been so long," Deniece replied. "I forgot she was still around."

Ok, somethin' sounds very fishy here! Fidget thought since Deniece's sudden flaky demeanor made him suspicious. He knew Deniece was a lot smarter than that. Lacey was her only childhood friend, Deniece once told him, since they didn't trust many of the others. And Lacey was an extremely shy girl, the type who would've been too clingy with Deniece to meet with anyone else. And why would Deniece trust a busybody like this Abigail Landers anyway? Both Fidget and Deniece hated busybodies!

Deniece snatched the note from Fidget's hands before he could say anything. "And she's left you directions to her place!" she continued in an ecstatic tone of voice. "I wouldn't waste any time at all and go over there as soon as possible!"

"B-but Niecy!" Fidget hesitated. "I just got here! Besides ... I'm not properly dressed for tea!"

"Oh don't worry about impressing her," Deniece assured him. "If she ever makes a fuss about, I'll just tell her it was my fault."

"B-b-but, b-but ..."

"Fidget, hurry!" Deniece cried as she rushed Fidget out the door and gave him back the note. "Don't keep Ms. Landers waiting! And don't lose that note!"

Fidget gave a stiff salute to Deniece just before he hurried out the door and closed it behind him. Deniece sighed inwardly as her large ears flicked back guiltily. There was no such person as Abigail Landers in Deniece's circle. She knew the A.L. in the letter stood for Allison Lydell. And Deniece was well aware of Allison's methods. Fidget wasn't going to like it, but it would be the only way for him to remove another chain from his criminal past. And Deniece had to lie about what the initials stood. She knew how much the image of Allison and Dianah was an eye sore enough in Fidget's mind. He would've refused to go if she told him who it really was.

"Just don't take it too seriously, Fidget," Deniece whispered to herself. "Allison may be strange, but she would never harm anyone without just cause."

Allison Lydell draped an orange table cloth over her dining room table, just before she set a white teapot with golden-leaf patterns on the bottom and two teacups and saucers to match it. Like Deniece once was, Allison didn't make a lot of money and couldn't afford anything fancy. The teapot, teacups, saucers, and orange table cloth were gifts from her dearest friend, Charles Dodgson. Allison's cupboards were practically bare, with a humble helping of cheese and that Rodent's Delight drink of hers that marked her very identity in The Rat Trap. The rest of the house was bare, as if no one had lived in there for a while. But it did not mean that the house was untidy. Allison was very good at cleaning her own house (she had too-Dianah shed a lot). And Allison always made sure Dianah was fed first before herself. She would often stop at the market to get bottles of milk for her kitten, but if it wasn't for the help of Charles Dogson, she would've been struggling much worse.

Allison was dressed in black trousers and a red shirt with a black spade imprinted on her chest. She looked at a small crack in the wall by the corner of the stove. It was wide enough to fit both hands through, but one mustn't push them any further than the knuckles of their thumbs. To do so would result in getting their hands stuck; the only way to release them would be to use oil. Thankfully, Allison had plenty of that. She was going to need it for what was in store for her guest, Fidget.

"Ratigan's peg-legged lackey will be here any minute, Dianah," Allison muttered as she noticed her kitten enter the room. Dianah was still a kitten, so she was small enough. "He'll come in here unsuspectingly, Felicia will scare him silly that he'll get his hands stuck in this crack, leaving him open and vulnerable. And when he does ..." Allison raised the tip of her long rat tail to prove her point "... I will get as much information out of him as possible."

Dianah's green eyes were mixed with worry as she stared into the tawny-colored eyes of her owner. A flustered Allison rolled her eyes before she crossed her arms. "Don't take it too seriously, Dianah!" Allison told her. "By Felicia, who I really meant was me! I certainly do not want the real Felicia have him. If he managed to earn the trust of someone like Deniece, then there must be some level of decency inside him. I want to test how much decency he actually has. It's not the first time I've done this to low-life, and they've all turned out better for it. Or at the very least, they don't dare to disrespect me ever again."

Fidget's yellow eyes repeatedly darted back and forth as he had already ventured past the Collins household and the old house where the Flavershams once lived. Had he known this place was going to be a far walk, he would've turned back. And since Felicia was on the loose, Fidget feared she was lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce on him before he could act. His whole body trembled from head to foot (even his peg-leg trembled), his bat fangs chattered. Once again, he withdrew the note to re-read the directions. According to the note, the place Fidget was to meet this Abigail Landers was in a place called The Queen of Clubs. And Fidget was only four more blocks away from it.

Why da hell does dis Abigail Landers live so far!? Fidget complained in his mind. And what kind of a place is da Queen of Clubs, anyway!? Is dis Abigail into card games or somethin'!?

While Fidget grumbled to himself over the inconvenience of being forced to go to some stranger's establishment, Allison Lydell and her dapple-furred kitten, Dianah, emerged from a large gap between buildings four blocks away. Although Fidget was still some distance away, Allison could spot him real easily. She covered her mouth with both hands to suppress her laughter.

"Looks like my little note worked, Dianah," Allison whispered to her kitten. "Here comes our little Mad Hatter now." Dianah's ears flicked back in disapproval as she peeked her head through to see Fidget, unsuspectingly falling into their trap. She turned her gaze to meet Dianah's green eyes. "It's time to make your move, Dianah. Fetch our Mad Hatter ..."

Fidget breathed heavily as beads of sweat trickled down his face. He had been walking for a half hour now, and he was getting exhausted. Fidget knelt on the sidewalk, before situating himself into a seated position. I t'ink I'll just sit down and catch my breath before I-

"Meeeoooowww!"

Fidget jumped back to a standing position as his eyes once again darted back and forth. Had Felicia found him again!? This time, however, he was able to move and began running ... until he bumped into something, causing him to give a startled cry. The peg-legged bat rubbed his head, before he could get a good look at what he bumped into. Again, Fidget gave another startled cry and scrambled backwards to keep a distance once he realized a cat was in his path. Fidget coughed as he could feel his throat tighten from the panic that was surging through his body now. He shielded his face with his wings as the shadow of the feline approached him. In his current fear, he did not pay attention to the fact that his purple striped scarf loosened around his neck, giving the cat opportunity to slowly pull it off him. Upon noticing his own neck feeling exposed, Fidget uncovered his face. It wasn't Felicia he was staring at right now, but a dapple-furred kitten, who now had his scarf in her mouth. But ... this kitten he had seen before. Confusion flooded Fidget's yellow eyes ... just moments before it turned to anger.

"I know who you are!" Fidget spat out angrily. "You're da kitten dat belongs to dat-dat ... dat girl rat!"

Fidget's blood began to boil as he stewed over the fact that Deniece had lied to him. The initials did not stand for Abigail Landers! They stood for Allison Lydell, Deniece's new friend! And her kitten just took his scarf!

"Give dat back to me!" Fidget demanded.

The dapple-furred cat nonchalantly meowed before she pranced three feet away from him. Angrily, Fidget chased the kitten, who frequently stopped to see how close Fidget was behind her before prancing away again. The dapple-furred cat led Fidget toward a large gap, then ran inside for Fidget to follow her.

"Give me back my scarf!" the peg-legged bat continued to demand. "It's mine!"

The kitten meowed again as she pranced toward a opening next to the side of a house. Fidget followed, uncertain as to where the kitten was going and why she wanted his scarf for. He found himself in what looked like an old, abandoned human's house. But now Fidget lost sight of the dapple-furred cat. He pounded his fists angrily on the floor at the thought of that cat having that scarf in her possession. It was the same scarf his biological mother had knitted for him, and Fidget didn't want to lose that.

A faint meow came from across the room. Fidget spotted the dapple-furred cat, who was sitting by a large, round hole with a door that was wide opened. Above it, Fidget saw a sign that read The Queen of Clubs, the very place that Fidget was looking for. The dapple-furred kitten scurried inside, and Fidget followed.

Once the peg-legged bat was inside, he lost sight of the cat again. But his scarf was now on the floor, within easy reach to grab it. Hopefully she didn't tear it to shred with her teeth, Fidget thought spitefully. As soon as he had retrieved his scarf and was ready to leave, the door suddenly slammed behind him. Fidget gave a startled cry. He rushed over to open the door ... and it wouldn't open.

"Locked!"

Fidget heaved his weight against the door in an attempt to break it down. It was too heavy and Fidget bruised left shoulder in the process.

"Dammit!" he cried, rubbing his shoulder. "Just my luck!"

Fidget plopped on the floor in a seated position, allowing himself to calm down so he could figure a way out. Before he could be left to his thoughts, Fidget began to hear something that made his whole form rigid with fear.

"Hahaha! So now the little coward has got himself trapped, hasn't he?!"

Fidget's whole body now quaked more than ever. It was the same warped voice he heard when he had run into Felicia. Was ... Felicia here!?

"Looks like you don't have Ratigan to force me to release you. There is no escaping now."

Without realizing what he was doing, Fidget backed in the direction of the crack in the wall and his left palm slipped forward inside it. The bat attempted to stand up ... but his webbed hand was stuck.

"What the-!? My hand!" Fidget uttered in a cry of desperation and he struggled to free it. He used his opposite hand pull it loose ... then accidentally put his hand into the crack. Now both his hands were stuck ... and the sound of that cat-like voice came closer and closer.

"Dammit, I can't get out!" Fidget uttered in a strained, high pitched voice. He placed his left foot and peg firmly on the ground and lifted the lower half of his body in an attempt to pull himself. But he was in an improper position to do so and his hands were hurting. Fidget's mind raced with images of Deniece, Father Richards, Albert & Anna Collins, and all the mice he had executed or given grief to. He was just beginning to live a normal life in mousedom society, finding his place in the world, making an honest living, and being with the one woman he loved ... and now it was all coming to an abrupt end!

"So, our little Mad Hatter got himself stuck in the wall, hasn't he?"

Fidget's ears wiggled as he realized a lady's voice came from behind him. He turned his head slowly. Standing directly behind him was the mysteriously attractive, yet sassy girl rat he met the other night. Allison Lydell.

Fidget's ears flicked back aggressively as he looked at the girl rat who reminded him way too much of Professor Ratigan. Every time he laid his eyes on that girl, or even heard her name, he was quick to anger.

Allison knelt to Fidget's level as she grabbed his face with her long, slender hand. "I see you've read my note and followed the directions to a tea, little Mad Hatter. You must've been quite the pupil Professor Ratigan had."

"Mad Hatter!?" Fidget reacted and he situation himself into a kneeling position. "Why do you call me a Mad Hatter!?"

"Well, you do have a reputation for being a master of disguises," Allison pointed out. "Able to wear the many hats so you could do as you please and most folk wouldn't suspect anything. And I've heard Basil of Baker Street once referred to you as a maniacal little monster. So, why not call you a Mad Hatter?"

Fidget shook his head to release Allison's hold on his face. "Yeah, but dat's not my name!"

"Oh, I know who you are," Allison replied, her voice now lowered to an undertone of warning. "You're the one who always came to The Rat Trap a lot for a drink of Rodent's Delight. And whenever you passed by Kitty and her sisters dancing on stage, you fixed your eyes on their legs and up their skirts, didn't you!?"

Wait a minute! How did SHE know!? Fidget thought as he desperately struggled to free his hands from the crack in the wall. But before he could say anything, Fidget felt something slither underneath the sole of his only foot, causing him to twitch. Fidget bit his lower lips in an attempt to suppress a giggle. When he looked to see what was going on, he noticed that Allison had the bulk of her long tail wrapped around his ankle and his only shoe was removed, leaving his foot bare ... and exposed for the tip of the tail to slither like a snake's tongue. Beads of sweat trickled down Fidget's face as he struggled to suppress any laughter. But the tickling slither of Allison's tail became too much; it wasn't long until the bat began to burst into laughing hysterics. Fidget didn't realize until now that while Allison was holding his face with one hand, she pulled off his only shoe with the other. And she was tickling his only foot with her tail.

"HAHAHAHAHA! STOP! HAHAHAHAHA! WHAT ARE YOU-HOHOHAHAHAHAH-DOIN'-HAHAHAHAAHA!"

"I've dealt with characters like you before!" Allison accused with a pointed finger as she continued to tickle Fidget's only foot with the tip of her tail. "You think you can come into a tavern like you own the place, demand drinks without paying for them, then treat our staff members as slaves. Well, you're wrong! And I will stand for it no longer!"

"What are-HAHAHAHHAHA-YOU talkin' abou-HAHAHAHAHAHAH!?" Fidget laughed hysterically at the tip was now slithering between his toes, then underneath them. No matter how hard he tried to pull his left leg away, Allison's grasp on his ankle was too tight. His only foot couldn't escape the tickling of Allison's tail. "I'VE NEVER-HER-HEH-AHAHAHAHA, SEEN YOU BEFO-HOHOHAHAHAHAHA! WHAT HAHAHAHAHAHAVE I D-DONE TO YOU-HOO-HAHAHAHAHAHA!?"

"Us Rat Trap girls have been worked to the bone by Ratigan's henchmice; two of our show girls went home almost starved to death. Everyone there was too afraid to say or do anything about it, but I'm not! And I'm most certainly not afraid of you! You are one of Ratigan's henchmen; I've seen how you've acted! And I will not stop until you answer all my questions."

"HAHAHAHA! WHAT DO YOU-HOOHAHAHAHA-MEAN!"

Allison rolled her eyes in disbelief of Fidget's ignorance. She knew that Fidget knew more than what he was telling. "What are your plans, little Mad Hatter?"

"WHAHAHAHAT PLANS?!" Fidget cried, tears streaming down his face from laughing.

"That giant cat, Felicia, is on the hunt for you!" Allison pointed out. "And you used to send Ratigan's prisoners to her for execution. Who will be your next victims, little Mad Hatter?!"

"WHAHAHAHAHAT ARE YOU-HAHAHAHAHA-TALKIN' ABOUT?!" Fidget struggled to ask, feeling as if he was loosing his strength. "I HAHAHAHAHATE HER!"

Surprisingly, the tickling stopped. Allison released her long tail from Fidget's ankle, allowing the exhausted bat to catch his breath.

"All I want ... is to leave da past ... behind me," Fidget panted. "I want to be ... with my friend, Niecy. I want to help her ... clean floors and ... cook meals. I want to help ... my foster parents ... with chores and take dhem ... outside da house for some ... fresh air once in a while. How can I ... do dat now with ... my hands stuck and ... dat fat cat on da loose to ... feast on me!?"

"So ... your sense of decency in this world is stronger than I thought," Allison uttered in a softer voice as she fetched the oil to help Fidget get his hands unstuck. She noticed the bat's hands were bruised and was quick to grab ointment from her cabinet. She attempted to apply it to Fidget's hands, but the bat angrily snatched the bottle from her and insisted that he could do it himself. "Oh, I'm sorry," Fidget said to Allison in a sarcastic tone, after he realized that he didn't properly thank Allison for helping him. "I sometimes forget dat I have no manners." He anticipated to a reaction from the girl rat or something reminiscent of something Professor Ratigan would say or do. Surprisingly, Allison was unfazed by Fidget's reaction and displayed a demeanor similar to Father Richards ... simply giving him a curious look. The girl rat called Dianah over to greet the peg-legged bat, causing Fidget to jerk away at first ... until the dapple-furred kitten nuzzled her bridge behind his right ear and purred affectionately. Somehow, Dianah's purrs were like music to Fidget's large ears. Unlike Felicia, who gave him goosebumps at the very thought of her, Dianah was more playful and affectionate. Without realizing what he was doing, Fidget stroked the Dianah's face.

"Obviously, you've met my cat, Dianah," Allison smiled. "You don't have to be afraid of her. The worst thing she can do is nuzzle you to death."

"She's ... very sweet ..." Fidget replied as she stroked the kitten's face.

"Looks like Dianah's made another little friend," Allison replied. "She's a very social kitten. I'm NOT very social, sometimes I envy her." The girl rat began to change the subject. "What I wrote in that note for you, Fidget, wasn't a total prank. I actually do have tea ready for both of us. It's peppermint."

Peppermint ... the same flavor of tea Deniece once made Fidget drink when he was sick with pneumonia. Normally, he would've stuck his tongue out in disgust, but he was still too exhausted to argue. And Allison went through all this trouble to get him here, he might as well accept the offer. It was the least he could do.

"I also know how to help you fight Felicia," Allison continued. "But you must listen to me. I know Felicia's story ... a little too well. In order to understand Felicia, you need to understand something about her past."

Fidget's ears perked up. "Her past?"

Allison heaved a sigh. Her facial expression had changed to sadness. "Felicia has a brain tumor ..."