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 4: The Sad Story of Felicia
The girl rat extended her arm in the direction of the table as a gesture of warm welcome to the peg-legged bat. Fidget still didn't fully trust Allison for tricking him to come here and would've still held onto his anger with her for making him feel stupid. He was also angry with Deniece for lying to him about "Abigail Landers," he couldn't believe she would do such a thing! But after Allison had called her kitten, Dianah, Fidget gave the girl rat the benefit of the doubt. At least she didn't FEED me to her kitten, he thought. He sat in the chair next to Allison.
"I suppose you're thinking that your beloved Deniece deceived you," Allison replied, sensing a feeling of betrayal by the sound of Fidget's breathing. "Am I right, little Mad Hatter?"
Fidget's yellow eyes narrowed to slits as he looked back at Allison. He didn't like to reminded of things that upset him. "Damn dat woman! How could she?!" he huffed angrily.
"Well, don't be too angry with her," Allison assured him. "The prank was all my idea. Deniece didn't want me to hurt you, she claims that you've suffered enough. But I am not entirely through with you." Allison walked over to the stove to heat up some tea. "You really don't remember me, do you?"
Fidget pulled on his large ears in frustration. "No, I don't remember! Why does everyone else expect me to read dheir minds and not give me a straight answer?!"
"Well, fear not, Mad Hatter," Allison replied. "I won't belt it out of you the way those Von Freirherr Brothers did."
That made Fidget's face turn as red as a beet. She was not supposed to tell anyone else dat! The peg-legged bat thought. Not only was he mad at Deniece for lying to him, but he was now mad at her for telling this girl rat things that were meant to be only between himself and Deniece.
"Think back, Mr. Fidget," Allison began. "Does the name Rodent's Delight mean anything to you?"
Fidget nodded. "Dat was da drink I used to order."
"And when was the last time you paid for it?" Allison asked, giving the bat a suspicious look.
"Wait, what are you talkin' about?!" Fidget gave the girl rat a puzzled look. "I did pay for dhose pints ... with da money I was paid by Captain Bates and Professor Ratigan."
"I meant the last time you honestly paid for it?" Allison re-iterated. "That was stolen money, Fidget. It was never yours or your bosses' to begin with. The Rat Trap suffered in their reputation because of it. Not to mention your Captain Bates mocked me once and then your Professor Ratigan tried to brainwash me because I was the same species as him. And I saw you in both instances, but did you speak up to defend me even once? No! You played along with their games, and then you tried to get fresh with me!"
Although he was seething through his teeth in hearing all this, Fidget did remember some past encounter with this girl rat before, except they were a bit vague. But the bat took a deep breath and put all his concentration into recollecting his memories that he wanted to leave dormant. Then it became clear. The first time he saw Allison was shortly after his captain, Lillian Bates, had mocked her, saying that she would be forever single and that the only man who would want her was a blind one. Fidget saw the girl rat run the other way, crying, but at the time, it didn't faze him. Then he met her again when he was under the employment of Professor Ratigan, who constantly hounded her to come join him in his noble cause which Allison was actually smart enough to refuse. And then Fidget got one good look at her and smirked, as if the girl rat was a laughable sight with her unkempt hair and shabby appearance. Ratigan even went as far as to take Allison hostage among a few others in the Rat Trap. She was an unknown waitress at the time. Allison's hands were bound, it was Fidget who was given the honor to do so. When opportunity presented itself, Fidget caressed the girl rat's slender thighs, causing her to repulse. But she had fight in her to slap his face with her long tail before kicking him away. Allison would NEVER allow herself to be anyone's girl toy. And the bat was too stupid to take into consideration her long tail before tying her up.
Fidget had completely forgotten about those events, just as he did with the parents of the Von Freirherr Brothers. No wonder he had been quick to anger whenever she mocked him for his lack of mannerisms or whenever she was present at all. She was just another victim of circumstance who just wanted to take her anger out on the person who hurt her. Yes, she had tricked him and somehow managed to bribe Deniece into it, but Allison's actions were not without just cause. Once again, Fidget's stubborn pride was shot down as he looked at the same girl rat that his former bosses gave grief to. And not only did he not speak up in her defense, as Allison pointed out, but he actually laughed with his bosses when they mocked her. By not doing a damn thing, Fidget had been a jerk to her.
Allison returned to the table with the tea ready as she poured the two cups for them. Fidget hesitated to say anything, clenching his fists. A part of him was still too proud for apologizing, but he could no longer tolerate the guilt that was now gnawing inside of him. After Allison placed the teapot back on the table, Fidget leapt from his seat and grabbed the girl rat in a fierce, apologetic embrace. Allison's body went rigid.
"I ... I was ... wrong to not help you," Fidget told her, his voice shaky with regret. "I'm ... n-not so g-good with apologies, b-but ... w-what can I d-do ... to make it up to ... y-you?"
Although a part of Allison was still angry with Fidget for what he did to her, she wrapped her arms around him in an embrace of her own. "When I heard from Father Richards that you're not a threat to anyone anymore, I refused to believe it," Allison replied. "Then I ran into the Von Freirherr Brothers. Rolfe told me he and his brother, Hans, had you punished for your misdeed toward them. And then they said you came to their cabin to make amends; I still didn't believe what I was hearing until I met Deniece. She told me of this very special friend she met. She said it was someone who had a bit of a checkered past, but was capable of good. I had no idea that friend was you." The girl rat could feel a wave of angry tears brimming in her tawny-colored eyes. Long ago, she would've been repulsed by this same bat if he even so much as touched her. Now she felt awkward, as if she was in the presence of someone entirely different. This same bat who would snicker after he looked her way, who teased her leg before she kicked him away was now apologizing to her? If Fidget did not hold her in an apologetic way, she still wouldn't have believed it. And oddly enough, Allison began to feel a hint of guilt herself for tricking him and torturing him before he even had the chance to explain himself. Dianah was right in giving her a cross look earlier. But why did she feel this way with Fidget but not with other thugs before him?
"Oohhh! Alright," Allison sighed inwardly, figuring that the situation was too complicated to brood further on it. "I'm sorry I tricked you ... and I'm sorry I dragged your Deniece into all this. I don't know what it is about you, but you're starting to make me feel bad." The girl rat rested her clawed hands on Fidget's shoulders. "I am rather curious though. What made you stop?"
Fidget sighed inwardly as his large ears drooped. "It's ... complicated. Let's just say ... I never really wanted dat life to begin with."
Allison cocked her head in a puzzled manner. "The last time I saw you, Mad Hatter, you looked like someone who took pleasure in your job."
"Dat's what da Von Freirherr Brothers said too," Fidget replied with a nod. "But dhere is some stuff about me most folks don't know. I only share dat part with Deniece and my foster parents, but ... I'll tell you too." Fidget proceeded to tell Allison about his ordeals with the Nightwing Pirates, especially how Blade was jealous of Fidget for getting the opportunity of being Captain Bates's second in command, and how any attempts of friendship he made with those outside the circle were constantly thwarted, either by Blade or any of the other pirates. He also told Allison that Fidget was not his real name, but Finnius Holloway. Although the sound of Fidget's story was indeed shocking, Allison wasn't too surprised. She had a sneaky suspicion that Fidget was someone who had been brainwashed, but she always concluded in her mind that it was because he allowed himself to be brainwashed. How Allison could tell this was remembering the way he used to look at her, almost curiously, then snicker to himself a few seconds later (not to mention an occasional stupid look when she overheard Ratigan discuss some scheme with him). Allison always had a good way of telling the difference between those who had been brainwashed by Ratigan and those who joined him of their own free will. Then Fidget lifted up his sweater to reveal his scar-covered body. Allison turned her face away and covered her eyes for a moment. Now her guilt for tricking him earlier worsened. This bat had not only been brainwashed. He had been broken.
"Fidget, I brought you here for a reason," Allison continued. "I said in my note that I would help you fight Felicia ... and that is what I intend to do."
Fidget's ears perked. "How?"
Allison fetched a cup of peppermint tea from the table, then handed it to the peg-legged bat and motioned for him to drink it first. Fidget reluctantly obliged. He still wasn't fond of the taste of peppermint tea, but as it once did when he was sick, it did help to calm his nerves. "You may not believe this, but Felicia has also been brainwashed."
Fidget shook his head in disbelief. "What!?
Allison nodded, expecting such a response from the bat himself. "It's not normal for a domesticated cat to be constantly hungry every three seconds. Take a good look at my cat, Dianah."
Fidget's yellow eyes followed the motion of Allison's arm as she gestured to the dapple-furred kitten. Dianah was practically tiny in comparison to Felicia, not to mention a lot cuter (that was saying a lot from Fidget's end, and he hated cats). But Dianah wasn't just tiny in height, she was actually very lean and full of energy.
"I may be hard on her at times," Allison continued, "but there is one thing I would never do to her. That is to rob her of her own freedom."
Fidget scratched the back of his head. "I ... don't follow ..."
"Cats like to run around a lot, my little Mad Hatter. They need movement in their lives to be happy, especially when they hunt for food, like fish. And if they do kill a rodent or anything else smaller than them, it's merely by accident or if it gets in the way of their activity. Sadly, Felicia had been robbed of her feline instincts, trapped forever in the same corner, only to come out at the ring of a bell to feast on rodent flesh, but never finding a mate."
Fidget crossed his winged arms curiously. "You ... sound as if you know Felicia."
"Most of what I know of her is through my friend, Charles," Allison replied. "But that doesn't mean I haven't seen how Ratigan has treated her. Unlike Dianah, Felicia's owners abandoned her, left her to die. A very dingy and mangy looking thing, she was. Charles would've taken the cat under his wing out of pity. Unfortunately, Ratigan got to her first." At this, Allison huffed in exasperation. "He would always boast how he was the only one who accepted her for what she was. If he truly believed that, why didn't he take her to a professional cat doctor!?
"Cat doctor?" Fidget repeated.
"She has always been a sickly cat, little Mad Hatter," Allison replied. "The first time I saw Felicia, she was very scrawny, undernourished, and had somehow got scratches all over her body. Dianah wasn't even born yet. I was always too busy with work, but whenever opportunity presented itself, I would provide her a saucer of milk and dress her wounds. She didn't fully trust me at first, and even hissed at me whenever I applied a disinfectant on her wounds."
"Weren't you afraid she would eat you?!" Fidget gasped.
Allison nodded. "Like you, I was petrified at first. But my dearest friend, Charles, taught me that the only way to conquer any fear is to face it head on. I spoke to Felicia in a stern voice, just as I do with Dianah. I had to feign courage to earn her respect. She didn't like it, but she eventually learned to respect me."
The girl rat's story enticed Fidget to have his curiosity satiated. "Do ... all rats have a way with cats?"
Allison shrugged. "Well, we fear cats just as much as mice do. But we tend to be a little more daring in our methods than mice. And most mice find us rats too repulsive to be a part of their inner circle anyway, so ... why not befriend a cat?"
Fidget rubbed his chin as he thought deeply about whenever he used to see Ratigan with Felicia. While Fidget was Ratigan's henchbat, all he saw was how Ratigan pampered and spoiled that cat, much to Fidget's disgust (but he didn't dare tell him that). He used to think Ratigan gave that cat more affection and care than his own henchmen. But then Fidget remembered something else. When the fat rat wasn't looking, Fidget overheard Ratigan constantly complain how incompetent his henchmice were, more times than could be counted. And Fidget couldn't help but notice Felicia occasionally rolled her eyes, as if she was sick and tired of hearing it. At the time, Fidget pretended to be asleep, hanging upside down from the faucet of the barrel while his large ears were always on high alert. When Ratigan went off to the side, Fidget quietly crept on top of the barrel to peek at what was going on. He noticed that Felicia showed signs that she was in pain. Fidget dismissed it at the time as she simply ate too much. But now when the peg-legged bat no longer had to endure the pressures of living that life anymore, he realized that it wasn't Felicia's stomach that was ailing her. The fat feline's body went through involuntary convulsions ... like she was suffering from a seizure. It reminded him of when his foster mother, Anna, underwent a similar spell. The peg-legged bat recalled how worried he was when Anna wasn't well and needed to be helped. She may have been annoyed with Fidget's antics at times and made him do more chores than he would've liked to, but she never mistreated him the way Ratigan did. Anna never had him fed to any cat, she never starved him, and she never abandoned him or threw him out on the streets. And when Fidget had exhausted himself from overexertion, Anna was actually merciful enough to let him rest. Now Fidget was beginning to see a similar pattern of suffering in Felicia. The more he thought about it, the more Felicia sounded just like him ... and it made him pity her.
"I suppose you have a daring side, too," Allison giggled as she noticed the look of pity on Fidget's face. "Maybe that's why Ratigan put you in charge of feeding her with his prisoners?"
Fidget gave Allison an enlightened stare. Yes, that must've been the reason why. There was no other explanation for it. If what Allison said was true about rats being the only rodents ones bold enough to befriend cats while mice simply ran away in fear, then maybe that was the reason Ratigan chose him to be the one to feed Felicia when he wasn't around. Did that mean bats were somewhat more daring than mice too?
"Believe it or not," Allison continued. "That is the first step in fighting Felicia." The girl rat stopped short for a moment to look at the clock on the wall. "I'll need to visit with Charles for an hour before I bring him back here. You'll stay here and keep an eye on Dianah, won't you?"
Fidget looked at Dianah, who in return looked back at him. The dapple-furred kitten walked in the bat's direction just before she began to tickle Fidget's left ear with her whiskers, causing his body to quiver uncontrollably as he giggled. The only way out of it was to tell Allison what she wanted to hear. "Heheh, y-yes ..." the bat replied through a fitful of giggles. "I will, heheh, take care of her."
Allison's smile glowed with knightly confidence. "That's the second step to conquer Felicia, my little Mad Hatter. The bottles of milk are in the icebox on the opposite wall and her dish is there. Upon my return with Charles, I shall teach you more."
Deniece went for her usual flight outside for a bit of fresh air. How she enjoyed the wind in her butter-toned hair as she flapped merrily in circles. It was her way of getting exercise whenever she didn't want to be cooped up inside the house. Thanks to her dearest friend, Fidget, she could enjoy the outdoors more without fear of any other man standing in her way. Most of the times, she and Fidget were together side by side. But even when she went by herself, she could rest assured that she would return to her house and Fidget would be there. Although she did feel a twinge of guilt for lying about the fact that it was Allison who sent that note, Deniece was confident that Fidget was out of harm's way. For the short time Deniece knew Allison Lydell, she knew she could trust her. Allison was rather eccentric to most rodent folk (then again, she was a rat-rats were always considered eccentric by the mice folk), but somehow she reminded Deniece of her childhood friend, Lacey. She only hoped that Fidget would warm up to her a little. The lady bat knew too well how sensitive Fidget was, especially whenever he was confronted with a demon of the past (such as the image of Allison and Dianah reminding him of Ratigan and Felicia).
And speaking of Felicia ... Deniece began to spot something moving in the shadows below. The dark-furred, blonde-haired bat temporarily landed on the window sill. Deniece could tell it was a large cat moving fast upon the sidewalk. Luckily, it hadn't looked skyward, otherwise Deniece would've been spotted. But the lady bat was curious as to where Felicia was going. Was she on the hunt for Fidget again? Deniece decided to follow her while keeping a safe distance. Already, this fat cat was wreaking havoc in mousedom, killing mice, leaving their bodies half-eaten ... even little mice children were found among the rubble of bodies.
Why is this cat attacking at random? Deniece wondered. And Allison knows something about Felicia. Hopefully she'll reveal more to Basil and myself later on.
The peg-legged bat sat on top of Dianah's front legs as he stroked her face with his webbed hands. Fidget finished pouring a saucer of milk for Dianah and made sure she drank it before he ever got near her again. Dianah stared at the bat, a look of interest and fascination glimmered in her green eyes just before she nudged her bridge against Fidget's ear. "Do you ... wanna play?" Fidget asked her.
Surprisingly, Dianah stopped nudging Fidget and nodded her head. Fidget stared at her with curiosity. Did this kitten understand what he just said?
"How many bats have you run into?" Fidget continued, before he even realized he was conversing with a cat. Dianah meowed in response.
What da hell am I DOING!? Fidget thought to himself. I'm talkin' to a CAT, like she's actually goin' to RESPOND to me!
Dianah crept over to Fidget's side and nudged her bridge against his left ear again. The peg-legged bat turned his gaze toward her. "What kind of games do you like to play?"
The dapple-furred kitten gave the bat a mischievous little grin moments before she swiped her left front leg against Fidget's peg, causing him to fall backwards.
"Hey!" the bat called out as he flailed his wings.
With her right front leg, Dianah cushioned Fidget's fall, then pinned both his legs down with her left.
"Wait! What are you doin'!?" Fidget cried, clueless as to what was going on. Then he felt the bottom of his sweater being pulled up, exposing his belly. Before the bat could utter another word, he felt the tip of a cat's tongue slither to and fro upon his stomach. Fidget's body began to twitch and an uncontrollable laughter escaped his throat.
"Hahahahahah! H-hey s-s-s-s-stop da-hahahahah-at!"
Fidget flailed his helplessly as Dianah teased and tickled his belly with her small tongue. In the back of his mind, Fidget panicked and anticipated the kitten to take a bite out of him. He placed his webbed hands upon her bridge to push her face away, which were shaking so much since Dianah was tickling him relentlessly. Then he recalled Allison's final words before she left him alone with the dapple-furred kitten: That's the SECOND step to conquer Felicia, little Mad Hatter. Was this supposed to be some test that Fidget had to endure? He clenched his fists and pressed them against the sides of his head as his whole body shook from laughter. It was Allison who once told him that the worst thing Dianah could do was tickle someone to death. And that was exactly what the kitten was doing to Fidget right now. And it wasn't too long before Dianah gently pulled off the bat's only shoe with her baby teeth and began tickling the sole of his foot with her tongue.
"HAHAHAHAHA! NO, NOT AGAIN-HAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Fidget cried as the tickling drove him mad. The bat could feel tears trickle down his face as he begged for the tickling to stop. Then without warning, Dianah released the bat and allowed him to roll on his stomach to catch his breath. Fidget's body was drenched with sweat as panted for breath. Just a few seconds later, he heard the door open. Fidget looked up to be greeted by Allison Lydell and a tall male mouse of gray fur standing next to her. The girl rat looked down on the floor where Fidget lay; a giggle escaped her throat.
"I see you passed Dianah's test, little Mad Hatter," Allison said as she extended her hands and helped Fidget to his foot and peg. "My kitten is all too familiar with the weaknesses of the body. She has done this before with other thugs who dared to bother us. But it looks like she was easy on you, and that's saying something."
Easy on me!? Fidget thought in disbelief as he continued panting for breath and grabbed his sole shoe to put it back on. Dat cat had me in TEARS!
Allison gestured her hand in the direction of the gray-furred mouse next to her. "Fidget, this mouse here is my friend, Charles Dodgson. He's known to the public as Luther Carol."
The gray-furred mouse named Charles smiled as he turned his gaze to Allison. "It's not everyday folks get the opportunity to meet the creator of the popular Rodent's Delight drink served at The Rat Trap."
Fidget's ears flapped in surprise. "What!?" he gasped. "You mean dat ... drink I used to order from Da Rat Trap ... was made by you!?"
Allison nodded. "It's not surprising that you'd be shocked by the news, little Mad Hatter. The maker of Rodent's Delight had to keep herself anonymous. If mice knew that it was invented by a rat, they would refuse to drink it."
An embarrassed flush appeared on Fidget's face. All this time that his bosses mocked her and he just went along with the game, Fidget had actually drank the drink from the very same rodent they were mocking.
"But enough of that," Allison decided as she motioned Fidget to follow her and Charles back to the tea table. "The more important topic is how to fight Felicia."
"Yes, you said somethin' about a tumor earlier," Fidget replied, continuing where they left off. "How did you know she had one?"
"By her gait," Charles replied. "Even when she was thin, Felicia always walked funny. But then ... she would start having these seizures. Allison was the first to spot them."
"We were going to find a doctor for her," Allison added. "Some kind of surgeon to have it removed ... but then Ratigan got to her first before we did. Obviously, that pompous rat never took proper care of her, never called a doctor. Now her tumor has worsened and it has caused her to run mad throughout London, attacking at random."
"But if her tumor makes her attack anyone randomly," Fidget began, somewhat confused by all this, "then why would she specifically be on da hunt for me?"
"She must still have a bit of a brain left to recognize you," Allison concluded. "She would never go to any specific person unless she was familiar with him or her."
The peg-legged bat scratched his head. Dat still doesn't explain how she would recognize me if her tumor has worsened, Fidget thought. If she is attacking at random, wouldn't she have just bypassed me? Maybe Charles and Allison are guessing. "So how do I fight her?"
"Only one way," Allison warned him. "Do not show her any emotions. Do not show her fear, and even if she manages to expose your weakness, you must maintain a calm state of mind. If you so much as show any emotion toward her, she will kill you."
"Is dat why you made peppermint tea?" Fidget asked.
Allison nodded. "Deniece told me you were sick once and she gave you peppermint tea to calm you down. It's very good at calming the nerves. The rest however, will be entirely up to you."
Fidget heaved a deep sigh of reluctance. "Oh, alright ... I still don't like cats, specifically Felicia ... But, I'll do my best."
"You must face her, Fidget!" Allison urged. "If not, Felicia will continue to attack until there is no one left in all mousedom! This is a chance for you to redeem yourself!"
The peg-legged bat tensed in frustration. Was he going to be forever on the punishing end?!
"Fidget?! FIDGET!"
Fidget jerked from his stupor. He heard a voice that did not come from either Allison nor Charles. He listened to the voice ... until he recognized who it was. "Niecy!" the bat blurted. "She's in trouble!"