Disclaimer: I do not own CATS or any of the characters in this story, other than the ones you do not recognize from the musical.

Chapter Six

As Plato walked away from Mistoffelees, his mind was racing.

He knew his Promised Mate was unhappy, and he knew that nothing he did was helping. She had sulked in their shared den all morning, and he had teased her gently, kissed her, rubbed her back and combed out her fur, invited her to dance with him, offered to go find food—yet the thing she had appreciated the most was his offer to leave her alone.

She had regretted it almost immediately, of course.

"Oh, Plato!" she had cried, finally coming out of the den and catching up to him within steps. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that—I just want to be alone, you see? It's not you, it's just me. I just—I just need some time to think. I need to think about some things. And it's easier when you're not there—you're just too much of a distraction," she had said coyly, raising herself to the tips of her toes to kiss him on his cheek. He had smiled at her, grasped her paw and squeezed it briefly, letting himself get lost in her eyes.

"Of course, Victoria," he had said, stepping back. "I understand. If you need me…I'll be around. It won't be hard to find me," he promised, making himself a mental note to stay in obvious places. Victoria had told him once, playfully, that he didn't need to center his life around her, and that he needn't go out of his way to please her.

He had responded in all seriousness that she was his life. It was true.

Now he headed towards the clearing, reminded of his promise to her. If she wanted to find him, he would be there. He would do anything for her.

But until she came to find him, he would sulk in silence.

To his disappointment, the clearing wasn't empty. The Rum Tum Tugger was there with some of the Tribe's kittens, enjoying the attention that came with his wiggling hips. Etcetera, Electra, and Jemima were all crowded close around him, squealing enthusiastically with every move; Etcetera looked as if she were about to faint with the excitement of it all. Asparagus, Tumblebrutus, and Pouncival stood off to one side, the two brothers looking awed by the maned tom, and Asparagus merely shaking his head with a frown. Surprisingly, Satis was there too, watching her father show off for the older kittens with a grin on her face. Occasionally she attempted to imitate his moves, shaking her own hips back and forth.

As Plato walked over, Etcetera let out one final, drawn-out squeal, then toppled over onto her side. Tugger glanced down at her, one eyebrow raised, then shook his head as he looked up and noticed the tomcat.

"It never gets old," he said, making the conscious two queen-kittens giggle, mewing and pressing up against his legs. He waved them off, and they mewed sadly before backing off, belatedly remembering the prone body of Etcetera and dragging her with them. The tom-kittens went to join them as Tugger strolled over towards Plato, who was looking at Jemima.

"Jemima?" he said tentatively, wondering if he should really get involved, and then deciding that he should. Victoria was going to be his Mate, and he was concerned for her. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Plato," the black and white kitten said, leaving Electra with Etcetera and moving to join the two toms. Automatically she went to Tugger's side, and he looped an arm around her. Plato was surprised at that, and it must have shown on his face, because Tugger laughed.

"Hey, don't worry," he said, grinning. "Bomba's fine with this. It ain't like anything's gonna happen." Jemima didn't react; she knew how it was.

"Right," Plato replied, folding his arms but deciding not to get into that. That was none of his business. "Jemima…did you and Victoria…I mean, when she went to find you, did you get into a fight? About anything?"

"Uh, no, we didn't…" Jemima said, looking a little nervous. But Plato could tell she wasn't lying to him. "Any reason?"

"Victoria's been upset lately," Plato said, shrugging, "and I don't know why. I thought that maybe something happened with you…but you're her best friend, do you know why?"

Now the kitten looked very nervous. "No! No, I have no idea," she squeaked, obviously lying, and ducking out from under the Rum Tum Tugger's arm before Plato could even open his mouth. "But, uh, I'm sure she'll feel better soon. Bye!" She ran back to her friends. Plato growled.

"Mate troubles?" the Tugger asked, still grinning and not at all phased by being abandoned by his fan. "Don't sweat it, queens are always moody. Gotta get used to it soon."

Plato scowled. The Tugger wasn't helping much. "It's not that. There's something wrong with her, and I need to know what. I have no idea what to do," he finished helplessly, sighing and lowering himself to the ground. Tugger dropped to the ground next to him, his expression not changing for an instant.

"You need help? We're friends, right? The Tugger's good for queen advice. Lemme help you," he said, and didn't bother to wait for Plato to respond before charging on (mainly because he knew the white and brown tom would refuse the help).

"I've never had problems like that with Bomba, but Munkie's with Deme, and she's just a load of issues."

"Demeter has had an awful past. She's a wonderful queen," Plato snarled, glaring. Tugger held up his paws.

"Sure she is, sure," he agreed, "but she does get moody all the time. And Bomba's had the same past, you don't see her all freaky like that. Anyway. When Deme's all quiet and sulky, Munk just thinks about stuff that happened recently, and about what she's been talking about, and about the Cats she's been seeing, or not seeing when she usually does. And he figures it out from there. So you gotta do the same thing, you know? What's happened lately with you two?"

"Our Mating Dance," Plato said miserably, slumping over. "Rumpus! Is that what she's upset about? That we danced together? Pollicles! It's me! I'm making her miserable! Oh, Rumpus, she's—"

"Whoa! Slow down!" Tugger yelled, and the kittens all looked over from where they were trying to revive Etcetera, until Plato shot them a look. They hastily went back to their task.

"That ain't it, she wouldn't have danced with you if she didn't want to," Tugger reassured the younger tom. "Nothing else? How 'bout her friends? She been staying away from any lately? I don't mean not hanging around with them, she would be spending most of her time with you right now. She been avoiding any lately?"

Plato considered. Her closest friends had always been Jemima, Mistoffelees, Etcetera, and Electra, along with Tumblebrutus, Pouncival, and Asparagus. She'd just seen Jemima the other day, so that wasn't it. They had passed by Etcetera and a furious Electra kitten-sitting the other day, and stopped to talk—even though Electra had been in a rage over Etcetera leaving her alone with the kittens for a time, there hadn't been any sign of anger or awkwardness between either of the queen-kittens and Victoria. Pouncival had stopped to speak with him when Victoria was with Jemima yesterday, and hadn't mentioned anything; he would have if something had happened, and he wouldn't have kept quiet about Tumblebrutus either. That left Asparagus and…Mistoffelees.

Plato snarled suddenly. Something had been off with the Conjuring Cat earlier that day. He stood, clenching his paws into fists and feeling the sting of his claws in his palms. The Rum Tum Tugger looked a little nervous.

"Hey, Plato, what's up?" he questioned, and the tomcat shook his head.

"I think I know what's wrong. I have to go, Tugger," he hissed, turning to stalk off.

The Tugger might have responded, but Plato didn't hear. His ears were filled with a rushing noise he realized was hatred for the black and white tuxedo tom. He was sure—he was positive—that Mistoffelees had done something to upset Victoria. The Magical Cat would pay for that.

Demeter yawned and stretched, blinking in the light that was coming in through the den's entrance. She smiled and rolled over, pressing against the warm, furry body at her side. Munkustrap cracked open one eye, smiling when he saw her.

"Morning," he said, then looked to the opening. "Or afternoon, is it?"

"Afternoon," Demeter agreed, grinning mischievously. "Were we just going to lie here all day, or did you plan on doing…something?"

"Demeter!" Munkustrap said, shocked but laughing a little. "I don't think I've ever seen this side of you before," he added, purring and wrapping an arm around her waist. "Of course, I don't have any complaints."

Demeter added her purr to his, but gently pushed away from him when he began to kiss up her neck. "I was kidding, Munk," she protested, giggling like a kitten. "I don't think I have the energy left for that."

"Hmm, well, I still wouldn't mind spending the day in here with you," the silver tabby said now, rolling closer to her.

"What will the Tribe say?" Demeter laughed when he began again, and he sighed, getting to his feet and attempting to smooth down his fur.

"You're right," he said a little glumly, but reached down and grasped her paw to pull her upright. Demeter smiled as he wrapped an arm around her waist again and led her out of the den.

"Will you come with me on patrol?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Of course, Munk. I haven't seen you much since the Ball," she said, frowning as she thought back to that night.

"I'm sorry, Deme, I guess I've just been busy…Old Deuteronomy has been putting more duties on me lately," he admitted. "I think he's trying to get me used to the idea of being Leader."

"And?" she prompted, knowing there was more.

"And…I've been thinking about…things."

"Grizabella," Demeter said softly, looking down.

The two were silent for a few moments. Munkustrap looked concernedly at his Mate, tugging her closer to him and letting her head fall onto his shoulder. Neither realized they had stopped in the middle of one of the lanes through the Junkyard. They stood there, both saddened by the loss of the queen and reflecting on their own pasts with her.

"You never knew her like I did," Demeter said suddenly, her voice barely a whisper. "You never got a chance to really know her…she was wonderful to me and Bomba, back with…him. She always took care of us and made sure we were safe."

"I did like her, while she was here," Munkustrap replied just as quietly. "We were all angry at her, but a lot of that was because we all trusted her and liked her so much. I remember the Ball she came to…"

"What was that like?" Demeter asked, smiling faintly. "I would have liked to know her like that. Me, Bomba, and Grizabella, at the Ball. What was she like?"

"I had a crush on her, back then," Munkustrap admitted, shrugging. "Like Pouncival with Bombalurina. All of the other tom-kittens, too, although Tugger won't admit it if you ask him. More than a few of the grown toms. She was beautiful and kind, and never above playing with even the youngest of the kittens. I wonder sometimes if that was all just an act…"

"No," Demeter said firmly, shaking her head. "She may have been working for Macavity, but I think she always had a soft spot for kittens. It's why she couldn't leave us."

"I couldn't attend the Ball when she was there; I was too young," the silver tabby started again. "But I remember that the kitten-sitter was sleeping, so I snuck out and watched from a distance. We had different songs back then. Jennyanydots, Bustopher Jones, Old Deuteronomy, Gus, and Skimbleshanks all had their songs, and even Macavity had become notorious enough to earn his own song by then. We had a tom who was famous for befriending a Pollicle dog, and even brought it in during the Ball; two queens that were known for their generosity and kindness in helping stray Jellicles; and another tom who hunted mice on farms. They all had their own numbers, but they…left the Tribe. After…we found out about Grizabella. It was hard, sometimes, to look around and know that a beloved member of the Tribe had betrayed us all, and wonder who else might be—who else might do the same.

"And Grizabella had her own number even then. That's where she became known as the Glamour Cat. Her song was a bit like Tugger's—I think that's where he got his inspiration," he added, smirking. Demeter laughed.

"I'm not surprised. He never was that creative."

"Don't let him hear you say that," Munkustrap said fervently, shaking his head. "He'll come to me about it, and Rumpus can that Cat complain!"

Demeter giggled at that, cuddling closer to her Mate, then sighed. "I wish she was still here. I miss her. More than you can imagine, I miss her."

Fifteen Years Ago

"Grizabella! Are you watching us today?" Munkustrap asked, grinning happily. The brown queen was always volunteering to watch the kittens, and all of the kittens loved it when she did.

"Not today, Munkie," the queen replied apologetically, and the silver tabby tom-kitten didn't even mind the nickname. It sounded so good coming from this queen, although he wouldn't tolerate it from any other Cats.

"Why not?" he demanded, following her as she began to cross the clearing. The Glamour Cat turned to smile at him, ruffling his head-fur.

"Aren't we demanding today?" she teased, and Munkustrap could feel his cheeks burning up below his fur. Not for the first time, he was grateful that the colors on his face kept the blush from showing through, unlike some of the others; poor four-year-old Victoria would have the hardest time with that, with her pure white fur.

"I have business today, dear, and I just can't leave it any longer," the queen said softly, having stopped on the edge of the clearing. "But I'll stop by to play with you later, okay?"

"Okay!" Munkustrap agreed, then paused. "Can I come with you?"

Grizabella laughed here, a high, sweet sound that made Munkustrap's heart flip over. "Sorry, Munkie, but I don't think you're old enough for this."

"I'm eleven!" he protested, desperate to be included in the queen's plans.

"Not even old enough to attend the Ball," she said softly, as gently as she could. Munkustrap felt the remark like a stab, though; he was starting to come to the age where being left out of the Ball began to hurt, especially since his brother would brag the next day about how much fun it was.

"But how about this?" Grizabella said now, regret plain in her voice. She didn't like to hurt the kittens. "How about just you and me play later? I would take you with me, dear, but I don't think Jenny and Jelly would approve."

"They like you," Munkustrap insisted. "Jelly especially; I heard her tell Jenny that she wished more Cats were like you. They'd say yes, I know it!"

"But I have to leave the Junkyard, and it's not a good idea for kittens to leave just yet. Not with Macavity's henchcats roaming around," she almost whispered, and something about the look on her face made Munkustrap pause. Was that regret again? Sorrow? Guilt?

"Fine," he agreed, and thought he had given in much too easily for her not to be suspicious. But she believed him anyway, smiling at him.

"Thank you, Munkustrap," she said, smoothing out the head-fur she'd messed up earlier. "I'll see you later, all right?"

"All right," he said, again agreeing far too easily.

He only waited until she had disappeared out of his sightline, then he looked over at Jennyanydots and Jellylorum, the kitten-sitters of the day. They were busy with Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, scolding the calico friends for terrorizing Electra and Etcetera until they cried, and didn't notice as he scaled the pile of junk and took off after his favorite queen.

She didn't notice either, because he was far too careful to be noticed. As she strolled through the lanes towards the entrance, he clambered over old, rusted parts, trying to find the safest route and the fastest.

When she left the Junkyard, he slid down the pile and ran after her, taking care to be stealthy. It was easy for him; it came naturally.

He ran around a corner where he'd seen her go, and then stopped in his tracks.

There she was, conversing easily with a large, broad black Cat that was easily recognizable as one of Macavity's agents. He gasped—was she in danger? He stepped a little closer, staying close to the building and listening nervously. She was talking.

"…Leader's kitten, Munkustrap, is in line for Leadership next. His older brother, the Rum Tum Tugger, is not suited for the position, nor does he want it. That's good news; the little kitten is wrapped around my paw…"

Munkustrap didn't wait to hear more. He felt tears spring to his eyes, but pushed them back angrily. Tugger didn't cry over queens or betrayal, so neither would he.

Wrapped around her paw, was he? He'd show her.

He almost felt sorry for this; he'd loved the queen so much from the moment she first stepped into the Yard a year ago. But he was going to be Leader eventually, and this was important, even if it meant the exile of a close friend.

Not a friend, he reminded himself. A traitor.

The two Cats didn't even notice the sound of his retreat as he ran full-speed back to the Junkyard. He had to tell his father about this.

A/N: Have you ever noticed, when you log in to this site, sometimes it asks you if you're human (followed by the stupid type-this-word test)? That really makes me want to go, "No. I'm a zombie." Just a little random musing there.

And one more thing, I just have to say...wow! I really appreciate all the awesome feedback you guys have been giving me.

And since I forgot to say it last chapter, we're now officially (a little over) halfway through the story!