A/N: I'm sorry you guys. Really, really sorry. For months on end there I was subject to severe writer's block, till I finally decided to put this away for a while. But now that my hope has been restored with a new reviewer (HINT HINT), and I am feeling refreshed and particularly inspired, I returned to this fic. Tada: a new chapter for you all! Enjoy, and please review!

I really am melodramatic, Rosemarine thought glumly, not really seeing anything or anyone as she passed right through the junkyard clearing. Her vision was, in point of fact, actually swimming quite a bit despite the still-successful effort she was making not to cry. Lost in feline adolescent depression, she naturally did not notice the black and white calico tom slip down from some unseen perch to follow her in her numb wandering.

On and on plodded the tawny princess, with her increasingly concerned follower at a discreet distance behind. On and on, long since out of the junkyard, through the byways of the quiet village, nearly a mile out in the surrounding countryside… and steadily approaching a hedge from whence a distinct roar could be heard at intervals.

Well, there is something to be said for melodrama… Rose blindly kept putting one foot in front of the other, deaf to anything around her, and not really paying attention as she squeezed through the bush that was suddenly in her way. At least it allows you to have out your feelings. With no one to say how silly you're being-

NO!!!

The mental voice was not hers. Neither, she realized with a shock, was it her decision to go tumbling end over end back the way she'd come. As Rose blinked her startled blue eyes, the world came back into focus to reveal a most curious sight- that of a calico tom's panicked face directly above her, leaves behind his head. Seconds later, a monstrous roar went whizzing by. Haltingly, more coherent thoughts began to return to her. This was Coricopat- and the noise she'd just heard was…a human's car?

I really am melodramatic…

Coricopat had been in a doze for most of the morning, until he heard that dwelled-on mental voice as more than just a memory. His blue-eyed ingenue, as Tantomile had taken (most provokingly) to calling her- Rosemarine. He poked his head out of the flap of an old curtain that covered the entrance to the twins' den, just in time to see the tawny princess go by. She was walking as if in a trance; though several Jellicles attempted to ask what was wrong, she seemed not to see or hear them. He could feel wordless sadness radiating from her. Something was most definitely wrong, and Cori was sure that he knew what. Without stopping to think he slid out of the door-flap and began silently to trail her. In such a state of distress- there's no telling where she might go before she comes out of it.

Farther and farther wandered the object of his steadily growing attraction, faithfully tailed in every step by an increasingly concerned Cori. He was certain now that Rosemarine was just walking to keep walking, unwilling to face her disappointment and rejection within the sight of any others of their tribe. And as they left not only the bounds of the junkyard but the town as well, Coricopat began to fear that his… crush, as he supposed it was accurate to term the attachment, was willfully abandoning all rational thought. For Heaviside's sake, they were nearing the humans' main thoroughfare! Surely Rose couldn't be that far gone-

Well, there is something to be said for melodrama. At least it allows you to have your feelings out.

Okay, so not all rational thought. Coricopat allowed himself that relief- and quickly gave way to utter horror. She was going under the hedge!

NO!!!

The calico tom put on speed he never knew he had. In a few bounds he was right behind her, clear through the hedge, and pounced- rolling backwards with her safe in his paws to land under the leaves again moments before the speeding machine reached the spot where she had once been.

Rosemarine- safe. If only just in time.

Those beautiful blue eyes blinked back up at him. He could feel the sadness dissipating in the face of puzzlement as Rosemarine realized where she was- and who was with her. She was about to speak, but he burst out before she could. "Are you quietly out of your mind?"

She shook her head as if clearing water from her ears. "What?"

Swiftly realizing the compromising appearance of such a position, Coricopat moved to allow her to sit up so that they were merely beside each other. Not, however, without a good venting of his spleen as he did so. "I realize that the rejection you must have received would be a crushing blow, but to wander out here in such danger- How much is this tom actually worth to you, that you would lose all sense of the world around you? And why in the name of the Everlasting Cat would you nearly take yourself away from m- from all of us forever?" He paused for breath.

The blue eyes that stared at him seemed to be much less dazed now. "Cori, how did you know- And how did you get here so fast?"

"You were moving unaware of where you were going in a near catatonic state of wholly unnecessary angst!" the black and white calico fumed.

"Unnecessary?" Now there was a spark of indignation in Rosemarine's eyes. "Munkustrap is the one tom I would ever dream of and he turned me down! Of course I feel angst, or whatever you want to call it! You call that unnecessary?!"

"But any Jellicle with fully functioning eyes can see that he's head over heels for Demeter, and they're happy that way! Why is it always like this?"

"What do you mean always like this, and why were you following me?"

"Following you? Did I mention the state of near catatonia? I was trying to make sure you didn't hurt yourself, and you almost got killed!"

"You still didn't explain what you meant about 'always like that'! Or what 'it' is anyway!"

"Princesses!" Coricopat exploded. "The whole generation of adolescent Jellicles! With their obsessive fixations on members of the opposite gender who are perfectly happy with another than themselves, when if they'd only look around they'd see that there's someone who-"

"Someone who what?" In the face of a near-death experience, Rosemarine was quickly revealing quite a bit of spine. "Someone who stalks them in every mental move? Who offers unnecessary romantic advice?"

"You asked me for that-"

"Someone who saves a kit's life and then proceeds to blow up in their face? Someone who what, Coricopat?" Rosemarine demanded.

"Someone who cares about them too!" Cori cried in furious plot-advancing abandon.

This brought the conversation (or should I say, post-traumatic stress explosion) to a crashing halt. Coricopat found himself experiencing in rapid succession several emotions he'd only ever watched from a distance: shock at the vital fact he'd just unthinkingly blurted out, embarrassment over the same, and a growing sense of longing for the ground to simply open and swallow him conveniently up. Somewhere in the vast distance he was aware of heat erupting over his cheeks so that the white patches thereon now appeared to be a violent shade of electric fuchsia. I always thought it was absurd to overreact to something one said like this, he thought vaguely. So histrionic... so overemotional. Always thought it was-

Unnecessary?

Cori looked up to see a very arch smile on the face of… his princess. Why even attempt to deny it now… One might even call that expression a smirk.

Back in the junkyard clearing, the gossip circle had suddenly grown very much louder. It had been temporarily stunned into silence by the reemergence of Rosemarine, true; but within minutes of her passing, Jellylorum, Rumpleteazer and Pussywillow had turned in eerie unison to Gossamew and burst out with questions. (Demeter, thank the Heaviside, had excused herself to practice with Bombalurina.)

"Ok Goss, that's it. What's going on?" Pussy all but demanded.

"Yeah, wha' was tha' all about?" Rumple chimed in, almost clipping off the end of Pussy's sentence. "Firs' Rose goes off under the tiah, leadin' Munku, who after goin' around loike a madcat all mornin' jus' trots after 'er no questions asked. Foive minutes latah she comes back lookin' loike death warmed ovah, tossed back in the freezah an' then inexpertly thawed. An' 'oo goes after 'er? Coricopat! Now 'ow d'you essplain tha', Gossy?"

"Keep it down, you two!" Jellylorum shushed them, then turned to Gossamew herself and asked in the same breath: "Really Gossamew, if you know anything about all this…"

"Okay, okay, okay!" Goss held up her paws as much in self-defense as to quiet the onslaught- they were all three getting way too close. "Calm down, will you? I surrender. Really."

The trio sat back solemnly. Three sets of eyes- two brown pairs, one yellow- gazed at her in silent expectation. They almost radiated the demand: talk. More than a little creeped out by the pressure, Goss took a deep breath and did what she did best.

"Rosemarine's been acting odd for days, and I finally found out why yesterday: she likes Munkustrap, has for a really long time- no questions till I finish!" (for Rumpleteazer had started to ask one, but sat back reluctantly at the rebuke.) "No, I didn't know either, you guys know I can be a bit oblivious, and anyway she seems to have hid it really well considering that you all look as surprised as I was. We decided that today we'd both talk to our crushes- she'd tell Munku how she feels, and I'd ask Misto to the Ball, and so would she- ask Munku that is, not Misto. Practiced and everything. This morning I found Misto, we practiced our dances, I asked him, he said yes- save the congratulations too!" (for Jellylorum had broken into a congratulatory smile, but at being cut off sat back slightly hurt.) "Sorry, I have to get on with this. So he says yes, we practice a bit more, then I come back to meet you guys and run into Pussy on the way. That's when Rose went to go talk to Munkustrap, which we all saw, and considering how she looked just now, I don't think it went well. And that's pretty much all I know about what's going on."

There was a pause as the auburn princess caught her breath, and her audience digested all she had just said. But alas, the silence could not last.

"She likes Munku?" Rumple let out the question she had been forced to repress, adding, "But didn' she know abou' Demetah?"

"That's wonderful that Mistoffelees said he would go with you, Goss," said Jelly, though privately she was still a little miffed at having had to still that thought.

"Thanks Jelly," said Gossamew to the second, and "Yes well…she sort of knew, but I think she was in denial about it," to the first. Then, to both, "And I'm sorry I cut you guys off. Flow of the story and all." Both calico queen and patchy princess smiled at that.

"That's all right," said the one, and "Apology accepted," said the other.

"But seriously…" Pussywillow spoke up at last. "What was with Mystery Tom following Rosie out of the clearing?"

"Hey, yeah," Rumple frowned in puzzlement as she recalled that little detail. "Why would 'e do tha'? Thought the Thinkers didn' pay attention to anyone bu' themselves."

"Rumple!" Jelly chided.

"Sorry," Teazer replied, not looking sorry in the least, "bu' really, Jell, ya gotta admit it doesn' make sense."

"No, it doesn't a bit." Pussy's memory was working rapidly trying to come up with evidence for such an occurrence, but nothing turned up. "I haven't ever seen or heard anything to support that... odd look in his eyes."

"'E always 'as an odd look in 'is oys," Teaze pointed out.

"I know," Pussy returned with slight irritation, "but it was a different look, one I've never seen him wear before. Almost like…like…" She paused, searching for a word, but gave up.

"Like what?" a cool voice came from behind them. The four jumped.

"Tanto!" Puss' cheeks went that odd shade of brown in surprise and more than a little embarrassment. "How…eh…nice to see you."

If the black-and-white calico knew that the group had just been discussing her brother, she gave nothing away. No trace of reproach lurked in her face. Her voice was quite light as she asked, "Have any of you seen Coricopat today?"

Further silence ensued. Rumple started to blurt, "'E wen' tha'-" but she was cut off by an elbow from Jellylorum. However, this didn't seem to deter the gray-eyed princess in the least.

"No? Ah, such a shame. If you do see him, please tell him his sister wishes to speak with him. We have… rather personal matters to discuss." And with that Tantomile continued on her way, unruffled as ever. Not one of the four spoke until she was well out of sight, and even then not for another five minutes. At last Gossamew broke the silence.

"Well. If it helps any, Rose did tell me that Cori had figured out her problem. Suggested she tell Munku how she felt, actually…"

And the gossip circle erupted again in full force.

A/N: So there we are. Continuity errors? Advice? Bits you found funny, or particularly good? Just press that little button down there and let me know!